The abandoned gym on Birch Street hadn't seen a workout in a decade.
Faded signs hung crooked on the chain-link fence, paint peeling like sunburnt skin. The once-bright "Maverick Boxing & Fitness" banner now sagged with mildew and time. Weeds clawed through the cracked parking lot.
Elena hesitated at the edge of the gate, hoodie drawn tight around her face. Midnight air bit at her fingers. She shouldn't be here. She knew that. But she also knew staying home wouldn't stop the ache in her chest — the burning need to know.
The gym door creaked open as she approached. No lights. Just a faint blue glow spilling from somewhere deep inside.
She stepped in.
Dust swirled in the air. The scent of sweat and rust clung to the walls. The floor creaked beneath her sneakers as she followed the flicker of light toward the back ring.
And there he was.
The old man from the library. Sitting cross-legged in the center of the ring, eyes closed, surrounded by faint trails of blue energy drifting off his shoulders like steam.
He didn't look up.
"You came," he said.
"I almost didn't," she replied.
"But you did. That's your first lesson."
She blinked. "Which is?"
He opened one eye, sharp and still far too clear.
"Most people spend their lives running from the current. You stepped into it."
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✦✦✦
Elena stood in the center of the ring, arms crossed.
The old man paced around her slowly, as if sizing her up. "Name?"
"Elena."
"Elena what?"
"Elena Rivera."
He nodded. "You feel it, don't you? The hum beneath the surface. Like your skin's not quite yours anymore."
She nodded.
"That's your Flux. Or rather, the start of it. Most people never hear the current. You did. You followed it."
"I don't even know what I'm doing here," she muttered. "I'm not strong. I'm not special. I saw something crazy and couldn't stop thinking about it."
He chuckled. "Perfect. Then you're ready."
He crouched, placing two fingers against the dusty mat.
A ripple of blue light pulsed from his fingertips, spreading outward in a perfect circle. The air grew still. Heavy. Charged.
Elena swallowed hard. "What was that?"
"I've activated a Flux Circle. Inside this ring, energy flows clearer. You'll feel yours better in here."
"I don't… feel anything."
He stepped closer. "Close your eyes. Breathe deep. In through your nose, out through your mouth."
She hesitated, then obeyed.
"Now picture your body like a riverbed. Flux is water. It wants to move, to flow through your core. You're not forcing it. You're letting it."
Silence.
Nothing.
More silence.
Then—
A flicker. A warmth. Deep in her chest. Like a match struck behind her ribs.
Her eyes snapped open.
"I felt it," she said breathlessly.
"Good. Now do it again. And again. Until it's second nature."
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✦✦✦
An hour passed.
Elena's arms ached from holding postures. Her back was soaked with sweat. She'd fallen flat on her face twice attempting a basic enhancement technique.
She'd managed to pulse energy through her fingertips — once — but it fizzled out like static.
The old man watched quietly the whole time.
"You're frustrated," he said finally.
"No," she grunted, wiping her brow. "I'm humiliated."
He smirked. "That's better than being arrogant. Flux doesn't respond to pride. Only truth."
She looked down at her trembling hands. "What if my truth is that I'm not cut out for this?"
He stepped closer, voice quiet but firm. "Everyone starts with weak Flux. What matters is whether you keep going. Whether you learn to listen to your nature."
"My nature is… being a waitress who can barely pass science."
"No. Your nature is someone who walked into a burning battlefield and didn't look away. That's more than most."
She stared at him. "Why are you helping me?"
He paused. Then said:
"Because I once had a student who didn't survive their awakening. Because this power is rising again, and the world needs people strong enough to carry it. And because… your Flux is different."
She frowned. "Different how?"
He pointed at her feet.
Her breath caught.
The dust on the floor… was floating. Just barely. Like gravity had softened around her.
"Your Flux isn't just waking," he said. "It's shifting the rules already."
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✦✦✦
Later that night, Elena stumbled home under a sky littered with stars. Her legs ached. Her mind spun.
But inside, something had changed.
She didn't feel powerless anymore.
Not yet powerful — but no longer nothing.
She reached her front door. Before she went inside, she glanced up.
And she saw it — a flicker in the streetlight. A shimmer in the air. Someone watching her from the rooftop across the street.
A man in a dark coat. Still. Silent.
He vanished before she could blink.
Her heart pounded.
The current was real.
And she wasn't the only one caught in it.