Theo took a step, and the world blurred. His foot barely touched the ground before his body rocketed forward, the surroundings snapping past in an instant. He had no time to react before his momentum sent him hurtling straight toward the wall.

His instincts kicked in, and he slammed his foot down, but the force was too much. The ground cracked beneath him as he fought to stop. His body jerked back as if his head had hit an invisible barrier. A shockwave shot through his legs and body, but he barely felt it.

A heavy silence filled the air.

James and Alyssa stood frozen, eyes wide as they took in the spiderwebbed cracks in the cement flooring. Their expressions shifted from surprise to something more intense, a mix of awe and disbelief.

‘What the hell was that?’ James finally blurted. ‘First, you rip a door off the hinges, and now what, you’re also super fast?’

Alyssa’s gaze sharpened. ‘No one has multiple abilities.’’

Theo exhaled sharply, shaking out the lingering tension in his legs. “Yeah? Well, I don’t exactly have a manual for this. Do you have a manual for your power, or some guide, or a voice?”

James let out a laugh. “No, I wish. No one has anything like that.”

Theo stood silently, processing the fact that ECHO talking to him was far from normal.

James whistled low. “Man, all the factions are going to want you to join them. You’re breaking all the rules with multiple abilities like this.” He smirked, but there was an edge to his voice, as if he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this.

Theo sighed, glancing at the floor where his strength had left its mark. “Great. As if walking wasn’t already hard enough.”

Alyssa shook her head. “We need to get you out of here before things get more..complicated. You can’t stay here, and we’re not exactly equipped to handle whatever's going on with you. Let’s go.”

James stepped closer to Theo, offering a hand to help him stand. “You are coming with us, right? You’re gonna need to learn how to control that mess before it becomes a bigger problem.’

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Theo nodded, still feeling the weight of the situation. “Yeah, I’m coming, but I don’t really know how I'm supposed to walk like this.”

Alyssa pulled a small cube out her small pack on her hip. “Well It’s a good thing I always carry these with me.”

Out of the cube a pair of hover boots appeared, “you can borrow them tell we get to the training facility.”

Theo put them on, this was his first time ever wearing these. They were mainly used by spies and assassins to make them move around silently. “I don't know how to use these,” Theo explained.

Alyssa and James stood next to Theo. James looked at Alyssa and then at Theo and jokingly said “Man you can't do anything on your own, You just need to lean in the direction you want to go but you still need to balance yourself. For the time being just hold onto our shoulders while we walk and you get used to them.”

The three of them headed towards the exit. As they reached the stairway, Alyssa looked back. Her eyes widened, and she quickly motioned for James to look.

James turned just in time to see the floor. The cracks spread out from where Theo had slammed his foot down, the cement splintering and breaking apart, creating a jagged hole. They both stared as the void beneath them became visible, revealing the floor below them they were on the second floor.

Alyssa’s voice was tense. “We really need to move, now.”

They headed down the stairwell, out into the dimly lit streets, They began to head in the direction of their car when they noticed some vehicles heading in their direction, The hover cars themselves flashing red, blue, and white.

Alyssa sighed “I was hoping know one would call the Zenith corps enforcers. Hurry head down the alleyway.”

They hid behind some trash cans as the Corps hurried into the building.

James excitedly said “man this is interesting but we need to go.”

They all headed out of the alleyway down the street, running with Theo holding onto their shoulders, Just before turning the corner the Corps came out of the building.

“Hey, you 3, Stop running we need to ask you some questions.”

They did not stop, they turned the corner, The car was right there. Alyssa beeped the doors open and James shoved Theo into the back seat.

“Hey man, it’s all going to be alright” James said as he could tell something was on Theo’s mind.

”Are you sure about that James? The enforcement team is looking for us now.” Theo said nervously.

Alyssa turned her head and made eye contact with Theo “They didn't see us, That apartment complex is in the slums, no one has cameras, and there are no cameras on the streets. They have no way of....”

James interrupted her “So Theo, How does it feel?”

Theo had a puzzled look on his face “how does what feel? Being a criminal”

James turned to him for the front seat. “Having power dumb ass”

Theo Shrugged “Honestly, I don't know, I need to learn how to use it properly.”

Theo looked around at the interior of the hover car, it was sleek and high-tech, with smooth black seats and a dashboard that glowed with holographic displays.

He thought about how the transition from parked to driving was seamless—no jolts, no vibrations, just smooth acceleration.

Alyssa yelled. “They decided to follow us! Hold on!” She slammed the leavers that controlled the hover car. Launching the vehicle forward.