The world was hazy, like a fog creeping in from every direction. Theo floated, weightless and adrift, surrounded by nothing but an endless sea of bckmist. Simir but different than when he awakened his power. Right now his body felt alien to him, as if it was detached, like he was still outside himself and yet deep within himself. He couldn’t feel his limbs, couldn’t hear his breath. It was as if he were a phantom, suspended in an empty space with no anchor.

  A strange, heavy sensation settled in his chest. His head was spinning, his mind struggling to grasp something, anything, to steady him. But there was nothing. Just emptiness.

  Then, a faint whisper cut through the fog.

  “Theo…”

  His name. Soft, almost a breath, but clear enough to pierce the fog. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. No matter how hard he willed it, he stayed trapped, a passive observer in his own mind.

  The voice was familiar, yet distant. It felt like a lifeline—something tethering him to reality. But he couldn’t pce it.

  “Theo…”

  The voice came again, this time with a tinge of urgency, and Theo felt something in his chest stir. A flicker of recognition. “ECHO?”

  He forced himself to focus, to break through the haze. It was so hard. His mind was like a fog, sluggish and slow. But he tried, reaching for the sound, the voice—anything.

  As he stretched out mentally, the fog around him began shifting, twisting like smoke. He could feel it now—a pull. It was faint, like a distant current, guiding him forward. He wasn’t sure where it led, but it was the only thing that seemed real.

  A ripple of frustration surged in him. He needed to move, to follow. But his body wouldn’t obey. His mind was an anchor, pulling him back.

  Then, a sudden sensation and voice.

  “Your Bio-Energy is critically low.” The voice was clearer now, more defined, but like a warning.

  It sounded like ECHO, but something was different.

  He tried to call out, to ask questions. But no words came.

  He strained to make sense of it. His thoughts felt like they were swimming through mud, every attempt to focus slipping through his fingers.

  Then, a sudden rush. A sense of deep, empty coldness washed over him. His chest constricted. His power—his Bio-Energy—he couldn’t feel it.

  It was gone.

  No, not gone. It was there, but so faint, so weak. Like a faucet that had been left slightly open, a trickle of water. Not the roaring river he felt before. He could almost sense it, a thread, a faint pulse, but it was like trying to grasp at the st wisp of smoke.

  “What happened?”

  His mind was bombarded with the remnants of the fight—the unbearable weight of exhaustion. His body. The impact. His energy… the strain.

  “You expended all of your Bio-Energy.”

  The voice, more insistent now, resonated with truth. The current guiding him faltered. He couldn’t hold on any longer.

  A flood of images rushed through him. Pain. The strike. The crack of the floor. James flying backward. Blood. His own colpse.

  Then, the sensation of falling. Not physically, but mentally. The ground beneath him was crumbling, dissolving into darkness. The voice—ECHO—faded, distant again.

  Then, a sharp jolt.

  Theo gasped, and his eyes snapped open. He was ying on a bed so comfortable, the ceiling had a beautiful painting of ruined city overgrown by pnts.

  Reality swam back into focus, but everything felt… off. Heavy. Distant. His muscles screamed as he tried to move, but his body felt sluggish, unresponsive. Weak.

  He tried to push himself up, but his limbs barely obeyed. A surge of panic flooded him as his mind cleared. He had to register. The government registration! Did he miss it?

  “You are at 1/8th of your Bio-Energy capacity. Your current state is critically low.”

  ECHO’s voice was there. Almost like a warning. It hit him like a brick.

  His breathing quickened.

  He looked around the room and seen Alyssa sitting there. In a panic he said “the test, I have to register.”

  “You were unconscious for five days Theo. Your registration was processed with the government so don’t worry. They are awaiting for you to physical go there, they want to run their own test and give you the holowatch.”

  Theo’s heart raced as the weight of the situation settled on him. Five days. He’d been out for five days, and still, the world felt distant. His body felt wrong. Was this it? Was this how it was going to be from now on?

  He tried to move again, but the effort was draining. Every motion felt like wading through quicksand.

  He was only just beginning to understand the enormity of what had happened. That hit, the sheer force of it—he hadn’t just used his strength; he’d used it all. He had nothing left.

  “Alyssa…” he gasped, voice hoarse. “Where’s James? Is he okay?”