The world had never been kind to Ryan Carter.At twenty years old, he was already used to fading into the background. He didn’t shine in class, didn’t stand out in sports, and didn’t have the money or charisma that others used to dominate social circles. If life was a stage, Ryan was a ghost standing behind the curtains—unnoticed, unwanted, and unloved.But even ghosts had to walk through the city at night.The streets of Eastbrook were alive with the chaos of a Friday evening. Music blasted from open car windows, neon lights buzzed and flickered across cracked sidewalks, and groups of students laughed as they spilled out of late-night cafés. Ryan kept his head down, his hoodie pulled low, his hands shoved into his pockets.He had just finished another miserable shift at the campus diner, wiping tables for tips that barely kept him and his younger sister, Olivia, fed. His backpack felt heavier than it should. Inside, wrapped in a soft cloth, was the only thing of value he owned: his m

Ryan’s legs felt like they were made of glass. Every step away from the alley was unsteady, his body trembling with exhaustion and disbelief. His hoodie was torn, his face still bruised, and sparks of electricity twitched under his skin like restless fireflies refusing to die out.Maya walked beside him in silence, her sharp eyes flicking between the shadows and the rooftops above. She moved with the calm vigilance of someone who had walked through danger more times than she could count.Ryan wanted to say something—anything—but the words tangled in his throat.Finally, he croaked, “What just happened back there?”Maya didn’t slow. “You awakened.”He let out a bitter laugh. “Awakened? That’s not an answer. I shot lightning out of my hands. I nearly fried a man alive. That doesn’t happen in real life.”Maya glanced at him briefly. “It does now.”They turned down another street, quieter this time, far from the glow of downtown lights. Old buildings loomed on either side, their windows s

The smell of smoke still clung to the hallway, a harsh reminder of what had just happened. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls where lightning had struck, and scorch marks blackened the ceiling like clawed shadows. Ryan’s heart hadn’t stopped racing since the man vanished, and his hands were still trembling—not from fear alone, but from the lingering storm that hummed in his veins.Olivia stood frozen in the doorway. Her face was pale, her lips parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Her eyes—so familiar, so normal—looked at Ryan like he was someone else entirely.“Ryan…” she whispered. Her voice cracked. “What did you just do?”Ryan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. What could he say? I don’t know? I might be some kind of walking thunderstorm?Maya stepped between them, her blade still faintly glowing. “No time for questions. We have to move.”Olivia blinked, snapping out of her trance. “Move? What are you talking about? That man—he just—he disappeared in

The air turned heavy as the three hooded figures advanced across the cracked asphalt, their steps silent, their presence suffocating. The faint red glow in their eyes made them look less human, more like predators wearing human skin.Ryan swallowed hard, every nerve screaming at him to run, but Olivia’s terrified grip on his sleeve rooted him in place.“You’re not taking me,” he repeated, louder this time, his voice carrying in the dead silence. Lightning crawled up his arms like living veins of fire.The tallest of the trio tilted his head, studying Ryan. “You wear the storm poorly,” he said, his voice smooth and cruel. “Raw. Untamed. The kind of power our Clan was meant to shape. You don’t even know what you are.”Maya stepped forward, her blade gleaming in the weak sunlight. “He knows enough to stand against you. And he won’t stand alone.”The second figure chuckled, a high, mocking sound. “One stray mystic and one half-blood hunter against us? You should have stayed hidden.”Befor

The morning air was sharp with the smell of rust and damp concrete. The safehouse was tucked inside an abandoned factory on the edge of the city, its wide floor strewn with broken pipes and shattered windows.It wasn’t much, but Maya had declared it “adequate for training.”Ryan stood in the middle of the vast floor, arms crossed, stomach knotting tighter with every second.Maya paced around him like a drill sergeant, blade strapped to her back, her eyes cool and calculating. Olivia perched on a stack of crates nearby, knees hugged to her chest.“Rule one,” Maya said. “Your power is not a toy. It’s a weapon. Treat it like a live grenade—because that’s exactly what it is.”Ryan muttered, “Yeah, tell that to my muscles. They feel like I’ve been hit by a truck since last night.”Maya ignored him. “Rule two. You don’t control the storm by brute force. You guide it. Your bloodline gives you the spark, but your mind is the fuse. Lose focus, and you burn out—or worse.”Ryan raised an eyebrow