Flashback – Five Years Ago
The alley reeked of damp trash and the kind of fear that sticks to your skin. I remember seeing her—Elise Veyra, small and frail, pressed against a crumbling brick wall. Three stray dogs snarled at her, saliva dripping from their bared teeth. She was clutching a torn backpack, her eyes blurring with tears.
"Hey! Over here!"
I felt my knees shaking, but I threw a rock anyway. It whizzed past the dogs, striking the wall with a loud crack. They turned, growling at me. I stood as tall as a scrawny kid could, waving my arms. "Leave her alone!"
The largest dog lunged. I threw another rock, hitting its flank. "Run!" I shouted at her.
She didn't hesitate. She sprinted past me, but she glanced back just once. I was pale, and I was definitely shaking, but I wasn't moving until those dogs slunk away. At the time, I didn't even know her name. I didn't think I'd ever see her again.
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Present Day – The Library
My golden eye flickered as I squinted at the text of a crumbling manuscript. Calamity Class: A curse disguised as power. The user's soul fractures with each use.
I shuddered. A curse? Is that what's happening to me? The words gnawed at my stomach.
"T-That one's a forgery," a soft voice said from behind me.
I turned. A girl with lavender hair stood there, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the dim light of the stacks. Suddenly, my vision exploded with data:
Name: Elise Veyra
Age: 16
Power Class: Rare (Spatial Jump)
Strength: 95
Intelligence: 162
Magical Capacity: 140/160
Ability: Micro-Teleportation (10-meter radius)
"Elise?" I blinked. Wait... the girl from the alley?
She teleported to my table in a snap of purple light, leaving a lavender afterimage that dissolved like stardust. Her cheeks bloomed pink as she started to stammer. "Y-You remember me?"
"You... uh, hid behind a trash can," I said awkwardly. Smooth, Adrian. Really smooth.
"I—! W-Well, you looked like you needed help!" She gestured wildly to my books, nearly knocking over a lamp. "C-Calamity Class research is 83% myth, 12% propaganda, and 5%… um… scribbles by drunk scholars."
I snorted. "So you're saying I'm doomed?"
"N-No! Just… misunderstood!" She teleported to a high shelf, snatched a hidden ledger, and reappeared breathlessly. "This one mentions 'eyes that hunger.' Maybe… a metaphor?"
Hunger. The word echoed in my head, feeling a little too literal for comfort.
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Midday – The Courtyard Picnic
Lucy skipped into the library a few hours later, clutching a paper bag. "Adrian! Cafeteria sandwiches!" She froze when she spotted Elise. "Uh… who's this?"
"Elise," I said. "We… knew each other as kids."
"Hi!" Lucy grinned, her Uncommon Class shield bracelet glinting in the sun. "I'm Lucy. Wanna eat with us? I stole extra cookies!"
Elise's eyes widened. "O-Oh, I don't want to intrude—"
"You're not!" Lucy grabbed her wrist, dragging her outside before she could teleport away. "Adrian needs friends who aren't Nova. She's scary."
Sunlight dappled the grass as we settled under an oak tree. Lucy chattered about school while Elise nibbled her sandwich, stealing glances at me. Every now and then, I'd feel a tiny spark of purple energy, and a crumb would vanish from my shoulder. She's teleporting my crumbs? That's... actually kind of helpful.
"Soooo," Lucy drawled, licking cookie crumbs off her fingers. "How'd you two meet? Adrian never talks about girls!"
"Dogs," Elise mumbled, her face turning a deep crimson. "He… saved me."
"Dogs?!" Lucy gasped. "Tell me everything!"
"Lucy—" I groaned. Here we go.
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Afternoon – Bonds and Bullies
"I'll grab water!" Lucy hopped up, her shield flickering faintly as she jogged to the vending machine.
I was mid-sentence with Elise when a sneering voice cut through the air. "Look who's here—Little Miss Uncommon!"
I stood up immediately. Around the corner, a lanky boy with greasy hair was blocking Lucy's path. He was wearing Common Class Earth Manipulation gloves that were crackling with energy. "Heard your brother's a PAO lab rat now. What's he got? Glow-in-the-dark peepers?"
"Leave me alone," Lucy said. She activated her shield, but I could see the dome wavering. Her magic was draining fast. 10 seconds. She only has 10 seconds.
"Cute toy." The boy slammed a fist into the ground, sending a spike of earth toward her.
Lucy's shield shattered. She stumbled back, panic written all over her face. I started to run, but a blur of lavender beat me to it.
"Apologize."
The bully whirled around. Elise was standing right behind him, her violet eyes cold as winter.
"Or what, twerp?" the bully spat.
She teleported—ten meters in a blink—and caught him right in the spine. He crashed face-first into the dirt. "Next time," she whispered, her voice going completely monotone, "I drop you from the roof."
The boy scrambled away, cursing under his breath. Lucy just gaped at her. "Elise is… kinda awesome."
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Late Afternoon – Research and Secrets
Back in the library, Elise helped me test my copied powers.
"Focus on the space between," she said, blushing when I had to stare at her to activate the copy. "Teleportation isn't movement—it's folding reality."
My right eye glowed violet as I pulled her ability into me. I tried to blink to the door—but I rematerialized halfway, my legs literally fused with a wooden chair.
"Graceful," Lucy giggled, snapping a photo with her phone. I'm never living this down.
I tried again. This time, I appeared upside-down, clinging to the ceiling like a bat. Elise had to teleport up to fix my posture, then accidentally brought a startled librarian along with her. "S-Sorry! Wrong coordinates!"
By sunset, we still hadn't found anything solid on the Calamity Class. I slumped against the table. "Maybe it's hopeless."
Elise hesitated, then touched my wrist. "You saved me when you had no power. Now you have too much. But… you're still you." Her violet eyes softened. "That's enough."
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Evening – Dinner and Whispers
Later, alone on the rooftop, I finally tried to explain the truth to her.
"The golden eye… it lets me see things. Stats, weaknesses. And copy powers," I said, looking out at the city instead of at her. "But it's… unstable."
Elise hugged her knees. "Does it hurt?"
Every time."Not really," I lied.
She frowned. She knew. "You don't have to tell me everything. Just… don't shut me out."
A breeze swept past, carrying the scent of lavender. Without thinking, I reached for her hand—then froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. "S-Sorry," I mumbled, pulling back.
Suddenly, her hand was in mine again. She had teleported the distance between our fingers. "C-Cheating," she whispered, her face crimson.
I don't know if this power will destroy me, but for the first time, the "hunger" in my eye felt quiet.