Truth

The aftermath of Sarah's meltdown in Millbrook cast a long shadow over the powered community. Jaden found himself grappling not just with the loss of another friend, but with the implications of what had transpired. The raw power he had unleashed, the cryptic warnings about hidden entities – it all pointed to a reality far more complex and dangerous than they had imagined.

Two weeks after Millbrook, Jaden stood in the newly established Powered Individual Research Center, surrounded by holographic displays of data streaming in from around the world. Each pinpoint of light represented a newly manifested powered individual, their numbers growing exponentially by the day.

"It's accelerating," Zoe said, stepping up beside him. Dark circles under her eyes betrayed nights of sleepless analysis. "And the patterns... Jaden, it's not random. There's a structure to it, almost like..."

"Like it's being guided," Jaden finished, his voice low. The shadows around him stirred restlessly, responding t