Massive dark trees surrounded him as he ran, panting heavily, unable to form a clear image of his surroundings. The forest floor was covered with weeds and branches, enclosing him entirely.

He stopped for a moment, catching his breath as he glanced back. Two figures were following him, and behind them, he could hear whistles, shouts, and the sound of footsteps accompanied by powerful beams of light cutting through the darkness. As the beams swept across, they revealed patches of blood.

– Come on! We’re almost there! – Black’s exhausted voice escaped his lips as he extended his hand toward the figure closest to him.

The figure reached out and grabbed his hand, and he pulled them closer. The buzzing in his ears persisted, but he maintained full control of his body. Out of the darkness, the figure drew nearer. Their facial features and most of their body remained obscured by the dim light. However, he could make out curly hair, dark skin, full lips, and parts of a bare feminine form.

The figure held his right hand tenderly, intertwining their fingers with his, and slowly lifted his hand toward her face. His breathing steadied as if, in that moment, nothing else existed around them. She guided his hand until it touched her face, allowing him to feel her soft skin as his fingers were gently led across it. He relaxed. The figure continued guiding his hand, brushing it past her lips and slowly downward.

– We’ll make it... And then we’ll be together forever... – the figure said in a soft voice. He swallowed hard; her touch stirred him. He felt the ridges of her scars, especially as she guided his hand over her collarbone and down to the center of her chest. He calmed as he felt her heartbeat, slow and steady; in that moment, they were connected.

But the buzzing pulled him away from the moment, and he noticed the lights growing closer.

– We need to go! – he urged, trying to pull her along, but she didn’t budge, gripping his arm with both hands and keeping his hand pressed against her chest, where he felt her heartbeat quicken.

– Promise me you won’t forget me? That you won’t stop until we’re free? – the woman asked in a sweet tone.

– I promise! – he responded almost instantly. The lights reached them, and the world around him began to bleed. His vision grew blurry; the buzzing became deafening, and he could see less and less of the figure in front of him until the light fully engulfed her image. For a fleeting moment, he caught a glimpse of the orange glimmer in her eyes and the sorrowful smile on her face.

Then the light consumed him, and his yellow eyes snapped open abruptly. Gasping for air, his trembling hands clutched at the bed. He looked around, only to see what he had grown used to day after day: his metal bed with a thin but comfortable mattress, a white sheet, the metallic ceiling with its lights turned off, and a clock at the center of the metal wall, marking 5:50 a.m.

He rose slowly, placing a hand over his sweaty face. Air filled his lungs rapidly as he stared at his own trembling hand.

"What was that...?"

His hand opened and closed. He shut his eyes in an attempt to focus on his dream, but it felt as though a needle was pricking his brain. The sensation made him grit his teeth tightly as he instinctively placed his hands over his eyes.

"Was it her...?"

The melodic alarm rang, causing the lights in the room to flicker on instantly, revealing other empty beds identical to his.

He slowly sat on the bed, lowering his head before glancing at a black oval object in the corner of the room.

"I can’t forget I’m being watched. I need to stay calm."

He took a deep breath and stood up, heading for the room’s exit: a door at the far-right end of the space. Upon stepping out, he found himself in a metallic hallway illuminated by LED strips along the sides, cooled by air flowing through vents, carrying a faint scent of pine. He looked both ways and noticed another oval object in the corner of the corridor. Black closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them before continuing toward the showers.

Once there, he removed his clothes: a completely white shirt, loose white pants, and comfortable footwear. The showers were divided into individual stalls, and there was a large single mirror above a counter with several sinks. He grabbed one of the white towels stacked in an iron basket beside the sink and headed into one of the stalls.

"It was the first time I remembered something significant."

Hot water streamed down his face and hair as his eyes remained closed. He opened and closed his hand, running a finger slowly along the wall.

"Who is she?"

His eyes opened, and he looked at his hand, feeling the water run down his entire body.

"Hers is the voice I hear in my dreams... But why?"

He lightly bumped his forehead against the wall a few times, his lips curved downward, and his brows slightly furrowed.

"I need to find out, but I won't get anywhere if I just stay here... But I can’t do anything reckless; otherwise, they’ll hand me over to Division Zero again..."

– I guess I’m screwed either way... – he muttered to himself with a sad smile.

His fists clenched so tightly that his hands began to tremble, and the veins in his skin bulged. However, he soon sighed and turned off the shower, grabbing the towel hanging from a hook.

Black dried himself off and turned his gaze toward the large mirror outside the shower stalls. He observed the distorted reflection of his own image, obscured by the hot steam from the shower. Only a dark figure with yellow eyes stood out. Yet even that quickly disappeared. Without delay, he dressed in a clean set of clothes from a neatly stacked pile.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Why did I believe the illusion that I would stop being a prisoner here?"

He stared at the pile of identical uniforms. His stomach growled, and he scratched the back of his head before leaving the bathroom, heading into the corridor and following the green line that indicated the way to the cafeteria.

When he arrived, he found himself in a massive cafeteria filled with screens that simulated dim sunlight. Soft ambient music played in the background. The floor was made of a material resembling white tiles, with vents along the sides for air circulation. There were numerous metal tables with attached benches.

Black grabbed a large tray and some utensils and was quickly served by staff members dressed in aprons and masks. Some merely looked at him while others greeted him. He passed each one silently, taking a large amount of food, nodding slightly in acknowledgment, and murmuring a brief thank you.

He then sat down on one of the benches by the tables, picking up one of the many plastic spoons he had brought with him. However, he snapped it easily, prompting a click of his tongue as he sighed and grabbed another one more carefully.

"Stupid plastic spoon! Why don’t they give us something sturdier?"

He watched the staff as some whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing in his direction. Above them, screens displayed the meals served, listing their calorie content, along with a calendar outlining the daily menu.

Before starting to eat, he clasped his hands together and briefly closed his eyes.

– Ngiyabonga ngokudla.

He began eating quickly. On his tray were eggs, fries, bacon, pancakes, cereal, fruits, and milk.

“I need to find a way to discover who the woman in my dreams is..."

He paused for a moment, gazing at the empty cafeteria, only to notice the oval objects in the corners of the room. His lips tightened as his eyes fell back to his food. Then he resumed eating, stuffing as much as he could into his mouth.

"But I can’t raise suspicion. I have to follow their orders and act the way they want."

While he ate, the cafeteria doors opened, revealing a woman. Her skin was fair, her face slender, with blue eyes and short blonde hair, strands falling across her face. She wore a tight white blouse, jeans, and black sneakers. Her eyes scanned the room, and when they landed on Black, she stood on her tiptoes, raised her arm, and waved at him with a cheerful smile. After greeting the servers, she made her way toward the young man.

"Emma? What's she doing here?"

Black stared at her in surprise, wiping his hands with the napkins from the tray's compartment.

– Guten Morgen, Black! Did you sleep well?

The woman asked as she stood behind him, lightly tapping both his shoulders with a smile on her slightly red-painted lips. The young man nodded as she moved around and sat across from him at the table.

– Gútem... Mornen...? What’s that? Russian? – Black questioned, narrowing his eyes slightly at the woman sitting in front of him.

She looked at him, and her lips pouted in dissatisfaction.

– It’s German... You should know the nationality of your favorite instructor! – she replied, turning her face away, closing her eyes, and pointing her pout to the side while crossing her arms with an upright posture. – At this rate, I might have to fail you...

"I wonder what she wants... I've never seen her here before."

Black didn’t respond, merely raised an eyebrow. She slowly opened one eye, and upon noticing his reaction, sighed, adjusting the hair in front of her face.

– Why doesn’t this work on you? – she complained, resting her face in her hands with a bored expression. It didn’t last long when she noticed his tray of food. – Whoa! Can you eat all that?

She said while grabbing a fry from his meal and biting half of it. Her face involuntarily tensed, and she shook her head slightly, placing the remaining piece back on his plate.

– How can you eat this?

She asked as she swallowed, her face scrunched up and her lips curved downward.

"In a way, it’s good that she’s here; her laid-back demeanor might help me act normal."

– I need a lot of energy for my daily routine – Black replied, picking up the fry she left on his plate and eating it. – I thought all enhanced people ate a lot.

– Oh, no way! We’d be a national crisis if that were true! – she replied in a comedic tone. – The reality is, it varies a lot from person to person, but most just need slightly more energy than the average adult.

"Is she just here to chat? Fine; maybe if I talk to her, I can learn something."

– What about you? How much do you eat?

– Hm? Why the interest? Are you thinking of inviting me on a date? – she teased with a playful smile, gesturing with one hand. – Too bad for you, I don’t date my students.

"What’s wrong with her?"

– You know I’m practically a prisoner, right? – Black replied with a sigh, clenching his fists slightly. – I can’t even leave wherever this place is...

The woman’s lips tightened slightly, and her posture shrank as her gaze lowered.

– I know this must be hard for you...

"Damn... I can’t take this out on her... The last thing I need is them suspecting me, and like it or not, she’s always treated me well. But right now, I need information."

Black took a deep breath, a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

– Actually, I was thinking about something I remember from class: there’s a way to identify enhanced individuals using a scale, right?

The woman’s expression shifted to a soft smile.

– Yes, it’s called the Power Variation Index.

– How is the identification made? By the colors that shine in the pupils?

– Yes. Alpha is red, Beta is orange, Gamma is yellow, Delta is light yellow, Epsilon is white, and Zeta is light blue – she replied, resting her face on one hand.

"In my dream, I saw the glow in that woman’s eyes; so she was a Beta-level enhanced..."

Black remained thoughtful until the woman in front of him gave him a curious look.

– Something happened?

– Oh... It’s just that I remember seeing this in some lesson, but I didn’t quite get it – Black admitted, scratching the back of his head slightly with a forced smile.

The woman smiled as she puffed out her chest with her hands on her hips.

– Then let your instructor explain: in short, when an enhanced individual uses their abilities, a glow of a specific color is emitted from their pupils. A man named Khalarran decided to create a chart to classify the enhanced – she explained while grabbing another fry, gesturing with it before biting into it again. – Urgh... And that’s how the Power Variation Index, or PVI if you prefer, was created.

– But... There are seven levels on the scale, and you only mentioned six.

Suddenly, the woman took on a more serious demeanor, lightly tapping her fingers on the table.

– Sometimes I forget you’re not from here... – she said in a serious tone, slightly averting her gaze. – The last level on the scale was discovered a few years ago, in 2010. It’s called Omega, and its color is blue...

"I’ve never heard her talk like this; why did she change?"

Black placed both hands on the table, staring at the woman, who returned his gaze with a faint, forced smile.

– Did I say something wrong?

– It’s nothing... It’s just a scar that still hurts...

"So even her, always smiling and joking, has problems in her past... I can’t stay in the dark; I need to figure out what happened in mine. But I can’t do that here."

– Emma, do you know when I’ll be able to leave here? I mean, by acting like a Convergent. – Black asked with a serious look.

– It’s Instructor Emma! – the woman replied, pointing a finger with one hand, puffing her cheeks, and making an exaggerated pout. – And yes, actually, that’s why I came here...

– Really!? – Black asked, anxious; the plastic utensil broke in his hand again.

Emma laughed as Black grabbed another utensil, slightly embarrassed.

– Tyx wants to meet with you today.

Black showed surprise for a moment, but soon a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"It’s been months; finally... This time will be different. I’ll find a way to leave, even if I have to act like an obedient dog..."