The sky was a muted gray as Jared and Kaia walked side by side down the quiet street. There was a strange tension in the air, an anticipation of something neither of them could quite put into words. Jared, now a hulking figure of muscle and speed, was still getting used to his newfound powers. Kaia, her pink hair slightly tousled in the morning breeze, was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd seen Jared do back at the gym.
As they walked in silence, they turned a corner and entered an empty parking lot. The lot was wide and open, surrounded by tall streetlights casting long shadows on the ground. Kaia stopped next to one of the poles and leaned against it, pulling out her phone. She glanced at Jared, who was stretching his legs as if preparing for something big.
"Alright," Kaia said, setting a timer on her phone. "You ready for this?"
Jared grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Always."
"This is just a practice test," Kaia reminded him, though she wasn't sure what to expect. "I want to see how fast you can really go."
With a nod, Jared crouched slightly, his muscles tensing as he prepared to sprint. Kaia started the timer, and in an instant, Jared disappeared.
Or at least, that's what it seemed like. Around the parking lot, Kaia suddenly saw multiple blurry afterimages of Jared darting from one corner to another, faster than her eyes could follow. Twelve versions of him flickered and zipped across the asphalt, their forms trailing behind like ghosts. The afterimages began to blur into one another, becoming so indistinct that it was impossible to tell where the real Jared was.
Kaia's brow furrowed as she squinted, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The speed was beyond anything she'd ever imagined. But then, for just a fraction of a second, something strange happened. Amid the blur of movement, she caught a glimpse of a red eye, glowing in the darkness. It was accompanied by a twisted, almost sinister smile, just for a split second.
Kaia gasped and jumped, her heart racing as she scanned the parking lot for Jared. Before she could process what was happening, something grabbed her from behind. She let out a startled yelp, only to realize it was Jared, laughing quietly as he held her steady.
"Gotcha," he chuckled, clearly enjoying the scare.
Kaia pushed him away, her face flushed with both fear and embarrassment. "Don't ever do that again asshole!" she snapped, her heart still pounding in her chest. "That was fucking terrifying!"
Jared grinned and nodded, his playful nature only slightly subdued. "Alright, alright. No more creepy red-eye stuff."
He gently set her down, and Kaia crossed her arms, still slightly irritated but trying to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. She glanced down at her phone and restarted the timer.
"Let's see what you can really do, lazy ass." she said, her tone more serious now. "I want you to run around the world. I want to see if you're really that fast."
Jared smirked, giving her a confident nod. "You got it."
Without another word, he prepared himself again. Kaia stared at him, waiting for some dramatic movement, for the earth to shake beneath his feet. But nothing happened. Jared just stood there, perfectly still, his expression unchanged.
Kaia frowned. "Uh, you're supposed to be running idot…"
But as she spoke, she felt it. The wind began to shift around her, picking up speed in strange, unpredictable patterns. It started as a gentle breeze, but quickly escalated into powerful gusts that whipped her hair around her face. The world around her seemed to hum with energy, and before she could fully comprehend what was happening, a deafening *sonic boom* ripped through the air.
The force of the soundwaves knocked Kaia off her feet, and she felt herself being lifted into the air by the sheer power of the shockwave. She let out a startled scream as her body was flung upward, her mind spinning from the force. But just as quickly as she had been thrown into the air, she was suddenly back on the ground, as if nothing had happened.
Her heart raced as she blinked in confusion. One moment, she was airborne, and the next, she was standing on solid ground again. She looked around wildly, trying to make sense of it all, her eyes landing on Jared, who still stood in the same spot, not having moved an inch.
But Kaia knew better now. Jared wasn't standing still.
The wind was him. The sonic boom that had knocked her off her feet was him. He was moving, so fast, so impossibly fast, that it seemed like he hadn't moved at all. He had circled the globe and returned in the blink of an eye, fast enough to distort reality around him.
Kaia's breath caught in her throat as she realized the sheer magnitude of his speed. He wasn't just fast, he was beyond anything she had ever seen or imagined.
As the wind began to die down and the world settled back into its normal pace, Jared finally moved, stepping forward and waving his hand in front of her eyes.
"Kaia? You okay?"
She blinked, her mind still racing from what she had just witnessed. Her cheeks flushed once more, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment, it was from awe. She had been too focused on trying to understand what had just happened, too focused on Jared's raw power, to notice how close he had come to her.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered, nodding slowly. "I'm fine. Just… wow."
Jared grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "Told you I was fast."
Kaia shook her head, still processing everything. "That wasn't fast, Jared. That was… something else entirely. You're like a force of nature."
Jared shrugged, a cocky smile on his face. "Guess I can be Sonic the hedgehog."
Kaia couldn't help but smile back, even though her mind was still spinning. She had seen him grow stronger over the past few days, but this? This was a whole new level. She couldn't deny the strange feeling of admiration creeping up on her.
"Alright," she said, trying to regain her composure. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too after all that."
Jared's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and he nodded enthusiastically. "You have no idea. Lead the way."
Without another word, Kaia grabbed his hand, her fingers brushing against his as she tugged him forward. The touch was brief, but enough to send a shiver down her spine. She tried not to think too much about it, focusing instead on finding a good place to eat.
They walked together, side by side, the tension from earlier fading into a comfortable silence as they left the parking lot behind.