Kairo stood ankle-deep in the flooded sector of the Proving Grounds, his charcoal-gray suit dripping while the Codex's healing pulse surged through his body—His cuts were gone, bruises wiped out and fatigue completely erased. But even as the pain faded, his slate-gray eyes flicked nervously across the field, and his 8 points (4 Omegas, 1 Delta, 1 rescue) It felt more like a fluke than a triumph, a quiet reminder of how far behind he still was to the rest of the candidates.
Across the flooded street, Mira moved like a storm-born symphony, dancing through the chaos with her Water-Type Etheron swirling around her like liquid armor. Her indigo suit glinted under the storm's light, soaked but intact, and her black hair whipping in the wind, showing off her experience as she swept her hands summoning a torrent from the floodwater at her feet. An Omega Veilspawn surged toward her, its obsidian hide bristling with needle-like spines and its yellow core pulsing like a sickly sun. But she didn't flinch, she twisted her wrist, and the torrent coiled into a spiraling vortex laced with jagged ice, It crushed the Omega shattering it's core with water exploding in a glittering spray, and without missing a beat, she pivoted toward a half-sunken bus where a civilian drone blinked helplessly, she freezed the water beneath her feet to form a crystalline bridge, then she slid across in one fluid motion, wrenching the door open and guiding the drone to safety. Her movements flowed with a natural ease—fluid, focused, and almost playful. Catching Kairo's eye, she flashed a grin. "That was insane, Virel! Assassin-Type like Tarek, huh?" Her voice cut through the din, "Thanks, I guess!" Kairo shouted, voice shaky. Meanwhile, to the east along the shattered edge of the district, Tarek was a streak of gold, cutting through the chaos with Etheron-coated blades that shimmered with deadly promise. Two Omegas lunged for him—one with a segmented, whip-like tail crackling with sparks, and another covered in spines that hissed like a lit fuse. In one swift arc, he cleaved through both, their cores bursting into molten fragments. A Delta came next, hulking and frost-armored, its slow-burning blue core pulsing beneath crystalline plating. Tarek ducked beneath its claw, vaulted onto its back, and drove his blade straight through the core. Shards exploded outward, and as the body crumpled, he glanced toward Kairo with a smirk sharp as his weapons. "Where were you hiding all that, freak." he mouthed before vanishing into the ruins.
Further out near a collapsed skyscraper, Orren Zayal stood calmly among the wreckage, his silver Controller-Type Etheron warping the air with a low hum. An Omega with a writhing, eel-like tail lunged, its purple core flickering. Orren raised his hand and the gravity around the creature twisted, pinning it against a cracked wall. It thrashed wildly before he clenched his fist, the core imploding in an instant. Then he leaped to a civilian drone blinking in a collapsing alley, debris falling, his Etheron redirecting beams and glass into a floating path, guiding the drone to safety. with cold, deliberate precision. His movements were practiced and clean, A stark contrast to Tarek's chaos, but his glance at Kairo was cold, assessing. "Inconclusive, you said..hmm" he muttered, voice low. Then, a new figure burst into the fray—Lira Voss, Summoner-Type, her braided hair bouncing and eyes alight with defiance. She snapped her fingers summoning a spectral wolf, its violet fur shimmering and claws gleaming. A Delta loomed, its armor cracked with glowing emerald veins and a white core pulsing like a star. The wolf struck first, sinking its claws into the Delta's torso, tearing through armor and core alike. Lira followed up with a spectral hawk, which dove from the air, talons slicing clean through a tentacle. The Delta shattered, ichor spraying. "Let's move, people! Points don't wait!" She shouted, her energy infectious, even drawing Tarek's scowl. An Omega with a spiked blue core lunged, and her wolf crushed it with ease, sparks flying. Kairo watched, envy twisting his chest. Mira's grace, Tarek's raw dominance, Orren's unshakable control, and Lira's burning fire all converged into something that made his chest twist with envy. They were born for this. Then, a deep roar shook the battlefield, rippling through the water as A Gamma-tier Veilspawn's tore through the mist, its obsidian armor glinting, tentacles writhing. Kairo ducked behind the car, his heart pounding. "Shit, here we go," he muttered.
The Codex pulsed, its grid flickering:
[Enemy: Gamma-tier Veilspawn. Threat: Extreme. Action: Evade.]
Kairo's hands shook, panic surging. The Gamma's roar was a physical force, rattling the flooded street, its decay aura stinging his lungs. He peeked from behind the car, the construct's tentacles lashing through the fog, its core a blazing star. No way I'm fighting that. But Mira's voice cut through the din. "Virel, over here!" She stood atop a rusted car, water swirling around her, Etheron pulsing with force. Beside her, Lira's wolf tore down another Omega while Orren directed a civilian drone into safety. Their coordination was raw but alive, forged in the moment. Mira waved him over again, her smile fierce. "Join us, Virel. You're not surviving a Gamma solo."
Kairo hesitated He hesitated for only a breath. The Codex prompted:
[Allies: Mira Eldren (Elemental-Type: Water), Lira Voss (Summoner-Type), Orren Zayal (Controller-Type). Objective: Collaborate for efficiency.]
"I'm coming," Kairo said, breathless, sprinting toward them as mud splashed underfoot and the Gamma roared behind him. Tarek appeared from the smoke, blades drawn and eyes narrow. "You're joking," he snapped. "The freak's dead weight."
"Shut it, Tarek," Mira retorted, already shaping ice with her hands. "We need everyone. Gamma's no joke." Lira nodded, her hawk circling. "He took down a Delta. He's got guts." Orren's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, his gravity field ready. Tarek scoffed, twirling his blades. "Fine. Don't slow me down." The Codex updated once more: [Objective: Neutralize Delta-tier wave. Allies: +Tarek Veylan (Assassin-Type). Host Stability: 97%. Points: 8.] A wave of Deltas charged, their armor pulsing with molten cracks, red cores blazing. Mira led, her tidal wave crashing, ice shards piercing one Delta's core, shattering it. Meanwhile, Lira's wolf and hawk tore into another, claws rending its core, ichor spraying. Orren's gravity pinned a third, crushing its core with debris. Tarek's blades flashed, bisecting a fourth, sparks flying. Kairo fired black-violet bursts, his Assassin Dash triggering, a blur of speed grazing a Delta's core, cracking it. Together, they became something more—Mira shielding, Lira scouting, Orren controlling, Tarek striking, and Kairo anchoring with sudden clarity. They stood, panting, mud-soaked, the Gamma's roar closer, its tentacles breaking through the fog, a fifteen-foot colossus of twisted metal and decay, its obsidian armor pulsating with writhing black veins, its core a white-hot star casting harsh shadows. Four massive legs gouged the pavement, tentacles tipped with glowing, ichor-dripping barbs sizzling in the floodwater. Its maw glowed with inner fire, and its roar warped the air, shattering windows, its decay aura choking the team. The arena trembled, lava craters surging, anti-gravity zones flickering, lightning illuminating its monstrous form.
Mira struck first, her frozen torrent hammering the creature, but it shrugged it off and countered with a swing that cracked her ice apart. Lira's summons attacked from opposite angles, claws digging deep—but one tentacle caught her wolf mid-leap, crushing it in a burst of Etheron. Orren tried to lock it down, gravity twisting space around its body, but its aura flared and broke free, striking his arm with a sizzling barb. Tarek's blades found a weak point and slashed, but the Gamma swatted him aside with a roar knocking him back, his shoulder bruised. Kairo used Assassin Dash, a black-violet blur, firing Power Surge bursts, grazing the core, his shots shaky but precise, but the Gamma was relentless, its tentacles pinning Lira's hawk, shredding it. Orren dodged another barb, but it clipped his leg, slowing him. Tarek's blades sparked, ineffective, his smirk gone. Mira's Etheron faltered, and a tentacle slammed her against a wall. She cried out, blood painting the floodwater red.
"Mira!" Kairo shouted, his mind snapping. The Gamma raised a claw to crush her, its core blazing. the drones capturing their collapse, the crowd silent.
[Emergency Protocol Engaged. Ability unlocked: Fracture Surge. Massive Power Boost Initiated.]
Symbols flared through his vision like constellations, and black-violet Etheron exploded from his body, boiling the water around him. He moved—Codex-guided—blurring forward, dodging tentacles, launching himself onto the Gamma's back. Etheron formed jagged blades in his hands as he slashed at the core, each strike brighter than the last. The Gamma shrieked, but Kairo didn't stop. With a final breath, he launched a lance of lightning straight into the core. It exploded in a cataclysm of sound and color, sending shockwaves across the field. The Gamma collapsed, shattered and smoking, ichor leaking into the water like oil (Kairo's total: 24).
Mira slumped, alive but bloodied, her breath ragged. Kairo caught her, trembling, he knelt in floodwater. His body was aching despite the earlier heal while the Codex grid was fading away, and the Gamma Veilspawn's wreckage smoldered behind them.
The arena fell silent, drones frozen, the crowd hushed, then erupted in deafening cheers, chants of "Virel!" shaking the ruins. Tarek's jaw dropped with his blades limp and Orren's eyes widened with his cold facade cracked while Lira gasped, "No fucking way".
Mira, weak, managed a grin, blood staining her teeth. "Hero… you're insane."
Kairo's lips curved into a shaky smile, relief flooding him as he held Mira steady, her breathing weak but alive. "You're okay, Mira… thank God," he murmured, his voice soft, the words spilling out unbidden. His 24 points seemed like a dream. He finally caught up with the rest, in a spectacular unexpected way.
High above in C.E.L.E.N.'s command hub, High Commander Veylan watched the footage in silence. The screen glowed with Kairo's final strike. His silver hair caught the sterile light as he leaned forward. "…This boy," he murmured, a faint smile pulling at his lips. "Interesting."
Lira broke the silence, her grin infectious. "Okay, Virel, spill it—where'd that lightning storm come from? You're full of surprises!" She punched his arm lightly, her hawk landing on her shoulder, violet eyes glinting. Kairo flushed, stammering. "I—I don't know. It just… happened." The Codex's grid was silent, but its Assassin Dash and Power Surge hummed in his core, alien yet familiar. Mira chuckled, wincing as she clutched her side. "Assassin-Type or not, you saved my ass, Kairo. Don't play humble." Her teasing was warm, her indigo eyes steady despite the pain. And tarek scoffed, sheathing his blades, his arrogance creeping back. "Freak's got tricks, I'll give him that. Don't expect me to clap every time." But his glance held a flicker of respect, Orren adjusted his stance, his voice measured. "Your surge was anomalous, Virel. Uncontrolled but effective. Don't rely on it." His 32 points were a quiet testament to his precision, but his warning stung, a reminder of Kairo's fracture.
Kairo nodded, uneasy, the banter easing his nerves but not his doubts. Lira clapped her hands, her energy unrelenting. "Enough chit-chat! We've got points to rack up before the clock runs out. Let's move, team!" Her wolf reformed, snarling, ready for the next fight.
Mira leaned on Kairo, her grin defiant. "You heard her, hero. Let's go" The Codex pulsed subtly: [Objective: Complete Proving Ground trials. Countdown: 18mins left. Host Stability: 85%. Points: 24.]
The team dove back into the chaos of the Proving Grounds, the final twenty minutes unraveling into a crucible of heat, pressure, and survival. The flooded district had become a warzone—murky water surged around their ankles, violet Etheron fog twisted through shattered streets like living veins, and lava craters hissed with molten fury, their heat distorting the air in shimmering waves. Overhead, drones whirred and darted, broadcasting every heartbeat of violence to a roaring crowd whose cheers thundered across the Dome. Their synergy, hastily forged in the shadow of a slain Gamma, had solidified into something real. Raw, but potent. Mira was the shield, water bending around them in fluid arcs to block blows and carve paths through the wreckage. Lira's spectral beasts flanked from above and below—scouts, strikers, saviors. Orren's invisible grip crushed enemies and lifted allies, altering the battlefield with every movement of his hand. Tarek wove between targets like a golden ghost, blades flashing, precise and brutal. And Kairo, driven by instinct and the Codex's evolving whispers, fired concentrated bursts of dark Etheron at key points, cracking cores and warping space where needed most. The trial's final minutes blurred into a relentless dance—leaping between collapsing rooftops, dodging Omega ambushes in crumbling alleys, rescuing civilian drones caught beneath debris. Every second pulsed with danger. Every move earned or lost a point. They pushed harder, faster, striking in sync, saving in sync, and all around them, the other candidates fought with equal desperation—hundreds of combatants clashing, scrambling, surviving. But as the clock bled away, one thing became clear in the haze of water, fire, and fog: This team had found its rhythm.
Sirens wailed across the battlefield, long and final. The violet fog thinned like dissipating smoke, Veilspawn fading into the ether as the arena's hazards quieted. Lava pits cooled to a simmer, flickering lights stabilized, and the chaos stilled. It was over. The team stood at the heart of the wreckage, panting, bloodied, and spent. Mud clung to their boots. Cracks webbed across their suits. Then the points appeared. A shimmering holo-display blinked into existence above the arena, numbers scrolling in radiant light: Kairo – 34, Orren – 41, Mira – 31, Lira – 32, Tarek – 35.
The Dome erupted. A tidal wave of cheers and applause surged through the air. Drones spun away, trailing streamers of light as they dispersed. Somewhere far above, the world had seen them fight—and survive.
Their footsteps were heavy as they moved toward the exit—a gleaming steel corridor rising from the rubble, its doors hissing open like the breath of something ancient. The inside was sterile and humming, all cold white walls and glowing blue panels. Dozens of benches lined the space, already filled with battered candidates slumped in exhaustion or being tended by medics. Their team sank into the white light. Med-techs swarmed: Mira was patched with rapid-seal foam and compression wraps. Orren's arm was stabilized with a reinforced sling. Lira accepted water with a grateful sigh. Tarek slid down a wall, golden blades holstered, his scowl loosened into something tired but real.
Kairo sat beside Mira, his heart still pounding, the shard in his chest giving off a soft, steady warmth—a pulse he could feel through his ribs. The Codex flickered behind his eyes. They'd made it. Somehow. Around them, silence stretched like breath held between storms. No cheers here. Just the quiet rustle of survival. Their eyes met—one by one—and something passed between them. Not words. Not yet. Just a bond forged in fire and pressure. Then Lira grinned. "Mental tests next, huh?" she said, stretching with a wince. Mira leaned into Kairo, nudging his arm. "We'll do just fine, i bet this guy still hiding more tricks" she said, voice low but warm. Kairo gave a tired faint smile, breath caught somewhere between relief and dread. The Codex sparked again in his mind.
The Proving Ground was behind them. But the Trials weren't over. Not even close.