The first punch landed before Justin Forbes even understood why. It cracked against his cheekbone with a dull, sickening sound, snapping his head sideways and sending his glasses skidding across the dusty schoolyard. Laughter erupted around him—sharp, cruel, familiar.Justin staggered but didn’t fall; he rarely did. “Say it again,” Ben Harrington sneered, flexing his fingers as if he’d just swatted a fly. “You said the nurse was wrong?”Justin tasted blood at the corner of his lip. The metallic flavor was oddly comforting—it meant he was still conscious, still thinking. His mind, unlike his body, had learned to remain calm during pain.“She was wrong,” Justin replied quietly, his voice trembling more from exhaustion than fear. “Mark’s ankle isn’t sprained. It’s a hairline fracture. If he keeps walking on it, the bone will shift.”A ripple of mocking laughter passed through the circle of students. Ben scoffed. “You’re not even a doctor, Forbes. You’re just a freak who reads too many me

Justin woke to the sound of machines, a steady rhythm pulsed in the background—beep… beep… beep—sharp, mechanical, and strangely reassuring. It took him a few seconds to realize the sound wasn’t coming from across the room. It was beside him.His eyes fluttered open to a blur of white ceiling tiles and harsh fluorescent lights. The air smelled strongly of disinfectant and something sterile and cold. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.Then memory slammed back into him, the girl, the golden light. The doctors are shouting. Justin jolted upright.A wave of dizziness crashed over him, and he grabbed the edge of the hospital bed to steady himself. Tubes trailed from his arm, and a heart monitor beside him mirrored the rhythm he’d heard in his dreams.He wasn’t in the ICU anymore. He was a patient, “What… happened?” he croaked.The door opened immediately, as if someone had been waiting for him to wake. A nurse stepped in, relief flooding her face.“He’s conscious!” she called over h

Justin Forbes lay pressed against the cold concrete wall of the basement, sweat dripping down his temples. The golden glow beneath his skin pulsed wildly, thrumming like a second heartbeat. Every instinct screamed at him: Run. Fight. Survive.The men in black encircled him, their devices sparking, whirring, and humming, and yet none dared step closer to the strange light radiating from Justin’s body. Something about it made them hesitate, almost… human.Then the figure in the hood reappeared, stepping silently from the shadows, golden light glinting in their eyes. Justin froze. “Who are you?” he demanded, voice trembling. “Why are you helping me?”The figure tilted their head, the hood falling back just enough to reveal a striking face. Pale, almost ethereal, eyes a piercing amber that seemed to reflect the golden light emanating from Justin.“Help?” they echoed softly, voice almost musical. “I’m not helping you. I’m awakening you.”Justin’s pulse spiked. “Awaken me? What… what are yo

Justin Forbes awoke to silence. The golden glow beneath his skin had dimmed, leaving only faint embers that traced his veins like veins of molten gold.He was lying on a raised platform in the Nexus chamber, the air humming faintly with energy. Shadows of strange symbols danced across the walls as if alive, pulsing with an invisible rhythm.The hooded figure stood across from him, arms folded, eyes sharp and unreadable. “You survived,” they said simply.Justin sat up slowly, wincing as the memory of the shadow’s strike replayed in his mind. “Barely,” he admitted. “But… how did I…? The light… it… It felt like it had a mind of its own.”The figure stepped closer, revealing a faint network of golden lines tracing their own skin, a reflection of the power Justin had only begun to understand. “Because it does. Your power is not just yours—it is alive. It responds to your emotions, your intent, and your will. But if you fail to control it, it will betray you.”Justin’s pulse quickened. “Con