Origin of Power

Chapter 3

Silence followed the screams. I waited, body tense, heart pounding in my ears. I didn't dare move. Doubt clawed its way into me, what had happened? Was it really the Nighthawks?

Footsteps scrambled below. It was too dark to see, but I knew Dusk was down there. I could sense him, an aura of force, a pillar between the Glass Den and everything else.

Even crouching on the rooftop didn't make me feel safe. It was too dark to see, but I didn't know enough about Dusk's power to rule out vision enhancements. The rumours just said he was insanely strong. That was enough information to know I did not want to get caught.

He would be searching for the man in the hoodie or whatever other threats were on their way. I crouched down, peeking over the edge of the roof.

Flickering torchlight flickered as those running turned on their torches. There was no way I could make out the man in the hoodie, but I got the vague sense of silhouettes, I could search for anyone acting odd. With everyone running, someone standing still or moving against the crowd would stand out. I had an inkling of the Nighthawks powers, close combat was their forte, they had to have someone on the ground.

Even with the torch light, it was strangely dim, like there was a fog over my distance. The fog was even clearer when I looked at distant buildings; that Facility that should have stood out like a beacon was dull, like the lights had been turned down to their lowest setting.

Someone's doing this with their power, I realised. This must be the Nighthawks.

As much as I hoped that to be the case, I was getting a bad feeling. If I was wrong about this and got caught in a Titan battle, even my orb-swap might not be enough to save me. Sure, I was fast, but my orb lit up like a beacon, and I could only swap once before having to catch it back up. They could trail my orb and find me.

I dug my nails into my hand, searching the crowd increasingly more frantically. Nothing stood out. Was I wrong? There were so many alternatives, I was stupid to be so set on the Nighthawks being behind this.

On instinct I almost summoned my orb. It took all my self-control to force down the urge, to be patient. I took a deep breath. Using my power would only give my position away. I was getting ahead of myself, things weren't out of hand yet. I had been waiting for this moment for five days, and now that it had arrived I was panicking.

Everything turned eerily quiet as the final stragglers disappeared into the distance. By this point, even shouts seemed like a whisper.

Down below, the bouncers each shone large torches across the road. Dusk hadn't moved. His gaze fell across the road with indifference, in fact he almost looked to be enjoying it. He stood straight like a tower, arms crossed, breathing deeply. It reminded me of how the Hellraiser had breathed in the fear as it watched the seen of carnage, Dusk was just like it. A monster. It gave me goosebumps.

There were six bouncers, all big men, but beside Dusk they appeared insignificant.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of pink, further down the road. I spun my head to it, but there was nothing there, just shadow. The bouncers didn't react. Was I imagining it?

I considered my options. Maybe I couldn't use my orb to get a better grasp of the road, but I could send it around the back alleyways and rooftops. I summoned beneath me, using my body to cover the light. Even making it as dim as I could, it would still stand out in the darkness, though I hoped the fog would help with that.

I reached out to my orb. Moving it was as simple as moving a hand, I would think it and it would happen. Whatever connected us took care of the rest, just like an arm. Sticking to the rooftops I surveyed the roads and alleyways nearby, starting with the direction I had first seen the pink mask.