The next morning, Aiden woke with a start, his heart still pounding from the vivid dreams that had haunted his sleep. Lightning had cracked through the sky in his mind, the storm raging stronger than ever. It felt so real—almost like he could feel the electricity crawling through his veins.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting golden rays across his room, but it didn’t bring the sense of peace he’d hoped for. His mind was still spinning from everything that had happened the night before.
Gods. Demigods. Powers. It still seemed too impossible to believe, but after seeing the lightning shoot from his own hand, denial wasn’t an option. He needed answers, and Selene seemed like the only one who could provide them. Yet, she was a mystery herself.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. His mom poked her head in, worry etched into her features.
“Aiden? Are you okay?”
He nodded, though he wasn’t sure if he meant it. “Yeah. Just... didn’t sleep well.”
His mom stepped into the room, her face a mixture of concern and something else—something like guilt. She sat on the edge of the bed, studying him carefully. “I know this is a lot for you. I never wanted it to be this way.”
Aiden frowned. “You knew, didn’t you? About all of this. About Dad. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of years of secrecy. “I wanted to protect you. I thought if you didn’t know, maybe you could live a normal life. I didn’t want you to carry the burden of... this.”
Aiden felt a swell of frustration rise in his chest. “But I had a right to know! All this time, you kept it from me. You let me think Dad just left us, when the truth was so much bigger than that.”
His mom’s eyes filled with tears, and Aiden immediately regretted the harshness of his words. He wasn’t angry at her—not really. But the truth had been buried for so long, and now it was all crashing down at once.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was afraid. Afraid that if you knew, it would change everything. And I guess... I was afraid of losing you, too.”
Aiden looked away, struggling with his emotions. “It’s too late for that now. I can feel it, Mom. There’s something inside me, something... powerful. And I don’t know what to do with it.”
She reached out and gently took his hand. “You’re stronger than you think, Aiden. You always have been.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Before Aiden could respond, a gust of wind rattled the windowpane, and a low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. His eyes darted to the window, his pulse quickening. It wasn’t supposed to storm today—he had checked the weather earlier. But there it was, the clouds gathering, darkening the horizon.
And he felt it again. That strange pull in his chest, the sense that the storm was somehow connected to him, responding to him.
“I need to talk to Selene,” he said, standing abruptly. “I need to understand what’s happening to me.”
His mom hesitated. “She’s dangerous, Aiden. I don’t trust her.”
“She knows more than either of us,” he argued. “If there’s anyone who can help me figure this out, it’s her.”
Reluctantly, his mother nodded. “Just... be careful. There are forces at work you don’t fully understand yet. And Selene isn’t the only one who’s interested in you.”
Aiden didn’t fully grasp what she meant, but there was no time to ask. The storm outside was calling to him, and somewhere in the distance, Selene was waiting.
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Later that afternoon, Aiden found himself at the edge of the forest behind the school, the same spot where he’d seen the figure in the shadows the day before. The sky above was an ominous gray, and the wind howled through the trees. It wasn’t raining yet, but the air was thick with the promise of a storm.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the woods, feeling the familiar tingle of electricity in the air. As he walked deeper, the light around him seemed to dim, as though the forest itself was absorbing the storm. The trees bent slightly under the weight of the wind, and every so often, he could hear the distant crack of thunder.
“Aiden Blackwood,” a voice called from ahead.
He stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. Selene emerged from the shadows, her silver hair whipping around her face, eyes glowing faintly. She moved like the storm itself, her presence commanding and intense.
“You’ve come to understand,” she said, more of a statement than a question.
Aiden nodded, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I need to know. Everything. About my father, about these powers... and about you.”
Selene smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Your father was one of the last of his kind, a demigod descended from the ancient gods. His power, the power of the storm, was passed to you the moment you were born. But the gods don’t take kindly to their bloodlines wandering unchecked.”
Aiden frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There are those who seek to control the bloodlines of the gods. They hunt those like you, those with the power to shape the world. Your father was one of their targets, and now they will come for you.”
Aiden’s stomach turned. “So they killed him? My father?”
Selene’s eyes darkened. “Yes. And they will stop at nothing to take you as well. Unless you learn to fight.”
Aiden clenched his fists, the electricity in his veins buzzing to life. “Then teach me. I don’t want to hide anymore.”
Selene stepped closer, her gaze fierce. “I will teach you. But you must understand, Aiden, this path is dangerous. The power you hold can either protect or destroy. If you’re not careful, you’ll become the very thing you fear.”
Aiden took a deep breath, the wind swirling around them. “I’m ready.”
Selene raised her hand, and the sky above responded. Lightning cracked through the clouds, illuminating the forest in a bright flash. “Then let the storm begin.”
As the lightning arced across the sky, Aiden felt a surge of energy rise within him, stronger than anything he had felt before. The storm was his to control—his to wield. And with Selene as his guide, he knew there was no turning back.