Alex unscrewed a water bottle with shaky fingers and took several deep gulps.
His throat was dry.
His mind was burning.
Even though his body felt strange—stronger, sharper, almost too stable—
his mind felt exhausted.
Like he had run through nightmares.
The awakening tests continued, but Alex barely noticed any of them.
His ears rang.
His heartbeat—
the second, unnatural one—thundered through his chest like an echo inside a cavern.
Thump…
…thump.
He stood silently in the corner, trying to steady himself.
Around him, students were cheering, celebrating their ranks, dreaming of future glory—
but Alex only felt two pairs of eyes watching him.
Dr. Helena.
General Andrew.
Both wore the same expression.
Not confusion.
Not curiosity.
But fear.
---
The Hall Empties
When the final student finished, General Andrew's voice boomed across the hall:
"All cadets are dismissed.
Report to your instructors for schedule briefing."
The hall emptied fast.
Whispers trailed behind.
"That E+ guy almost blew up the machine—"
"Did he malfunction it?"
"Scary… but weak."
"So embarrassing."
Only Alex, Dr. Helena, and the old general remained.
Riya lingered near the exit, refusing to leave.
General Andrew's eyes softened for a moment.
"Riya Stoneheart. Outside."
She hesitated, giving Alex a last, worried glance.
"I'll wait for you."
She stepped out.
Just behind her stood Jennifer Andrew, the general's granddaughter—famous for her S-rank awakening.
She eyed Alex with a strange mix of curiosity and annoyance.
General Andrew turned toward her.
"You too, Jennifer."
Jennifer rolled her eyes.
"Okay… Grandpa."
She walked out, but not before giving Alex a long, unreadable look.
The doors slid shut.
Silence pressed into the room like a weight.
The air felt colder.
---
The Results They Don't Want to Believe
Dr. Helena rubbed her temples and let out a shaky breath.
Her calm, professional expression was gone.
She pulled up the diagnostic logs on a floating display.
Her hands trembled.
"Alex…" she began, voice tight.
"Your awakening test—can you explain what happened to us?"
Alex froze.
General Andrew stood beside her, arms crossed, gaze unblinking.
Dr. Helena continued, her voice growing more unsettled as she replayed the data.
"The NSS-9 machine recorded a massive dimensional surge.
Far beyond E-rank.
Beyond A-rank.
Beyond anything in the last decade."
She swallowed.
"Stronger, even, than Jennifer's S-rank awakening last year."
The hologram replayed the earlier event:
The vortex ripping open.
The pillars of light spiraling.
The machine shaking violently.
Data lines corrupting.
Warning symbols flashing red.
The entire chamber bending with dimensional pressure.
Alex felt ice creep through his veins.
He remembered the sphere—
that cold, ancient presence melting into him.
"I don't… know what happened," Alex whispered.
Dr. Helena shook her head sharply.
"No. That doesn't make sense. Your body should be damaged—spiritually burned, mentally fractured—"
She stepped closer, disbelief etched across her face.
"But you have no injuries.
No neural burn.
No energy cracks.
You're… perfectly stable. Physically flawless."
Alex blinked, stunned.
He didn't feel flawless.
Not with that second heartbeat pounding like a hidden beast.
---
General Andrew Steps Forward
The white-bearded old general took a heavy step toward Alex.
A silent pressure filled the room.
Not killing intent—
but the weight of someone who had survived countless wars.
"Boy," General Andrew said, voice deep and grave,
"that explosion wasn't natural.
It felt like something extremely dangerous… something beyond our understanding."
Alex's breath halted.
The general's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
"A rank of E+ doesn't justify nearly tearing open a dimensional rift."
He leaned forward.
"So tell me, Alex—
What did you see inside that void?"
Alex's mind flashed.
The endless darkness.
The pulses of light.
The ancient sphere.
The silent presence enters him.
He opened his mouth.
"I… I saw—"
But the moment he tried to remember the sphere,
The presence inside him pulsed.
Thoom.
A cold shock slammed through his skull.
His thoughts crumbled.
His words vanished.
He choked.
Dr. Helena stepped forward, alarmed.
"Alex? What is it?"
Alex clutched his chest.
"I… can't describe it," he whispered.
"It's like the memory slips away when I try to speak."
The doctor and general exchanged a tense, dangerous look.
---
The Forbidden Heartbeat
General Andrew's jaw tightened.
"Dr. Helena. Show him."
She hesitated, then opened a secure, encrypted hologram—
one hidden behind multiple authorization layers.
A heartbeat waveform appeared.
But it was not human.
Not awakened.
Not natural.
A deep, rhythmic pulse:
Thoom…
Thoom…
Alex felt his own chest respond in perfect sync.
Dr. Helena's voice trembled.
"Alex… the last time we recorded a dimensional heartbeat like this
was from a forbidden anomaly.
The most dangerous kind of awakening in history."
She looked at him, eyes wide with fear and awe.
"You… have awakened something outside any rank.
Something not meant to exist."
General Andrew added, voice grim:
"And whatever it is…
It's hiding inside you."
Alex felt the world tilt.
---
A Warning That Cannot Be Ignored
General Andrew placed a heavy hand on Alex's shoulder.
His voice dropped into a cold whisper.
"Listen carefully, boy.
From this moment on—
You tell no one what happened inside that machine."
Alex's breath trembled.
"W-Why?"
The general's eyes hardened.
"Because if anyone finds out you hold a force capable of manipulating dimensions…"
He paused, expression darkening,
"They won't treat you as a student."
He stepped closer.
"They'll treat you as a weapon.
A threat.
Or a target."
Alex swallowed, throat dry.
Inside him, the second heartbeat pulsed—
Slow.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Thoom…
"Do you understand?"
Alex lowered his eyes.
"…Yes. I understand."
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Author's Note:
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