{Chapter: 175 - You're Not Alone}
"You're not alone," Aiden said softly, his tone shifting into something gentler, more compassionate. He'd noticed the flicker of distress in Claire's eyes — the way her shoulders tensed, the way her fingers clutched the strap of her school bag like it was the only thing tethering her to sanity.
"There are others like you," he continued, keeping his distance to avoid overwhelming her. "I'm like you too. In a way."
Claire blinked, her face pale under the streetlamp's glow. Her steps faltered slightly.
"…You're lying," she said, her voice barely more than a breath. The way she said it wasn't accusatory — it sounded like she wanted him to be lying. Like she was scared of the possibility that he wasn't.
"I'm not," Aiden replied with a calm certainty, watching her carefully. "I'm not here to hurt you, Claire. I want to help."
"…Help?" she echoed, clearly suspicious but undeniably curious.
"I know what it feels like," he said gently, "to wake up and realize something inside you has changed. To feel like you've become something else. Something… terrifying. I know how it feels to be afraid of your own reflection."
Claire looked down, hugging herself tightly. She said nothing, but Aiden could see the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, fighting them back like she always did.
"You don't know me," she said after a long silence. Her voice cracked.
"Not yet," Aiden said with a soft smile. "But I'd like to."
Claire's breathing quickened. A strange guy showing up out of nowhere, talking about powers, about helping her — it felt like her worst nightmare coming true. What if he worked for someone? What if he was sent to capture her, experiment on her, make her disappear?
She stepped back, the panic rising in her chest like a wave. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I really need to go home now. G-goodbye."
Aiden didn't try to stop her. His next words, though, made her freeze mid-step.
"You don't know?" he said with a touch of mock disappointment. "That's a shame. I was really hoping to show you my powers."
Claire turned around slowly, eyes wide, torn between fear and disbelief. "You… you have superpowers?"
Instead of answering, Aiden lifted his right hand. A soft hiss filled the air as flames suddenly burst from his palm — orange and bright, dancing in the day like a living creature. The heat shimmered between them, and for a moment.
Claire gasped. She didn't scream. She didn't run. She stared, jaw slightly parted, eyes gleaming with a mix of awe and uncertainty.
"That… That's so cool," she said, almost involuntarily. Then her expression fell. "You can control fire. That's amazing… not like me."
Her voice cracked again, softer this time. "I… I don't even feel human anymore."
Aiden extinguished the flames with a snap of his fingers. "You're not a monster, Claire. You're gifted. You're stronger than you know."
She looked away, biting her lower lip. "You don't get it. I heal, but not just cuts or bruises. I threw myself off a bridge once. I snapped my neck and walked away. I've been hit by a car, impaled on a piece of metal. And I just keep coming back. It's like… nothing can kill me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"
Aiden paused. He had expected her to be afraid, but not this broken. Not this lonely.
"Yes," he said at last. "I do."
Claire looked at him again. This time, her eyes weren't just curious — they were searching. Desperate for something to believe in.
"Maybe… maybe I can help," Aiden offered, voice warm, yet tinged with something more deliberate now. "If you don't want this power, if you truly want to live a normal life — I can take it away from you."
Claire blinked. "Wait. What?"
"I can take your ability," he repeated calmly. "No tricks. No pain. Just… normal again. Like it never happened."
Claire's breath caught in her throat. The idea was tempting — so painfully tempting. After all the near-death experiences, after lying to her family, covering up wounds that should have killed her… She'd dreamed of waking up and being ordinary again. But at the same time, the thought terrified her.
"You… You can really do that?" she asked, her voice cracking with disbelief.
Aiden nodded. "But only if you want me to."
For a moment, Claire hesitated. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. She remembered the pain, the fear — and the way people would look at her if they ever found out. Monster. Freak. Experiment.
"…Let's try it," she said, barely above a whisper.
Aiden stepped forward slowly, careful not to rush her. When he reached her, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Claire flinched slightly, every instinct screaming at her to run. But she forced herself to stand still, locking eyes with him.
She saw something strange in his gaze — not just power, but hunger. A deep, devouring intent that made the hairs on her neck stand on end.
He began the process. From the outside, nothing changed, but inside Aiden's body, a violent clash began. His Devour ability surged forward, reaching out toward Claire's regenerative power — only to slam into a resistance so fierce it nearly buckled his own will.
"…Huh?" Aiden's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected this.
Usually, weaker abilities would submit quickly. Even slightly stronger ones might fight back, but not like this. This felt like trying to swallow fire wrapped in steel.
Internally, Aiden grimaced. So this is what her ability is like up close…
Claire's power wasn't just some passive healing trait — it was primal, defensive, alive. Like it had a mind of its own, built to survive anything. Even now, her ability fought back against him, refusing to be devoured.
'Strange… Is it because the powers in this world are all like this? Or… is her ability just that special?'
He withdrew his hand slowly, eyes narrowing.
Claire exhaled shakily, watching him with wide eyes. "Did… did it work?"
Aiden smiled faintly. "Not yet. Looks like your power doesn't want to let go of you."
"…Oh," she said, looking down again. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Aiden studied Claire for a moment, reading the flicker of uncertainty in her hazel eyes. Her knuckles were clenched tight at her sides, as if she were holding herself together with sheer willpower. She looked away the moment his gaze lingered, cheeks flushed, breath quickened. Ever since he had touched her shoulder to try and devour her ability, something inside her had changed—or maybe, it had just been brought to the surface.
"But that's okay," Aiden said gently, stepping back to give her room and allowing the tension in the air to dissolve. His voice carried a note of practiced patience, as if he had said these words a thousand times before to others like her. "I'm just having a bit of trouble. Your ability... it's unique. Not only is it powerful, but it seems to have a strong sense of self-awareness. Almost like it's protecting you."
Claire looked down, biting her lip. There was a flicker of guilt in her eyes, but also relief. Guilt, because a part of her still felt like a freak. Relief, because someone understood. "So... you're saying it's fighting back?"
Aiden nodded. "Exactly. It knows what it is. And it knows you're not ready to let go. Not completely. That kind of resistance doesn't happen unless the person holding the power has deeply tied emotions to it."
Claire's face turned red again, and she turned her back on him for a moment, pretending to brush her hair away from her face. Embarrassment, shame, confusion—it was all there in the way her shoulders tightened. She wasn't used to being vulnerable, even though she was, paradoxically, unkillable.
"We should find a more private place," Aiden continued with a soft smile, trying to ease the tension. "I don't want anyone to see us and get the wrong idea. A foreigner, fainting teenagers... someone might call Homeland Security."
That earned a quiet laugh from Claire, and she glanced back at him over her shoulder. Her expression softened slightly. "Take me to town first," she said, regaining some composure. "I need to find a place to stay. Then... maybe we can try again."
"Of course," Aiden said with a nod, his voice gentle but firm. He followed beside her as she led the way.
As they walked, Claire spoke more openly. She talked about growing up in Odessa, Texas. About her adoptive parents, her dad—a man who worked in paper but who she always suspected was hiding something deeper. About her high school, the cheerleading team, the fire she saved a man from, the experiments she accidentally put herself through just to understand what she was. There was a rawness to her voice, a trembling honesty that exposed how scared she truly was. She smiled sometimes, but it never quite reached her eyes.
Aiden mostly listened, interjecting here and there with small comments or questions or jokes to keep her going to keep the mood light. He didn't need to talk much. Claire needed this—to speak, to be heard.
[Claire Bennet, Friendship increased by 50%]
A sudden ping in Aiden's mind startled him. The system prompt rang with mechanical clarity.
He paused slightly, blinking.
"Is something wrong?" Claire asked, noticing his expression.
Aiden shook his head, masking his surprise. "It's nothing. Just spaced out for a moment."
But inwardly, he was shocked. Fifty percent already? That was abnormally fast. Was she just quick to trust, or was her loneliness and need for understanding so strong that the connection formed this easily?
Still, this changed things.
If he could push that friendship rating to 80%, then he could use the Fighting Field.
"System," he asked silently, "if I devour Claire's ability and then reach 80% friendship, will she be able to fight in the Fighting Field?"
[After the Fighting Arena is opened, the friend's attributes and abilities are determined by their state at the time of opening.]
So that meant if Claire was powerless when the arena was activated, she'd remain powerless in that simulation? No healing factor, no immortality, no chance of using her unique skill set?
Aiden frowned deeply.
So what's the point then? Claire might be a useful sparring partner since she couldn't die, giving him endless combat practice. But if she had no power during the simulation, she would be next to useless for experience or challenging battles.
What about others, like The Flash? If he devoured their abilities before reaching the 80% friendship threshold, would they also become powerless in the simulation?
Aiden sighed inwardly. So the system wants me to become besties with superheroes before I take their abilities? What kind of scam is this?
"System," he asked in a frustrated tone, "don't you think this setup is kind of... dumb? Can't you change it?"
Silence.
No reply. No snarky comment. Nothing.
Typical.
Well, either way, devouring their powers was the priority. The arena could wait.
A scream shattered the air.
Claire gasped, hand going to her mouth. "Oh my God, something happened!" she shouted, pointing ahead.
Smoke. Fire. The smell of burning fuel.
Up the road, several trucks had collided. Flames engulfed one of them, and people were already gathering, yelling, calling for help.
Claire hesitated, adrenaline rushing through her system. Her face paled, then flushed red. She took a step forward.
"I'll go check it out," she said, voice shaking with determination.
"Do you need help?" Aiden asked immediately.
Claire shook her head. "No. I... I can't die anyway."
Aiden stepped in front of her, eyes serious. "That doesn't mean it won't hurt. It might take you a second to heal, but being burnt alive is still agony. Let me come with you."
Claire hesitated again. Her mind replayed every horrible moment of pain she'd endured—breaking her own fingers to test her powers, plunging a stick through her ribs, walking through fire, watching her skin bubble and heal in real-time while her mind screamed.
But there were people in danger.
And she couldn't stand by.
"Okay," she said softly, and ran toward the flames.
Aiden followed without hesitation, fire already crackling at his fingertips.