Ascension: The One Who Takes

New York City pulsed with energy, a beast that never slept. The streets buzzed with life, a constant tide of people moving in all directions, but beneath the surface, there was something else—power. Hidden in the alleyways, lurking behind closed doors, woven into the very bones of the city. Mutants. Metahumans. People who thought they were untouchable.

I walked through the streets, my hood pulled low, eyes scanning the faces around me. There was no shortage of filth in this city, no shortage of people who took from the weak. But tonight, I wouldn't be stopping them out of some moral obligation.

Tonight, I was the one taking.

The alley was poorly lit, shadows swallowing the corners where the streetlights couldn't reach. Three men stood over a boy curled up on the ground. One of them laughed, the sound sharp and mean. The kid was shaking, his glasses cracked, blood trailing from his nose.

I could feel it, even from a distance. Faint, but there. A hum in the air, something barely restrained.

A mutant.

And he had something I wanted.

I stepped forward, my boots crunching against the concrete. The laughter stopped. Three pairs of eyes locked onto me.

One of them took a step toward me, rolling his shoulders like he had something to prove. "Look, man, this ain't your business."

I didn't slow down.

He sighed. "Guess you wanna be next."

The punch came fast. I caught his wrist before it landed and twisted hard. The snap was sharp, clean. His scream even louder.

The second guy hesitated. That was his mistake. My fist slammed into his gut, and he crumpled like paper.

The third ran. Smartest one of the bunch. He could feel my aura.

That left the kid.

He was staring at me, wide-eyed, chest rising and falling in quick, uneven breaths. Fear. Relief. Confusion. He didn't know what to say.

I crouched beside him, resting a hand on his head. His body stiffened.

"Your power," I murmured. "Tell me."

His lips trembled. "I-I can—"

I didn't need to hear the rest. I could already feel it. The faint crackle of electricity under his skin, begging to be used.

So I took it.

All For One.

His body jerked as the power flowed into me, cold and sharp like a lightning bolt splitting the sky. My veins burned with new energy, static buzzing at my fingertips. His breath hitched, his limbs shaking, the glow in his eyes fading.

When I let go, he slumped forward, barely conscious. Empty.

I stood up, flexing my fingers as the faintest arc of blue danced across my knuckles. The power was weak now, but it wouldn't stay that way.

Without another word, I walked away, disappearing into the night.

Ascension continues.