CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: FOUNDATIONS

The Uber pulled away, leaving Jace and Eva standing in front of the half-abandoned building that would one day be his base.

From the outside, it was all rusted beams, broken windows, and scattered piles of scrap.

To any passerby, it looked like a forgotten warehouse ready for demolition. But that was the point.

If he wanted a place to operate, it couldn’t look like anything worth attention.

[Better this way,] Zin reminded him. [Camouflage through neglect. Nobody cares about an old building falling apart. But you should know, this isn’t really secret. It’s not hidden, not underground. If anyone looks too close, they’ll see signs of activity.]

Jace shrugged. "Then let ’em. For now, I just need space. Somewhere to build. Somewhere to train."

The truth was, he wasn’t worried about secrecy, not yet. He had other priorities. He wanted a lab to test what his body could do.

He wanted answers about his race, about what he was becoming. And maybe, just maybe, a way to restore Eva’s powers.

That was one of the reasons he’d pushed Zin to rush construction. It wasn’t about appearances, it was about function.

Inside, the place opened up into a wide industrial hall. Steel beams stretched across the ceiling, dust floating in streaks of sunlight cutting through broken windows. The ground was bare concrete, scarred from years of wear.

It was a mess, but it was big. Wide enough for machines. Open enough for combat training.

[With capital flowing in, this will evolve quickly,] Zin said. [Two months, and you’ll have a functioning science lab. Four months, and it’ll rival corporate research facilities. But for now... it’s a shell. A good shell.]

Jace walked further inside, his boots crunching over loose rubble. He glanced back at Eva, who followed him quietly, her eyes scanning the empty space.

She didn’t say anything, but her look said it all, this was insane. And yet, maybe she believed in it a little.

Jace stopped in the center of the hall, hands on his hips. He let out a breath. "It’s ugly. But it’s ours."

Eva paused, her eyes lingering on him. "Jace..."

"Yep."

"You know I don’t exactly legally own this building, right? When I said a friend left it to me, I didn’t think you’d go this far."

Jace waved his hand casually. "Mehh, come on. I have superpowers now... and I’m an al—" He coughed, cutting himself off before the word slipped. "I’m an elite G."

"Elite G?" Eva raised a brow.

"Yeah, elite G," Jace said with a grin, hoping she wouldn’t push further.

She shook her head, muttering, "Anyway. There’s some empty space out back. We can train there." She turned and headed outside, not bothering to argue.

Jace sighed in relief once she was gone. "That was close."

[No, Jace. That was stupid. Almost leaking your identity to her is foolish.]

"I know, but I saved it."

[No, you don’t understand. Every slip makes it harder to keep the truth hidden. If Eva learns what you are before you’re ready, if she tells someone, even by accident, you won’t just be risking yourself. You’ll risk her. You’ll risk Serai. You’ll risk everything.]

Jace went quiet, the weight of Zin’s words pressing down on him. He looked at the floor, jaw tight.

"You’re right," he muttered. "Look... this is still surreal to me. I’ll try to at least hold back some excitement."

[See that you do. One mistake is all it takes to lose everything we’ve yet to even build.]

Jace clenched his fists lightly, nodding. "Yeah. I get it."

Jace stood across from Eva in the open yard behind the warehouse. He had swapped into joggers and a fitted shirt, clothes light enough to move in. Eva had done the same, her hair pulled back tightly, expression focused.

"So how do we do this?" Jace asked, rolling his shoulders.

Eva rested her hands on her hips. "To begin... no use of powers."

"Bu—" Jace started, only to hear Zin cut in sharply inside his head.

[She’s not wrong. Learning to fight without powers is better. It forces you not to rely on them. You should use your abilities, yes, but what happens if they’re neutralized? Or if you’re fighting someone immune? You need to know how to survive without them.]

Jace’s lips pressed together. He gave a quick nod. "Okay."

Eva’s brows lifted slightly, surprised. "That’s a fast change of mind. I thought you’d argue."

Jace chuckled, his hands loose at his sides. She knew about Zin, at least, the version of the story he’d told her, She still didn’t know the truth, while zin is a alien ring, but the alien AI was wired directly into his nervous system, whispering in his thoughts.

Jace hadn’t figured out how to respond silently yet, so he spoke aloud every time, which made him look like he was talking to himself.

"I don’t complain," Jace said, smirking.

Eva smirked back, stepping into stance. "Good. Then let’s see if you can keep that same energy when I put you on the ground."

Jace smirked and moved forward the moment she gave the order.

He pushed off hard, sand scattering under his sneakers, his long stride eating the distance fast.

For someone who’d never trained formally, his rush looked convincing, shoulders square, arms tight, weight driving through his legs.

But Eva didn’t flinch. She waited until he was close, then stepped sideways at the last second.

Her foot angled behind his lead leg while her hand pressed against his chest. The shift was so quick and precise that Jace’s own momentum betrayed him.

His balance tipped forward, his legs tangled, and the ground came up before he had time to register what happened.

He hit with a heavy thud, a small cloud of dust kicking up around him.

Blinking up at the sky, he realized the whole exchange had lasted less than a second.

He was twice her size, heavier, stronger, and yet she had put him on his back without even breaking a sweat.

Eva crouched beside him, her expression calm. "That’s the difference between charging in and knowing what you’re doing," she said simply, then stood again, motioning for him to get up.