he room fell silent as I stared at my father's lifeless body. Memories of Ethan's death flashed through my mind—mixed with my father accusations blaming me for Ethan death, the constant reminders of my guilt. Yet, despite everything he did to me, he was still my father, and it was my fault, and there had been a time when we were close. I placed my hand above his face and closed his lifeless eyes. Unexpected tears began to run down my face.

"I promise you," I whispered an Orth, my voice breaking as I said. "Even though we treated life like shit these past few years, I will save my mother. By our family name, I, Keinan Zeveriz, will make them pay for everything."

I rose up back up to my feet, dusting off the dirt from my knees. The voice inside me started to hiss, "So, what do you plan to do now, kiddo? You might have been lucky facing a few of them on your way here, but there are a thousand more with guns. Do you plan to charge in blindly in stupidity?

"I have to try and do my best, at least," I replied, my voice firm. "What's the point of having power if I can't even save the people close to me?"

The voice inside me chuckled darkly, "Hihihi, you might have gotten power, boy. But you're far from using its full potential yet. Let me tell you this, the power coursing through your veins has only been activated to 1%. Your weak boy far from being strong, don't det to gas up and get drunk on a taste test. You go in blindly against a thousand elite soldiers with guns now. It's all just meaningless suicide and I won't have that."

"So be it," I retorted. "At least I will die trying right? Unless you decide to help me."

The voice let out a loud, mocking laugh, reverberating through my mind. "Kekekeke, no can't do kiddo'"

Suddenly, a familiar scream echoed loudly through the corridor. It was Faith.

My face darkened upon hearing her scream. Without a second thought, I quickly darted out of my house, racing towards the source of the sound.

Using the shadows as my cover, I slipped out of my house and into the dimly lit corridors. The bunker, once a safe haven, was now infested with soldiers. I moved silently, my footsteps barely a whisper against the cold, metal floors. The faint hum of distant generators and the occasional drip of water were the only sounds that accompanied me.

I pressed myself against the walls, peering around corners before making each move. The soldiers were everywhere, their harsh voices and heavy boots echoing through the halls. I had to be careful; one wrong step could mean disaster.

At one point, I crouched behind a stack of crates, waiting for a patrol to pass. Their flashlights cut through the dimly lit corridor, but I remained unseen. My heart pounded in my chest as I wove through narrow passageways, avoiding the beams of light and the soldiers who wielded them.

As I moved deeper into the bunker, the air grew colder, and the scent of damp metal filled my nostrils. I edged along a narrow corridor, pausing only to listen for the telltale signs of nearby soldiers.

I reached a stairwell, descending quietly into the lower levels. The shadows seemed thicker here, the darkness more oppressive. I took a deep breath, my senses heightened, as I crept forward.

Finally, I arrived at a large storage room. I slipped through the door and found a hiding spot behind a pile of broken furniture. There, I listened for any sounds of Faith, hoping I wasn't too late.

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Just a few moments later, I heard footsteps just outside the door. The door creaked open, and two soldiers walked in, their boots echoing in the silence.

"Are you sure your ears aren't playing tricks on you? There's nothing in here," one soldier said, scanning the room with his flashlight.

"I'm sure I heard something," the other insisted, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Their radios crackled to life, interrupting their conversation. "Bzzz, this is Echo Team. What's the hold-up? Over. Bzzz."

The first soldier responded, "Bzzz, General Kayn is having some fun time with a poor family again. We're coming right after. Over. Bzzz."

Their conversation made my blood boil. The muscles in my body tightened, and the shadows in the room seemed to thicken and expand, creating a suffocating atmosphere. I stepped out of the darkness without a sound. The soldiers, alerted by the noise of my approaching footsteps, began to turn, but it was already too late.

I moved like a phantom, my pace unnaturally swift as I used the darkness as cover. In an instant, I slashed at their legs with my hand. The soldiers screamed in agony, their cries echoing in the confined space as they collapsed to their knees.

Taking advantage of their disorientation, I grabbed the first soldier's head and twisted it sharply. The sickening crunch of breaking bones filled the air. The other soldier's eyes widened in terror. "By the gods, what—" his words were cut short as I used my nails to slice his throat open. Blood sprayed out, a crimson of blood fountain, and he crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

I squatted down to pick up their walkie-talkie, my fingers slick with blood but steady. Rising, I slipped out the door, moving swiftly and silently toward Faith's house. My heart pounded with a mix of rage and urgency; my mind filled with the images of what might be happening.

When I reached Faith's house, I didn't hesitate. I kicked the door open with a force that sent it crashing against the wall. Inside, five soldiers stood with guns trained on Faith's parents. Their expressions shifted from menace to shock as they took in my blood-soaked clothes and feral gaze.

"Don't shoot him! He's just a harmless kid," Jacob shouted, his voice desperate.

The soldiers hesitated, their eyes darting between each other and me, uncertainty clouding their faces. The air grew thick with tension.

"Where is Faith?" I demanded, my voice low and icy.

Faith's parents exchanged a look of despair. Her mother's eyes flicked toward the stairs, a silent message of where I needed to go.

With no time to waste, I sprang into action. I lunged at the soldier aiming his gun at Jacob. He fired, but I was quicker. Grabbing his weapon, I redirected his shots into the two soldiers beside him. Their bodies crumpled to the ground, the sound of gunfire echoing in the enclosed space.

The soldier looked at me, wide-eyed and terrified, as I bent his gun with a sickening creak of metal. Blood dripped from my face as I smiled menacingly.

His fear was evident, his grip on the gun loosening. I wasted no time. With a swift, powerful motion, I drove my hand into his chest, feeling the resistance of flesh and bone before his life faded from his eyes.

I turned my gaze to the remaining soldiers, who stood frozen, unsure whether to fight or flee. The lightbulb overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows that danced across the room. Then, the bulb went out, plunging us into total darkness. The voice inside me hissed, "Yes, yes, we are getting stronger. I can feel it. Our dark domain is coming to life."

Using the darkness as cover, I vanished from their sight. Fear took hold of them as they fumbled with their weapons, trying to see through the inky blackness. I reappeared between them, my voice a chilling whisper that cut through the silence. "I'm right here."

Panic set in as they fired wildly, bullets tearing through the air. Their terror became their demise causing them to hit each other instead of me. The room plunged into chaos of bullets with the deafening sound of gunfire, punctuated by their screams of pain and confusion.

I moved through the shadows yet again humming eerie tune like a phantom in the darkness, as they fell one by one, victims to their own panic. The voice inside me purred with satisfaction, "Yes, that's it. Embrace the power."

The last soldier dropped to the floor, his body joining the others in a growing pool of blood. I stepped over them, my focus now entirely was entirely on the stairs leading to Faith. The worse imaginable thought crept onto my mind, fueling my head with paranoid though as I ascended the staircase, ready to face whatever awaited me.