Void opened her eyes. She was in a bed inside a room unknown to her. It was a relaxed, peaceful space, with blue walls having several paintings and a bookshelf as the decoration. Void tried to move, but her body didn't respond.
"Don't try too hard on yourself, kid," an old man spoke as he entered the room.
"Who? Who are you?" Void asked, in a scared voice.
"You don't need to be scared, Void," The man spoke in a calm voice, trying to ease void's anxiety "I know what you've been through, but calm down. This is a safe place for you."
"Where am I? Who are you? And... who am I?" Void asked again, her voice now is softer but still a little bit hesitant.
The man walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her head . "Who are you? That's something even I'm still trying to understand. But I can tell you about myself. My name is Zane Wagner, and I'm the principal of Quantara Magic School."
"What is that?" Void asked.
Mr. Wagner asked surprisingly. "What? You don't know about Quantara Magic School?" He continued, "I can't blame you. You've been locked in that cage for your whole life. They didn't tell you anything, did they? Don't worry, you will understand everything soon. For now, just rest. Your body is still healing."
Void had a million questions swirling in her mind, but for the moment, she didn't feel the urge to ask. She felt something she had never felt before , a strange sense of calm. For the first time, her body wasn't in pain. She could breathe freely, without an oxygen mask, and it was a relief she didn't know she needed.
After a week, Void has fully recovered. She has spent that entire time in a small room, silent, gazing at the pictures on the wall without asking a single question. Then, one day, Mr. Wagner enters the room again.
Void looks up at him. "Mr. Wagner?".
"How are you feeling, Void? Looks like you're fully recovered," he replies.
"I… I'm good," she murmurs. After a pause, she blurts out, "Mr. Wagner, who am I? Why am I here? Where was I before… and… where is my mother?"
He chuckles lightly and answers, "That's quite a lot of questions at once! I'll explain what I can, but first, let me take you to your new home."
"New home?" Void asks, confused.
"Yes. From now on, you can live with me," he says. "The army wanted to take you in for experimentation. But don't worry; I spoke with King Velor and convinced him I could care for you. After all, they only want to use your powers."
Void's face falls, a hint of fear in her voice as she asks, "Are you… are you going to…?"
"No," he replies quickly "Void, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to teach you, to help you learn to control your powers. You can even think of me as your teacher."
A nurse came to take Void to the car waiting outside the hotel. It was a black car made of some very rare, expensive metals, hovering half around a meter above the ground, patiently waiting for her. But what excited Void the most wasn't the car but the open air she felt for the first time. It was her first glimpse of the outside world. It was like a blind person seeing the world for the first time.
"Ma'am, please come inside! Ma'am, are you listening? Ma'am!" the driver called out. But Void was lost seeing the beauty of the outside world.
Void blinked and replied, "Oh... okay."
The door opened, and Void stepped inside, followed by Mr. Wagner. And the car smoothly lifted off and began its journey to the school.
Mr. Wagner turned to her "Did you like the city, Void?".
Void asked with curiosity. "What is this place? And where are we going?"
"This is Quantara city," Mr. Wagner replied. "Quantara is the largest city in the world, the center of all trade, with a cash flow and economy unmatched anywhere else. It's where the king himself resides. The capital city of Quantara has the most magnificent human creation ever at its heart- the king's flying castle. It's a marvel of beauty and technology, and everyone dreams of seeing it at least once in their lives. But Quantara has one more important building. Not far from the capital lies the renowned Quantara Magic School, a place with the world's most promising young talents. To be accepted here is an honor, and it's observed by the king himself. It's the school of every child's dreams. And we are heading to the school"
Void studied him closely before asking, "So, if you're the principal of that school, you must be really good at magic, right?"
Mr. Wagner laughed "I'm old now, but back in the day, I think I was pretty good." He then added, "What about you, Void? Did they tell you anything about yourself? Any special skills or powers?"
Void hesitated. "I... I don't remember much. But they taught me a lot-languages and biology before I opened my eyes."
Mr. Wagner frowned, confused. "So they didn't tell you anything about powers? That doesn't make sense. Why will they spend years teaching you language and biology? What would they gain from that?"
Void glanced at him "I think there's something they taught me," she finally admitted.
A spark of interest lit up Mr. Wagner's face. "What? What did they teach you? Telekinesis? Teleportation ?"
Void shook her head. "No no, nothing super crazy like that. I think... I think I can heal."
"Oh, so you can heal people?" Mr. Wagner asked. "Did you practice on someone? How did they teach you?"
Void sighed. "You've misunderstood. I can't heal others, I can only heal myself. Back there, they used to cut parts of my body to monitor my progress. I don't remember when it started, but over time, I got used to it. Not feeling pain anymore... it's new to me."
Silence filled the car for a moment. Wagner placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't think too much about it. See we've almost reached the school."
Void turned to him, her eyes were the scariest thing he had ever seen. "I don't know who's right or wrong. I don't know what their intentions were and I don't know yours either. But I don't care. All those years, all I wanted was to get out and kill everyone who made me. But now, here I am. Your army got in my way and ruined everything."
Wagner saw her like this for the first time. "Void, the army killed the scientists who did this to you. They saved you… you're safe now."
Void's voice rose in anger. "They were my targets, Wagner! I wanted to kill that motherfucker Boris with my own hands. I can't believe you! I'll go there myself and finish what I started. Boris was taking orders from someone higher. I'll find them too."
Wagner's face darkened. "Maybe you should. I even know the organization behind this. But do you really think you can just walk in and kill them? Do you think they'll let you?"
Before Void could respond, a sudden force struck her chest, and she got thrown away from the car.
"See? You can't even handle a simple attack. How do you expect to face them? Do you have any idea how strong they are?" Wagner reached her.
Tears came from Void's eyes as Wagner continued. "If you want revenge, you'll have to get stronger. Stop crying! It makes you look weak. I'll give you an offer. The day you can prove to me that you're strong enough, I'll give you the name of the organization responsible for everything that happened to you."