Powerful orphan-Magnus Scot

Magnus had been born with a power that no one else seemed to possess. With enough concentration and a single command, he could force people to obey him. It wasn't hypnosis or persuasion—it was complete control over another person's mind. His parents had discovered his ability when he was very young, but instead of fearing him, they kept it hidden from the world. They raised him as normally as they could, teaching him never to use his power unless there was no other choice.

For eight years, Magnus lived an ordinary childhood. Then everything fell apart. His parents were killed in a car accident, leaving him with no relatives willing to take him in. He was sent to a local orphanage where he quickly learned that children could be just as cruel as adults. He kept to himself, rarely speaking unless someone addressed him first, but his silence only made him an easier target. The bullying became relentless, and every day he fought the urge to use the one thing that would make it all stop.

Eventually, one of the older boys cornered him and pushed him too far. Magnus gave a quiet command, and the boy immediately turned around and walked away as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, several workers witnessed the incident. At first they thought it had been a coincidence, but strange events continued happening around Magnus. Children suddenly forgot arguments. Staff members unlocked doors they hadn't meant to open or changed their minds without explanation after speaking with him. It didn't take long before everyone realized that Magnus was different.

Within weeks he was transferred.

The second orphanage looked more like a secure institution than a home. It housed children with abilities that couldn't be explained—some controlled fire, others electricity, shadows, memories, or objects without touching them. Every child was evaluated, monitored, and classified according to how dangerous they were considered.

Magnus didn't even make it through his first day before receiving his classification.

Threat Level: Extreme.

His ability frightened even the specialists. A child who could control minds wasn't simply powerful; he could become impossible to stop if he ever escaped. From that day forward, Magnus lived under stricter rules than anyone else in the facility. Cameras followed him everywhere, guards were assigned outside his room every night, and every interaction was documented. He wasn't allowed to attend a public school like some of the less dangerous children. Instead, he studied inside the facility's heavily secured academy, where teachers had been specially trained to resist psychological abilities.

Most people would have accepted that this was their life.

Magnus never did.

From the day he arrived, he began planning his escape. He didn't rush, knowing one mistake would ruin everything. Instead, he observed. Every meal, every patrol, every shift change became another piece of a puzzle. Years passed, and while everyone believed the quiet, obedient boy had accepted his fate, he was actually memorizing every weakness the facility had.

By the time Magnus turned eighteen, his plan was complete.

He knew exactly which cameras left blind spots for a few seconds. He knew which guards chatted instead of paying attention during patrols. Most importantly, he knew that every night at precisely two o'clock, the guards stationed at the main gate switched places. For exactly five minutes, neither guard properly watched the fence while one walked away and the other took over.

Five minutes.

That was all he needed.

Late that night, Magnus slipped silently out of his room. He moved through the dark hallways without hesitation, avoiding cameras and stepping around every patrol exactly as he had practiced in his mind hundreds of times. He reached a maintenance exit, quietly unlocked it, and stepped into the cool night air. The towering fence stood ahead of him, separating years of captivity from freedom.

Hidden behind a row of bushes, he watched the gate with unwavering focus. Right on schedule, one guard left his post while the replacement began walking toward the entrance. Magnus counted the seconds in his head before leaving his hiding place.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

He reached the fence and placed both hands on the cold metal bars, preparing to climb over.

A loud thud suddenly echoed through the grounds.

Magnus froze.

One of the guards immediately spun toward the noise, raising his flashlight as the beam swept across the darkness. Without wasting a second, Magnus dropped from the fence and threw himself into the nearest bush, keeping perfectly still as the light slowly searched the area.

Then he heard footsteps.

Someone was running toward the very same bush.

Before the person could stumble into him or make another sound, Magnus reached out, grabbed their arm, and pulled them down beside him. Leaves rustled softly as the stranger landed next to him.

The flashlight lingered nearby for several tense seconds before finally moving away.

Only then did Magnus turn toward the person he had dragged into hiding.

In the faint moonlight, he could just make out the face of a girl he had never seen before.

His jaw tightened in frustration as he kept his voice barely above a whisper.

"What the hell were you doing?" he hissed, glaring at her. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? My escape was seconds from working." He let out a quiet, irritated breath before shaking his head. "Seriously... are you stupid?"