Jack finally let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as his Aero-Cycle accelerated along the dedicated paved path.
He could feel the heavy, suffocating stench of the livestock farms from the Deep South Sector fading, replaced by a crisp, cool wind that whipped against his face.
Beneath him, the machine hummed with a steady vrummm, effortlessly eating up the distance towards the center.
Up ahead, the colossal Grand Cafeteria loomed, marking the boundary just 1.5 kilometers south of the bustling Central Nexus.
Liam glanced down at the blue hologram hovering over his cycle's dashboard. The map displayed a dense cluster of glowing dots bottlenecking near the massive white marble plaza.
Too crowded, he thought.
Checking Jack's position in his peripheral vision, Liam threw up a quick hand signal, leaned hard into his handlebars, and banked sharply west.
Jack glanced over his shoulder as they coasted down the western pathway. The glass and metal towers were slowly shrinking behind them. Looking back at those perfect buildings gave him a weird feeling that he couldn't quite explain. That heavy feeling only faded when the landscape finally opened up.
The wide white-paved road suddenly squeezed into a narrow transit lane. Jack tightened his grip on the handlebars, adjusting to the shift as the path cut straight through an open athletic complex.
Jack leaned forward, his eyes darting between the green fields and red tracks stretching out on both sides. To his right, a rough game of rugby was in full swing. About two dozen students in sweat-soaked athletic wear were running drills, and for a second, Jack forgot all about the day's stress.
Watching them slam their shoulders and dive into the grass gave him a rush of pure excitement—the kind of spark a kid feels when they see a brand-new playground for the first time. He felt a sudden, restless itch in his legs, like he wanted to jump off the cycle and join them.
Even the sound of the joggers' heavy breathing on the nearby track made his own heart race. It wasn't just a drill to him; it was an invitation to finally move, to sweat, and to feel alive.
Liam caught Jack watching the players, his posture tense like he was ready to jump off his Aero-Cycle. He saw the kid's eyes darting as they followed the ball, his shoulders tight with a sudden burst of energy. Liam felt a slight smirk pull at his lips. He knew that feeling—the frantic need to trade a heavy head for burning muscles.
"They play rough," Liam called out over the hum of the cycles, nodding toward the players. "But it's purely physical conditioning. A good way to burn off the adrenaline after spending hours manipulating pure energy in the underground combat halls."
Jack gave a small nod, his eyes still lingering on the game as the transit lane pulled them further ahead. The path led them past the athletic fields and ended right at the shores of a massive artificial lake. The water was clear, acting like a mirror for the orange and purple streaks of the setting sun.
At the water's edge, the magnetic pathway widened into a designated parking bay. Liam and Jack steered their hovering machines into the bay near a wooden bench.
They engaged the parking sequence, and the blue interfaces powered down. Liam pulled his cycle onto its kickstand. Ding. The magnetic levitation disengaged, letting the frame settle onto the pavement with a heavy clunk. Jack mirrored his actions, feeling the slight jolt travel up his arms as his cycle touched down.
With the rushing hum of the cycles finally silenced, the ambient sounds of the West Sector took over. Jack dropped his bag onto the grass and walked to the water's edge. A few smaller groups of students sat quietly on the grassy embankment, talking in hushed voices, far removed from the violent athletic drills.
Jack sat down, pulling his knees to his chest. The cool breeze felt incredible against his skin, a grounding anchor after the absolute chaos of his first day.
Liam dropped onto the grass beside him with a heavy sigh that sounded like he was carrying years of exhaustion. He stretched his long legs out, picked up a pebble, and tossed it lazily into the lake. Plop. The water rippled.
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The rhythmic, distant shouts of the rugby players and the gentle lapping of the water created a strange, peaceful harmony.
But Jack's mind wasn't on the lake. He was mentally retracing the conversation they had in the cafeteria, haunted by the specific way Liam had detailed his story.
Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek, his heart beating a little faster. He turned, watching Liam skip another stone.
Skip, skip, plop.
"Senior Liam…" Jack started, his voice quiet, almost hesitant. He was about to poke holes in the darkest night of the older boy's life.
Liam didn't turn around immediately. He watched the stone sink before dusting off his hands and looking over.
"Yeah, Jack. What's on your mind?"
"I've been thinking about your story," Jack said, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece the broken logic together. "And there is a massive hole in it. Or at least, something that doesn't make any sense at all."
Liam's relaxed posture shifted instantly. He rested his forearms on his knees, his dark eyes locking onto Jack. The casual senior vanished, replaced by someone much older and much more guarded.
"I think I know exactly what you're going to ask."
"You said you heard police sirens closing in on the forest," Jack said, leaning forward. "You said the flashlights were cutting through the trees and you could hear the officers shouting. The police were literally right there. If they were that close, how did you just magically wake up in a private hotel room? Why didn't you wake up in the back of a police cruiser, or in a local hospital?"
Liam stared at Jack for a long, heavy moment. A faint, almost proud smile touched the corner of his mouth before fading into a deep, calculating seriousness.
"I've spent years chewing on that exact question, Jack," Liam said, his voice low and steady over the sound of the wind.
"When I was thirteen, I was too traumatized to care. But as I got older, I realized the logistics of that night were completely impossible. Now, I need you to understand something—what I am about to tell you is strictly my own theory. The academy has never confirmed this for me. But I think it is the only logical answer."
Liam shifted his weight on the grass. "Let me ask you a question. When was the absolute first time you ever heard about ability users? The first time you realized people with powers actually existed in the open?"
Jack blinked, thrown off by the sudden question. He thought back to his life in Canada, before the ice rink, before his mind started opening digital doors.
"The Eclipse Breakers," Jack answered quickly. "A few years ago. It was all over the news. "Everyone remembers where they were that day. It was like the world caught fire all at once. Suddenly, all over the world, some people just… started glowing. They were igniting like miniature suns right in the middle of the streets."
Jack looked out at the water, but his mind was years away. "And then those things appeared—those dark, distorted shapes that came out of nowhere just to kill them. I remember the live broadcasts showing the same chaos in every country. Total carnage. By the time those survivors started calling themselves the Eclipse Breakers, millions had already watched the world change forever on their screens."
"Exactly," Liam pointed a finger at him. "The Eclipse Breakers incident. That was the moment the veil officially broke. But Jack, that happened only a few years ago. My family was erased seven years ago."
Liam leaned closer, his voice dropping slightly. "Which means, for decades, someone—or some massive organization—was working incredibly hard to keep our existence entirely hidden from the normal world."
Jack nodded slowly, a heavy dread settling in his stomach as he saw where this was going.
"Now, picture that forest," Liam continued, his tone methodical, laying out the facts like a strategic map. "Mr. Vidot and the man in the black coat fought with terrifying, raw power. They shattered massive tree trunks. They tore the ground apart. The physical destruction in that twenty-meter radius looked like a military artillery strike."
Liam dragged a hand through his dark hair. "If Mr. Vidot and Ms. Amelia had stayed there and let the local police breach the tree line, they would have had to explain how two unarmed adults completely decimated an old-growth forest. The police would have seen the blast craters. They would have asked questions. And once cops ask questions about impossible damage, they call in specialists. The local news picks it up. Suddenly, the existence of ability users is exposed to the public years before it was supposed to happen."
"So they ran," Jack whispered, his eyes widening. "They didn't take you to the police right then because they couldn't afford to be seen near that destruction."
"They had to vanish," Liam confirmed, nodding slowly. "They grabbed me while I was unconscious, bypassed the police perimeter somehow, and got me into a secure hotel room.
"But wait," Jack interrupted, holding up a hand. "If they couldn't go to the police, then how did you end up with the police the next day? You said they drove you to your house, and the officers went with you."
"Because they might have changed the narrative," Liam said smoothly. "They couldn't have told the police about a fight in the forest. They must have walked into a precinct the next morning, showed their official IDs as an international NGO, and claimed they found a traumatized, missing child wandering alone near a highway."
"Heh."
Liam let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "It would have been the perfect cover. It would force the police to focus entirely on finding my identity, rather than investigating the woods. That way, it keeps Mr. Vidot and Ms. Amelia out of the spotlight, and our secret safe."
Jack stared at the water, his mind reeling.
"I believe this theory for one very specific reason," Liam added, his voice growing incredibly quiet.
Jack looked at him. "What reason?"