The road stretched out before us, the faint hum of the motorcycle the only sound as we left the wreckage behind. My thoughts raced as I tried to piece together everything that had happened. Who were those people? Why did they want me? And why did it feel like this stranger, Lila, knew more about me than I did?
We pulled off the main road, disappearing into a wooded area. Lila parked the bike behind a crumbling old barn and dismounted, motioning for me to follow her inside. The barn was dark and smelled like mildew, but she didn't seem fazed. She tapped a sequence on a small keypad hidden behind a loose wooden beam, and the ground beneath us rumbled.
The floor slid open, revealing a staircase leading down into the earth. Lila grabbed a flashlight from her jacket and gestured for me to head down first. I hesitated but eventually complied, descending into what felt like the unknown.
At the bottom of the stairs, the space opened into a large underground bunker. Monitors lined the walls, each showing surveillance footage, maps, and what looked like dossiers on various people. Tables were covered with scattered blueprints, weapons, and equipment I didn't recognize.
"Welcome to one of our safe houses," Lila said, tossing her helmet onto a chair. "We won't be here long, but it's off their grid for now."
I turned to her, still trying to make sense of everything. "Okay, enough with the mystery. Who were those people? Why are they chasing me? And what the hell do you mean by 'manifested'?"
She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "You're a Manifest. Someone who's developed a latent power. It usually happens around your eighteenth birthday, but the exact timing and the type of power vary from person to person."
"That still doesn't explain why they're trying to kill me," I said, crossing my arms.
She walked over to one of the monitors and pulled up a logo—a silver eagle clutching a black key. Just seeing it sent a shiver down my spine.
"They're called Umbra," she said, her voice hardening. "Officially, they don't exist. Unofficially, they're a shadow organization that's been operating for decades. They hunt people like you. Like us."
"Us?" I echoed.
Lila held up her hand, and a faint shimmer rippled across her skin. Suddenly, her hand wasn't there anymore—it was invisible.
"Surprise," she said flatly, making her hand visible again.
"Wait… you're a Manifest, too?"
She nodded. "Yeah. There are more of us than you'd think. But Umbra doesn't see us as people. To them, we're threats. Weapons they can't control. So they eliminate us. Or worse."
"Worse?"
Lila's jaw tightened. "Some of us… they don't kill outright. They take us. Experiment on us. Try to figure out what makes us tick. And if they think they can use you, they'll brainwash you into working for them. That's what they're trying to do to you."
I sank into a nearby chair, my head spinning. "This… this is insane. I was just a normal kid yesterday."
"No, you weren't," Lila said, sitting across from me. "You just didn't know it yet. Manifestations don't come from nowhere. The potential's always been there, buried deep. But when it finally comes out, it's like lighting a flare. And Umbra? They've got eyes everywhere, waiting for that light."
I thought about the men who'd stormed into my house, the drones, the way they seemed to know exactly where I was. "How do they find us so fast?"
"They've got tech we can't even dream of," Lila said bitterly. "Sensors that can pick up the energy spikes from a Manifest awakening. Agents planted in hospitals, schools, even law enforcement. The moment you show signs of your power, they're already closing in."
"Why haven't they been stopped?" I asked.
Lila leaned back, crossing her arms. "Because they operate in the shadows. Governments won't acknowledge their existence, and most people don't even know Manifests are real. As far as the world's concerned, we're just urban legends or freak accidents. And Umbra likes it that way."
A heavy silence fell between us. My mind raced with possibilities, questions, and fear.
"Why did you help me?" I asked finally.
"Because I've been where you are," she said softly. "I manifested three years ago. Umbra came for me, too. If it weren't for people like us, I wouldn't be here."
She stood and walked over to a map pinned to the wall, marked with dozens of red dots. "We're part of a resistance. Small, but growing. We're fighting back against Umbra, trying to protect Manifests and take them down from the inside. It's not much, but it's all we've got."
I stared at the map, realizing that every dot represented someone like me. Someone whose life had been turned upside down by a power they never asked for.
"What happens now?" I asked.
Lila turned to me, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and caution.
"Now? You train. You learn to control your power. And you decide if you're going to run for the rest of your life… or fight."
Her words hung in the air, heavy and final.
For the first time since the fire started, I felt something other than fear.
I felt the spark of something new.