The ride to the Power Registration Building was eerily quiet.

  Theo sat in the back of the hover-cab, watching the city pass by through the tinted windows. Zenith was a futuristic marvel—hover-cars zipped around, sky bridges connected towering skyscrapers, and neon signs flickered with advertisements for everything from combat enhancers to luxury cybernetic implants.

  His mind, however, wasn’t on the sights. His thoughts were elsewhere.

  His power. Or rather, the lack of understanding around it.

  Even after everything, he still didn’t know what he was truly capable of. His fight against James had proven one thing—his power was far more than simple body enhancement. But what was it?

  The cab’s AI system interrupted his thoughts.

  “Arrival at Power Registration Center. Please exit the vehicle.”

  Theo sighed and stepped out. A colossal structure atop a massive platform, the entire foundation was able to hover off the ground, supported by unseen technology. It was a contingency measure—if a Split ever consumed this part of the city, the platform could move, relocating the entire structure.

  The building itself was massive, It wasn’t just for registration. It was a proving ground.

  Through the transparent walls, Theo could already see people waiting in line. He could hear the demonstrations happening inside.

  He knew that faction scouts would observed from elevated viewing platforms in the testing field. He watched them from time to time, always wondering what it was going to feel and be like having a power.

  Theo exhaled. “Time to get this over with.”

  Theo entered, His eyes fell upon the Sleek High, The high tech holograms all over showing some new user casting what appeared to be a massive fire bal. He heard people murmuring, “man that girl will be big” “ yeah she is strong, that fire could incinerate any beast I bet.”

  And others were more envious “Why couldn’t I get a power like that.” “I’d kill to have that type of power.”

  Other Holographic displays lined the walls, showcasing power categories, faction recruitment banners, and live rankings of today’s most impressive displays.

  A row of automated kiosks handled registration. Theo approached one of them.

  “Welcome to the Zenith Power Registration Center. Please place your hand on the scanner to begin the process.”

  Theo pressed his palm to the glass.

  A pulse of blue energy ran across the surface. A second later, a bracelet-like deviceemerged from a hidden compartment, latching onto his wrist.

  The holographic interface flared to life, displaying his registration details.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  NAME: THEODORE VALE

  AGE: 18

  POWER TYPE: ERROR—ERROR—ERROR

  Theo frowned. That… wasn’t right but he knew it would happen. It happened at Horizon already.

  The system was supposed to categorize him instantly—whether it was Body Enhancement, Elemental, Summoning, Morphing, or Physical body Manipulation.

  Yet, all it displayed was a flashing ERROR.

  A nearby registration official, a woman in a black-and-gray government uniform, took notice. She approached, glancing at the screen.

  “That’s strange,” she muttered, running a secondary diagnostic. The error remained.

  She turned to Theo, her expression shifting from neutral to curious.

  “We’ll need you to demonstrate your ability. The system can’t categorize it otherwise. Please follow me.”

  They entered into a waiting room, no one took notice of Theo right away, They were all concentrated on how they would show the recruiters their power. After all, getting into a top faction is what most people wanted.

  Theo focused inward, trying to sense the energy within him. He took a slow breath.

  He could feel the familiar warmth running wild through his body. He still couldn’t control it or willingly move it to where he wanted. But he could tell, it feels like he got a small amount more than he had at Horizon. His muscles tensed, his realized his senses were slightly sharper.

  Then— BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  His bracelet-watch flashed red.

  LIFE FORCE LEVEL: 20%

  Theo’s breath hitched.

  The official’s eyes widened slightly as she read the display.

  “That can’t be right,” she muttered, tapping the screen. “Are you injured?”

  Theo shook his head. “No. I feel fine.” The woman’s expression tightened. “A reading that low means you should be collapsing. Are you sure you’re not experiencing any symptoms—weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath?”

  Theo rolled his shoulders. No pain. No fatigue. He was completely fine.

  Yet, the system was treating him like he was dying.

  The official frowned. She seemed like she wanted to press further, but after a moment, she exhaled and straightened.

  “Alright. We won’t hold you for further testing, but your reading is… unusual. If you experience any issues, I recommend visiting a medical center for a deeper analysis.”

  She tapped the holographic display, making a note on his file and that’s when she seen his birthday,

  “You’re free to…” she paused, “excuse me but your birthday was 6 days ago, why are you just now registering?”

  Theo gave a small nod, “Horizon said they sent you guys all the information.”

  The official’s eyes lingered on Theo’s bracelet, her expression unreadable. The flashing ERRORmessage and his dangerously low life force reading were clearly bothering her.

  She tapped a few more commands into her holographic display before looking up at him.

  “You say you feel fine, but your readings are abnormal. Since you aren’t displaying any immediate symptoms, we won’t send you for medical evaluation…” She hesitated for a moment, then her tone hardened. “However, your power has failed to categorize. That means you’ll need to demonstrate it for us.”

  Theo expected this. He had hoped they’d just let him go, but deep down, he knew that was unlikely.

  He kept his expression neutral. “And if I refuse?”

  The woman raised a brow. “Then your registration remains incomplete. Without a classification, your access to certain systems will be limited—including mission postings, faction recruitment, and power-based regulations. You also wouldn’t be able to receive government-licensed contracts.”

  So, in other words, if he wanted to operate in any real capacity, he had to show them something.

  Theo exhaled slowly. “Fine.”

  She nodded and gestured for him to follow.

  The testing area was an expansive space, large enough to hold several demonstrations at once. The floors were reinforced, designed to withstand all sorts of powers, from elemental blasts to brute-force shockwaves. Large digital panels displayed data from ongoing tests, analyzing energy outputs and classification probabilities.

  A few government officials stood on a raised platform, monitoring everything. Some were simply record keepers. Others? Probably scouts for higher-ups.

  Theo was led to an open section of the arena. Several other newly-registered individuals were being evaluated nearby, showcasing their abilities for officials and recruiters.

  A large screen floating above the field was going between all the other individuals, this allowed everyone to see as they would allow several people to show their powers at once in different areas. This is always what was being streamed to live Holovision as well.

  Theo looked around while waiting for a spot to open up so he could show his power. And that’s when he noticed them.