After a week of being haunted by the bride's ghost, Aiden was desperate to gain his soul ability. He knew he needed to experience a traumatic incident, but he felt anxious about what his ability would turn out to be.
He worried that he might end up with something trivial, like the ability to change his voice or the power to fly just three inches off the ground. Just thinking about those options did little to ease his mind.
Aiden had tried to drown himself in a lake, but fear overcame him, and he floated back to the surface. His second attempt involved walking into a fire, but that also ended in failure when he chickened out at the last moment.
Now, Aiden stood on the ledge of a 12-story building, contemplating his next move. He could either jump off or think of another way to acquire his soul ability. Just as he made up his mind to jump, a pebble beside him tipped over and fell.
He watched the pebble descend slowly until he lost sight of it, only aware of it when he heard the sound of it hitting a parked car below.
He gulped as he envisioned failing to awaken a soul power and turning into a splatter on the cold pavement. This might be his only chance to become Cain's apprentice, and he was determined to take it.
As he contemplated jumping, he muttered to himself, "Maybe another day." It seemed foolish to jump from such a tall building.
Just as he was about to leave, he accidentally slipped and nearly fell, but he managed to grab a steel rod with one hand just in time.
Crank! Crank!
A cranking sound echoed around him as Aiden looked at the source of the noise. The steel rod, which he had managed to grab onto by sheer luck, was bending under his weight.
He hoped it was just his imagination, but the metal snapping like a piece of wood jolted him back to reality.
As Aiden fell towards his death, the gravity of his situation settled in. He was going to die, and it was going to be his own fault. He couldn't remember how he had become reckless or why he was doing this. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he found himself back on the ledge of the building.
He had no idea how he got there, but he was grateful to still be alive. This time, he carefully made his way down the ledge and left the rooftop. Thanking Lady Luck for granting him another day, he exited the building and saw that the pedestrian signal was lit green. Just as he stepped onto the street, he was hit by a speeding car.
Suddenly, Aiden found himself back on the sidewalk, gasping for breath from the visions of his death. All his stamina was depleted, despite not having engaged in any strenuous activity, apart from his awakening experiments.
From his visions to his exhaustion, Aiden was left wondering what would happen next. Whether he should continue, or give up.