Deep beneath an unremarkable industrial complex, hidden behind reinforced corridors and biometric locks, the cafeteria buzzed with noise.
Trays clattered. Chairs scraped. Ability Users in training sat in loose groups, talking, arguing, laughing.
It didn't feel like a feared underground organization.
It felt almost normal.
"I'm so sick of this place."
Shawn slammed his palm against the table, voice low but sharp. His curly hair bounced slightly with the motion.
"Shawn," Lisa said from across the table, leaning back in her chair, "you should be used to it by now."
A faint scar curved along her wrist, visible as she lifted her cup.
"Lisa, maybe you should talk to Finn," Shawn muttered. "Tell him we're ready for field missions. I'm tired of training and studying all the time."
Lisa chuckled.
"I think we'd have a better chance if Sol talks to him. I'm pretty sure he's about to become a field agent anyway."
Sol, who had been quietly eating, looked up and smiled faintly.
"I don't think a few words would make that happen," he said calmly. "You're nearly done with evaluation. Just finish up and you'll join a team."
"Yeah, right," Joshua muttered.
Jasmine crossed her arms. "You sound like you're already one of them."
Sol glanced at the four of them.
Shawn. Lisa. Joshua. Jasmine.
They were the first Ability Users he met after agreeing to join the Insurgency.
He had refused the tattoo.
Instead, he received a badge — small, metallic, clipped inside his jacket.
He later learned the tattoos weren't symbolic.
They were trackers.
And more than that — protective charms infused with an Ability User's power. A safeguard mechanism in case someone was captured or lost control.
Useful.
But binding.
Sol preferred options.
He had been here three days.
Three days of structured training.
Three days of forced patience.
He couldn't stand being confined — even in a place that treated him well.
Still, the training had been necessary.
After gaining Body of Light, the sudden surge in physical strength and speed made his body feel foreign. He misjudged force. Overshot movements. Nearly broke reinforced equipment during basic drills.
The instructors had worked him relentlessly.
Control.
Footwork.
Energy modulation.
Combat discipline.
And unlike before, he couldn't simply accumulate energy endlessly.
Training demanded constant ability usage.
Ability usage demanded recovery.
And recovery demanded sunlight.
The facility allowed scheduled rooftop access for controlled exposure, but not enough to stand there stockpiling energy all day, they worried for satellite tracking. Most of what he absorbed was spent immediately recovering his energy after training his abilities.
That slowed accumulation significantly.
Still—
His growth was undeniable.
The system interface surfaced in his mind.
[GoL Ability: Light Particle (2/1000) Level 3]*
[GoL Ability: Echo Shield (2/500) Level 2]*
[GoL Ability: Spatial Shift (2/5000) Level 4]*
[GoL Ability: Celestial Finger (2/500) Level 2]*
[GoL Ability: Body of Light (1/100) Level 1]
Sol had made significant progress.
Light Particle had evolved far beyond a simple projectile.
Its range now exceeded sixty meters, roughly the size of a human head at full charge. But size wasn't the true improvement.
Control was.
He could alter its shape mid-formation. Compress it into a piercing spear or widen it into a destructive blast. If he continuously supplied energy, the projectile no longer dispersed.
It became a beam.
A sustained discharge.
A laser.
The first time he tested maintaining output, it sliced through reinforced steel plating effortlessly.
It also drained him catastrophically.
Three seconds.
That was his limit before nearly exhausting all of his reserves.
Out of curiosity, — and recklessness — seeing he can generate the Light Particle from anywhere, he attempted channeling it through his eyes, trying to copy a certain caped superhero from his previous life.
It worked.
Perfectly.
For two seconds, he became something terrifyingly efficient.
He decided not to rely on that casually.
Echo Shield had progressed more simply.
Larger coverage.
Cleaner resonance.
The barrier felt denser and more stable, capable of protecting a wider area without destabilizing.
Not flashy.
But reliable.
Celestial Finger had grown frightening.
At Level 2, its compressive force amplified drastically.
If he struck Luke with it now, the man would not casually rip himself out of a wall and continue smiling.
Even with that monstrous healing factor.
It had become a decisive ability.
But the greatest change belonged to Spatial Shift.
Level 4 transformed it completely.
His perception radius expanded beyond one hundred meters in what he could only describe as HD clarity. Every movement registered sharply. No blur. No distortion.
With enough energy, he could push beyond that range and teleport, as long as he maintained visual confirmation.
More importantly—
He could mark targets.
Anything that he touches and activates his ability on, could be tagged.
A location he had marked before allowed near-zero-cost teleportation, maybe around 20% of the standard teleportation.
A marked object could be summoned directly to him — though that required more energy than standard teleportation.
That single discovery changed combat entirely.
He started planning combos and methods to use his abilities in sync without wasting energy as much.
And then there was Body of Light.
Still Level 1.
No matter what he attempted — increased absorption cycles, physical strain, energy depletion loops — it refused to progress.
That frustrated him more than he showed.
Because he knew.
That ability was the foundation.
And it remained unmoving.
Despite the slowed accumulation, his overall energy capacity had more than doubled since arriving due to his abilities leveling up.
It was controlled growth.
The cafeteria doors opened.
Luke stepped inside.
Lisa noticed immediately.
"Luke. How did it go?"
Luke grabbed a drink and shrugged.
"Other than him telling us to fuck off, everything was fine."
A hint of helplessness flickered in his tone.
Sol shook his head slightly.
His image of the Insurgency before arriving had been a massive, terrifying force.
What he found instead felt… almost modest.
Though he knew this was only one headquarters among many.
"Any news?" Sol asked suddenly.
Luke's expression shifted.
"Not yet. But we have a team working on it specifically. They're professionals."
"Yeah," Sol muttered. "You told me that already."
"It's fine, Sol," Lisa said softly. "They'll be found."
"Yeah," Shawn added quickly. "Those psychos won't get away with it."
They felt bad for him.
His family had been captured by government extremists.
They couldn't imagine what he was feeling.
Sol nodded.
He was bothered.
But not in the way they thought.
They weren't truly his family from his previous life.
But he would protect them as if they were.
"That may be true," Luke said quietly, "but the fact is—we're running out of time."
His gaze locked onto Sol.
"Come by the office later. Finn and I need to speak with you."
Sol stood immediately.
"I'm done eating. Let's go now."
Over the past three days, he had grown to respect Luke.
Blunt and Honest, he did not filter his words and spoke what's on his mind.
Luke nodded and led him out.
Behind them, whispers began.
"What do you think Luke wants? Is he going to finally invite that kid to join a field team?"
"No idea… but Sol's clearly different."
"How?"
"Can any of you control your powers as perfectly as he does?"
Silence answered that.
They reached Finn's office.
Warm lighting. Bookshelves. A kettle steaming quietly.
Finn looked up with a gentle smile.
"Sol. Have a seat. Coffee or tea?"
His voice carried that soothing, refined tone that naturally put people at ease.
He looked like the ideal English gentleman — composed, intelligent, effortlessly charismatic.
Beside him, Luke's frame radiated restrained violence as he casually poured himself some tea and started sipping.
"I'm good," Sol replied, sitting down.
"Settling in well?" Finn asked. "Anything bothering you?"
"Everything's fine," Sol nodded honestly. "This place is safe. Training's useful."
Finn seemed pleased.
"Glad to hear it."
Sol didn't indulge the small talk.
"Is there a reason you wanted to speak with me?"
Finn leaned back slightly.
"I've been keeping an eye on you."
Sol waited.
"You're not like the others. You're far more mature. Sometimes I forget how young you are and treat you like one of the adults."
"It's not just your mindset," Finn continued. "You're the only one here with complete control over your abilities. At your age, neither Luke nor I were anywhere near your level."
Luke gave a short nod.
"We're recruiting agents," Finn said. "A new specialized task force made up of Ability Users."
Sol raised an eyebrow.
"So you want to start testing me early for it?"
"No," Finn smiled. "You've already passed. Or rather, like Luke, you never needed a test."
Luke crossed his arms.
"From here on, the two of us will handle Ability User recruitment together. You in?"
Sol thought for a moment.
He didn't truly care about ideology.
But if it meant fighting back against the government branch that ran research facilities—
If it meant freeing 'subjects'—
If it meant getting closer to those holding his family—
"Sure," Sol said calmly. "I'm in."
He had already reported the research institute he escaped from.
The Insurgency investigated.
It was abandoned.
Everyone and everything relocated.
That failure still irritated him.
"Good," Finn said, flipping through a folder before sliding a file across the desk.
"This is your next target."
Sol picked it up.
A photograph stared back at him.
Dark hair. Sharp features. Cold eyes.
Sol's brows lifted slightly.
That face…
It looked oddly familiar.
He was certain he had seen it before.
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Author's Note:
I try my best to upload a chapter per day, and if i miss one, i upload two the next, so please show you're here by leaving a comment, review or even throw some stones my way ;)