Fated reborn - Chapter 279: Chapter 279

Luciano's Pov.
The door shut behind me with a heavy clang, and for a second, I just stood there, letting my eyes adjust. The air inside was thick—smelled like sweat, old metal, something else I couldn’t place. But it wasn’t just a gym. Wasn’t just some underground fight ring. It was something else.
Elias didn’t wait. He just kept moving like he belonged, like this place was home. I followed, steps slow, my body tense without meaning to be.
Because I felt it.
That same thing I felt when I was in the ring, when I was moving before I could think, reacting to things I shouldn’t have been able to. It was here. In the air. In the people.
And there were a lot of them.
Men. Women. Some young, some old. Every single one of them had that edge. That same energy that was in me, that Elias said wasn’t just luck or talent or genetics. They were training—sparring in the ring, lifting weights that didn’t make sense, running drills I couldn’t even begin to understand.
I felt eyes on me. Measuring. Judging.
Elias stopped near the center of the room, glancing back. “You feel it, don’t you?”
I swallowed. Gave a short nod. “Yeah.”
He studied me for a second, then turned. “Come on.”
We weaved through, people stepping aside but still watching. Nobody said anything. But they knew. They knew I wasn’t just some outsider off the street.
They knew I was one of them.
Even if I didn’t know what the hell that meant yet.
Elias led me to a side room, smaller, quieter. A single light flickered above, casting shadows over a wooden desk covered in papers, blueprints, things I didn’t understand. A man stood behind it, arms crossed. Older. Rough. The kind of guy who didn’t need to prove a damn thing.
He looked me over once. “This him?”
Elias nodded. “Yeah.”
The man exhaled through his nose. “You’re late.”
Elias smirked. “He took some convincing.”
The man just grunted, then turned those sharp eyes on me. “Name?”
“Luciano.”
He nodded like he already knew.
“Sit.”
I hesitated, but Elias gave me a look. So I sat.
The man sat too, folding his hands over the desk. “You know why you’re here?”
I shifted. “Not really.”
He exhaled, like he expected that. “Alright. I’ll make it simple.”
He leaned forward, voice low. “You ain’t normal, kid. And I don’t mean that in some feel-good, you’re-special kind of way. I mean you are built different. Wired different. The things you can do? They ain’t natural. They ain’t human.”
My jaw tightened.
Because I knew that.
Had known for a long time.
Elias had just been the first person to say it out loud.
The man tapped his fingers against the desk. “Most people go their whole lives without knowing what they really are. They assume it’s talent. Good training. They ignore the things that don’t make sense, convince themselves it’s all in their head.”
His gaze sharpened. “But you? You woke up. That means you don’t get to ignore it anymore.”
My hands curled into fists. “And if I wanted to?”
He smiled, but there wasn’t anything warm about it. “Then you wouldn’t be here.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then he leaned back. “You got questions. I can see it all over you.”
I hesitated, then exhaled. “Who are we?”
His expression didn’t change. “Depends who you ask.”
I frowned. “That’s not an answer.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, it ain’t. But it’s the best one you’re gonna get right now.”
My fingers dug into my palms. “So what, you’re just gonna feed me half-truths and expect me to follow orders?”
He gave me a look. “No. I’m gonna train you. I’m gonna show you what you can do. And when you understand—when you really get it—you’ll see the truth for yourself.”
I let out a slow breath.
None of this made sense. But at the same time, it made too much sense.
I’d spent my whole life knowing I was different. Feeling it in my bones. And now, finally, someone was telling me I wasn’t crazy.
That there were others like me.
That I wasn’t alone.
The man pushed back his chair and stood. “Elias says you’re in. That true?”
I hesitated.
Because the truth was, I didn’t know what I was saying yes to.
Didn’t know what this was, what it meant, what it would turn me into.
But I knew one thing for sure.
I wasn’t walking away.
I nodded.
The man nodded back. “Good.”
Then he motioned for me to follow.
And just like that, I was in.
The next few weeks were brutal.
Training harder than anything I’d ever done before. Fights that weren’t just about winning, but learning. About pushing past what I thought I could do, testing the limits of whatever the hell I was.
Elias was there. So was the old man—who I learned was called Matteo. But there were others, too. Fighters who had been doing this a hell of a lot longer than me. People who could move in ways that shouldn’t have been possible, who could see a punch before it was even thrown.
I got my ass handed to me more times than I could count.
But I got better.
Faster.
Stronger.
And then one night, everything changed.
It was late. The warehouse mostly empty. I was in the ring, running through drills, my body aching from the day’s training. Elias sat on the edge, watching, arms crossed.
Then the doors slammed open.
And a man stepped inside.
Tall. Built like a damn machine. But it wasn’t just his size that made my gut twist. It was him. The way he carried himself. The way the air shifted around him, like gravity bent just a little in his presence.
Matteo stood. “You got a death wish coming here?”
The man just smiled. “Just came to see the new kid.”
His eyes found me.
And I knew.
He was looking for me.
Elias stood, stepping closer. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
The man didn’t even look at him. Just kept watching me.
“You feel it, don’t you?” His voice was smooth. Amused. “That itch in your bones. That fire under your skin.”
I swallowed hard.
Because I did.
He tilted his head. “You think they’re telling you everything?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t sure.
Matteo’s voice was a growl. “Leave. Now.”
The man chuckled. “I’ll see you soon, kid.”
Then, just like that, he turned and walked out.
And I had the sinking feeling that whatever this was—
It was just beginning.