The helicopter soared above the misty canopy of the forest, the wind slapping against the glass as the sun finally began to rise. Inside the cockpit, Chris sat beside Elara, his body still buzzing with adrenaline from the fight in the sky.

But now it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Chris glanced at her. She was focused on flying, but her expression was distant—cold, unreadable.

“So… who is X?” he asked finally. “And why does he want my powers so badly?”

Elara didn’t respond right away. Her hands tightened on the controls.

Then, slowly, she spoke.
“X isn’t his real name. It’s just what people call him now. He’s powerful. Obsessed. Dangerous. And more than anything—he’s greedy.”
She paused. “The energy inside that meteor you touched—it’s unlike anything this planet has ever seen. It’s pure potential. Power without rules. He wanted it. But you got to it first.”

Chris leaned forward. “How do you know all this?”

Elara turned to him, her emerald eyes hard and serious.
“Because I used to work with him.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

“…You what?”

“I pretended to be someone else,” she continued, her voice calm but bitter. “Played nice. Told him I believed in his mission. That I loved him. I told him everything he wanted to hear.” She exhaled sharply. “And while he was distracted, I stole from him—his tech, his data, his helicopters. Everything I could carry.”

Chris stared at her like she had grown another head. “You’re crazy.”

“Probably,” she said, unfazed. “But I don’t care.”

She adjusted a switch on the control panel and leaned back slightly.

“When I was your age, my parents died. They were scientists—like me. But they were too hopeful. Too kind. The world took advantage of them, and they paid for it. I learned fast: no one cares about your heart. Only results. So I made a choice.”

She looked him dead in the eye.

“I live for myself. I trust no one. And I chase one thing—my goals. That’s it.”

Chris didn’t say anything for a moment.

Then he crossed his arms. “So why are you helping me? Just because you hate X?”

“Exactly.” Her tone was flat. “This isn’t a team-up. I’m not your babysitter. You’re just a living piece of the puzzle now, and I want to make sure he doesn’t get to you before I learn what that power really is.”

Chris let out a short laugh and leaned back in his seat. “Y’know… you might actually be more dangerous than he is.”

Elara smirked faintly. “You’re not the first person to say that.”

The cockpit went quiet again as the wind outside howled.

After a moment, Chris spoke softly. “So… all of the meteor’s energy is inside me now?”

Elara nodded. “Every trace of it. That thing supercharged you at a cellular level. Maybe even deeper. You're not just strong—you’re… impossible.”

Chris’s eyes wandered to his hands. They looked small again in the reflection—ten-year-old hands, but now holding something bigger than anything he’d ever imagined.

“What does he want to do with the power?” he asked.

Elara’s expression darkened. “He wants to extract it from your body. Which, in the simplest terms, would kill you.”

Chris swallowed hard.

“But why? Why does he need it so bad?”

“Because X doesn’t just want power,” Elara said. “He wants control. And something tells me he’s not the only one who’ll come looking for you.”

Chris stared out the window, watching the trees rush beneath them.

He exhaled slowly.

“Guess I’m not a normal kid anymore, huh?”

Elara cracked the faintest smile. “You never were.”