Chapter 5: Awakening Telekinesis
1160 Words
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
Grayson stood inside Hangar Seven of the Ascendant Defense Agency while dozens of Awakened moved around preparing equipment.
The atmosphere was tense.
Nobody was joking.
Nobody was smiling.
Today's mission wasn't training.
It was survival.
The dimensional breach hovering above Downtown Nexus had grown overnight.
Originally the size of a small vehicle.
Now it stretched nearly thirty meters across.
Dark clouds spiraled around it continuously.
Lightning erupted from its surface every few minutes.
And according to the Agency's projections...
It was still growing.
Inside the briefing room, a hologram displayed the mission details.
Elena Cross stood at the front.
"The objective remains unchanged."
The map zoomed in.
"You will enter the quarantine zone."
Several red markers appeared.
"Locate the dimensional anchors sustaining the breach."
The hologram shifted again.
Four glowing crystals appeared.
"Destroy all four."
"If successful, the breach will destabilize."
"If unsuccessful..."
Nobody needed her to finish that sentence.
Everyone already knew.
Thousands of people could die.
Team Seven consisted of five members.
Grayson.
Marcus Stone.
The lightning user named Kai.
A healer named Mira.
And the silver-haired arrogant guy.
His name was Victor Hale.
Unfortunately.
Victor clearly disliked Grayson.
"Try not to get yourself killed."
Victor crossed his arms.
"Or get us killed."
Grayson yawned.
"I'll do my best."
Victor frowned.
"Are you taking this seriously?"
"No."
The entire team stared.
Grayson shrugged.
"If I panic, I die stressed."
"If I stay calm, I still might die."
"So I choose calm."
Marcus immediately burst into laughter.
Even Kai struggled not to smile.
Victor looked offended.
Twenty minutes later, they entered the quarantine zone.
Downtown Nexus looked like a warzone.
Buildings stood abandoned.
Vehicles littered the streets.
Military barricades surrounded entire blocks.
The sky above had darkened unnaturally.
Even sunlight seemed unable to penetrate the growing dimensional energy.
The atmosphere felt wrong.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Alive.
The System suddenly activated.
NEW AREA DISCOVERED
Dimensional Corruption Zone
Reward:
+10 Ascension Points
Grayson smiled.
"Free points."
Nobody else could see the notification.
Which somehow made it funnier.
The deeper they traveled into the city, the stranger things became.
Streetlights flickered despite having no power.
Shadows moved independently.
Whispers echoed through empty streets.
Once, Grayson could have sworn he saw a giant eye staring at him from a building window.
When he blinked, it vanished.
"Tell me I'm not hallucinating."
Kai glanced sideways.
"What did you see?"
"Never mind."
"That's not reassuring."
Not long afterward, they reached the first dimensional anchor.
A crystal larger than a truck floated above an intersection.
Dark energy spiraled around it continuously.
"There it is."
Marcus cracked his knuckles.
"Let's smash it."
"Wait."
Mira pointed upward.
Everyone followed her gaze.
Several shapes perched atop nearby buildings.
Watching.
Waiting.
Monsters.
Their bodies resembled oversized wolves covered in black scales.
Glowing crimson eyes tracked every movement below.
At least thirty of them.
Maybe more.
Victor cursed.
"Ambush."
The monsters attacked immediately.
The streets exploded into chaos.
Marcus charged first.
The ground shattered beneath his feet.
His fist connected with the nearest monster.
BOOM!
The creature disappeared entirely.
Reduced to a cloud of blood and broken scales.
"Damn."
Grayson blinked.
"He wasn't exaggerating."
Kai transformed into a streak of lightning.
Blue electricity erupted across the battlefield.
Monsters flew in every direction.
Mira focused on supporting everyone.
Healing light surrounded the team.
Closing wounds almost instantly.
Meanwhile.
Grayson found himself facing three monsters alone.
The first lunged.
He reacted instinctively.
Telekinesis exploded outward.
The creature slammed into a nearby wall.
Concrete shattered.
The second attacked from behind.
Grayson sensed it at the last moment.
His body twisted.
Claws missed him by inches.
Too close.
Way too close.
The third monster joined the attack.
Then the fourth.
Then the fifth.
Suddenly Grayson was surrounded.
WARNING
Host Outnumbered
Suggested Action:
Increase Power Output
"Great idea."
The problem was obvious.
His telekinesis worked.
But it wasn't strong enough.
Not yet.
Every use drained energy.
Every attack required concentration.
And concentration became difficult when giant monsters were trying to tear your head off.
One claw sliced across his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his body.
Blood stained his jacket.
Another monster tackled him through a storefront.
Glass shattered everywhere.
Grayson crashed into a concrete pillar.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
For the first time since obtaining the System...
He was losing.
The monsters sensed it too.
Their confidence grew.
They circled him slowly.
Like predators cornering prey.
Something inside Grayson stirred.
A memory.
A realization.
The System wasn't meant to make him strong instantly.
It was meant to push him.
To force him beyond his limits.
His eyes narrowed.
"Then let's push."
The monsters charged simultaneously.
Grayson closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, everything became silent.
He felt the air.
The debris.
The shattered glass.
The steel beams hidden inside nearby buildings.
The countless objects surrounding him.
And then...
He reached for all of them.
Telekinesis exploded outward.
The entire street shook.
Cars rose into the air.
Streetlights bent.
Chunks of concrete floated upward.
Windows shattered across nearby buildings.
Every monster froze.
So did Grayson.
"What the hell?"
The floating debris now numbered in the hundreds.
Maybe thousands.
NEW SKILL EVOLUTION DETECTED
Telekinesis ? Advanced Telekinesis
The monsters suddenly looked nervous.
Good.
Grayson smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Round two."
His hand moved forward.
The world exploded.
Hundreds of projectiles launched simultaneously.
Cars.
Concrete.
Metal beams.
Everything.
The attack resembled a natural disaster.
Monsters were obliterated instantly.
Buildings shook.
Shockwaves rippled through the battlefield.
Dust clouds swallowed entire streets.
When everything finally settled...
Silence returned.
The monsters were gone.
All of them.
Marcus stared.
Kai stared.
Victor stared.
Even Mira stared.
Nobody spoke.
Finally Kai broke the silence.
"...Remind me never to annoy him."
Marcus nodded.
"Agreed."
Victor looked particularly unhappy.
Which somehow made Grayson feel better.
Suddenly the System activated again.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
One Against Many
Reward:
+50 Ascension Points
Mental Resistance +5
LEVEL UP
Level 3 Reached
LEVEL UP
Level 4 Reached
Grayson's eyes widened.
Two levels.
Not bad.
Then the atmosphere changed.
A chill swept across the battlefield.
Every member of Team Seven felt it.
Someone else had arrived.
A figure stood atop a nearby building.
Watching.
Silent.
Motionless.
Silver hair.
Crimson eyes.
Black coat.
The mysterious girl from the rooftop.
Lyra Nightshade.
Victor immediately raised his weapon.
Kai summoned lightning.
Marcus stepped forward.
The girl ignored all of them.
Her crimson eyes remained locked on Grayson.
Then she smiled.
"Interesting."
Her voice was calm.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
"You awakened much faster than expected."
Grayson frowned.
"Do I know you?"
Lyra's smile widened.
"No."
She stepped backward.
Dark shadows wrapped around her body.
"But you will."
And then she vanished.
Leaving only silence behind.
The System immediately appeared.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
New Fate Connection Established
Individual:
Lyra Nightshade
Threat Level:
Unknown
Potential Impact on Host's Future:
Extremely High
Grayson stared at the notification.
Somehow...
He had a feeling his life had just become much more complicated.
- Writer
