Aria sat in class, staring at the board without really seeing it.
The teacher's voice blurred into background noise, chalk scratching lightly against the board as equations and notes filled the space. Students copied, whispered, passed glances.
But Aria's pen didn't move.
"…Aria."
She blinked slowly.
"…Aria."
A tap hit her arm.
"Aria."
She turned.
Ella was looking at her, eyebrow raised.
"You've been gone for like five minutes," she whispered.
Aria exhaled.
"…sorry."
Mira leaned in from the other side, eyes sharp.
"That's not zoning out," she said quietly. "That's overthinking. What's going on?"
Aria hesitated.
Then looked back at the board.
"…nothing."
"Liar," Mira replied instantly.
Ella leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"Is it about yesterday?" she asked.
Aria shook her head slightly.
"…not just that."
Mira smirked.
"Oh? So there's more."
Aria sighed, running a hand lightly through her hair.
"…him."
Ella blinked.
"…him?"
Mira's smirk widened.
"Yeah, I knew it."
"It's not like that," Aria said quickly.
"Sure," Mira said. "You're thinking about a guy in class for no reason."
Aria rolled her eyes.
"You're both annoying."
"Then explain," Ella said softly.
Aria leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling for a second.
"…he's just different," she said.
Mira crossed her arms.
"How?"
"He's calm," Aria replied. "Too calm. Even when things get bad, he doesn't panic. He just… acts."
Ella nodded.
"…that actually sounds cool."
Aria looked down at her hands.
"…and when I'm around him…" she paused, "…I feel like I have to be better."
Mira's expression softened slightly.
"That's not a bad thing."
Aria nodded faintly.
"…I know."
But even as she said it—
Her mind drifted.
Back to that moment.
That morning.
—
The city had barely woken up when it happened.
The train was already out of control.
Sparks flew from the rails as it sped forward, far beyond safe limits. People inside were screaming, holding onto anything they could as the carriages shook violently.
Ahead—
The bridge.
Beyond that—
The ocean.
If it didn't stop, it wouldn't just crash.
It would fall.
Aria stood on a rooftop nearby.
Already suited up.
Blue suit. Mask on. Heart racing.
"…not again…" she whispered.
Her body still ached from training.
Her power still something she didn't fully trust.
"What if it fails…" she thought.
The train roared closer.
No time.
She inhaled sharply—
Then jumped.
She landed hard on the tracks ahead of the train, boots cracking the ground slightly under impact.
People shouted.
"Get off the tracks!"
"Move!"
She didn't.
She stepped forward.
Right into its path.
Her heart pounded violently.
"…just trust it…"
The train was seconds away.
She planted her feet.
Raised her hands.
And braced.
Impact.
The force slammed into her like a wall.
"AH—!"
Her body slid backward instantly, shoes grinding against metal as sparks burst beneath her feet. The ground cracked as she was pushed back, the sheer momentum threatening to overwhelm her.
Her arms shook.
"…too much—!"
The pressure kept building.
The train wasn't slowing.
Her strength—
Wasn't enough.
For a second—
Fear hit.
"What if I fail…?"
Then—
Her eyes shifted.
Blue.
Not flickering.
Not unstable.
Solid.
Her body surged.
Power flooded through her completely.
Her arms steadied.
Her stance locked.
"…I've got it."
She pushed back.
Hard.
The ground beneath her feet shattered deeper as she dug in, stopping her backward slide.
The train screamed in resistance.
Metal grinding.
Passengers bracing.
Aria didn't move.
Didn't break.
Didn't lose control.
"STOP!"
The train slowed.
Gradually.
Then faster.
Then—
It stopped.
Completely.
Silence hit.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Aria stood there, hands still pressed forward, breathing hard.
But she didn't fall.
Her body didn't give out.
Her power didn't fade.
For the first time—
It stayed.
She lowered her hands slowly.
People inside the train stared in disbelief.
Outside—
Phones were already recording.
"She stopped it—!"
"No way—!"
"That's insane!"
Aria looked down at her hands.
Then clenched them slowly.
"…it's back."
—
"Aria."
She blinked.
Back in class.
Ella was staring at her.
"You zoned out again," she said.
"…yeah," Aria muttered.
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"…what are you not telling us?"
Before Aria could answer—
The classroom screens turned on.
Breaking news.
Her.
In her suit.
Stopping the train.
Students gasped.
"That's her again—!"
"The masked girl—!"
"No way she stopped a train—"
Aria stayed quiet.
Watching.
"…this morning, a major disaster was prevented when an unidentified vigilante stopped an out-of-control train moments before it reached the coastal bridge—"
The footage replayed.
Her pushing against it.
Holding it.
Stopping it.
"…government officials have released a statement—"
The screen switched.
Formal setting.
"We commend the unidentified individual responsible for preventing what could have been a catastrophic loss of life," one official said. "While we do not encourage unauthorized vigilantism, today's actions undoubtedly saved hundreds."
Ella slowly turned to Aria.
"…you wanna explain something?"
Mira crossed her arms.
"…Aria."
Aria didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes stayed on the screen.
Then—
She spoke.
"…it's back."
Ella blinked.
"…what?"
"My power," Aria said quietly. "It's fully back."
Mira studied her.
"…you're serious?"
Aria nodded slowly.
"…yeah."
Confidence.
Real this time.
"I'm ready now."
Ella smiled slightly.
Mira smirked.
"…then don't mess it up."
—
Far from the noise of the school—
Deep underground—
The air felt cold.
Controlled.
Slander stood in silence, his blades resting at his side.
Across from him, Dr Blanc observed multiple screens, all showing the same thing.
Her.
Stopping the train.
Replaying.
Again.
And again.
"…remarkable," Dr Blanc murmured.
He stepped closer to the screen.
Zooming in.
Her stance.
Her control.
Her eyes.
Blue.
Stable.
"…the mutation has fully synchronized," he continued softly.
Slander didn't respond.
He never did.
Dr Blanc turned slightly.
"The previous suppression accelerated her evolution," he said. "Exactly as predicted."
A pause.
Then—
A faint smile.
"But now…"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"She becomes a problem."
He walked toward a nearby chamber.
Inside—
Something moved.
Something unstable.
Something worse than before.
"We move to phase two," he said calmly.
Slander's grip on his blade tightened slightly.
"Push her," Dr Blanc continued. "Break her limits."
His voice dropped.
"Or break her completely."
The chamber glowed faintly.
Something inside roared.
And above—
Unaware—
Aria stood in a classroom.
Thinking she had finally caught up.
Not knowing—
The real test had just begun.