Anna's breath caught in her throat. Sent to find me?


She stared at the man, her mind racing. His face was now clearer, illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights. He looked young, no older than thirty, with messy dark hair and sharp features. His eyes were intense, filled with a mixture of fear and regret.


"Why would anyone send you to find me?" Anna asked, her voice trembling.


The man ran a hand through his hair, pacing nervously. "It's complicated. You're not supposed to be involved, not yet, at least. But something's gone wrong."


"Wrong?" Anna’s mind struggled to keep up. "What are you talking about? I don’t even know who you are, or who they are, or why they broke into my apartment!"


The man stopped pacing, turning to face her. "My name is Nick. And those men? They work for a group that... well, let’s just say they have their own agenda. They control things—people, events—on a scale you can’t imagine."


Anna shook her head, disbelief clouding her thoughts. "That doesn’t make any sense. I’m nobody. I work at a marketing firm, I live alone, and I’ve never been involved in anything like this. You must have the wrong person."


Nick sighed, looking at her with something like pity. "I wish it were that simple. But it’s not. You may think you're just a regular person living a regular life, but you’re connected to something much bigger. Something that’s been in motion long before you were born."


Anna’s skin prickled with a deep unease. She could see he believed what he was saying, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. "Connected how?"


Nick hesitated. "You’re what we call a Key. You’re part of a group of people, scattered around the world, who have... latent abilities. Powers that could change everything if they were ever awakened."


Anna felt a chill race down her spine. "Abilities? Powers? I don’t have any powers."


"Not yet," Nick replied softly. "But you will. The people I work for—they’ve been watching you, keeping you safe, waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth. But something’s changed. The group that’s after you—they’ve accelerated their plans. And now, you’re in danger."


Anna felt the room spinning around her. "This is insane," she muttered. "You’re talking about powers and secret groups and... what? A conspiracy that I’m somehow at the center of?"


Nick’s eyes softened, and for a moment, he looked genuinely sorry. "I know how this sounds. I didn’t believe it at first either. But I’m not lying to you, Anna. You’re in danger, and we need to get out of here."


"Why should I believe you?" she asked, crossing her arms, her instincts still on edge.


Before Nick could answer, there was another noise—this time outside the apartment building. The sound of tires screeching to a halt, car doors slamming, and footsteps approaching rapidly.


"They’re back," Nick whispered, his voice tight with fear. "We don’t have time for this."


Anna’s pulse raced as she glanced toward the front door. She could feel the panic rising again, her mind torn between running and demanding answers. But then Nick grabbed her arm, his grip firm but not aggressive.


"Please," he said, his voice desperate. "If you stay here, they’ll kill you. You have to trust me. I’ll explain everything once we’re safe, but right now, we need to go."


Anna hesitated, her heart pounding in her ears. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know if anything he was saying was true. But the fear in his eyes was real, and something deep inside her, some buried instinct, told her that staying here would be a fatal mistake.


With a deep breath, she nodded.


Nick wasted no time. He led her toward the window, glancing over his shoulder as the footsteps grew louder outside. Together, they slipped out into the night, just as the front door of her apartment burst open once more.


The air was cold against Anna’s skin as they climbed down the fire escape, her mind still reeling. She followed Nick, her thoughts jumbled. The alleyway below was narrow and dark, the distant sound of sirens echoing through the city streets. Her legs wobbled as she hit the ground, her adrenaline surging.


"Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly as they sprinted through the shadows.


"A safehouse," Nick replied, barely glancing back. "Somewhere they won’t find us. At least not right away."


They ran through side streets, ducking under awnings and slipping between parked cars. Anna's lungs burned, and her legs felt like they might give out, but the adrenaline kept her moving.


Eventually, they reached an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Nick led her inside through a back entrance, carefully pulling the door shut behind them. The space was cold and dusty, filled with broken machinery and stacks of forgotten crates. Nick guided her to a small room in the back, where a single light bulb flickered dimly overhead.


He turned to face her, breathing hard. "We should be safe here for a little while."


Anna collapsed onto a nearby crate, her entire body trembling with exhaustion and fear. "Okay," she said, her voice shaking. "You’ve got me here. Now tell me—what the hell is going on?"


Nick sat down across from her, running his hands over his face. "I don’t know everything, but I’ll tell you what I do know."


He took a deep breath. "The group I work for is called the Ascendants. They’ve been around for centuries, protecting people like you—people who are born with the potential to develop extraordinary abilities. These abilities don’t show up right away. They only activate under certain conditions, usually after some kind of triggering event."


"And you’re saying I’m one of these people?" Anna asked, her voice skeptical.


Nick nodded. "Yes. And the people who broke into your apartment tonight—they work for a rival group called the Disciples. Their goal is to find Keys like you before the Ascendants do. They don’t care about protecting you. They want to use your abilities for their own agenda, to gain control of... well, everything."


Anna stared at him, her mind spinning. "But I’ve never shown any signs of having powers. How do you know I’m one of these 'Keys'?"


"Because we’ve been watching you," Nick admitted. "For years. You’ve been under surveillance by both sides, waiting for the right moment. And now that moment’s here."


Anna’s heart raced. "What kind of abilities are we talking about?"


"It varies," Nick said. "Each Key has a different ability, depending on their... potential. It could be anything from telekinesis to controlling elements, to seeing the future. We don’t know what yours will be until it activates."


Anna shook her head, still trying to process everything. "And what happens then? When it activates?"


"Then things get even more dangerous," Nick said quietly. "Once your power surfaces, the Disciples will stop at nothing to take control of you. They won’t care if they have to kill you to do it."


Anna leaned back against the wall, her body numb with shock. Her entire life had just been flipped upside down, and she didn’t know what to think.


"So what do I do now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.


Nick looked at her, his eyes full of urgency. "You stay with me. We get out of the city, find a place to lay low until we can figure out what’s next. But whatever happens, you can’t go back to your old life. It’s not safe anymore."


Anna closed her eyes, the weight of everything crashing down on her. She had no idea how she was going to survive this, or what kind of world she had just been pulled into. But one thing was clear: her life would never be the same.


And somewhere deep inside her, a small part of her—the part she didn’t fully understand—was already stirring.


Something was waking up.