Lila stepped forward and unlocked the door with a loud click. It swung open on rusted hinges.
She didn't look back.
Kade followed.
He didn't know what was waiting for him inside.
But for the first time since this nightmare started, he wasn't walking alone.
Inside smelled like dust, metal, and old sweat. The door groaned shut behind them, echoing like a final warning. Kade stood just past the threshold, eyes adjusting to the low light. The space was wide, open—kind of like an abandoned warehouse, only messier. Wires hung down in places. There were mismatched lights overhead, one of them flickering like it couldn't make up its damn mind.
Lila kept walking like she belonged here. Like this dump was home.
Kade followed in silence.
The others were already there. Ren leaned against a concrete pillar, arms crossed, his eyes shadowed. Nico sat half-sprawled on a couch that looked like it had been pulled from the trash, legs kicked up on a table. And Ava… Ava was standing near a shelf filled with jars and books. Old stuff. Weird stuff.
No one spoke. It wasn't awkward, exactly. Just... heavy.
Kade shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling out of place again. Same feeling as in school, when the teacher asked a question and everyone looked at him like he was the answer and the joke all at once. He hated that feeling.
Lila turned. "Well? You gonna stand there or what?"
He blinked, looked at her. "I'm here, aren't I?"
She smirked. "Fair."
Ren pushed off the pillar and walked toward them. The guy moved like a damn shadow—silent, smooth, no wasted motion.
"You sleep?" he asked, looking at Kade.
Kade shrugged. "Barely. Had... flashes. Dreams. Or something like it."
Ren gave a small nod, like he knew exactly what he meant. "It's the artifact. Messes with your head at first. Makes you remember things you didn't know you forgot."
Kade looked down at his wrist. That thing—still latched on like it was welded into his skin. Every now and then it pulsed. Not bright, not painful. Just a thump. A reminder. I'm here. I chose you.
"I don't get it," Kade muttered. "Why me?"
Nico chuckled from the couch, his voice lazy. "None of us do. That's the point. It picks who it wants. No audition, no test. Just... boom. You're in."
"You make it sound like a goddamn game," Kade said, sharper than he meant to.
Nico grinned. "Sometimes it is."
Lila cut in. "Enough. He's not here to hear your bullshit. He's here to get trained."
Ren nodded. "Yeah. Let's get started."
"Wait," Kade said, backing up a step. "Started with what, exactly?"
Ren pointed to a space in the corner where mats were rolled out, worn and scuffed to hell. "Combat basics. You don't have powers, so you need to learn how to move, how to dodge, how to survive."
Kade clenched his jaw. "I'm not helpless."
"No," Ren said flatly. "But you're not ready."
Kade wanted to argue, but deep down he knew Ren was right. That alley fight? That was rage. Instinct. He hadn't had control—he just reacted. That wasn't fighting. That was surviving.
Lila walked over to a weapon rack and pulled off two wooden staffs. She tossed one to Kade.
He barely caught it, fumbling a bit.
"First lesson," she said, spinning hers easily in one hand. "Hold your ground."
She moved before he was even ready.
The staff slammed into his ribs. Not hard enough to break anything, but enough to knock the air out of him. He staggered, choking down a breath.
"What the hell!" he coughed.
"Don't complain," Lila said, circling him. "Fight back."
"I don't even know how to use this thing!"
"Figure it out," she snapped.
Kade gripped the staff and swung, wild and wide. She ducked like it was nothing and smacked his leg. He stumbled again, the staff clattering against the mat.
He picked it back up.
Again.
She hit his shoulder.
Again.
His wrist.
Again.
Blood was pumping hot through his veins now, and he wasn't scared anymore—just pissed. He tightened his grip. Feet grounded. No more swinging like an idiot.
Lila came at him again. He didn't swing. He waited.
Then moved.
The staff cracked against hers. Not clean, but solid enough to make her blink.
"Better," she muttered.
Kade didn't let up. He struck again, low and fast, and this time she had to take a step back.
He grinned. Just a little. And that's when she swept his legs and dumped him on his ass.
He groaned, staring up at the ceiling.
"Overconfidence kills," Lila said, offering her hand.
He ignored it, stood up on his own.
"You hit like a truck when you're angry," she added. "But anger fades. You need control."
Kade rolled his shoulder. "I'm getting there."
"You don't have time to get there," she said. "Hollowborn don't wait for you to grow up."
He didn't ask what the hell a Hollowborn was. Not yet. He wasn't ready for that.
Ren stepped in then. "Alright. That's enough for now. We'll push harder tomorrow."
Kade leaned on the staff, panting. "That was just the warm-up?"
Ren's eyes darkened. "You think this is a game, you walk. Right now."
Kade looked at him—really looked. There was no smugness in Ren's voice. No sarcasm. Just steel.
"I'm not walking," Kade said. "Not after what I've seen."
Ren gave the smallest nod. "Then prove it."
Silence fell for a beat.
Then Ava finally spoke from the back. "You'll need rest. He's new. His mind's not... adjusted yet."
Kade glanced at her. She looked calm. Too calm. Like she was already two steps ahead of whatever was coming.
"We've got a day," she said. "Maybe two. Then the next one hits."
"Hits?" Kade echoed. "What hits?"
Ren turned to him. "A Hollowborn. Stronger than the last. They're getting closer."
"Why?"
Lila looked at him, her eyes serious for the first time that day. "Because they smell the artifact on you."
Kade's stomach dropped.
"So what now?" he asked, voice lower.
Ren's jaw tightened. "Now? We get ready."
---
To be continued....