Chapter 13: The Weight of Anger

The blue screen stayed locked in my vision like a brand.

\[STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 99%\]

I froze, staring at that single number until my eyes stung. The room went completely silent except for the steady, mechanical beep of the machines beside the bed. My throat felt tight, like someone was squeezing it.

“One percent,” I whispered, voice cracking. “Just from getting mad at you. That’s all it took?”

Soren stood still, watching me with those storm-cloud eyes. “Yes. That’s how fragile this is.”

I pressed my palms hard against my face, trying to push the panic down. “This isn’t right. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I was just a porter. I carried bags. Now I can’t even raise my voice without the walls cracking? How is that fair?”

“It’s not about fair,” Soren said quietly. “The system isn’t here to give you power, Elias. It’s here to restrain something far worse. The Primordial Core inside you is ancient. It’s hungry. Every spike in your emotions feeds it. The seal weakens. The countdown moves faster. That’s the reality you’re living in now.”

I dropped my hands and glared at him, chest heaving. “Then get it out of me. Put it back where it came from. I don’t want to carry a monster. I never asked for any of this!”

Soren shook his head slowly. “It doesn’t work that way. The integration is complete. You are the container now. If that seal breaks, the entity won’t just escape. It will rewrite everything it touches, including you. That’s why this facility exists.”

I stood up fast, the IV line pulling painfully at my arm. “I can’t live like this. I can’t spend every second terrified of my own feelings. That’s not a life. That’s torture.”

“Sit down,” Soren said, his voice sharpening. “You’re feeding it right now. I can see it on the readings.”

“I’m trying to stay calm!” My voice rose before I could stop it. Fear twisted in my stomach, mixing with frustration until I couldn’t separate them. “You tell me not to feel anything, but how am I supposed to do that? Every time I close my eyes I see Kain’s body folding in on itself. I hear Lira screaming. I see all of them dying because my name was carved on that seal. How do I just forget that? Tell me!”

The air in the room grew heavier, thick and pressing. The machines started beeping faster, irregular now.

Soren stood up slowly. “Elias, breathe. Focus on my voice. You need to pull it back.”

“I’m trying!” I shouted, tears burning in my eyes. “But it keeps pushing from the inside. Like something else is angry too. Like it wants me to break. I’m scared, okay? I’m scared I’m going to hurt someone else. I’m scared I’m already gone.”

A glass of water on the bedside table began to lift.

Slowly. Silently. Rising into the air without anyone touching it. The water inside rippled violently, tiny waves crashing against the sides.

I stared at it, breath caught in my throat. “That’s me? I’m doing that?”

“Yes,” Soren said, voice tight now. “Your emotions are leaking. You have to calm down. Right now.”

“I can’t just turn it off!” My voice broke completely. “I’m twenty-two years old and I’m supposed to pretend I’m not terrified every second? I wanted to matter. Not like this. Not as a cage for whatever nightmare you say is inside me. I just wanted one person to see me as something more than nothing!”

The glass rose higher, spinning faster. The water inside started bubbling without heat, churning like it was boiling.

Soren took a careful step closer. “Elias, look at me. You are still you. Push it back. Don’t let it win.”

“I’m trying so hard,” I choked out, tears sliding down my face. “But it hurts. Everything hurts. I keep seeing their faces. I keep hearing Kain’s laugh right before he died. And now I’m the monster who caused it. How am I supposed to live with that?”

The glass stopped spinning.

Then it shattered midair with a sharp crack.

Water and glass exploded outward, freezing for half a second in the heavy air before the pressure slammed downward.

A loud, violent crack split the floor directly beneath my bare feet.

The reinforced concrete fractured in a jagged line, spiderwebbing outward fast. Dust rose from the break. The entire room groaned under the strain.

I stumbled back, legs shaking so badly I almost fell. Shards of glass crunched under my feet.

Soren’s eyes met mine. For the first time, I saw real tension in his face.

The blue screen updated without me asking.

\[STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 98%\]

Two percent.

Lost from fear and anger alone.

I sank down onto the edge of the bed, pressing my forehead against my trembling hands. My voice came out small and broken.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered. “I’m going to lose control again. I can feel it. I’m going to lose myself, aren’t I?”

Soren didn’t answer right away.

The only sound was the machines beeping wildly and the low groan of the fractured floor beneath me.