The Storm of Apocalypse

Chapter One: Part Four [2]

She was looking at a totally different Vinceo. He was trying to stab her with his dagger but she was swift to avoid every attack. Again, she released a psychokinetic pulse that blasted him away; and wrapped him again with her force to contain him. But as she was trying to figure out how to neutralize him, everything inside the room—from the computers to the sofa—began shaking. She's not doing it. It was Vinceo and he was stronger than she expected. The materials took different forms; like water, it became unstable and malleable. Each grew spikes that flew to her.

She surrounded herself with a psychokinetic force that shielded her from all of his attacks. The solid spikes rained down on her and she lost control of Vinceo as her strength was focused on reinforcing her shield. But each spike slowly weakened her protection. She doesn't know what to do. She wanted to pin him down without hurting him that much. But Vinceo was too determined to hurt her.

"What happened to him?" she asked herself.

And she can't take it anymore. In anger, she screamed and sent a pulse of psychokinetic force that swept everything. Vinceo was knocked off of his feet. She raised her hand. In one gesture, he floated mid-air holding his neck and gasping for air. He struggled. The walls and ceiling rippled violently as if they were made out of semi-solid material; seconds later, the ripples turned into waves. Spikes grew out, trying to impale her. But she held her shield and endured the excruciating pain. Her arms were shaking. Blood crawled out of her nose. Until, a few seconds later, Vinceo lost consciousness.

Her knees dropped to the ground as she slowly laid Vinceo on the floor. She was catching her breath and regaining her strength while staring at Vinceo. She wiped the blood off her upper lip. She felt chills looking at the several spikes that grew out of the wall. Vinceo can reshape anything solid by rearranging the molecules and atoms. He's dangerous to deal with when he's out of control. But what caught her attention was how Vinceo influenced everything inside the room easily. The last time she saw him, he could only manipulate one material at a time. He became so powerful in an instant. It's too odd for them who lost their memories for three years. Then she realized something.

This was like Lester's case. He was also very powerful at making illusions. Lester was caught by Herozoan first before they got to rescue him. Vinceo was controlled by Herozoan. She concluded that this was caused by the implant. They must have activated it when they attempted to remove it.

She slowly stood and walked to him. She kneeled beside him and placed her palm on the back of his head. She sent her psychokinetic force into him and felt the hair-like structures of the implant had completely extended and covered every aspect of his body. She was worried about how this would affect him. Will he be completely controlled by Herozoan?

She stared at his face. He still has that innocent look. Just as she was about to caress his face, his eyes opened revealing his dilated pupils. The next thing she knew was the sharp pain on her side. She froze as her eyes were locked onto his. She couldn't breathe. She slowly looked down and saw the plastic dagger impaled on her. She lost her strength. She fell to his side and stared at the deformed ceiling. The pain was unbearable. She felt her blood pooling around her.

She looked around and caught a glimpse of Vinceo walking away to the door. He didn't even look back. He laid his palm on the door and walked through it. He left her bleeding in there and that hurts more than her stab wound. Her vision started to blur and her breathing slowed down. Until everything went black.

She found herself standing in the middle of The Pit; she was panting, her whole body was aching, and her hands were trembling. She smiled with pride while she watched her unconscious competitor being dragged out of the fighting pit.

Her peers outside were cheering for her victory, including their instructor. She won against ten victors of this year's tournament, including Vinceo. She liked him but her dreams were way more important than her affection. Among all the victors, she had a hard time pinning Vinceo down. He was skilled and his abilities were a pain in the ass. But she noticed Vinceo surrendered easily. She knew him well, he would not go down that easily. She doesn't want to assume that he just let her win.

She gasped when her powers were suppressed again. The floor in front of her opened, revealing the staircase. She stared at it for seconds and then looked at her instructor, then back at the staircase again. It is where the champions go down and never come back; it is where they jump to the next level and finally have a purpose. This was her dream. She instantly walked down and made her way through the hallway. The sliding metal door at the end opened for her and she was welcomed by Xander Stone, the President of Herozoan Corporation.
She bowed down in respect. "Sir...it's an honor."

"I am amused, Mycenia. Your abilities have improved after a year. I know you will win this year's quell."

"Thank you, sir." She can't contain her smile.

"Now that you've earned your rights to the new world. Come with me. It's time for you to know about your kind."

She was intrigued. She had questions before but she never had any answers. None of them knew anything. She realized that only those who advanced to the next level would have the truth. And she will have it now. She followed him; they climbed the stairs back to the ground floor level and found herself inside a circular hall. It was massive. There were no doors and only a few pieces of furniture were found. The center of the roof was made out of glass that allowed the light to pass through and fill in the space. But what caught her attention was the massive tree in the center of the hall.

It wasn't a typical tree. It was out of this world. Its body has visible veins where light flows through. She was at a loss for words. The leaves were glowing. Like a heart beating slowly, its light intensifies and then dims for a second. The tree seemed like it was breathing. It was full of life. The ancient tree stands majestic with gnarled roots and sprawling branches. As they approached, she noticed it had a trunk that would need approximately a hundred men extending their arms to fully wrap it around. Its trunk had cave-like spaces that anyone could fit in. It was magical.

"This is Ficus benjamina, commonly known as balete tree. My great-grandfather found this tree on this island when they started to look for treasures. There were tales from the locales that this tree was blessed by the sky. He bought this island and built Herozoan around this tree. They began studying it and found out that it contained alien energy that could power up the world for millennia. But he wanted a different purpose. After years and years of experimentation, trying to figure out how to tap into this power, they created a new species of human race—our race. Born with supernatural abilities that will soon conquer the world."