DISTRICT 1 – Sector S – Light City
Solares lay on her bed, staring up, her long white hair spread across the pillow. Her red eyes were locked on the magic cube she tossed into the air, almost reaching the metal ceiling, while she waited for something to happen.
Her room was tidy, as always. Not a single item of clothing out of place, no assignment left pending on her computer. She had just finished reviewing all the materials given to her after her promotion to Class SS.
She knew it would be tough. Negra had already warned her about the trials that came with admission. Although she hadn't mentioned what they were — and couldn't, as they were classified — Solares had been training in hopes of passing them all without too much trouble.
If she could overcome the final tests, she would join the special forces, Class S, and finally pursue her objective: to neutralize all Channelers.
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She felt something snap in her hand. When she looked, she saw it was the magic cube. Solares had gripped the object so tightly that some of its squares popped out. She sighed, regretting letting her emotions get the best of her. Setting her feet on the floor, she sat up and began trying to fix the object.
"I still need to get this temper under control," she thought. "I can't let my emotions take over during the tests."
She finally managed to put the cube back together, but she knew it would never be the same. The pieces, though reattached, were looser now.
While she examined the damage and tried to convince herself that anger wasn't useful, she ended up getting frustrated at her own thoughts and threw the cube against the metal wall, sending its colored pieces scattering across the room.
She stood up, furious, letting out a loud groan of frustration, ruffling her hair in the process. In the next instant, the door to her room slid open, and Commander Negra stepped inside.
With just a glance, the commander understood what had happened.
"Control your anger, Solares," she said.
"I know, it's just... Ugh!" She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "I tried to calm down, but when I thought about needing to calm down to stay in control, I got angry for not being able to stay in control...!"
"Breathe, Solares," the commander said again, resting one hand on the young woman's shoulder and gesturing with the other in slow, deliberate motions — up and down. "Breathe in. Breathe out. That's it. Feeling better?"
"Yes," Solares replied sincerely. She could have been frustrated for needing help to calm down, but she managed to let the thought go when she asked, "So, what brings you here? I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow."
Negra didn't answer immediately. She clasped her hands behind her back and circled the room, observing. Everything was in order, including the study desk, with papers stacked and sorted by subject. The commander sighed.
"Solares," she turned to face the girl, "do you really think you're ready?"
"O-of course!" Solares realized her mistake as her voice rose in a slight squeak of desperation. Maybe her emotions were being tested. If so, she had to answer more firmly — like a soldier. "I've been waiting for this moment since I was a child. I want my revenge."
"Revenge? Is that what you want?"
"Of course!" she said, raising her tone. "Look what they did to my family." She shook her head. "I mean... Sorry. Look, I'm truly grateful for everything you've done for me. Really. But they didn't deserve to die. I wanted them with me. And that didn't happen because of those... things. I don't want anyone else going through that."
"I understand."
Negra walked toward the exit, turning her back to the girl. As she reached the threshold, she turned again. In that moment, she seemed taller, more commanding — or at least, that was how Solares saw her.
"I came here just to inform you that a Channeling has just been detected. I thought you deserved to know."
"R-really? Is it... is it another Channeler?" she stammered as she stepped closer.
"Calm yourself, Solares. We don't have the full details yet, nor do we know what kind of Channeler we might be dealing with — if we're even dealing with one at all. Don't worry. I've sent Vega and his team. With any luck, we'll be able to save as many people as possible."
"Finally!" she said with resolve. "I hope that bastard dies... I mean, gets neutralized quickly. Captain Vega will teach him a lesson, I'm sure."
"For you, it's Captain Vega now."
"Yes, yes, of course," she replied, not really paying attention. "And where exactly is this Channeler?"
DISTRICT 2 – Hydro City – Sector C
CHANNELING INITIATED
An explosion, three soldiers trying to kill me, and now a guy missing an arm, wearing an eye patch, looking way too satisfied while holding a very large gun.
As I charge at him, I get shot in the chest and launched backward with force. I have no idea what just hit me.
"Ha! So you're an electricity Channeler?" he says, walking slowly toward me.
"A what?" This guy clearly didn't come here to congratulate me for the mess I caused. I get up, brushing myself off from the filthy ground.
"No need to pretend. Surrender now…"
This is it. I try to catch him off guard and dash at him again, leaping forward with a loud boom echoing behind me — like thunder.
Just as I'm about to hit him with my metal bat, he pulls out the shotgun and fires a shot point-blank into my chest. The impact is brutal. I'm thrown back, rolling across the ground until I slam into the edge of the crater.
This shot was way stronger than the last. Gasping for air, I push myself up, using the bat as a crutch and wheezing out:
"What the hell was that…" My chest feels like it's about to explode.
"Well, look at that. Took two bullets," he says from a distance, still walking toward me at a slow, deliberate pace. "Good. You'll make a fine test subject."
"You son of a—"
Before I can even finish the sentence, he suddenly jumps forward, landing right in front of me. He fires again, but I dodge it — barely. I hear the bullet explode behind me, hitting the crater's edge.
I run as fast as I can to the side. I see him reloading the shotgun. It only has two shots — and apparently, they're not normal bullets. At least, I think so. I'd be dead by now if they were real. Then again, I'd probably be unconscious already if they were just electric. Either way, those rounds are definitely not good for me.
Once he's done reloading, he jumps at me again. This time, he catches me off guard and fires another shot. He's a little farther away, so I manage to fall back in time. Still, I have to block with my bat. The blast sends me flying into the air, spinning.
I crash into the rubble of what used to be a house. When I recover, I realize I'm outside the crater now. This is my chance to get the hell out of here. I run as fast as I can in any direction.
It's not easy — outside the crater, Sector C is a war zone.
Collapsed structures everywhere. People lying on the ground, unconscious. All of them like that. I think they'll be okay, I can feel it, but they're still out cold. I don't have time to check on the ones I know. There's a maniac with a shotgun on my tail. So I keep running.
"You're mine!"
I hear the sound of a shot right next to me, but when I turn, I immediately go blind. There's smoke — thick, choking — clouding everything. I can't see a thing. Just black.
Then I feel another shot, right in the middle of my chest, launching me backward again. When I get up, I see that weird guy reloading his shotgun — but this time with a differently colored round. He points it at me and fires.
On instinct, I roll to the side — and thank the gods I did. The bullet leaves a cone-shaped crater in the ground. If it had hit me, I'd be missing a limb by now.
I look again at the guy who's clearly trying his best to kill me, and he's calmly reloading his shotgun.
I try to run, but in an instant, he's on me again and fires down into my chest. I hit the ground hard. There's nowhere to go.
"Come on, kid. I can tell you're new at this. So, just tell me who you work for. Maybe we can cut a deal."
"Who I work for?" My voice barely comes out. "I'm just a delivery guy."
"A delivery guy who shoots lightning and fights like that? Hard to believe." He points the shotgun at my face. "Last chance, kid…"
Weirdly enough, that comment makes me feel more flattered than terrified. It's a compliment. He thinks I'm too good to be who I say I am. He's obviously overestimating me — or underestimating, depending on your perspective.
Either way, judging by how things are going, looks like I'm going to die right here. That's a shame. I wanted to prove I'm innocent. That I have a sick sister to take care of and a dumb brother to straighten out. Guess I'll have to leave all that to Caio.
"Kaiki!" shouts Mr. Houston — the man I sell my bike batteries to. He's filthy from the debris, holding a battery tightly in his hand. I'm so shocked he's even conscious that I can hardly believe my eyes. "By the King! What happened here? Who is this man? Hey! What do you want with Kaiki?"
"You know this Channeler?" the guy points the shotgun at Houston's face.
"Y-yes... I mean…" He raises both hands in surrender. "It's Kaiki. Everybody knows him…"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, it's just… he's super fast with deliveries…"
"Mr. Houston," I croak, barely able to speak. "This is all just a misunderstanding…" The shotgun guy presses his boot harder into my chest. "Wait! I can prove it. He's my battery buyer."
"That's right, I buy the energy he generates." He pulls a bike battery out of his bag. It's not mine, but it gets the point across.
"The energy he generates?" the guy repeats, pressing harder on my chest.
This is only getting worse. I need to end this now. I look at the battery in Houston's hands.
"Mr. Houston… the battery…" I gasp.
"What?" he says, still with a shotgun pointed at his face.
"Throw it!"
He hesitates for a second — then throws it. I catch it. With one hand on the battery and the other grabbing my attacker's metal arm, I start drawing the energy from it while slamming it right back into his arm.
I scream as the energy tears through my body, shooting from one side to the other, and the one-eyed freak screams too — because he's being fried alive. I pour everything I have into it until the battery is completely drained.
But even while being electrocuted, the guy manages to aim the shotgun right at my face and—
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