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Chapter 186
Caelum’s rule was built on people being selfish. If everyone only cared about themselves, Caelum could rule them with fear. But empathy, feeling someone else's pain and loving them anyway, destroyed fear completely.The empathy linked them all together.Jayden felt it. He was standing in the center, struggling to breathe. But suddenly, the pain in his chest grew a little lighter. The burning in his torn muscles cooled down.He looked at the crowd. He saw the sea of glowing colors. He saw thousands of eyes looking back at him, shining with tears and soft light.They were helping him carry the load.In the shadows near the edge of the street, Caelum’s followers watched in pure horror.Tariq, the kinetic fighter who had beaten Jayden over and over, was on his knees. He held his broken hand against his chest. His orange combat glow was completely dead. He stared at the crowd."This is impossible," Tariq muttered. His teeth were chattering. He was shivering, even though the night was hot.
Chapter 185
The pain was a living thing. It was a fire that burned inside every single muscle, every single bone, and every single nerve in Jayden’s body.He was on his hands and knees in the middle of the ruined street of New York. The dry, hot Harmattan wind blew over him. It carried the thick grey dust of the city, mixing with the dark red blood that dripped from his chin.Jayden’s injuries were catastrophic. They were the kind of injuries that would kill a normal man ten times over.His ribcage was shattered. When he breathed, he heard the terrible, wet sound of broken bones grinding against each other. His left arm hung at a wrong angle. The skin on his back was torn open from the kinetic blasts. His internal organs were bruised, leaking, and failing.But he did not die. He did not pass out.The Immortality Lock was fully awake. Deep inside his blood, bright golden lines of System energy flared. The System refused to let him sleep. It forced him to stay completely conscious. It stitched his
Chapter 184
Tariq turned and pointed his finger at Jayden. "What did you do to them, you monster?!" Tariq screamed. His voice cracked with fear. "You broke the rules! We are the strong! We rule you!"Jayden did not answer. He just looked at Tariq with deep sadness.Tariq could not handle the silence. He could not handle the peaceful eyes of the crowd. He needed to prove he was still the boss. He needed to prove that violence always wins.Tariq turned around. He saw Franklin standing in the front row. Franklin was just a boy from the scrap yard. Franklin was nobody."I will show you!" Tariq roared.Tariq ran at Franklin. He pulled his fist back. He put all of his natural, human strength into his arm. He aimed right for Franklin’s face.The people in the crowd did not scream. Amara did not cover Charlie’s eyes. Rihanna did not run away.Franklin did not flinch. He did not raise his hands to block. He did not close his eyes. Franklin just stood there, glowing with his soft blue light. He looked exac
Chapter 183
Ping. A soft silver screen popped up in the air in front of Rihanna.PROTO-SYSTEM AWAKENED.USER: Rihanna.CLASS: PILLAR.PRIMARY SKILL: PAIN SUPPRESSION.WEAPONS: NONE.Rihanna raised her old, wrinkled hand. Her fingers were glowing with a gentle, silver light. She reached out and touched the blue screen. It felt warm.She looked at the tall man next to her. She smiled. It was a beautiful, huge smile. "I do not hurt anymore," she told him. "The Halo... he took the hurt away. He showed us how to stand."The tall man looked confused. But then, he closed his eyes. He rubbed his forehead. "I... I feel a pressure behind my eyes," he said softly.The gift was spreading. It was moving through the crowd like a wave of pure water washing over dry, dirty ground.Further back in the crowd, a mother named Amara was holding her ten-year-old son, Charlie.Charlie was very sick. The dust in the air from the fighting was terrible for him. Charlie had very bad asthma. His lungs were weak. Every time
Chapter 182
The street in New York was a mess of broken stone, shattered glass, and thick, grey dust. The air smelled of dry dirt, old rain, and fresh blood.In the very center of the broken road stood Jayden.He did not move. His clothes were torn into dirty rags. His skin was covered in deep cuts, dark bruises, and drying blood. Around his heavy boots, a small pool of red soaked into the dry, cracked dirt. He had taken every punch. He had taken every kick. He had taken the full power of the gravity fields, the time-bending strikes, and the kinetic bombs.And he was still standing.The three attackers, Tariq, Zara, and Buba, were on the ground. They were on their hands and knees. They were breathing hard. Their chests moved up and down very fast. Sweat dripped from their faces. They had used all their power. They had tried to kill Jayden. They had tried to break him so the crowd would see that Caelum’s rule of violence was the only truth.But Jayden did not break. He did not hit back. He just
Chapter 181
Other people in the crowd started to murmur. The whispers spread like a fire in dry grass. "Why isn't he fighting?""It's like they are beating a rock.""They look like monsters.""He looks like a saint."The people started to feel uncomfortable. The show was no longer fun. It was disturbing. They were watching three powerful people beat up a man who refused to be violent. It made the attackers look weak. It made Caelum's rule look cruel, not strong.Twenty minutes passed.Tariq threw another punch. It hit Jayden's jaw. Jayden's head snapped back, but he didn't fall.Tariq stumbled backward. He was panting heavily. Sweat poured down his face. His glowing orange arms flickered and dimmed. He was running out of energy.Zara stopped. She put her hands on her knees. She was gasping for air. Her legs shook. She had used too much speed. Her System was overheating. Steam rose from her skin.Buba dropped to his knees. He was exhausted. Holding the gravity field had drained all his power. He l
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