Chapter 23: Witnesses

News drones swarmed overhead like a cloud of metal insects, their red recording lights blinking rapidly as every camera zoomed in tight on me.

I stood alone in the middle of the devastated street, one hand still raised, holding thousands of tons of concrete, steel beams, and shattered glass suspended in the air above the rescued civilians. My entire body trembled under the impossible strain. Sweat poured down my face, cutting clean lines through the dust and ash.

Hunters around me whispered urgently into their communication devices, voices overlapping in shock and fear.

“Command, we have eyes on the unknown subject,” one hunter spoke quickly. “He just stopped an entire collapsing building mid-fall. This isn’t standard gravity manipulation. Energy signature is spiking off the charts. Requesting immediate identification and backup.”

Another hunter nearby muttered into his comms, eyes wide. “He’s not even moving. Just… holding it there with his hand. I’ve never seen anything like this. Not even from the top S-Ranks.”

“Keep distance,” the command center crackled back. “Do not engage. Observe and report. We’re pulling all available data on this individual right now.”

I could feel their stares burning into me from every direction. No one approached. They treated me like I was more dangerous than the dungeon breach itself.

The weight in my chest grew heavier by the second. It wasn’t sharp pain anymore. It was something deeper. Something ancient and massive pushing against the seal, testing its limits, almost curious about what I would do next.

“I can’t… hold it much longer,” I gasped, my voice strained and raw. My raised arm started to shake violently. “It’s getting heavier. Like it wants me to drop everything. Like it’s enjoying this.”

Soren’s voice came through my comms, steady but urgent. “You’re doing well, Elias. The civilians are safe. Lower the building slowly. Guide it down. Don’t fight the power. Work with it.”

“My arm is shaking,” I said through gritted teeth. “I feel it slipping. The Core… it’s pushing harder now. It wants more. It wants chaos.”

A hunter a few meters away lowered his weapon slightly but kept staring. “Command, the subject is showing visible strain. The building is starting to crack. Advise on next steps?”

“Maintain position,” command replied. “Do not interfere unless it drops. We need more data on this ability.”

Hairline cracks began spreading rapidly through the suspended structure above us. Small pieces of concrete and glass broke off, hovering for a moment before falling and crashing onto the street with heavy thuds.

I groaned, pushing harder with everything I had left. “Come on… just a little longer. Please. Don’t fall. Don’t fall on them.”

The pressure inside my chest intensified, like something alive was trying to claw its way out through my ribs. My raised arm trembled harder. My knees buckled slightly under the invisible weight.

“I’m losing it!” I shouted, voice cracking with desperation. “It’s too heavy! I can feel it fighting me! It wants to drop!”

Soren’s voice sharpened in my ear. “Focus, Elias. You commanded gravity itself minutes ago. You can finish this. Breathe. Stay in control. Lower it gently.”

One of the hunters closest to me whispered into his comms, voice filled with awe and fear. “This isn’t normal. No S-Rank I know can hold something this size for this long. Who the hell is this kid? What kind of monster did they bring here?”

Another hunter backed up a step, gripping his rifle tighter. “Doesn’t matter. If he drops that building now, half the street is gone. Keep clear!”

The cracks in the floating structure spread faster, spiderwebbing across the base. A large chunk of concrete broke free and smashed down nearby, shaking the ground violently. The rescued civilians who had just escaped screamed and backed away further, staring up in terror.

My vision started to blur from the strain. “I’m sorry… I’m trying so hard… but it wants to fall. It wants everything to break.”

The system interface suddenly flashed violently in my sight, bright red text dominating everything.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 94%

Dropping fast.

I felt my stomach twist with horror as I saw the number. Four percent gone already. Just from trying to save people.

“No… not now,” I whispered, my voice breaking completely. “Please, not now. I’m trying to help them.”

My raised arm shook even harder. The entire suspended building groaned loudly, tilting slightly in the air. More cracks raced across its surface. Dust and debris rained down heavily around us.

Soren’s voice cut through the comms again, urgent. “Elias, you have to lower it right now! Guide it down before you lose control completely!”

“I’m trying!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face and mixing with the sweat and dust. “But it’s fighting me! It feels like it wants me to let go! Like it wants me to watch it all break!”

Every hunter on the street had gone completely silent, staring up at the cracking building and then back at me with the same mixture of awe, terror, and disbelief.

The ancient pressure inside my chest surged again, heavier and more demanding than ever before.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 94%

And it was still dropping.

I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on before everything came crashing down.