"You're an interesting boy, Cullen. We took your blood from the library you saw The God in, but no records of you are available. Also, the girl who was injured during the fight is in a coma and shows no signs of waking up. We can't get anything out of anyone."
Cullen nearly let go.
"What? She's still unconscious?"
"Oh," Lyra looked down at Cullen, smiling. "I thought you knew."
Cullen knew that her injuries were bad, but to think she still hadn't woken.
"Will I get to see her?"
A part of Cullen had already accepted that he would never talk to Charlotte again. He almost died on The Island, and never imagined he would end up back in the city.
"Hmm… after we finish a few things, you should have a chance to see her. But don't get too excited, I doubt she'll wake up."
"Anyway, we're getting off track. I wanted to ask exactly who you are. What you did before becoming a Gifted, and how you practically became a ghost."
Cullen hesitated.
'If I tell her the truth, it won't end well. Although my situation is different, there's no way I won't face repercussions. But if I lie, it may lead to even worse consequences.'
Lyra had to know that Cullen had some sort of shady background by now, but she still wanted him to go live in front of the whole world. He directly went against the government, but she still trusted him not to expose them. Well, trust probably wasn't the right word.
For this reason, Cullen decided to tell the truth.
How he lived in an orphanage before running away, how he met Darron and the others and what they did to survive, how he became a Gifted and was eventually sent to The Island.
Lyra listened in silence, not surprised or angry.
When he stopped talking, she said nothing for a while. Cullen didn't know how she would react. He was fine with the silence, actually. Flying felt peaceful. Freezing wind brushed against his face, but his Gifted body didn't get cold that easily.
"Everything you just told me never happened, understand?"
Cullen looked up at her.
"You won't be going to the academy, there's no way you'll fit in. Your secrets would eventually come out. Instead, we'll give you special missions and control your public image."
That's not what Cullen wanted to hear.
"What if I don't want that? What if I run away from the city?"
He didn't mean to antagonize her, but working for the government went against his way of living.
"Since you've been on The Island, you missed an important announcement made to the city." Lyra didn't seem offended by his question. "We found another civilization not far from here. Well, there's no point in lying to you. We've known about it for a while; there are actually more we didn't mention, but only one was revealed to the city."
'What? Why is she telling me this?'
Cullen had already thought of the possibility that there were more people out there, but he didn't know what would cause the government to reveal it. Knowing them, they wouldn't unless they absolutely had to.
"However, we honestly don't know much about them. They can't be considered allies until we establish trust, so they are seen as dangerous to be safe. If you decide to leave, we may consider that a form of treason. You possess valuable information that could cause significant trouble."
'Ah, I see. It's a threat.'
In other words, if Cullen ran away, they would kill him.
"We're almost there. Try to act normal."
Below them, the city showed off its breathtaking appearance. When Abominations first started appearing, they got lucky with the amount in New York. There was plenty of time to build walls and gather Gifted, so the city inside didn't receive much damage. Buildings grew even taller to accommodate the population, and technology advanced despite the apocalypse.
The walls themselves were only 20 meters high, but they were highly advanced and weren't entirely meant to resist brute force. They could sense Abominations before they even got close, and Gifted would swiftly kill them.
As Lyra and Cullen descended, he noticed the out-of-place headquarters building. It was a strange black box, placed in the city as if it didn't belong. Ugly, but secure.
They floated down until Cullen's feet touched the pavement in front of the entrance. Bystanders saw The Angel and shouted in excitement, as if a piece of art were being created before their eyes.
The two Gifted guarding the entrance stiffened at the sight of a Triarch and immediately let them through. Cullen only hoped that no Gifted could shapeshift yet.
"Remember, when the broadcast is on, just stand still and keep a straight face."
'She's starting to worry me…'
At this point, Cullen doubted anything could surprise him. But he also had no clue what Lyra wanted to do with him.
They entered the headquarters' bland lobby, where Cullen saw someone familiar.
"Cullen! It's good to see you in one shape," August exclaimed.
He looked at Cullen, his eyes widening when he noticed the bloody fists and vine tattoos.
"Um… don't tell me you really did it?"
"Yes, August," Lyra interjected. "And I expect that you keep this to yourself."
"Of course."
She gave August no time to talk, signaling Cullen to follow her into a different room. Before he entered, Cullen looked back at August and saw a worried look on his face.
After taking the elevator, they finally reached the recording studio. Unsurprisingly, it was another dull room—nothing but a camera facing the other side.
'This is where they record broadcasts? It seems kinda unprofessional.'
"I'm going to alert everyone. Stay here and wait for me to come back, and put your best face on while I'm gone."
Cullen placed himself behind the camera just in case it suddenly turned on, then waited.
For a while.
'I know it's been at least half an hour, but there's no clock to confirm it. I feel like this is some kind of experiment and I'm going insane.'
It did give Cullen a lot of time to think, though. He figured that they would announce the death of The Island, and Lyra would take credit for it. However, it didn't explain why he was needed.
He also analyzed everything about his new ability. It activated once to defend him, but Cullen had no control over it, and it hasn't come out since.
'My ability either has some sort of cooldown or a specific requirement to activate. Boulders falling on my head? That would be inconvenient.'
The only clue Cullen had was his thoughts at the time.
'An entire island was collapsing on me, so it's only natural I thought of defense. I was focused on figuring out a way to survive, so did my ability inherit that quality somehow?'
Cullen knew it wasn't a one-time use since the vine tattoos were still on his body. He looked closely at them, trying to find something useful. Instead, he noticed a strange difference.
'Wait… they're moving?'
The tattoo crawling up his arm was slightly different from before. In fact, after observing for a while, he could see it slowly shift its position.
'Interesting, but it still doesn't help me too much. Is this just for decoration?'
Suddenly, the door opened.
Lyra walked through first, followed by a boy Cullen had never seen before. He was a little older than Cullen, taller, stronger, and wore an arrogant look.
"Cullen, this is Adam. You'll be seeing a lot of each other, so try to get along. He'll be joining us in the broadcast."
Adam didn't say a word as he walked past Cullen. Lyra positioned them in front of the camera, her in the middle, Adam on the left, and Cullen on the right.
"The camera light will turn from red to green when it starts. A countdown has already begun in the city, so get ready to go live in around twenty seconds."
'Here we go.'
According to Lyra, Cullen only had to stand there. And that, for some reason, terrified him. It had only come to mind now that his face would be plastered on the wall all over the city. Although nobody knew him, the people he had robbed could recognize him. Wouldn't that be a problem?
"We are here to announce a major achievement."
Cullen just realized the light had turned green.
"A few days ago, I mentioned that the government would launch an attack on The Island. To put it simply, it was an outstanding success. Zero casualties, and this marks the first time a Grade-E Abomination has been conquered by humanity."
Cullen imagined the cheers outside. But in here, it was silent.
"You already know me, but I want to introduce these two."
She first turned to Adam.
"Adam is a remarkable Gifted with an ability that can surpass any other. Combined with his fighting style, brute strength, and battle intelligence, he will certainly rise above any Gifted ever before."
"Pay close attention to these words: this new generation will become the pillars you rely on!"
Lyra then turned to Cullen. Without warning, she grabbed his arm and held it up.
"These vines are what's left of The Island. Its power was stolen by this Gifted, Cullen. With his ability, we can use their powers against them, conquering one after another!"
"It will not stop with The Island! We will go after each of the Grade-Es, destroying them and stealing their powers one by one until humanity is on top!"
"Get ready for the new age. Our city will expand, our power will grow, we will take our world back, and climb to heights unseen before!"
Cullen was trying his hardest to act naturally, but his act may have faltered slightly. At the moment, he only felt one thing. Speechless.
[End of Volume 1: The Island]