Saving the Nexus

The Ripple Effect

The echoes of the confrontation with Neptune lingered in the halls of Varda Academy like a heavy storm cloud, hanging over everything and everyone. The moment Sonia had used her powers—really used them—had changed everything. The students whispered in hushed tones, eyes darting nervously whenever Sonia and Jermaih passed by. The word had spread fast: Sonia was no longer just the quiet Hydrari with the shimmering hair and the strange tail. She was something else now. Something dangerous. And that scared people.

As Sonia walked through the corridors the next day, she felt the weight of their eyes on her—felt the way the energy shifted when she entered a room. There were no more friendly smiles, no more casual greetings. The students who once waved at her now turned away, their faces full of apprehension. The Xel'korrs, usually so open and warm, exchanged worried glances as she passed. The Mythari, with their piercing dragon eyes, seemed to sense the same thing—an undercurrent of power swirling around Sonia, making them uneasy. Even the Feralis, with their animalistic instincts, couldn't seem to ignore the dangerous energy that surrounded her.

Sonia couldn't blame them. She could feel it too. The pulse of power that had surged through her when she'd faced Neptune was still there, a constant hum beneath her skin, pulling her in ways she couldn't control. The water within her, once just an extension of her biology, now felt like a living entity—alive with purpose and rage. The same power that had bound Neptune in the classroom was now a part of her, tethered to her soul like an anchor. And she couldn't deny it—she was scared of what she might do with it.

But even more than that, she was scared of what Jermaih might think.

"Are you okay?" Mariel asked, her voice laced with concern as she caught up with Sonia in the hallway. She had to speak a little louder to be heard over the murmur of whispers.

Sonia turned to her friend, forcing a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah. I think so. I just... I don't know."

Mariel gave her a sympathetic look, her violet skin glowing under the fluorescent lights. "You did what you had to do. Everyone saw Neptune try to attack you first."

"I know. But..." Sonia hesitated, glancing down at her feet, then back up at her friend. "Something's changed. It feels like everyone's scared of me now. They look at me like... like I'm a threat."

"You are a threat," Mariel said bluntly, her voice calm but firm. "You have power now—real power. You scared Neptune, and that's a good thing. If people are afraid of you, it's because they know you're not someone to mess with anymore."

Sonia opened her mouth to protest, but the words didn't come. The truth of what Mariel said hit her like a cold wave. She wasn't the same anymore. She'd crossed a line, and there was no going back.

But even as Sonia acknowledged the truth of it, she felt something inside her stir—an unfamiliar and unsettling sense of isolation. She had always been on the fringes of the school, but now, the gap between her and the other students felt wider. More impenetrable.

"You don't have to like it," Mariel added, her voice softer now. "But it's not going away. You're not going to be the same person you were. Not after what happened with Neptune."

Sonia nodded, but her stomach twisted with unease. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. She didn't know what it meant to be someone who others feared, someone who had the power to change the course of things with a flick of a wrist.

The real shock came that afternoon, after Sonia had gotten through her last class of the day. Jermaih had asked to meet her by the old stone fountain near the eastern gate, a place they often used to talk without anyone around. But as she approached, she immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Jermaih was standing in the middle of the path, his posture stiff, his expression darker than usual. He didn't even look up when she approached, his focus directed somewhere far away. The usual calm energy he carried seemed strained, the air around him thick with something—anger, maybe.

"Jermaih?" Sonia asked softly, unsure of what she was walking into. "What's going on?"

Jermaih didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took a long, deep breath and turned to face her, his dark eyes hard. "You shouldn't have done it."

Sonia blinked in confusion, taken aback by the coldness in his voice. "What do you mean? I was protecting myself—protecting all of us."

"I know," he replied, his voice clipped. "But you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to push her that far. You didn't have to use that power."

Sonia's chest tightened. "What are you talking about? You saw what she did—she was going to hurt me. I had no choice."

Jermaih's eyes flickered, frustration crossing his features. "I'm not talking about Neptune, Sonia. I'm talking about you. You didn't just defend yourself. You attacked her. You let the power take control, and now... now people are terrified of you."

Sonia took a step back, the sting of his words hitting harder than she expected. "I don't understand. I had to do something. I couldn't just let her—"

"That's not the point," Jermaih cut in, his voice rising. "The point is that you acted on instinct. You let the power overwhelm you, and now you're scaring people. That wasn't the plan, Sonia. We were supposed to be learning how to control it—not unleash it."

Sonia felt a sudden coldness flood her chest, a sharp pang of guilt cutting through her. Jermaih's anger wasn't just because of the confrontation with Neptune—it was something deeper. He was afraid of what she had become. And he wasn't the only one.

"I... I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Sonia said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I felt like I had to do something. Like if I didn't, we'd all be in danger."

Jermaih ran a hand through his hair, his frustration turning into something else—something that felt like worry, or maybe even regret. "I know, Sonia. But we can't let this power define us. It's dangerous. And you're not the only one who has to live with it now. We all have to live with it—we all have to live with you."

Sonia flinched as his words landed, her chest tightening painfully. She hadn't realized until now how much her actions had affected him—how much they had changed everything for both of them.

"I didn't want to be like this," she murmured, her voice shaking. "I just wanted to be... normal. To belong."

Jermaih's expression softened, but the tension didn't leave his posture. "I get that, Sonia. I do. But now we have to figure out how to control this. How to balance it. You can't just ignore the consequences. You can't just react every time you feel threatened."

Sonia nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of his words. She had never wanted to become a weapon. She had never wanted to become someone who others feared. But now, in the wake of her own actions, she realized that things had shifted—and not just with the people around her. Things had shifted within herself.

Jermaih stepped closer, his voice softening as he spoke. "You're not a monster, Sonia. But you have to learn to control what's inside you before it destroys everything."

Sonia swallowed hard, looking down at the ground. She knew he was right. She couldn't afford to let her emotions or the power running through her dictate her actions anymore. She had to learn to control it.

But the question was—could she?

The ripple of fear she had caused was only the beginning. And as the days went on, Sonia would have to come to terms with what she had done—and what she would do next. Because the more she used her power, the more she realized that she might not just be afraid of the consequences. She might be afraid of herself.