The night felt heavier than it should. Ren lay in bed, staring up at the broken ceiling of his apartment. Dim light from weird plants in the city emitted a strange, glowing blue light onto the room as if it was casting spooky shadows. He should have fallen to sleep with ease after such an active day, but his mind did not want to listen. Whispers from the Beacon sounded louder and more commanding, alive to strike at just that perfect moment.
He shut his eyes, but the voices pursued him into the dark.
"Power is waiting. Take it."
Ren's eyes snapped open-the whisper was loud now, almost as if someone spoke in his ear. In one swift motion, he sat up from the bed, and with the rapidity of his heartbeat, the room spun just a little. The power inside stirred, stirring to the cadence of the whisper, and he felt the energy of the Beacon burrowing deeper into him, and with every minute, the power grew.
That's not normal.
Kael's mind flashed back to the warning he'd gotten from Kael himself: "The Abyss will try your mettle." Is this it? Is this how that happens? Or did Resonance already try to drag him down?
Ren stirred and got to his feet, going to the window. The fog was thick tonight, he thought, its slugging mass creeping along in the grey night light. For a second, the thought sent a shiver through him; it was as though something-no, someone-out there could stare at him. He was so very careful, kept away from the weird mysteries coursing through Abysson City, but now it felt like the city's secrets were seeking him out.
His hand unconsciously wandered to the little knife concealed within his belt. A bad feeling fluttered his chest.
"We are coming."
Ren's footsteps finally stopped. That voice wasn't a whisper anymore. Clear, different, and not in his head. Somebody-or something-out there.
He turned away from the window and snatched up his coat. Whatever the case was, he would not wait in his apartment for the Abyss to come. If this was part of the test, he would face it directly. In whatever other case. he would find out who watched him.
In a flash, there was a loud and fast knock on the door. Ren's breathing caught in the middle of his throat, his fingers tightening around the knife. He hadn't expected anyone, and Kael had gone out for the night already. Feeling guarded, he approached the door with much caution, as all instincts yelled at him to be ultra-careful.
Another knock-this time more insistent.
Ren let his breath out slowly and reached for the door, knife-what would happen-well, hell if he knew. But it wasn't what he saw.
A boy no bigger than twelve years old stood in the hall, his eyes as wide as saucers and scared out of his mind. His clothes were ripped; his face was white, as if he'd seen something much worse than anything Ren could imagine. Tripping forward, he fell nearly into Ren's arms.
"Help. me." the boy uttered in a nearly silent whisper.
Ren grabbed him and laid him down on the floor carefully. "Hey, hey, what's wrong? Who did it to you?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice as low and neutral as possible, though panic was welling in his chest.
The boy's eyes sprang open, and he stared up at Ren with an expression which sent a shiver down his spine: "They. they're coming. they want. it." before his voice trailed off and his body fell limply in unconsciousness.
A wave of fear lanced through Ren. They're coming? What was he talking about? And who?
The steps echoed down the corridor - deliberate, slow, ponderous - and growing louder.
Ren looked up startled, as the shadows in the hall seemed to writhe around him. Then three men materialised out of the dark, clad in black, their faces hooded over. They moved to fall in on Ren, and the lad that was lying at his feet.
One of them stepped forward, his voice a low growl. "Hand over the boy, and we'll spare your life."
A clutched knife in Ren's fisted hand, his mind was racing like any minute it was going to run a mile, but he wasn't just about to let the kid off-so many of them, and what's more, he didn't know either their identities or their intentions.
What do you want with him?" Ren said firm while his voice was soft; he was scared inside.
The man in the center chuckled darkly. "The boy? He's nothing. It's the Beacon's power we're after. And you, Ren Valt, are standing in our way."
Ren shivered. They knew who he was. And far more importantly, they knew about the Beacon.
Before he could speak, the whisperings in his mind were more insistent, loud, demanding, as never before.
"Fight. get them. show your strength."
Ren clenched his jaws, and the power inside stirred. His vision momentarily blurred, and through the surge of energy from the Resonance pulsating in him, he felt it was mostly power strong, still unused, coursing through the veins, begging to get out.
But could he do this, or would it overwhelm him-just as Kael rightly had said? Closer and closer they approached, none with weapons down. There was no time for deliberation. Ideas raced around in Ren's mind: what to do. He might fight them, but he did not know how strong they all were, or if there were more hiding in the shadows. Or he may want to run away. But because they knew about the Beacon, it gave them the will to see this right to the very end. "Fight. or fall." Whispers pushed him ahead. Ren's choice was clear. He stood tall, his grip on the handle of the knife turning to iron. "You want the power of the Beacon?" His voice came soft. "Then come and take it. The men began to hurry, and in that instant, Ren let the Resonance have its way.