Louis's heart was pounding as Commander Arthur stood before him, flanked by two of the most powerful Earth Defenders: Tara, an infamous lightning manipulator, and Dan, a quiet but intimidating figure with super strength.
Louis swallowed as he stared at Arthur's scarred face, forged of years of battle, as intimidating as the golden sword by his side, a symbol of his fire mastery and leadership.
"Sit down, Louis Lee," Arthur ordered, his voice sharp.
Louis obeyed.
"Is my grandmother safe?" Louis blurted out.
Tara's electric eyes softened, barely. "She was evacuated. She's in our care."
Louis let out a shaky breath.
Arthur continued, his tone hard, "You are in a secure facility. The… core inside you is alien technology. We don't know what it's capable of."
Louis swallowed. "I don't either. I didn't choose this."
Dan, standing to the side, stepped forward with a glowing tablet in hand. "Preliminary scans show the core is integrating with your biology. It's possible it could be weaponized—by you or by the Veltrix."
"What?" Louis gasped. "So this alienic power is to make me an enemy?"
Louis collapsed to the floor, his knees hitting the ground with as he bowed deeply before Commander Arthur.
"Please... I just want to help. I'm not your enemy." He said, tears streaming down his face.
For a moment, the room went silent.
Tara and Dan exchanged a quick surprised glance.
Arthur's hardened face immediately softened with sympathy as he took a deep breath."Louis, get up. You are not the enemy."
Louis raised his head slowly, his body still trembling but Arthur's gaze didn't waver, he only moved closer.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice low. "For now, you are held under observation and we need you to trust us. But any attempt to use your powers without clearance will be treated as an act of aggression. Is that clear?"
Louis nodded quickly in desperation. "Yes... Yes, sir. I will."
The Earth Defenders exchanged glances before turning their backs and shutting the door. He was alone in the sterile room.
The bright overhead lights felt suffocating. Louis struggled to breathe as his legs wobbled. He collapsed onto the cold metal bench, body shaking. Tears slid down his face, landing on the bench below.
"Why am I here?" he thought. "From one nightmare to another?"
He unbuttoned his shirt, touching the glowing green artifact on his chest. It pulsed—like a heartbeat. Too hot. Too wrong.
Alien tech. Weaponized. Was he a timing bomb?
He was just a kid, caught in something he didn't ask for.
Days ago, he wanted power to avoid being expelled. Now, he had this villainous power and the Earth Defenders knew his name. People he'd never imagined he'd meet.
The universe just wanted to make his life miserable —finding a way to make him either powerless or a threat to the world.
A sudden hologram screen appeared in front of his face again.
Louis jerked upright, stunned.
"What now?"
[IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION]
[ QUEST: Embrace your worth. Accept your power.]
[Reward: New ability]
Louis scoffed.
More monstrous powers? To make him more dangerous?
"I just really hope the Earth Defenders could find a way to save me from whatever is inside me." he whispered.
Just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Louis looked at the door, alerted.
The door slid open, and two soldiers stepped inside, their faces unreadable.
"Get up," one of them ordered. His voice was sharp.
"What?"
The soldiers didn't speak to him again. They went ahead to him and dragged him violently.
Has the Earth Defenders ordered actions on what they wanted to do to him?
As they led him through the halls of the facility, the walls seemed to close in.
How much further?
"Move it!" one of the soldiers barked, snapping Louis out of his thoughts.The grip on his arm tightened.
They took him to an operating room with surgeons, dressed in white coat, their fingers covered with surgery glove and their face masked.
Louis's heart pounded harder.
Cold metal pressed against his back as they strapped him down to a metal table, his wrists and ankles restrained.
Panic surged. surgeons surrounded him.
"Wait!" Louis yelled. "What are you doing?"
"We can't risk it anymore." A surgeon replied, his voice flat. "The Core is too dangerous for the planet."
Confused, Louis looked around. Machines whirred to life, green lights flickering.
His mind flashed back to the moment he was first placed into surgery by the aliens. The way the core integration was violently inserted and how the core's power surged through him like flood.
What if it happened again? What if he didn't know how to stop it?
The Core's hologram monitor flashed:
[Warning: Host vitality at risk.]
Host vitality at risk? His mind raced. Are they trying to kill me?
A new message appeared:
[Directive: Resist extraction.]
Suddenly, a surgeon fired a laser at his chest. Agony exploded through him.
"Argh!'' Louis screamed as green energy erupted from the Core within him. His body convulsed; his vision blurred.
"Vitals spiking! The Core's destabilizing!" shouted a technician.
The Core's power surged uncontrollably.
Machines sparked and burst, alarms blared, and medics scrambled for cover.
The Core lashed out, a pulse of energy knocking people across the room.
Then, gas hissed from the walls. Louis's limbs grew heavy, and his vision swam. He heard frantic shouting as the sedative dragged him toward unconsciousness.
Suddenly, an explosion tore through the wall with a deafening roar. Dust and debris rained down.
Through the haze, a figure emerged from the rubble: tall, hooded, and cloaked in crimson. His eyes glowed red, his staff pulsed with energy, and the air shimmered with power.
"Stay away from the boy!" the stranger commanded, blood magic coiling at his fingertips.
The guards recoiled, their faces in shock.
"Traitor!" the guards shouted as they drew their guns, hands trembling.
The figure flicked his wrist, and their weapons melted in an instant. With another flick, he sent them flying against the wall.
Louis lay weakened on the operating table, his heart pounding.
"Who… who are you?" he asked through the haze.
The hooded figure lowered his staff and said, "I'm your mentor. Come with me. Learn to control the core, and show the world you're more than just a weapon. You can be their savior."