The Crawler wasn't charging blindly anymore.
Bloodied and cautious, it slowed—every step deliberate, calculated. Its crystal-tipped limbs dragged across the broken street, leaving trails of dust and sparks.
Its eyes, those shifting, unnatural orbs, flickered between red, blue, and gold in rapid succession.
It was learning—trying to figure them out.
"Careful. It is planning something," Dane reminded.
Somehow, he seemed too calm in this situation while Raith's chest burned as he followed the Crawler's movements, every breath sharp and uneven.
His body screamed with each motion like it was begging him to stop—reminding him he'd already pushed it way too far.
Dane raised his right hand with his palm facing the Crawler.
He was trying to summon a fireball or at least a spark of fire. His fingers twitched… but nothing came.
"How to use this damn power?!" Dane asked. His voice frustrated.
Then, in the blink of an eye, while both Raith and Dane were recovering and figuring things out, the Crawler jerked sharply and lunged.
Its target? The Kid.
She froze—helmet tilting up just in time to see a jagged crystal limb coming straight for her.
Her body locked up. No scream. No flinch. Just frozen terror.
"No—!" Raith pushed forward, forcing his legs to move, pain shooting through him with every step.
Dane rushed too, flinging out his hand one more time in pure desperation—hoping, praying for fire.
Still nothing.
"Dammit! Shoot something! Fireball, spark, anything!" Dane shouted, stumbling, powerless.
Raith knew that he wasn't going to make it in time. He was too slow.
The Crawler raised its crystal-tipped leg that was glinting like a blade at dawn—and swung down.
Suddenly—
Crack!
It wasn't the sound of flesh tearing. It wasn't bone-snapping.
It was something heavier. Harder and sharper. Like a chisel splitting stone.
Kev stood there, arms crossed over his head, body hunched forward, shielding the Kid. He had thrown himself between her and the creature—no time to think, no time to hesitate.
Just action.
Mira, who was a few steps behind, screamed. She believed that Kev would surely done for after the attack.
"Kev—!"
But, the scream was different this time. It wasn't just a sound.
Something came out together with the sound. Something with a heavier impact.
It exploded out of her—silent at first, but heavy. Like a pressure wave, no one could see but everyone could feel. She didn't notice but the lower part of her helmet was destroyed.
Then the sound hit. A loud sound struck the Crawler.
The creature flew backward with its legs flailing and body twisting before crashing hard onto the pavement.
It skidded and rolled a few times.
Shrieks tore from somewhere deep inside its warped body as crystal cracked and splintered along its frame.
Then everything stopped as it hit a nearby wall.
Mira stood frozen, her hands trembled. Her eyes locked on Kev.
"Kev!" she yelled, already running to him. "Kev, say something!"
He didn't move. Just stood there, shaking under his helmet like he'd been struck by lightning.
"Oh god," he muttered. "I'm hit! I think I'm bleeding! I think it got me—"
"Let me see!" Mira grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, her voice sharp and cracking with panic.
But the second she looked down, her eyes widened—she froze.
"Kev, your suit... it's torn. But you're—"
Kev's breathing hitched. "I'm what?" His voice trembled, rising. "Is it that bad? Am I dying? I don't wanna die, Mira—"
"You're not bleeding... at all," she whispered, staring. "Kev, look—your skin—"
Raith and Dane reached them just as Mira spoke. The others, still in shock, slowly gathered around. Kev's suit had been torn open.
But underneath?
No flesh. No blood.
His back—his whole back—was solid rock. Smooth and gray, like granite carved by hand.
Kev turned slowly to his limit, glancing down. He couldn't really see his back, so, he touched it.
"What... What the hell is this?!" His voice cracked again. "Why has my back turned into a rock?!"
Raith let out a breath, eyes wide with realization.
"Rock Hardening..." he said. "That's... your Force."
He looked at everyone and said, "You've awakened, too."
"This… this isn't real." Kev took off his glove and stared at the Mark behind his right palm. His panic faded into disbelief. "I actually… awakened?"
Mira let out a shaky, breathless laugh. "Yes, you did, Kev. It seems your good deed has earned you something."
Before anyone could respond, Dane let out a tired breath. "So did you, Mira. You screamed a monster into a wall."
Mira blinked, still reeling. "I… what?"
Only then did she notice that her helmet was broken. She adjusted the rebreather to ensure that she could breathe like normal again even though it wasn't necessary anymore.
Being a Tuner, she already had a special protection that would allow her to roam better in the Force Field.
Raith gave a half-smile. "Let me see your palm."
Mira took off her glove and saw the Mark.
"Your Mark... It's a Sonic Blast." Raith confirmed it. "You hit it hard enough to rip it apart."
"I didn't even know I could do that…" Mira muttered, half to herself, still catching her breath.
Dane gave a short, tired laugh and said, "Maybe the universe's finally throwing us a bone."
He glanced around at the others, hoping to lift the mood, even just a little.
As the rush of battle started to fade, all of them turned—quietly, instinctively—toward the Kid.
She hadn't moved. But her shoulders were shaking—just slightly. Not from fear this time. From something else.
She raised her hands slowly, staring at it. A soft white glow spread beneath her glove, lighting the fabric from within. Her breathing came faster, but steadier.
Then she pulled off the glove.
Light burst outward—two glowing Marks swirled together, bright and distinct, etched clearly onto her palm.
Raith whispered the word before he could stop himself. "Duotune…"
No one spoke. The others were too shocked to say anything, and they did not understand what the Marks meant. They did not know that the Marks signified two Forces.
Their eyes fixated on the Kid as she slowly stood up.
The Kid stepped forward—slow, cautious—and stopped right in front of Raith.
Their eyes met.
Raith wanted to say something—but stopped when she lifted her hand, palm facing him.
A gentle white light flickered to life at the center of it, floating forward like a slow breath of warmth drifting through the air.
It wasn't harsh. It wasn't blinding. It was warm.
Like sunlight cutting through the winter air.
As it touched him, Raith felt it—gentle, steady, wrapping around the pain inside him like a blanket.
His eyes fluttered shut.
The pressure in his chest eased. The stabbing pain in his ribs softened into something manageable—just a faint, fading throb.
He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until that moment—when it finally stopped hurting.
His whole body felt lighter. Steadier.
Like he could stand again. Fight again.
Like maybe… he'd be okay.
"You… healed me," he breathed, stunned as he looked at the Kid.
"You're a healer?" Mira was overjoyed.
Healing was one of the rarest Forces out there.
Anyone with that kind of power? Instantly valuable. Any Bastion would take them in—protect them, train them, use them.
So for the Kid to awaken now, in the middle of a death trap like this... it changed everything.
They had a chance.
She didn't say a word. Just turned her eyes toward the Crawler, which had started moving again—dragging itself upright, twitching and furious.
It wasn't done yet.
The Kid slowly lowered her right hand… and raised her left.
A mining cart nearby rattled. Kev flinched.
Then, the cart lifted—hovering off the ground like something invisible had grabbed it.
"What the hell…" Kev muttered, stunned. "She's a healer. How is she—?"
He didn't get to finish.
The Kid spun the cart once in the air, then flung it like a slingshot.
It slammed into the Crawler with a crash that echoed through the broken street. The monster staggered and went down hard—again.
"Telekinesis?" Dane murmured. "Two Forces… This is very rare."
Raith nodded, voice barely steady. "A Duotune healer and telekinetic."
"Duotune?" Mira asked. She looked between them, confused. "That's… a thing?"
"Yes," Raith said. "Very rare."
Kev stared at his arms again, turning them slowly into stone. "So we all... awakened?"
"Looks like it," Dane said, his voice low.
He lifted his hand and clenched it—trying to call the fire back. Only a faint flicker answered him before fading. "But none of us really know how to use them."
"It doesn't matter," Raith said quietly, standing a little taller. "At least, we're not Untuned anymore. We have hope now."
He didn't just mean it literally—it felt like a door had finally opened.
The Crawler stirred in the distance. It pulled itself up from the rubble, limping, screeching in confusion.
It had never been strong.
Just cruel. Just hungry.
An F-grade monster.
Dangerous only when the prey were nothing.
But they weren't nothing now.
Raith looked around at them—tired, bruised, rattled—but no longer powerless. They had awakened. And even if they didn't understand it fully—they knew what came next.
Raith clenched his fist.
"Let's finish this," he said.