The arena shifted as the next combat drill began. The fifth group leader stepped forward.
It was Kade.
He wasn't tall. He didn't have an imposing build or a striking presence at first glance. His frame was average, his posture straight but unassuming, his expression calm and unreadable.
If someone passed him in a corridor, they might never guess what he carried inside him.
But the ground subtly reacted to his presence.
Kade's ability was destructive force control. Not raw explosions or uncontrolled bursts, but a precise, crushing energy that manifested wherever his power flowed.
Anything he touched while channeling it could be compressed, fractured, or erased entirely, as if the space within the object collapsed inward. Metal folded like clay, stone crumbled into dust. Even reinforced barriers failed in seconds if he applied enough focus.
It wasn't flashy. It was terrifying because of how clean it was.
