The last bite of the energy bar tasted bad to Eliot, but it gave him some much-needed, though small, energy. Stella, a pale shadow in the alley's dim light, finished hers with quiet determination. Their shared weakness, the simple act of eating together in the shadows, had made their bond stronger. They weren't just two lost people anymore; they were a new, fragile team against an invisible enemy.
"First, we need a better place than this alley," Eliot said, standing up. "Somewhere safe, at least for a while. Somewhere we can practice without being noticed."
Stella nodded. "The building I was in… it's pretty empty. But not very hidden. And it felt… exposed."
"Yeah, I felt that too," Eliot agreed, remembering the 'uncontrolled energy flow' warning. "Your powers were basically a signal." He opened his System map, which flickered into view. He zoomed out, or rather, thought for it to zoom out, expanding his view of the city. "My System can show basic shapes. We need something off the main roads, maybe an industrial area, or somewhere truly abandoned."
They spent the next hour moving carefully through the city's edges. Eliot, guided by the System's vague map and his own gut feeling, led them away from the more crowded areas. Stella, despite being tired, moved surprisingly quietly, her senses seemingly sharper because of her recent trauma and the System's influence. She flinched at sudden noises, but her eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, noticing things Eliot might have missed.
They passed warehouses, empty office buildings, and crumbling homes. The city here was a mix of decay and neglect, a perfect background for their new, desperate life. Finally, the System's map showed a group of large, unmarked buildings at the edge of an unused train yard. No streetlights, no distant car hum – just an eerie quiet.
"This looks good," Eliot murmured, peering through the gloom. "Away from everything."
They approached the largest of the buildings, a huge, dark shape that seemed to swallow the last bits of daylight. Its main doors were slightly open, rusty on their hinges. Inside, the air was cold and stale, thick with the smell of old metal and dust. The space was enormous, like a cave, the ceiling lost in shadow. Light came in weakly through dirty skylights high above, casting faint, ghostly beams.
"This is huge," Stella whispered, her voice echoing. "No one would find us here."
Eliot felt some tension ease in his chest. "Good. We'll be able to move around without hitting a wall." He swept his mind-moving power, a faint, almost invisible blue shimmer, across the floor near him, testing the air. "It feels… quiet. No other energy signals detected, System?"
SYSTEM STATUS: NO UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNALS DETECTED NEARBY. LOCAL AREA STABLE.
"Good," Eliot said, relief washing over him. "Okay, first things first, we need to find a good spot to defend. Somewhere we can go if we need to."
They explored the massive building. It seemed to be an old factory or assembly plant, abandoned long ago. Broken-down machines lay like silent giants, covered in tarps and decades of dirt. They finally settled on a raised platform in a far corner, partly hidden by a stack of rusty metal containers. It offered a good viewing spot and a natural barrier.
"This will do for now," Eliot said, sitting down on a dusty crate. Stella sat opposite him, pulling her knees to her chest.
"So, what now?" she asked, her voice small.
Eliot looked at his hands, then at her. "We train. We figure this out. The System says I need to 'connect' more, and I think using our abilities helps. And Stella, you definitely need to learn control. What happened back there… that was dangerous, for you and anyone around you."
He began to describe his own rough attempts with the brick, the feeling of the energy, the focus needed. "It's like… you feel it in your mind, but also in your gut. Like you're pushing a part of yourself out."
Stella listened carefully, her brow furrowed. "I just felt… a scream, almost. From inside me. And then things just started moving. Like a sudden burst."
"Okay," Eliot said, "that's a starting point. Let's try something simple. Can you feel that energy right now? Without letting it burst out."
Stella closed her eyes, her face wrinkling in concentration. A faint, almost invisible ripple of heat seemed to come from her, a barely noticeable shimmer. Eliot's System gave a low hum of agreement, a positive reading.
ANOMALY. HOST ENERGY: 7%. EMITTING MINOR CONTROLLED FLOW. PROGRESS DETECTED.
"You're doing it," Eliot said, encouragement in his voice. "Just hold that feeling. Don't push it out yet. Just… keep it in."
Hours passed in the huge factory. Eliot guided Stella through basic control exercises, focusing on feeling the power without letting it go. He tried his own mind-moving power, pushing his limits, feeling the subtle burn as his energy drained. They spoke in quiet tones, sharing their broken memories of the moments the System had activated, trying to put together the puzzle of their sudden, terrifying change.
The vast, silent factory, once a symbol of industry, had become their safe haven. A place for learning, and a fragile hope for two "unregistered hosts" in a war they barely understood.