CHAPTER 6 — Learning the Rules

  Aiden moved deeper into the ruined district, the rebar still warm in his grip. Two Forces pulsed inside him now—Gravity, steady and heavy, and Pressure, sharp and volatile. They felt like two different heartbeats, one slow and dense, the other tight and coiled.

  He wasn’t used to feeling anything inside himself except emptiness.

  Now he felt full.

  Dangerously full.

  He ducked behind a collapsed bus stop, catching his breath. The Pressure Force throbbed in his chest, almost eager, like it wanted to be used.

  Aiden raised his hand.

  “Let’s see what you do.”

  He focused on the tightness inside him—imagining it pushing outward.

  A faint ripple of air burst from his palm.

  Barely enough to stir dust.

  Aiden blinked.

  “…that’s it?”

  He tried again, pushing harder.

  A sharper burst shot forward, kicking debris across the pavement.

  Aiden’s eyes widened.

  “Okay. Better.”

  He planted his feet, inhaled, and pushed.

  A short-range shockwave blasted outward, slamming into a cracked wall. The impact left a shallow dent in the concrete.

  A notification flickered at the edge of his vision.

  [PRESSURE FORCE — Proficiency Increased]

  Aiden froze.

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  “…proficiency?”

  He tried another burst.

  The shockwave hit harder.

  Another notification flickered.

  [Special Forces strengthen through use]

  Aiden stared at the message, breath catching.

  “That’s it,” he whispered. “That’s the rule.”

  Not time.

  Not meditation.

  Not manuals.

  **Use.**

  Special Forces grew when he used them.

  He looked down at his hands.

  He could grind this.

  He could grind everything.

  A distant snarl echoed from the next street over.

  Aiden tightened his grip on the rebar.

  “Perfect.”

  He moved toward the sound, slipping between debris and broken glass. A Primal Forceborn crawled out from behind a crushed sedan—small, twisted, barely formed. It snarled when it saw him.

  Aiden didn’t wait.

  He sprinted forward, lighter with Gravity, faster with Strength. The creature lunged. Aiden ducked under its swipe and slammed the rebar into its skull.

  It collapsed instantly.

  A Core rose.

  Aiden let it sink into him.

  [AGILITY FORCE — Level 1]

  Aiden exhaled.

  “Okay. That makes sense.”

  Basic Forces only leveled through Cores.

  Special Forces only leveled through use.

  Two systems.

  Two rules.

  Clean. Simple. Perfect.

  Another snarl echoed from deeper in the ruins.

  Aiden moved toward it.

  He found two more Primals tearing at a fallen streetlight. He didn’t hesitate. He dropped his weight with Gravity, anchoring himself, then unleashed a short Pressure burst.

  The shockwave staggered both creatures.

  Aiden lunged, swinging the rebar in a tight arc. The first creature fell. The second lunged at him. Aiden sidestepped, lighter again, and drove the rebar into its throat.

  Two Cores rose.

  He absorbed both.

  [ENDURANCE FORCE — Level 1]

  [VITALITY FORCE — Level 1]

  Warmth spread through his chest, easing the ache in his ribs. His breathing steadied. His muscles felt less strained.

  Aiden wiped sweat from his brow.

  He wasn’t just surviving.

  He was growing.

  He was grinding.

  He was becoming something else.

  He tested Pressure again—short bursts, directional pushes, tight shockwaves. Each use felt smoother. Sharper. More controlled.

  Another notification flickered.

  [PRESSURE FORCE — Proficiency Increased]

  Aiden grinned despite himself.

  He could feel it getting stronger.

  He tried Gravity next—shifting his weight heavier, lighter, heavier again. The pavement cracked under his heel. His steps grew more controlled.

  Another notification flickered.

  [GRAVITY FORCE — Proficiency Increased]

  Aiden’s breath caught.

  He was learning the rules.

  He was learning the system.

  He was learning himself.

  A distant rumble shook the ground.

  Aiden looked up.

  The Rift pulsed violently, expanding outward in a ripple of distorted air. The sky twisted. Buildings groaned. Hunters shouted warnings.

  Aiden felt something else.

  A pull.

  Deep.

  Low.

  Resonant.

  Like the Rift was calling to him.

  He swallowed hard.

  “…what are you?”

  The Gravity Force pulsed in response—heavy, steady, answering something he couldn’t see.

  Aiden tightened his grip on the rebar.

  He wasn’t ready for whatever was inside the Rift.

  Not yet.

  But he would be.

  He looked toward the swirling wound in the sky.

  “Keep calling,” he whispered. “I’m coming.”