{ Mia }
A suffocating darkness pressed against me.
It wasn't just the absence of light it was something thicker, heavier, like shadows had weight. My head throbbed, my body felt like it had been drained of every ounce of strength, and worst of all… I couldn't move.
Panic clawed at my chest as I tried to breathe, but the air was thin, stale, like I had been locked inside a coffin. My wrists ached. When I tried to move them, something cold and unyielding bit into my skin. Metal. Shackles.
I forced my eyes open.
Nothing.
Pure blackness.
I sucked in a breath, trying to keep calm, but my pulse hammered against my ribs. Scarlett. My watch. I twisted my wrist, hoping the AI was still functional.
"Scarlett—" My voice was barely above a whisper, hoarse and weak.
Silence.
A chill crept down my spine.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice low, smooth, and far too close cut through the void.
"You're finally awake."
"W-who are you ?" I asked struggling against the chains. " Let. Me.Go!"
A low chuckle came from him. I shivered.
" So feisty." He whispered as he came closer and started playing with my hair.
" What do you want?" I asked trying to sound braver than I felt.
" Oh sweetie, why don't you wait and find out." He pulled my golden locks.
I clenched my teeth, forcing myself not to react to the tug on my hair. Whoever this man was, he enjoyed getting under my skin.
"Why am I here?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.
He hummed, his fingers still twirling a strand of my glowing hair. "You're here because you belong to me."
My stomach twisted. "Like hell I do."
Another chuckle, dark and amused. "Oh, Mia. You don't even know, do you?"
A pause. My breath hitched. "Know what?"
He sighed, stepping back, and for the first time, I felt just how cold the room was without his presence near me. "You'll see soon enough. But for now..."
A flick of his fingers.
Pain exploded in my head, and the world faded to black again.
Darkness.
It stretched endlessly, pressing against me like a living thing, cold and suffocating. My body felt weightless, floating in an abyss where time didn't exist.
Then—
A voice. Distant at first, barely a whisper.
"Mia..."
I twitched. That voice... I knew that voice.
"Ace?" My own voice came out hoarse, echoing through the void.
The darkness rippled. I felt warmth, faint but real, cutting through the cold like a flicker of light.
"You need to wake up."
I turned, searching, but Ace was nowhere to be seen.
"I-I can't," I whispered, my throat tightening. "I don't know how."
"You're stronger than this," his voice urged, closer now, almost like he was right beside me. "You just don't remember who you are."
Another ripple in the dark. A pulse of energy, humming beneath my skin.
"You can do this, Mia. Fight back."
Something inside me cracked open.
A surge of warmth flooded my veins, replacing the cold with something fierce and untamed. My hair ignited, golden light pouring from the strands, illuminating the space around me.
The chains. The darkness. The weakness.
None of it was real.
I gasped, and suddenly—
I was awake.
The suffocating room came back into focus, the icy chains still wrapped around my wrists. But the energy from my dream hadn't left me. It roared to life inside me, burning brighter than ever.
I curled my fingers into fists, feeling the power crackle beneath my skin. The shackles meant to restrain me sizzled against my growing energy, and then—
SNAP.
The metal shattered.
I staggered forward, heart hammering. The door. I needed to get out.
A surge of power coiled inside me, and without thinking, I raised my hand. Energy shot from my palm, blasting the heavy steel door off its hinges.
Alarms blared.
I didn't care.
I ran.
And for the first time, I knew—
I was done being hunted.
" Mia, " Ace's warm voice echoed in my head.
" Turn invisible."
" What?! How ?"
" Just imagine yourself gone, no where to be found."
Still running I closed my eyes tight.
" I can do this." I whispered my breathing ragged.
" Nice job cupcake." Ace praised me.
" Now, tell me where you are. I'm coming."
I looked around."I-I don't know."
" Okay focus—"
" I can see you..." A raspy voice came from behind me.
My heart beat quickened and my knees started to go weak.
" Don't listen to him cupcake. No one can see you!" Ace warned me, though I knew he was wrong. The voice came right from behind me!!
Nonetheless I continued running.
"I can still see you..." The same voice echoed through the hall stronger than before.
" Stop running..."
A searing pain tore through my shoulder, white-hot and merciless, like a blade slicing straight through muscle and bone. My breath hitched as the burning sensation spread, pulsing with every frantic beat of my heart. My legs wobbled, my vision swam, and for a terrifying second, I wasn't sure if I could keep running.
The sharp pain in my shoulder jolted me forward, the world spinning as the force of whatever had stabbed into me dragged me to the ground. My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled, trying to keep my balance, but the burning sensation spread through my body like poison.
"NO!" I gasped, my voice raw as I pushed myself up. I could feel the blood dripping from the wound, but I didn't have time to think about it. The voice that voice kept echoing through the corridor, growing louder, stronger, like it was inside my head.
"Stop running..."
I didn't stop. I couldn't.
With a desperate yell, I willed myself to move faster, but the pain in my shoulder flared again, and this time, I couldn't ignore it. My vision blurred, the edges of the hallway bending in and out of focus. I staggered, unable to fight the exhaustion creeping over me, but then—
The golden light from my hair flared to life again, stronger than before, chasing away the dark cloud of fatigue. The power inside me surged, pushing against the pain, urging me to keep going.
"Think, Mia. Focus. Don't let them control you," Ace's voice cut through the chaos, clear and grounding.
I clenched my jaw, pushing through the haze of pain and fear. I couldn't let him catch me. I couldn't let them win.
But then, I felt it. The pull. Something cold, something dark, coming from behind. A presence. A shadow. A force.
And I knew—
He was still there.
I snapped my eyes open, adrenaline flooding my system as I shot a glance over my shoulder. There was nothing. Nothing. But the voice. The presence... it was still there, lingering in the air like a noxious cloud.
"You can't escape me..." the voice whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.
No. Not this time.
I focused again. Imagining the room around me fading into nothing. My body, my breath, the blood dripping from my shoulder. Gone.
I disappeared.
But the sensation didn't leave.
I could still feel his eyes on me. I could still feel his presence.
"I can still feel you, sweetie."
And that's when it hit me.
He wasn't after me. He was after my power.
I ran harder, knowing that every second I wasted was another second closer to being trapped again. I needed to get out. I needed to break free before it was too late.