Everyone had abandoned Alex and he was walking alone. Soon, he heard a loud rumble not too far away from him.
Turning around, he saw a large monster coming his way.
"Damn it!" He grunted and made for a run.
The monster had already noticed his presence and began to run towards him.
Without an ability, Alex did not know how else to win against the monsters if not by running and hiding but unfortunately for him, no matter where he hid, the monster still finds him.
While running, trying to get far away from the monster, he suddenly stumbles and falls to the ground. He screamed out in pain as his leg hit against a boulder, due to the impact, he soon got a dislocated knee.
With one of his legs now injured, Alex didn't know what else to do, he knew he was done for.
As he lay on the ground, clutching his dislocated knee in agony, he knew he was at the mercy of the monster. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide, and he couldn't even defend himself.
The monster loomed over him, its hot breath washing over his face. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.
But as he waited for the monster's attack, he heard a strange noise. It sounded like... footsteps?
Alex's eyes snapped open, and he saw a figure running towards him. It was David, their group leader.
'What is he doing here?' Alex thought as he stared in surprise.
David skidded to a stop beside Alex, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. When he saw the monster, his expression turned grim.
"Hold on, Alex!" David shouted, raising his hands.
A blast of energy shot out from David's hands, striking the monster with incredible force. The monster stumbled backward, giving David and Alex a small window of opportunity.
David quickly knelt beside Alex, examining his injured knee. "We need to get you out of here, now!" he said.
With a swift motion, David scooped Alex up into his arms, cradling him like a child. As the monster began to recover, David turned and sprinted away from the scene, carrying Alex to safety.
As they fled, Alex couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He was grateful to David for saving his life, but at the same time, he felt a pang of frustration and shame. Why couldn't he have defended himself? Why did he always have to rely on others?
The questions swirled in his mind as David carried him further and further away from the monster, the sound of its roars growing fainter with each passing moment.
When they arrived at a safe place, David carried him down and turned to leave but Alex stopped him.
"Why did you save me?" Alex asked David. "Neither of us are acquainted with each other so why would you come and save me? You could have left me to die out there, it's not like you are going to be blamed."
"You are right," David said. "But then I can not allow you to die out here, it is a promise I made to someone but... Do not assume that I will keep saving your ass each time you are in danger. Do yourself the honor of staying out of trouble and when all of this is over, you will return to the academy."
"Who did you make a promise to?" Alex asked him.
"Who else will be worried about your safety in academy? I think I don't need to tell you," David replied and then left.
Alex was left hopeless and angry, if it wasn't Peter then who else would be worried about him?! A drop of tear threatened to fall from his eyes but he wiped them away almost immediately.
It pained him so much for being useless, he could not protect himself, he could not achieve anything on his own. It was ad though he was born for nothing... At times, he didn't actually blame people for always calling him names but it hurt.
It hurt to see his mates moving ahead whereas he remained standstill. It hurt to see his family getting insulted at all because of him... It hurt...
"Damn it!" He grunted. Even if he didn't want to cry out, his heart was already bleeding. He wished to die but he also knew that death was not the only option. Therefore, he had to change his destiny somehow.
As Alex sat there, lost in his thoughts, the sky above him suddenly grew darker, as if the heavens themselves were reflecting his turmoil. The air grew thick with an eerie, unnatural silence.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound echoed through the air, growing louder with each passing moment. Alex's eyes snapped towards the noise, and he saw a swarm of dead birds falling from the sky, their lifeless bodies thudding against the ground.
The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying. Alex felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched the birds fall, their eyes frozen in a permanent stare.
As the last bird hit the ground, the air seemed to vibrate with a weird type of energy. Alex felt it coursing through his veins, calling to him.
Without thinking, he reached out and touched the nearest bird. As soon as he made contact, he felt a surge of energy flood through his body.
It was as if the bird's life force was transferring into him, filling him with a strange, tingling power. Alex's eyes widened in amazement as he felt his body begin to change.
His muscles grew stronger, his senses more acute. He could feel the energy of the dead birds coursing through his veins, transforming him.
But as the energy reached its peak, Alex felt his vision begin to blur. He stumbled backwards, his mind reeling with the implications of what was happening.
He tried to speak, but his voice seemed lost in the air. "What...what's happening to me?"
As the darkness closed in around him, Alex felt himself falling, his body crashing to the ground. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of the dead birds' energy still coursing through his veins, changing him in ways he couldn't yet understand.
And then, everything went black.
-------
Alex's eyes fluttered open and he was met with the white walls of the academy's clinic. He looked around and saw Peter sleeping next to him on another bed.
He tried to get up but discovered that his leg was bandaged and tied to the bed-stand.
The noise suddenly woke Peter up and seeing his friend awake, Peter gasped and rushed down from the bed.
"Man, you are awake!" He exclaimed. "I almost thought I was going to lose you and if that happens, I will blame myself for being incapable."
Alex frowned at what his friend was saying and wondered just why the boy liked him so much. What has he done to deserve a friend like Peter? It's not like he did anything for him in the past.
"You are not saying anything," Peter said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Seeing the boy's caring expression, he sighed. "I'm sorry," he said but that was not what Peter expected him to say.
Nevertheless, Peter smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back."
Alex nodded but after a while he remembered the test and wondered how far it went. "For how long did I sleep?" Alex asked him after some time.
"You've been unconscious for days now," Peter replied.
"What about the test?" Alex asked.
"Well, it got cancelled," Peter replied with a shrug. To him, he wasn't bothered that the test was cancelled but Alex was different, he was bothered.
"But why? Does it mean that they are going to send people like me out of this place?" He asked.
"No, no," Peter replied. "No one won and no one failed either. It just got cancelled."
"But why?" Alex wanted to know what really happened and why the test was suddenly cancelled, it had never been done before.
He glanced at Peter and noticed that for some reason, the boy seemed reluctant to give him an answer.
"Say something, will you!" He demanded.
"Well..."
"The academy was under attack today by some group of villains and the leader happens to be Hero Steven."