THE ASCENSION SYSTEM

CHAPTER 6

I take a deep breath, my muscles coiled like springs. The sensation of raw energy hums beneath my skin, an itch I can’t scratch. My body is no longer bound by the same rules. I feel it—every fiber of my being screaming for release, for motion, for something more. I need to push. I need to see how far I can go.

The first test is speed. I lunge forward, the wind slicing past me as the world blurs. One moment, I’m at the end of my street. The next, I’m standing on the other side of town, my chest rising and falling in rapid bursts. My heart should be pounding from exertion, but it’s not. The rush of movement fills me with a heady kind of exhilaration.

But then, the world twitches.

The streetlights overhead flicker, their glow stuttering in odd, rhythmic pulses. The same couple I passed on the sidewalk a second ago reappears in front of me, walking the same path, holding the same conversation, their words eerily identical.

I step back, a cold knot forming in my stomach. “What the hell?”

A man across the street suddenly freezes mid-step. His coffee cup tilts, but the liquid inside remains suspended in midair. My breath catches as I watch him flicker—his entire body resetting as if the universe hit rewind for just a moment.

And then he vanishes.

Panic surges through me. I rub my temples, the buzzing in my skull intensifying. “No, no, no. Stay calm.”

I take a slow breath, but it does nothing to stop the unease crawling up my spine. My abilities aren’t just growing—they’re ripping holes in reality.

I decide to push again, this time testing my strength. A lamppost stands tall beside me. I grip it with both hands, planting my feet firmly. With a steady pull, I rip it from the ground as if it were nothing more than a twig.

Metal groans, wires snap, and the light above sputters out. I stand there, holding the heavy post in my hands, feeling godlike—unstoppable.

Then the world lurches again.

The same man I saw vanish reappears across the street. But this time, he’s staring at me.

“You’re not supposed to do that,” he says, voices distant and hollow.

My chest tightens. “Who are you?”

He doesn’t answer. Instead, his body glitches, distorting as if he’s caught between two frames of existence. The street around him warps, shifting between night and day in rapid succession. I stumble back, the sheer wrongness of it twisting my gut.

The air thickens, pressing against my skin. And then—

Time skips.

I blink.

I’m no longer standing in the street. I’m back at my house. My hands are shaking. My mind races. The lamppost is gone. The world is normal again.

Except… it isn’t.

I glance at the clock on my phone. It’s an hour later than it should be.

A shiver runs through me. “I didn’t just move. Time did.”

I grip the edge of the kitchen counter, grounding myself. I need to stop this. I need to figure out what’s happening before I lose control completely.

A thought worms its way into my head, unbidden but relentless: What if I’ve already lost control?

A knock at the door sends a jolt through my body. I move cautiously, every muscle in my body tense as I open it.

Jackson stands on the porch, his eyes scanning me with a mix of concern and something else—something close to fear.

“I saw it,” he says without preamble. “I saw what you did.”

I don’t respond. I can’t. The weight of everything crashes down on me at once.

Jackson steps inside, closing the door behind him. “You’re changing, Tony.”

“I know,” I whisper, running a hand through my hair. “But I don’t know if it’s a good thing.”

Jackson exhales sharply. “Neither do I.”

For a long moment, we stand there in silence, the unspoken truth hanging between us.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I see it.

A shadow moving where no shadow should be.

The world is watching me.

And it’s about to push back.