Jace Strickland POV

  The Voraks kept talking, their voices measured, their words heavy with expectation, but I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t—not now. I needed time to process, to adjust, to breathe. Everything felt wrong, my skin too unfamiliar, my body too light and too dense all at once. My senses were sharper, too sharp, every sound amplified, every shift in the air noticeable. I needed space.

  I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to speak. “I need some time.”

  Thriexa’s gaze flickered with understanding, but I could see the concern beneath it. She nodded. “The Dephorians have left. There is no war.”

  That should have brought me relief, and in some ways, it did. But even that felt distant, like something happening to someone else. “Good,” I murmured, already stepping toward the door. “I’ll be back.”

  No one stopped me as I left the room. My steps were unsteady at first, my movements still too fluid, too unnatural. I forced myself to walk, to focus on being in this body, in this moment, instead of drowning in the thoughts screaming in my mind.

  I wandered the space station, its metallic halls eerily quiet. Most of the Eova had already returned to Earth, leaving only a handful of us behind. It felt empty, vast, and yet suffocating all the same. I walked without purpose, letting my feet carry me forward until I found myself standing in front of a large viewing window.

  The Earth loomed in the distance, a familiar sight, yet I felt completely detached from it—from myself. I lifted my hands, studying the way my fingers moved, the slight shimmer of light that danced along my skin. It wasn’t just the color or the texture that felt foreign. It was the way my muscles responded, the way my body shifted with a fluidity that defied what I had always known.

  I tried to take a deep breath, but even that felt different. My lungs expanded too smoothly, as if they were made for a different atmosphere, a different world. The air tasted strange—or maybe it was that my senses were heightened in ways I couldn’t comprehend. Every sound around me was sharper, every detail more vivid, more alive, yet I felt disconnected from it all. My mind was still adjusting, still resisting the reality that this was me now.

  Lifting my foot, I took another careful step, feeling the strange balance of my new form. I wasn’t clumsy, but I wasn’t coordinated either. It was like wearing a suit tailored too perfectly, one that fit so well it felt wrong. My muscles reacted faster than I anticipated, my movements lighter, too precise. I reached out, placing my palm against the cold glass, expecting the familiar pressure against my skin. But even that was different. My sense of touch was sharper, almost electric, as though I could feel the hum of energy coursing through the station itself.

  I turned my hand over, flexing my fingers, watching the way my tendons shifted beneath my skin. I had spent my entire life knowing exactly how my body worked—how it moved, how it responded. Now, every motion felt like an adjustment, an experiment in understanding something completely new.

  A quiet frustration built in my chest. I hadn’t chosen this. I hadn’t stepped into that portal with the knowledge that I would never be the same again. I had been dying, and Thriexa had made the only choice she could to save me. But now that the change was real, now that I was standing here in this body that wasn’t entirely mine, I couldn’t ignore the truth that gnawed at me: I didn’t belong here. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  And then, there was Thriexa.

  The thought of her made something twist inside me, something that felt both foreign and achingly familiar. How would she see me now? Would she look at me and see Jace, or would she see someone—something—else?

  I closed my eyes, trying to drown out the overwhelming sensations, the doubt creeping into my thoughts. But even in the silence, my mind refused to let go of the question I didn’t know how to answer.

  Had I truly become one of them, or had I just lost myself entirely?

  I wasn’t human anymore. But I had lived as one. Loved as one. I had fought as one. And now? Now, I was something else entirely.

  My jaw tightened as I forced down the uncertainty clawing at me. I needed something solid, something familiar. Duty.

  I pulled out my communicator and opened a secure channel. The line buzzed for only a few seconds before a voice answered.

  “Agent Strickland,” the President’s voice was clipped, urgent. “Report.”

  I swallowed, steadying myself. “The war is over. The Dephorians have left. The Eova will remain on Earth in peace.”

  A pause. “And you?”

  I hesitated, my grip tightening on the device. “I’m still here, overseeing things. I’ll return when the time is right.”

  I didn’t tell him what had happened to me. I didn’t tell him that I wasn’t human anymore.

  Because I wasn’t sure how long I could pretend that I still was.

  I kept walking, my mind still tangled in the weight of my new reality. Every step felt different—the way my muscles responded, the way my balance adjusted before I even thought about it. It wasn’t human movement. It was something else.

  Eventually, I found myself outside a large chamber. The doors slid open automatically, revealing what looked like a training area—a gym.

  Inside, Tocci ran on a sleek, curved platform, something eerily similar to a treadmill but suspended slightly above the ground. Her pace was quick, effortless, her movements smooth and unburdened.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  She must have sensed me before she even saw me because she slowed slightly, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes flickered with surprise. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up.”

  I leaned against the doorframe, folding my arms. “How long was I out?”

  “Days.” She stepped off the platform, rolling out her shoulders as she stretched. “Not surprising, considering what you went through. You’ve been through a hell of a transformation.”

  He didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to.

  Tocci tilted her head, studying him the way she always did when she was reading emotions. Her smirk faded into something more thoughtful. “You’re a mess inside.”

  I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. “No kidding.”

  She nodded toward the equipment. “You should train. Get used to it. Your body may feel foreign, but it’s yours now. You might as well learn how to use it.”

  I hesitated. The last thing I wanted was to feel even more aware of how different I was now.

  But she wasn’t wrong.

  “Fine,” I muttered, stepping forward. “Let’s see what this body can do.”

  Tocci didn’t say much after that, only offering a few pointers as I familiarized myself with my new movements. At first, everything felt wrong—my limbs responding too quickly, my balance adjusting before I even had time to think. But the more I moved, the more I realized something else.

  This body was efficient. Strong. Capable.

  I had spent my entire life training as a soldier, learning the limits of my body, and suddenly, there were none. My stamina never wavered, my reflexes adjusted instantly, and my strength—it was unlike anything I had ever felt. My hands met resistance training bars, but I barely needed effort to lift them. My legs carried me across the gym floor too fast, too effortlessly.

  And yet, for the first time since waking up, I didn’t feel like I was falling apart.

  Tocci threw me a weighted staff, and I caught it without hesitation. “You’re getting the hang of it.”

  I turned the weapon in my hands, testing its weight. “It’s not as bad as I thought.”

  “That’s because you were always meant to be strong,” Tocci said simply. “You just have to decide what to do with it.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. But as I took another steadying breath and fell into the rhythm of the fight, I knew one thing—

  For the first time since waking up, I felt like I had control.

  The thought settled inside me, grounding me. My breath was even, my muscles loose but ready. I had spent enough time adjusting—I was ready to move forward.

  I turned to Tocci, rolling the staff between my hands before lowering it. “I think I’m ready to hear what the Voraks want to tell me.”

  Tocci arched an eyebrow but nodded. “Took you long enough. You want me to take you to them?”

  I hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. I don’t even know how I got here.”

  She smirked, tossing her towel over her shoulder as she gestured toward the door. “Then let’s fix that.”

  I hesitated for a moment before exhaling, letting some of the tension leave my shoulders. “Thanks, Tocci. This is what I needed.”

  Her expression softened slightly, but she didn’t make a big deal of it. She just nodded and started walking. “Come on, Strickland. You’ve got a meeting to get to.”

  Tocci led me through the halls of the station, her pace casual but steady. I followed without thinking, my mind still processing everything. I didn’t know how long I had spent training, trying to understand this body, trying to make sense of what I had become. But now, I was ready. I needed to hear what the Voraks had to say.

  We arrived at a meeting chamber, a stark room with a long table at the center. Vorak Algoks and Vorak Sculki were already there, waiting. Their gazes settled on me the moment I entered, their expressions unreadable. Thriexa was already inside, seated to the side, her posture tense, her eyes avoiding mine.

  “You’re ready to listen now?” Algoks asked, his tone more of a statement than a question.

  I nodded, stepping further into the room. “Tell me about the Elaron.”

  They exchanged a glance before gesturing for me to sit. I hesitated for only a moment before lowering myself into the chair, my body adjusting faster than I expected. It was strange, how naturally it moved now, how every shift in weight felt perfectly calibrated. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get used to that.

  “The Eova don’t know much about the Elaron,” Sculki began. “They were all killed long ago. Only Algoks and I ever knew them. You are the first of their kind to exist in generations.”

  I clenched my jaw. “I was born human. I lived as one. Whatever this body is now, it doesn’t change that.”

  “No,” Algoks admitted. “But it means something.”

  I wanted to argue, but I forced myself to listen.

  “The Elaron were the balancers of Aizilaha,” Sculki continued. “Unlike the Borzork, who control heat, or the Klaro, who heal with crystals, the Elaron could merge materials and energies to create something entirely new. Their power was not just physical—it was conceptual. They could combine two things that should never interact and make them one.”

  I frowned. “So they were builders?”

  “More than that,” Algoks said. “They reinforced defenses, crafted adaptive tools, and even created new elements entirely. Their ability—Elemental Fusion—was a force of creation, not destruction.”

  I leaned back slightly, letting the words sink in. “And now, I have this ability?”

  Sculki nodded. “It is in your blood now, whether you accept it or not.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Tocci shift slightly, her usual confidence replaced by something closer to unease. “I never knew much about the Elaron,” she admitted, arms folded as she glanced between the Voraks. “Just that they were lost. I don’t think I ever thought I’d meet one.” Her gaze flickered to me for just a second before she shook her head. “This is strange—even for us.”

  I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers brushing against the unfamiliar texture. Everything felt different, even something as simple as breathing. It was overwhelming. I wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

  But deep down, I knew I had no choice.

  As I processed their words, my gaze flickered toward the door, I noticed her.

  Thriexa.

  She stood near the entrance, her arms crossed, her gaze averted. I had expected her to stay by my side after I woke up. Instead, she had been distant.

  I didn’t know why, but I didn’t like it.

  Something was wrong.

  And I needed to find out what.

  I exhaled, steadying my thoughts. “What about Earth?” I asked, shifting my focus back to the Voraks. “Most of the Eova have left, haven’t they?”

  Algoks nodded. “Yes. Many have returned home now that the war is over. The only ones remaining are those who chose to wait for you to wake up. Now that you are awake, they are prepared to leave as well.”

  I glanced at Tocci, who gave a small nod of confirmation. It made sense. The Eova had been running for so long—of course they would want to return to the life they had started building on Earth. But something about it felt… abrupt. Like I was already being left behind.

  Sculki spoke next, her voice more measured. “We, however, will wait. You need time to understand what you are now, Jace. Once you return through the transformation portal and regain your human form, your connection to the Elaron’s abilities will weaken. You will not lose them, but they will become harder to access, harder to understand. Learning them now, before that happens, will make everything easier for you.”

  I frowned. “So you’re saying I should stay like this for now?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “At least until you learn what it means to be Elaron.”