Thump.
A heartbeat.
Thump-thump.
Riven's eyes shot open.
No pain. No confusion. Just… clarity.
He lay on the cold floor of the vault, breathing steady. But everything felt different.
Sharper.
Colors were brighter. Sounds clearer. He could hear electricity humming through the walls. His own pulse—calculated, like code running in real time.
What the hell…?
He sat up fast—too fast. The movement felt effortless.
No aches. No dizziness. No hunger. Even the old scar on his forearm was gone.
He checked his hands. Skin—smooth. New.
"Cognitive Acceleration: 10X."
The words echoed in his head like system code. Not a voice—an interface.
His thoughts were moving like lightning. Ideas connecting. Memories sorting themselves. He remembered everything from the moment the cube touched him—every detail, every sound, every formula that flashed in his mind.
It was like someone had poured a library into his brain… and left the door open.
He looked around the room again. Not with curiosity—but with analysis.
"This place was a testing chamber," he muttered. "AI-housed biotech. Experimental cognition overlays. Fail-safes… all removed."
How did he know that?
Because now, he understood.
Everything.
Riven Kade was no longer just human.
He was something else.
Something more.
And for the first time in his life…he wasn't afraid.