Chapter 28: A Flow of Infinity
The rain outside the base's bunker had finally begun to taper off into a rhythmic, hollow drizzle, but inside the main living center, the atmosphere felt heavier than the storm ever could.
Kaleb hit the manual release lever with his shoulder, his arms entirely locked around Mia's limp form as the metallic cylinder of the base's entrance hissed open. He stumbled inward, his sneakers tracking thick, muddy streaks across the clean concrete floor. His breath came in ragged, burning gasps. The newly awakened ocean-blue current energy that had rewritten his biology only moments ago still hummed beneath his skin, vibrating behind his teeth like a trapped wire, but the physical reality of his regular fatigue was catching up fast.
"Hang on, Mia," he muttered, his voice cracking as he carefully laid her down onto the primary medical cot near the server racks.
Mia was gonna be okay. The bright-threaded aura that usually radiated a comforting, constant warmth was completely gone, reduced to a few pathetic, dim sparks that dissolved into her uniform before they could fully catch. Her breathing was shallow, her body completely burnt out from the raw kinetic energy Carf had forced her to take.
Kaleb's hands were shaking as he pulled the diagnostic interface over her bed. For the first time in his life, his fingers didn't just touch the keyboard—the moment his skin brushed the plastic. He didn't have to look at the screen to know the exact condition. He could feel the pulse.
He quickly routed the base's power toward the medical bay's healing-stimulated mats. A soft, synthesized golden light hummed to life beneath Mia's back, slowly beginning to feed a stable, frequency regenerating loop of light particles back into her depleted cellular structure.
"System stable," the computer's automated voice chimed. "Cellular regeneration in progress."
Kaleb let out a breath, leaning heavily against the edge of the metal desk. He looked down at his palms. They were perfectly clean, yet they still tingle with the phantom weight of the pressurized water he had commanded back in the foundry. He opened and closed his fists, watching the faint, deep blue luminescence ripple beneath his cuticles before vanishing into his veins.
He wasn't just a spectator anymore. Infinity had broken that.
Before he could process the sheer magnitude of what that meant, the secondary communication monitor on the main console let out a sharp, rhythmic tone. It wasn't an emergency alert—it was a message, passive regional scan tracking Iron Veil's tactical radio frequencies.
Kaleb hurried over to the terminal, his newly sharpened perception instantly parsing the scrambled data before they even finished compiling on the glass display.
"All units, be advised," a synthesized corporate voice crackled through the audio receiver, heavily masked by static. "A-tier energy anomaly in Sector 4 has been completely neutralized. Local grid failure resolved. Containment Cell Six is currently on-site at the coordinates. One high-tier mutant target is secured. No secondary combatants found on surface level. Initiating sweep for residual mana signatures."
Kaleb's chest tightened as he stared at the scrolling text. Dark was still down there. He had stayed behind intentionally to act as a decoy, guaranteeing that Carf wouldn't get back up and the corporate containment teams wouldn't see Kaleb or the incapacitated Mia going back to their base.
He reached for the comms headset, his thumb hovering over the broadcast button. "Dark, do you copy? Iron Veil has already closed the perimeter. They're scanning for power signatures. You should pull back before they lock down the upper transit lines."
The line hissed with dead air for three long, agonizing seconds. Then, the low, gravelly resonance of Neiry's voice broke through the speaker, calm and entirely unbothered by the approaching corporate sirens.
"I see them," Neiry replied, his tone flat. "They're taking Carf into a heavy-duty suppression transport. The dampening fields they brought are high-tier, but they're focusing all their sensors on the residual electrical output. They haven't picked up on my signature yet."
"They will," Kaleb countered, his fingers flying across the keys to inject a localized noise script into the sector's main tower, trying to mask Neiry's physical position from the outside. "Just get out of there."
"Is Mia stable?" Neiry asked, ignoring the warning entirely.
"The mats are cycling. Her vitals are coming back up, she's not gonna be out for long," Kaleb said, his eyes drifting back to the medical center. He paused, looking back down at his own hands, the deep blue hue faintly shifting under the fluorescent lights. "Neiry... back at the foundry. That wave current. I didn't just control it. I... I could create an entire wave like a water gun."
A brief silence hung over the comms link. When Neiry spoke again, the usual cold detachment in his voice had softened into something resembling grim validation.
"I told you, Tempest. Infinity doesn't care about you not having powers. It only reads what the moment demands. You chose to step into the line of fire to protect us, so I'm assuming it gave you the tool to do it. You can look at it as a gift. Don't forget it's a responsibility."
The audio line crackled as a distant, metallic roar echoed in the background of Neiry's feed—the unmistakable sound of an Iron Veil dropship descending into the foundry's upper courtyard.
"They're deploying ground drones," Neiry stated, his voice dropping into a shadow-like whisper. "I'm dropping off from the area now to get back through the old transit tunnels. Keep the base safe until I reach the perimeter. And Tempest?"
"Yeah?"
"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we figure out exactly what kind of power you're holding."
The line went dead. Kaleb pulled the headset off, the silence of the underground base returning in full force. He stood alone in the center of the room, looking back and forth between the monitors showing the corporate occupation of Sector 4 and his quiet, recovering friend on the medbay.
The normal human who had stolen a bicycle to chase a lightning storm was gone. Kaleb sat back down in his chair, his eyes reflecting the cascading code of the terminal as he began to dream of building a new, impenetrable digital fortress around his family.
The soft, synchronized hum of the healing-stimulated mats filled the quiet room , cutting through the heavy silence as the green light beneath Mia's back. Kaleb kept his eyes locked on the monitor , but before he could even process the data scrolling across the screen , a soft groan from the medical cot made him spin around.
Mia was already sitting up, rubbing her eyes as she blinked against the glare of the servers. She wasn't badly injured; she had just severely overextended her solar aura during the blast, leaving her temporarily drained.
"Hey, don't rush it," Kaleb said, rushing over to the edge of the bed. "Your vitals are coming back up, but you completely burnt out your energy taking that hit from Carf."
"I'm fine, really," Mia said, her voice a little tired but completely steady as she swung her legs over the edge of the cot. "I just pushed my body too hard trying to hurt him. It just felt like a sudden crash." She paused, her gaze dropping to Kaleb's hands, where faint traces of ocean-blue luminescence were still settling under his skin. "But you... Kaleb, I saw what you did before the explosion. You actually controlled that water."
"Yeah, I don't like to brag but you know." Kaleb muttered, looking down at his palms as the residual blue light finally dissolved completely into his veins. "Neiry called it Infinity. I don't really know how, but the moment he dropped his barrier, this whole system just unlocked in my head."
Before Mia could reply, the heavy metal cylinder of the entrance door hissed open with a loud mechanical whine. Kaleb and Mia both looked up as Neiry walked into the main living center, his suit dripping rainwater onto the clean concrete floor. He pulled off his damp mask, his dark eyes instantly locking onto Mia.
"Look at that you're awake," Neiry stated, his flat tone carrying a hint of relief. "Iron Veil just finished loading Carf into a heavy-duty suppression transport. They completely bought the distraction and didn't track any residual signatures back here."
"We're clear?" Mia asked, standing up from the bed as her aura gave a small, healthy flicker.
"For now," Neiry said, turning his gaze directly to Kaleb. "But things are different now. Tomorrow, we figure out exactly how to lock down that water current before you accidentally flood the entire grid."
Kaleb nodded, a new sense of responsibility settling over him as he sat back down in his chair. The normal guy who had stolen a bicycle to chase a lightning storm was gone, replaced by someone who could finally stand on equal ground with his friends.
Mia took a slow, deep breath, stretching her arms as the last of the tension left her shoulders. "I just need a minute to stretch. But honestly, seeing you step up like that... it was worth the crash, would've paid a lil more to see you get your ass kicked."
Kaleb let out a faint, disbelieving laugh, leaning his hands back against the edge of the coffee table. "Yeah, well, don't make a habit of overextending yourself. My heart can't take watching you drop like that every week."
Neiry walked over to the equipment racks, unbuckling his damp utility gear and hanging it up. "You need to train more and focus. You can't keep going and overextending yourself. But thankfully Iron Veil is increasing their patrol sweeps across Sector 4 because of the anomaly. They can afford to have more patrols out there which means more intel for us but tonight wasn't so bad. They'll notice the pattern eventually."
"Then we change the pattern," Kaleb said, turning his attention back to the keyboard. His fingers striking the mechanical keys but his heart was still pounding from the raw, fluid sensation that had rushed through his veins earlier. "I can double check our base's hardware manually just to make sure Carf didnt access anything" Mia walked over, standing right beside his chair looking healthier. "Looks like our tech support just got a massive upgrade."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Tempest," Neiry warned, his voice cutting through the room as he walked towards the couch. "A power that isn't controlled like yours could have who knows how many ramifications, maybe even untrained, could burn you out. Go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow, we find out if you can actually control what you have going on, or if you're just riding a wave."
Kaleb and Mia walked out the heavy door to the corridors slid shut, leaving Neiry alone in the hum of the server racks. Neiry pulled his glasses up, rubbing his eyes as the final remnants of that strange, heavy warmth settled deep into his chest. He looked at his hands, knowing that he needs to focus more and has to train both of his fellow heroes.
The heavy door to the back corridors slid shut, and the absolute silence of the bunker finally took over. Neiry retreated to his quarters, dropping onto the edge of the mattress without unlacing his boots. The physical exhaustion of the fight was nothing compared to the dense, heavy ache vibrating deep within his chest. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the pillow, and slid into a restless sleep.
He didn't dream. Instead, the darkness behind his eyelids suddenly fractured, opening up into a vast, silent void of deep white shifting starlight.
"You're awake," a voice echoed. It didn't come from a specific direction; it resonated from the very space around him, cold, ancient, and completely disembodied.
Neiry's eyes snapped open within the void, his posture instantly hardening as his mana flared. "Who is this? Show yourself."
"You already know what I am, Vessel. Don't you remember the last time we spoke" the voice responded, a faint ripple passing through the cosmic light. "You call me the cosmic core. You call me the thing. But finally you know me as I am. Infinity."
Neiry lowered his guard. "I apologize, it's not like we speak often. So why are you speaking to me now? What did you do to Kaleb back at the foundry? He didn't have powers. He shouldn't have been able to manipulate the rain like that. And that vision."
"Although I am something separate from you, this decision was entirely yours. Prince" Infinity explained, its tone completely unbothered by his hostility. "This was the first time we've synced. I gave you my power, and you gave him his—whatever you call 'superpowers.' When you threw yourself into the line of fire to protect them, your absolute intent bypassed our restrictions. You acted as the bridge."
Neiry gritted his teeth, looking down at his hands in the void. "And what happens to him now?"
"Right now, Kaleb's body is undergoing a change," Infinity said, the starlight shifting in a slow, rhythmic pattern. "He is human, but now with a different kind of power. His cells are adapting to handle the pressure of the water you unlocked within him. But heed this, Vessel: your body currently has Infinity residuals within yourself as well. The resonance from that synchronization didn't just leave a mark on the boy. It altered the frequency of your own beings core. Our core."
Infinity whispered lasting words "We will be in synch if you need me you know where i'll be."
Before Neiry could press the entity for more answers, the cosmic void violently shattered.
BZZZ. BZZZ.
Neiry's real eyes snapped open, the harsh fluorescent light of his concrete quarters blinding him for a split second. He breathed out a heavy sigh, rubbing his face as his phone buzzed relentlessly on the metal crate beside his bed. The screen was lighting up in the dark.
Kaleb [05:42 AM]: Neiry are you awake
Kaleb [05:42 AM]: Please tell me you're awake
Kaleb [05:43 AM]: I seriously can't sleep. Can we train? Please tell me we can train today. I need to know how to lock this down.
Kaleb [05:43 AM]: I seriously dude get up.
Kaleb [05:43 AM]: Begging you man. Let's hit the mat.
Neiry stared at the texts, a faint, exasperated shake of his head following as he stretched his aching shoulders. He dragged himself out of bed and typed a short response.
Neiry [05:47 AM]: Dude pls go back to bed im tired no way im doing this at 5 in the god damn morning
Kaleb [05:47 AM]: You say that like I haven't tried and you're a demon dont go saying "GOD damn" LMAO but yea I'm wide awake and ready to go. LETS GO man. Let's hit the mat.
Neiry [05:50 AM]: Whatever fine get to the base within the hour or im going back to bed your the worst
Kaleb [05:54 AM]: *You're
Kaleb [05:55 AM]: You're gonna be mad when i tell you im already getting dressed to head out
When Neiry walked out into the main living center, the air was still cool and smelled faintly of the morning drizzle of coffee filtering through. Kaleb was already standing by the edge of the concrete training mat, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. Practically vibrating with adrenaline.
"Finally you're actually up," Kaleb said, his eyes wide and eager. "Man, I've been sitting on the couch just staring at my palms. I'm ready. I want to learn the blasts, the defense lines, everything. I'm finally going to be able to go out on the field with you guys. No more sitting behind a screen."
"Calm down, Kaleb, I could lay you out in 1 second." Neiry said, his voice cutting through the room as he stepped onto the mat and rolled his shoulders. "Being eager gets you killed on the streets. Fieldwork isn't a game."
"I know it's not a game," Kaleb said, stepping onto the concrete opposite him, his posture tense but determined. "But before, I was just a liability if someone attacked any of you guys. Now I can actually hold a fight. I can protect Mia. I can even back you up."
Neiry looked at him for a long moment, seeing the absolute seriousness behind Kaleb's eyes. "Then you need to understand exactly what happened to you last night. It wasn't an accident."
Kaleb blinked, slowing his movements. "What do you mean?"
"Last night when I fell asleep, I didn't dream," Neiry stated, his dark eyes locking onto Kaleb's. "I talked to Infinity. The thing itself."
Kaleb's jaw dropped slightly. "The cosmic power thing? It talked to you?"
"Yes," Neiry said, crossing his arms. "It told me that the decision to give you those powers was entirely mine. When me and infinity synced up back at the foundry to stop Carf's blast, my intent to protect you broke baseline. It said it gave me its power, and I gave you yours."
Kaleb looked down at his hands, a sudden quiet falling over him. "So... it's real? I'm not just riding a temporary spike?"
"It's permanent in a way," Neiry confirmed. "Infinity explained that right now, your body is undergoing a massive change. You're still human, but now with a different kind of power entirely. Your nervous system is rewriting itself to handle the biological pressure of the water control. But right now since it's not completely a power of your own I can sense it within you."
Kaleb let out a slow, steady breath, the initial frantic excitement grounding out into a deeper, more profound sense of awe. He raised his fists, setting his feet into the basic defensive stance Neiry had tried to teach him days ago. "Then let's not waste the chance. Show me how to release and control this."
Neiry raised his own hands, a grim but approving nod greeting the boy. "Keep your center low. If you lose your footing, the current grounds out. First lesson: retention."
What followed was a bruising, exhausting blur of hours.
"Again," Neiry commanded, his voice echoing sharply off the concrete walls.
Kaleb threw his hands forward, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to visualize the fluid rush he had felt at the foundry. He practically strained his throat trying to force the energy to the surface. Nothing happened. Not a single drop of moisture gathered in the air.
"You're forcing it like a physical muscle, Kaleb. It doesn't work that way," Neiry chided, stepping inside Kaleb's loose guard and tapping his shoulder to correct his stance. "Feel the room. Stop trying to throw it."
Ten minutes later, they tried again. Kaleb stood near a bucket of water, sweating through his shirt, staring intensely at the liquid until his head throbbed. He thrust his palms out with a loud yell. The water in the bucket sloshed slightly from the sheer vibrations of his feet hitting the floor, but otherwise, the room remained completely dry.
"Man, it's not working," Kaleb gasped, pushing his hands onto the wall as he caught his breath. His glasses were fogged up, and his arms felt like lead. "I don't get it. Last night, it was like breathing. Now, it's just... dead weight."
Neiry watched him, his eyes analyzing the frustrated tension locking up Kaleb's shoulders. He walked over slowly, the faint midnight-purple aura around his boots completely vanishing.
"Let me try something," Neiry muttered.
Before Kaleb could look up, Neiry placed his palm firmly onto Kaleb's shoulder.
Neiry closed his eyes to focus/ The physical contact instantly flipped a switch. Because of the lingering connection they now shared through Infinity, the raw block between them dissolved. A sudden, sharp spark of warmth arced through Neiry's hand and shot straight down Kaleb's spine.
Instantly, the cold, heavy weight in Kaleb's chest broke apart. The phantom sensation of the ocean-blue current violently surged back to life, rushing through his veins like an opening floodgate. His eyes snapped open, burning with that brilliant, boundless blue light once again.
"There it is," Neiry whispered, his voice tight as he felt the sheer volume of the power vibrating through the boy. "Focus on that exact feeling, Tempest. Memorize the path it's taking through your chest. Don't let it slip."
Kaleb held his breath, his entire body going perfectly still as he locked his mind onto the fluid, heavy rhythm waking up inside him. It didn't feel like anger anymore; it felt like a deep, natural pull.
Neiry slowly let go of his shoulder, stepping back onto the edge of the mat.
The connection severed, but the feeling stayed. Kaleb didn't yell, and he didn't force his hands forward. He simply raised his right palm, cupping it slightly as he exhaled a slow, controlled breath.
The ambient moisture in the room violently rushed toward his hand. Tiny, airborne droplets coalesced in a rapid, spinning spiral above his skin, drawing together until a perfect, hovering ball of pressurized water floated just inches above his palm, rippling with a deep blue glow.
Kaleb stared at the sphere, a wide, disbelieving grin breaking across his face. He looked up at Neiry, his blue eyes shining. "I did it."
The ball of water levitated silently above Kaleb's palm, its surface smooth but vibrating with an intense, compressed kinetic energy. The deep blue light cast a sharp reflection over his glasses as he slowly rotated his hand, watching the fluid shape match his movements perfectly.
Neiry stepped back, letting his own guard down completely as he watched the perfect sphere hold its form. "Control is the only start and what matters now, Tempest. You can shape it, but if you let your focus drift for a single second, the internal pressure will just collapse it back into raw moisture."
Kaleb swallowed hard, his eyes completely locked on the floating sphere. "Uh how do I put it away? I don't want to just splash it onto the floor."
"Pull the current backward," Neiry instructed, his voice low and steady. "Don't drop the energy. Draw the fluid back into the path it took through your chest. Ground it."
Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Kaleb concentrated on the warm connection lingering right beneath his collarbone. He pulled his hand back slightly. Instantly, the hovering ball of water dissolved into a puddle on the floor, some washing over his skin before evaporating entirely into the cool air. The blue glow in his eyes faded back into his normal vision, leaving his arms feeling slightly heavy but completely steady.