---
The streets of the ruined city stretched out before them, barren and lifeless. Once a bustling metropolis, now nothing more than a ghost town. Cracked asphalt and broken windows lined the streets as the faint remnants of civilization lay scattered in the wake of the Academy's downfall.
Evan led the way, his steps deliberate, his eyes scanning the surroundings with the caution of a predator on the hunt. He hadn't come this far just to fade into obscurity. The past was catching up to him, and there were things he needed to uncover — things he couldn't ignore any longer.
Aidan walked beside him, though there was a wariness in his eyes, as if every shadow held something dangerous. He was used to fighting, used to chaos, but the silence of the city unsettled him. It was a different kind of danger, one he wasn't sure how to fight.
> "Are you sure this is the right place?" Aidan asked, his voice hesitant.
Evan didn't answer immediately. His mind was elsewhere, tracking the subtle energies that pulsed beneath the surface of the world. The psychic currents that had always called to him, though they had become more insistent since the collapse of the Academy.
> "We'll know soon enough," Evan replied, his voice distant.
They had been walking for hours, through the crumbling city blocks, past abandoned storefronts and empty alleys. But Evan's destination was clear — a forgotten facility buried beneath the city, one that the Academy had used for its most secretive experiments. It had been a place where they studied the darkest parts of psychic abilities — where they had attempted to unlock the power of the mind itself.
And Evan had been their greatest success.
Gravemind had been born here.
---
The entrance to the facility was hidden beneath an old, rusted grate, long since forgotten by anyone who had lived above it. But to Evan, it was like a beacon, calling him home. His telekinesis flared, and the metal grate shifted with ease, sliding aside to reveal a narrow staircase leading down into the darkness.
Aidan stepped forward, glancing uneasily at the hole in the ground.
> "You sure this is safe?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "This place looks like it's been abandoned for years."
Evan nodded, though the unease in his gut told him otherwise. The air around them was thick with the remnants of old magic, old power — a power that Evan had tried to leave behind, but which always found a way to pull him back in.
> "It's the only place left," Evan said. "The answers we need are down there."
Without another word, he descended into the darkness, and Aidan followed, though not without hesitation.
---
The air grew colder as they made their way deeper into the bowels of the facility. The walls were slick with moisture, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed in the distance. It was as if the building was alive, groaning under the weight of its own secrets.
Evan's senses were on high alert. He could feel the remnants of psychic energy crackling in the air, an electric hum that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He could sense the power of Gravemind lurking just beneath the surface, an ever-present reminder of the creature he had once been.
But there was something else here. Something older. Something darker.
They reached a large chamber, the walls lined with metal shelves and old equipment, some of it still humming with life, others long since dead. In the center of the room was a circular platform, and upon it lay a series of complex symbols, etched into the stone floor. These were the runes the Academy had used to bind the psychic energies — to contain the power that had once been Evan's greatest weapon.
But the symbols were fading now, their power weakening. Whatever the Academy had done to control the psychic forces that Evan had once harnessed, it was unraveling. And that, Evan knew, was why Gravemind was beginning to stir once more.
> "What is this place?" Aidan asked, his voice low.
Evan took a deep breath, stepping closer to the symbols on the floor. His hand hovered over the markings, feeling the vibrations of the psychic energy pulsing beneath his skin. He could almost hear the whispers of the past, calling to him.
> "This is where it all began," Evan said, his voice distant. "This is where they created me."
Aidan's eyes widened in realization. "You mean… the Academy didn't just teach you. They… they made you?"
Evan nodded slowly. "They didn't just create a weapon. They created a monster. And that monster was me."
---
A long silence followed, broken only by the distant hum of the machinery around them. Aidan was processing the weight of Evan's words, his mind trying to piece together the fractured story of the man who had become his mentor.
> "But why? Why would they do something like that?" Aidan asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Evan turned away from the symbols, his eyes dark with memories he had long buried.
> "Because they were desperate," Evan said quietly. "Desperate to control the power of the mind, to unlock the secrets of reality itself. But they didn't understand what they were tampering with. They didn't understand what I could become."
His fists clenched at his sides, his power flaring briefly, as if the room itself recognized the surge of energy within him. The room trembled for a moment before everything calmed.
> "They created me," Evan continued, his voice colder now, "and in doing so, they unleashed something they could never control."
Aidan looked at him, a mix of sympathy and fear in his eyes. "So, that thing — Gravemind… it's part of you?"
Evan hesitated, the weight of Aidan's question settling heavily on his shoulders. He could feel the creeping tendrils of Gravemind in his mind, just beneath the surface, whispering its promises.
> "Yes," Evan said, finally. "It's always been part of me. And now, I'm the only one who can stop it."
Aidan didn't respond right away, but the silence between them was full of unspoken understanding. Evan had been running from his past for years, trying to bury the parts of himself that terrified him. But now, it seemed that his past was coming back to claim him — and he would have to face it, whether he was ready or not.
---
Suddenly, the sound of something shifting echoed from deep within the facility. The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet, and a low rumble reverberated through the walls.
> "What was that?" Aidan asked, his voice tense.
Evan's eyes narrowed. Something was stirring beneath them, something that hadn't moved in years.
> "It's not over," Evan said, his voice low and ominous. "We're not alone down here."
---
End of Chapter 3