The sky above Arctura was a blanket of cold, unforgiving clouds. It seemed as though even the weather mourned Clara's passing. The small procession that had gathered at her funeral had long dispersed, but Ben remained frozen in place by the mound of freshly turned earth. His mother's grave was marked by a simple stone, cold like the icy power that now stirred within him. He stood alone, staring at her name, unable to accept the void she had left behind. His world had collapsed.
"Come on, kid," a gruff voice broke the silence. It was Captain Hadrian, the head of Arctura's police force. He had been with Ben since that fateful day at the bank, handling everything from the funeral arrangements to the investigation. His expression softened slightly as he placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "It's time to go."
Ben didn't look up. His hands trembled, clenched into fists, as memories of his mother's final moments washed over him. The blood, the screams, the feeling of helplessness... and then the cold, that terrible cold.
"I couldn't save her," Ben whispered, his voice barely audible.
Hadrian sighed, his heart heavy with sympathy. "No one could have. It wasn't your fault."
Ben's chest tightened, his grief giving way to anger. He had powers now, an Essence like his mother, and yet he couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop any of it.
The ride to the police station was a blur. Ben sat in the back of the squad car, staring blankly out the window as the city lights blurred past. Everything felt distant, like a dream he couldn't wake up from. The cold rage inside him was building, growing with each passing minute.
At the station, the officers didn't know what to do with him. He had no other family, and while they couldn't nor wanted to charge him for the death of the robber, the incident had left them at a loss. For now, they had placed him in protective custody until they could figure out his future.
Captain Hadrian led Ben to a small office, where the boy sat in silence. Papers rustled as the officers worked through the legalities. Ben could hear their murmurs from outside the room.
"He's just a kid…"
"Without Clara, he's got no one…"
"What about foster care?"
Hadrian entered the room, his eyes weary but resolute. He crouched down in front of Ben, meeting his gaze. "Look, kid, we don't have a lot of options right now. You'll be placed with a foster family, at least for the time being. I'll take you there myself. It's not permanent, but it's the best we can do for now."
Ben said nothing, his emotions too tangled for words. He wasn't just angry at the world; he was angry at himself. Angry that he wasn't strong enough to protect his mother. And now, he had nothing, no one to take revenge on, no purpose. Only the cold festering inside him.
The foster home wasn't far from the station, nestled in a quiet corner of the city. It was a modest house, nothing like the warm sanctuary he had once shared with his mother. The woman who greeted them at the door was kind, her face lined with concern as she welcomed Ben inside. But it didn't matter. He didn't plan on staying long.
That night, Ben lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The silence was unbearable, broken only by the distant hum of the city. His mind raced, replaying his mother's final words over and over.
"Use your power for good."
But how could he? How could he make the world a better place when it had taken everything from him? The rage inside him burned cold, like frostbite, gnawing at the edges of his sanity. He couldn't stay here. He needed to do something, anything, to stop feeling so helpless.
Without a second thought, Ben slipped out of bed, grabbed his jacket, and crept out of the house. The night air was sharp and crisp, filling his lungs with the faint scent of pine and snow. As he stepped outside, the snow crunched beneath his feet, each sound a stark reminder of the world he had once known. The cold wind nipped at his cheeks, but he welcomed it, the chill somehow soothing amidst the turmoil inside him.
He walked with no destination in mind, his breath fogging in the air as he wandered aimlessly through the city.
But fate had other plans.
As he passed a small convenience store, the sound of breaking glass shattered the stillness of the night. Ben's heart pounded as he spotted two figures, roughly his age, clambering through a broken window. They were robbing the place.
A surge of anger flooded through him. How dare they? How could they steal, hurt others, after everything that had happened? His mother had taught him better. And now, he had the power to stop them.
Without thinking, Ben gave chase.
"Hey!" he shouted, his voice ringing out in the cold air. The two kids glanced back, eyes wide with shock, before breaking into a sprint down the alley.
But Ben wasn't going to let them get away. His feet pounded against the pavement as he pursued them, the cold in his veins igniting. His power surged to the surface, instinct guiding his every move. In a flash of icy blue, an icicle shot from his hand, whistling through the air and piercing one of the robbers in the leg.
The boy cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground. Ben tackled him before he could recover, pinning him to the pavement. His breath came in ragged gasps as he locked eyes with his target, only to freeze.
It wasn't a boy. It was a girl.
She had a large scar running down her neck, and her eyes, her blue shining eyes, wide with fear, mirrored his own shock. For a moment, Ben hesitated, his anger faltering. Who was she? What was she doing?
Before he could react, a sharp pain exploded in his abdomen. A force from below, something hurled from the ground, had struck him with incredible strength, sending him flying backward. His body skidded across the pavement, the impact knocking the wind out of him.
Dazed, Ben blinked up at the night sky, his vision swimming as he struggled to make sense of what had just happened.
The second robber, a boy with messy black hair and an aura of wildness, stood a few feet away, hands clenched in fists as he stared at Ben with a mix of fear and determination.
"Get up! We have to go!" the boy shouted, his voice a mixture of urgency and frustration.
The girl limping toward Ben reached out her hand, but he swatted it away, fueled by the fury bubbling within him.
"Why are you doing this?" he gasped, pushing himself up with trembling arms, the pain in his stomach throbbing. "Why steal from people? Can't you see how wrong this is?"
"Like you're any better?" she shot back, her eyes narrowing. "You think that just because you have everything you need, you can judge us?"
Ben's gaze locked onto hers, and for the first time, he noticed the fear beneath her defiance. There was something familiar in her expression, a reflection of his own rage. "I'm not judging. I lost my mother, I too have nothing," shouts Ben while holding his arms close to her chest, not letting her get free from his hold.
Her fierce expression softened for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said as she fell on the cold ground again due to her injured leg and Ben's forcing his weight on her small, weak body.
She looked at Ben with eyes filled with sorrow and continued in a frightened voice, wavering. "We're just trying to survive."
"survive?" - 'he too was just trying to survive.'
Before Ben could respond, his mind still in confusion from his own thoughts, the boy lunged at him, catching him off guard.
With a swift motion, he kicked up a cloud of dirt and snow, momentarily blinding Ben.
Ben stumbled backward, trying to clear his vision. As he regained his focus, he saw the boy kneeling towards the girl, a look of concern flashing across his face. "Are you okay?" the boy asked, his tone suddenly gentle.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, pulling away from the wet ground. The boy turned his head to Ben with a look that could kill, but his priority was the girl's safety; he would never risk that for an ego fight with an unknown stranger. "Come on, Lisa, we need to get out of here!"
Ben's anger bubbled up again, but before he could act, the girl raised her hand, and the ground beneath Ben began to tremble. A sudden surge of earth shot up, forming a barrier between him and the robbers.
"Wait!" Ben shouted, but he was already late as the girl was already channeling her Essence, and the ground, responding to her command.
The girl shot one last glance at Ben, her expression unreadable, before they both disappeared into the shadows.
Ben groaned, pushing himself up with trembling arms. The pain in his body throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the sting of failure. Again, he had let them get away. Again, he hadn't been strong enough.
But... "Lisa, I hope you do survive, so I can maybe understand."
As he staggered to his feet, something else caught his attention. The faint wail of sirens cut through the night air, growing louder with each passing second.
The police.
By the time the squad cars arrived, Ben was still standing at the scene of the break-in, his breath coming in heavy puffs of cold air. The officers rushed out, their flashlights sweeping the area.
"Hands up!" one of them shouted, his voice filled with authority.
Ben raised his hands, feeling numb. He didn't resist as the officer approached, ready to cuff him. But just as the handcuffs were about to snap shut, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Stand down," Captain Hadrian ordered as he stepped out of the police car. His eyes locked onto Ben, filled with a mixture of understanding and frustration. "He's coming with me."
The officer hesitated for a moment, glancing between Hadrian and Ben, before lowering the cuffs. "Yes, sir."
Ben's heart raced as he climbed into the back of Hadrian's car. The silence between them was thick, heavy with unspoken words. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the captain sighed.
"I saw the security footage," he said quietly. "The store owner gave it to us."
Ben swallowed hard, his stomach twisting. "I just wanted to stop them."
Hadrian nodded slowly. "I know. But you need to understand something, Ben. This... this isn't how you make your mother proud."
Ben's throat tightened. "She said to use my powers for good. I'm just trying to do what she wanted."
"I know that," Hadrian said, his voice softer now. "But there's more to it than you think. It's time you knew about your mother... and your father."
Ben's eyes widened. "My father?"
Hadrian nodded, his expression unreadable. "Your mother never told you the whole story. And I think it's time you found out. I'm going to help you, Ben. I'm going to help you follow in their footsteps."
Ben's heart pounded, his mind racing with questions. His father, who was he? What had his mother hidden from him?
As the car pulled away from the scene, Ben stared out at the city lights, a storm of emotions swirling inside him. His journey was only beginning, and the path ahead was uncertain.
But one thing was clear: he was determined to uncover the truth about his parents and what his power truly meant. No longer would he let the past hold him back; he would embrace the cold within and wield it as a weapon against the darkness that had stolen everything from him.