Chapter 13: The Weight of Weakness

Kieran sat in the dimly lit underground passage, his breath still unsteady. His ribs ached, his muscles felt like they had been torn apart, and yet… he couldn’t stop thinking about Elias’s words.

"I want to see how far you’ll go before you break."

The worst part? Elias was right.

He had been running, barely surviving, grasping at power he didn’t understand. If that fight earlier had proven anything, it was that he wasn’t ready. Not even close.

Kieran’s gaze drifted to his hands. They looked the same as always, but he could still feel the residual power pulsing beneath his skin—red and blue arcs flickering at his fingertips. His system was unstable, glitching, but even in its broken state… it had potential.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

But potential meant nothing if he was dead.

Elias stood a few feet away, leaning against a rusted steel beam. The man’s posture was casual, but Kieran had already noticed something unsettling—Elias was always in control. Every movement, every word, every glance felt calculated.

Even now, he was watching Kieran, studying him.

Kieran clenched his fists. “What do you get out of this?”

Elias smirked. “Curiosity.”

“Curiosity?” Kieran narrowed his eyes. “You beat the hell out of me just because you were curious?”

Elias chuckled. “Not exactly.” His expression shifted—just slightly, but enough that Kieran caught it. “Let’s just say… your condition isn’t the first of its kind.”

Kieran’s stomach twisted. He knew.

The system flickered.

[Warning: Core Instability Detected.]

Kieran exhaled sharply. “What am I?”

Elias didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned toward the tunnel’s exit. “That’s up to you to figure out.”

Kieran gritted his teeth. Always cryptic. Always withholding. But now, something had changed.

He wasn’t just running anymore.

He was going to find the truth.

And if Elias wanted to test him?

He’d prove he wasn’t someone to be toyed with.