Zelpher stood by the side of his room, staring out the window as moonlight bathed the floor in pale silver. His mind wasn't still—far from it. It raced with thoughts of past events, each more vivid than the last. From the accident in the military lab, to the encounter he had with the street thugs, to other strange incidents scattered across the week—everything had felt unnatural. Unexplainable. Like the world had suddenly begun to spin faster and he alone was trying to stay balanced.
So much had happened in the span of a single weekend.
Now, he had just heard that a set of villains had attacked the military lab— And worse, it had been a total damage but strangely no casualty. How possible?
Zelpher leaned against the cold wall as his heart pounded in his chest.
Why the lab?
What were they looking for?
He didn't know. But the fear began to slither into his chest like a snake coiling around his heart. He'd had his suspicions before. His breathing quickened. He felt like he was being hunted. He felt like the chemical he accidentally spilled was what they were looking for and coming to think of it he was absurd now.
Just as the anxiety threatened to pull him down and make him crumble, his phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Jael.
[ Let's meet at SerriQ Museum. From there we go to the Evolving Test Hall. Once again, happy birthday. ]
Zelpher sighed, reading the message slowly. He stared at it for a moment longer before slipping the phone into his pocket and looking at his reflection in the window.
"So this is it," he murmured to himself.
Today was his birthday. He was turning 18. The official age when people underwent the evolving test—an ancient process now advanced through science and technology—to determine whether they were evolvers or remained as normals.
He didn't feel like celebrating.But he also couldn't escape the moment. Woth someone like Jael who had skipped to check his last three months on the line, he had to.
"Guess I'm forced to do this," he muttered with reluctance.
He never really liked evolvers. Not because they were inherently evil, but because of the pride they all carried. Their arrogance. Their pride. Whether heroes or villains, Zelpher found their presence overbearing. And Jael—though his best friend—was fascinated with the evolvers. Obsessed, even. That made things complicated.
Still, he didn't have much of a choice.
With another deep sigh, Zelpher stood up straight, stretched his aching body, and walked toward the door. He stepped out into the night. The cool breeze brushed softly against his face, and for a fleeting moment, he closed his eyes and smiled. The chaos of his mind dulled slightly under the calming embrace of the evening wind.
It took him nearly twenty minutes of walking through the quiet streets before he arrived at the SerriQ Museum. The sky above was speckled with stars, and in the distance, the glimmer of city lights flickered like restless fireflies.
As he stepped into the open courtyard before the museum, he saw Jael sitting on the marble edge of the central fountain, legs crossed, phone in hand, a faint grin on his face.
"You're late," Jael said without looking up.
"You're annoying." Zelpher replied, walking up to him.
Jael laughed, standing. His electric-blue jacket shimmered under the moonlight. His hair was a mess, but his energy was vibrant as ever.
"You ready for this?" Jael asked, his eyes shining.
"No."
"Good. That means you'll go in with low expectations. Best way to avoid disappointment."
Zelpher didn't laugh, but he appreciated the attempt.
They didn't waste more time. Together, they walked the rest of the way to the Evolving Test Hall—a vast, cylindrical building with rotating metallic rings at its top.
The entrance was grand, lit by panels of glowing blue light. People from across the city were already there—young teens and newly-turned 18-year-olds lined up nervously outside the doors. Some were excited, bouncing on their heels. Others looked just as nervous as Zelpher.
Security scanned them in, and the two boys were given ID bands that shimmered once locked around their wrists.
"Candidate 1045," a robotic voice stated for Zelpher.
"Candidate 1046," for Jael.
Inside the hall, a huge arena-like chamber had been set up. The glowing floor was divided into eight circular pods, each marked with runes and sensors. Officials walked around the floor, calling candidates to step into the pods.
A giant screen above showed previous test results, with names and elemental attributes.
"Hey, they're using the Arc-Chronos algorithm," Jael said, pointing. "That's new. Measures the power. You know, how compatible your soul is with raw elemental forces."
Zelpher blinked. "Cool," he said flatly.
Jael chuckled. "I forget sometimes you live under a rock."
As they waited for their turn, they watched others go before them. A boy with silver hair stepped into a pod, and after a surge of light and electric energy, the screen displayed:
Name: Rikan Vale Status: EVOLVER Element: FIRE
People clapped. Rikan grinned.
A girl followed him, and the result was WATER. There were cheers also.
Then another teen stepped in, and after the scan:
Name: Karrie Lim Status: NORMAL Element: NONE
The crowd was silent. Karrie walked away, her face stiff.
More names followed. The crowd grew restless with each scan. Cheers for the evolvers, silence for the normals. Then:
"Candidate 1046—Jael."
Jael exhaled and stepped into the pod. Zelpher watched closely as blue light rose around his friend's body. It surged upward, circling Jael's form like an electric storm.
Then—
Name: Jael Torin Status: EVOLVER Element: ELECTRICITY
Cheers erupted. Jael stood tall inside the pod, his body crackling with small sparks.
Zelpher smiled faintly. "Knew it."
Jael stepped out of the pod and fist-bumped Zelpher. "Told you. Been feeling weird shocks in my hand lately. Thought I was just static electricity."
Then the voice rang again:
"Candidate 1045—Zelpher."
Zelpher's throat dried, but he didn't show it. He walked slowly into the pod, standing in the center as the lights rose around him. A faint hum echoed through the chamber.
He closed his eyes. Nothing.
Then a flicker of light. The rune below him shifted colors once, then dimmed.
The screen displayed:
Name: Zelpher Rawn Status: NORMAL Element: NONE
The crowd was silent. A few murmurs floated through the air. Some expressions twisted into pity. Others into amusement.
Zelpher didn't blink. He walked out of the pod like it didn't matter. Because to him—it didn't.
Jael was waiting for him. "You okay?" he asked softly.
Zelpher nodded. "Not surprised. Never felt anything special."
Jael patted his back. "Well, you're still special to me, bro. I mean, not like 'in love' special. Just—you know. Solid."
Zelpher smirked. "Awkward much?"
Jael grinned. "Always."
As the session wrapped up, the officials announced that the rank results—the actual evaluations of how powerful or skilled each evolver truly was—would be released the following week.
Those with elemental gifts would undergo further compatibility tests, while normals would be classified and given career options suited for their potential.
As they left the hall and stepped into the night again, Zelpher looked back once at the glowing building.
"It's weird," he said.
"What is?"
"That in a world where people are obsessed with powers, I don't feel sad not having one."
Jael looked at him.
"You don't have to glow to shine, Zel."
Zelpher didn't respond. He just watched the stars above. Somewhere in the distance, trouble was brewing again. He could feel it. Being normal didn't mean he was safe.
It only meant he had to work twice as hard to survive.