"Get in!" Clayton called as Alexia hurried toward his car. She slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind her.

Clayton gave her a quick glance, concern flickering across his face. “Everything alright? You look awful.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep at all last night,” Alexia muttered, rubbing her temples, the noise still buzzing faintly in the background.

“Why? Still worried about the whole Ryland thing? I told you, everything’s fine, no need to—”

Alexia cut him off, holding up a plain white envelope. "Take a look at this." Her tone was sharp, the tension in her voice unmistakable. "Some people came to my house last night, they slipped this through and just left."

Clayton’s expression darkened, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “That’s weird! Have you checked the CCTV?”

“Yeah, I checked," Alexia sighed. "But it was blurred as soon as they came into frame, like the image was somehow distorted or something.”

That got his attention. Clayton immediately pulled the car to the side of the road, the tires crunching against the gravel. He turned to face her, eyes wide with concern. “Okay, that’s creepy! they’ve got to have powers to do that….or hackers.”

Alexia swallowed, her stomach twisting as the reality of the situation hit her. Clayton’s voice was steady but cautious as he added, “Let’s see what’s inside this envelope.”

She handed it to him, and Clayton carefully tore it open, his hands moving with deliberate precision.

Inside the envelope, Clayton found something unexpected—a small, ornate gold plate. The writing wasn’t ink on paper, but rather intricately engraved into the metal itself. He furrowed his brow and tilted it toward the light, reading aloud.

“It says... 'With deepest gratitude, we thank you for your invaluable contribution to our cause. Your noble deed shall never be forgotten. I am certain that your efforts have been justly rewarded, granting you that which you desired—powers and wealth. For this, accept our sincerest gratitude and congratulations.'"

Alexia’s heart skipped a beat, her mind spinning. “What contribution? Powers? What did Ryland do?”

Clayton shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the gold plate. “No idea. It’s strange. Who are these people? And what’s with this note... why is it on a gold plate? Is this supposed to be some kind of payment?”

A chill ran down Alexia’s spine. “I think we should hand it to the heroes.”

Clayton’s hand shot up, stopping her. “No, no... we can’t. We don’t know who’s behind this. For all we know, the heroes might be the ones pulling the strings here.”

Her pulse quickened. He wasn’t wrong. “Then what should we do?”

“Forget about all of this,” Clayton said firmly. “Live your life to the fullest, and I’ll keep my mouth shut. That’s what we should do. That’s what we WILL do.”

Alexia let out a shaky laugh, trying to push away the growing anxiety gnawing at her. “You’re right. We should just forget it.” She chuckled nervously, though her unease lingered.

They both fell into silence, tension hanging thick in the air. Alexia’s mind raced, contemplating whether to reveal the truth about her powers.

“Clayton… I have one more thing to tell you…” she began, her voice tentative.

“What is it?” he prompted, his brow furrowed with concern.

She hesitated, the weight of her secret heavy on her tongue. Should she trust him?

Silence stretched between them.

“Nothing, never mind! It wasn’t a big deal,” she finally said, the words escaping before she could reconsider.

“Come on, what is it? Maybe I can help,” Clayton urged, leaning closer.

“Uh, it’s about the car,” she blurted, desperately shifting gears. “I want to buy an expensive one, like a supercar or something, but I don’t know how to go about it. You know I’m new here.”

“Oh, the car?” Clayton’s expression shifted from worry to confusion. “For a moment, I thought you were worried about something else. Well, you just go to the dealership, pick one, fill out the paperwork, and pay. That’s it.”

“Right, easy as pie,” she replied, trying to sound casual but feeling the lie coil tightly in her chest.

Clayton studied her for a moment, clearly sensing her evasion but choosing to let it slide. “Just make sure you don’t let anyone pressure you into something you can’t handle.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, forcing a smile.

“Why do you need a supercar anyway?” Clayton asked, eyebrows raised in genuine curiosity.

Alexia shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I just like them. Besides, Ryland had all this money just sitting in her account.”

“How much?” Clayton’s voice tightened, his curiosity giving way to something sharper.

“14.8 million,” Alexia said casually, watching Clayton’s reaction.

His eyes widened. “Where the hell did she get all that money?”

“Whoa, you didn’t know?” Alexia’s brow furrowed in surprise. She figured he was aware of Ryland’s finances.

“Yeah, no,” Clayton replied, shaking his head. “She should’ve only been making around 100k, 200k a year, tops. How the hell did she turn that into millions?”

Alexia leaned back, crossing her arms. “No idea, dude. Maybe she was an investor or something? Or maybe… this is the ‘Contribution’ money the note was talking about.”

Clayton’s face paled. “Oh god… maybe it is.”

They fell into a heavy silence, both lost in their own thoughts, the weight of everything that had just been revealed pressing down on them. For a full minute, neither of them spoke, as if they were trying, and failing, to push the strange events to the back of their minds.

Finally, Alexia broke the tension, forcing a cheerful tone to break the anxiety. “What do you think?” she asked, glancing at Clayton with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Should I spend it?”

Clayton rubbed his forehead, clearly still processing. His conflicted expression said more than his words ever could. “I guess… it’s your money now.”

Alexia’s fingers drummed lightly on the dashboard, her thoughts swirling. It didn’t feel like her money. The mystery of Ryland’s fortune lingered, a question she couldn’t shake. Where did all that money come from? And more importantly, what would happen if she decided to use it?

She forced a brighter smile, hoping to lighten the mood. “Well, in that case… maybe I’ll splurge a little. You want a car too?”

Clayton gave a small, disbelieving laugh, but the unease in the air was thick, impossible to ignore. “Yeah, right. I’ll take a jet while we’re at it.”

“Deal,” she replied, but neither of them laughed again. The strangeness of it all hung between them like a shadow that refused to leave, no matter how hard they tried to brush it off.

Clayton finally started the car, the tension between them palpable. They didn’t speak, not a single word, as the city blurred past. Both of them were lost in their own spiraling thoughts. It didn’t take long to reach the office, but the silence made the short trip feel endless.

As soon as they parked, they stepped out of the car, Clayton let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “So, I think I’m going to bury myself in my job and just… focus on that. And… call me if you need me. Job-related only, though,” he said, his voice hollow and distant, avoiding eye contact.

“Yeah, yeah… Right, I’ll do just that,” Alexia replied, the words automatic, hollow.

“Yep.” Clayton didn’t linger. Without a second glance, he headed into the building, disappearing through the glass doors, leaving Alexia standing alone.

Alexia stood there for a moment, watching him disappear through the glass doors. Her chest tightened, and she forced herself to breathe—long, steady inhales, slow exhales. ‘Forget all that’. She repeated the thought in her head like a mantra. ‘Live your life to the fullest’. It sounded almost mocking, given the circumstances.

Once she felt the storm inside her settle, she plastered on a smile and made her way toward the entrance. But she had forgotten one crucial thing—she wasn’t supposed to be herself. She was supposed to be Ryland.

“Good morning, Boss,” Sarah greeted her with a bright smile at the door.

Alexia cheerfully responded. “Oh, hey, Sarah! Good morning. Is that for me?” she asked, pointing at the cup of coffee in Sarah’s hand, her tone far too light.

“Yes, this is for you,” Sarah said, handing it over, still smiling but blinking in mild confusion.

“Thank you, Sarah, you’re a lifesaver. I really needed that.” Alexia took the cup. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

As Alexia walked off, coffee in hand, Sarah stood frozen, still baffled, getting used to the new version of her boss as the Ryland she knew was sharp-edged, a whirlwind of cold authority—not this cheerful, casual version that seemed almost… friendly.

But, of course, Sarah didn’t know the truth—that her boss hadn’t just changed her attitude. She’d been replaced entirely.

Now seated at her desk, Alexia felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion wash over her. The weight of the day, the events, and the sleepless night made her eyelids droop. She closed her eyes, hoping for just a moment of peace, but the sharp roar of the planet—distant conversations, footsteps, cars, the hum of city life—invaded her mind almost instantly. The super-hearing made sure of that.

“Oh man, how do I sleep?” she groaned, rubbing her temples.

Her thoughts quickly shifted to her other problem—her powers. She had only just begun to understand them, and already they were wreaking havoc on her normal life.

“Out of all the powers this world offers, why did it have to be super hearing?” she muttered, leaning back in her chair in frustration.

But then she remembered something. “Super strength! I’ve got that one too. Gotta put it to the test.”

Her eyes drifted to the small gym setup in the corner of her office—something Ryland had installed, apparently. Alexia got up, walking over to the weight rack, eyeing it with growing curiosity.

“100 kg? Super easy.” She loaded the bar and lifted it without breaking a sweat. The weights felt like nothing in her hands. “Let’s add some more.”

She stacked every weight available onto the bar, watching as the numbers climbed. “500 kg. Can the bar handle this much weight?” She grinned, lifting the bar effortlessly. The strain of her muscles felt exhilarating.

“Okay… still easy. Maybe if I lift it over my head…” she said to herself, hoisting it with barely any effort. She held it there for a moment, waiting for the burn, the challenge, but there was none. “Still, not much of a challenge.”

As she lowered the bar, she noticed it had bent under the weight, clearly unable to handle the load. “Oh man… I broke it.” She set it down gently, staring at the warped metal.

Her eyes wandered around the room, searching for something heavier. Then she spotted them—those awful statues Ryland had scattered around the office, pieces of modern art that always seemed out of place. “These ugly statues must be heavy,” she thought. “Might as well clean up the room while I’m at it.”

With a smirk, Alexia started lifting the statues one by one, each easily weighing several hundred kgs. She grouped them all in one corner of the office like they were oversized paperweights. The room looked tidier, and Alexia felt a strange sense of satisfaction, though she knew there was more she needed to figure out about her new abilities.

“Well, that was fun. Now if only I could figure out how to turn off the hearing…” she muttered, glancing toward her desk, already dreading the next round of city noises that would flood her mind the moment she sat down again.

Bored and restless, Alexia paced around the office, her mind racing. Sleep seemed impossible with the constant noise assaulting her super-sensitive ears. In a half-hearted attempt to distract herself, she approached the computer, eyeing it with faint hope.

"Maybe there are some video games on this thing," she muttered, reaching for the power button.

The machine sputtered to life with a low whine, the screen flickering. It was ancient, sluggish, and Alexia quickly realized that running anything beyond a simple document would be a miracle. "Ugh, it's a potato PC. I’ll probably grow old waiting for this thing to boot up." She sighed, abandoning the idea.

Turning instead to the TV, she flicked it on, hoping for something, flipping through channels aimlessly. Her attention snapped into focus as a news report flashed across the screen, the screen flashing with images of chaos.

“We interrupt your regular programming with breaking news.” The anchor’s tone was calm yet urgent, delivering the gravity of the situation.

“The massive creatures that have been emerging from the fiery pit in the middle of the Artera Ocean have ‘ceased’ their attacks. Just one day ago, the world watched in shock as these monsters rose from the depths. It is now believed that the swift and decisive actions of our heroes—who intercepted and destroyed these creatures before they could fully emerge—are the reason for this temporary halt in activity, but viewers, this is far from a resolution.”

The camera cut to a live feed of the Artera Ocean, where the swirling, fiery pit continued to burn ominously beneath the dark clouds.

“While the monsters may have stopped for now, the pit itself remains open, still seething with an unknown, dangerous energy. Experts warn that until it is closed, the threat is not over.”

The image shifted to a figure in the sky, majestic and formidable. “At this moment, the Sorcerer King, one of the world’s most powerful heroes, is hovering above the pit, closely monitoring the situation. Authorities are hopeful that his expertise could lead to a solution, perhaps even finding a way to close the pit entirely. For now, residents of nearby coastal cities remain on high alert as we wait for further developments.”

The anchor’s tone grew graver. “Though no new monsters have emerged in the last few hours, the threat remains ever-present. Stay tuned for more updates as this story continues to unfold.”

The report cut to a graphic of the fiery pit, swirling and ominous, as Alexia sat frozen, her heart pounding, her eyes widening as she stared at the screen. “A day ago? The same day I got here?” Her mind raced. “Is this… related to what happened to me?”