The sky of this world stretched in impossible colors. Soft lilac clouds melted into streaks of crimson and gold, casting a dreamlike glow over the city. Tall, sleek buildings of shifting glass reflected the colors like liquid prisms, bending light in ways that felt unnatural yet mesmerizing. Streets hummed with a quiet, otherworldly energy—cars without wheels floated inches above the ground, and holographic signs flickered midair, advertising things Elias didn't understand.
And walking through it all, his hand grazing hers just slightly as they walked too close together, was Sienna.
"You're still staring," she teased, her deep green eyes gleaming with amusement as she turned toward him.
"Well, yeah." Elias exhaled, shaking his head. "I just— I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Your world feels like I stepped into some cyberpunk fever dream."
"Trust me, it's not that exciting," she laughed, kicking a small hovering drone out of her way like it was a soccer ball. It beeped in protest before zooming away. "You've seen one futuristic city, you've seen them all."
"Says the girl with sky trains and gravity-defying buildings."
Sienna smirked. "Says the girl who just taught a guy from an ancient civilization how to order coffee yesterday."
Elias d in guilt.
Then nothing.
When Reis awoke, he was naked, submerged in a tank of thick, viscous liquid. His body felt numb, his muscles refusing to respond.
Through the glass, he saw others.
Seraph, Felix, and the rest of their team—all trapped in identical test tubes, floating like lifeless dolls. Wires were attached to their bodies, machines whirring around them.
Experiments.
That's what they had become.
Reis tried to move, tried to scream, but all he could do was watch.
And then Jonah appeared.
He was running, breaking into the lab with nothing but a stolen rifle and desperation in his eyes. He shot two guards before they could react, rushing to the control panel.
He was saving them.
"Hold on, kid," Jonah muttered, frantically pressing buttons. "I'm getting you out of there."
"Why"
"I never meant to do ya'll dirty like that man, These guy's promised to leave my mom out of these experiments if i would help them catch ya'll… Forgive me if you could"
"Did they leave your mom?"
"No."
"I am sorry"rolled his eyes but grinned, remembering the incident. He had stared at the transparent menu in shock when he saw drinks labeled Neuro-Caf and Holo-Chai. He had hesitated for so long that Sienna had ended up ordering for him, much to the amusement of the barista.
Now, walking side by side through a softly glowing park, Elias found himself genuinely happy.
This world was terrifyingly new, but… it was exciting. And she made it easier to navigate.
They walked past a wide bridge where trees shimmered like they were breathing, their bioluminescent leaves pulsing with soft light. Sienna suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him to the railing.
"Look down," she said.
Elias leaned forward—and his breath caught.
Beneath the bridge was not water, but an entire floating ecosystem. A massive lake, glowing in shades of blue and violet, hovered beneath them, suspended by some unseen force. Strange, iridescent fish swam through the air like birds, weaving through clusters of floating vines.
"The hell…" Elias whispered.
"Pretty, huh?" Sienna rested her chin on her arms, watching his reaction. "That lake doesn't technically exist in 'our' dimension. It's a stabilized anomaly."
Elias glanced at her, a little disoriented. "So it's… a glitch?"
"More like a crack in reality that we figured out how to maintain," she corrected. "There's a whole project dedicated to studying it—Project Anomaly 02. It's harmless, though. We even hold light festivals here sometimes."
Elias exhaled, still staring. "Your world is ridiculous."
Sienna grinned. "You love it."
He did. But it also made going back to his world so much harder.
Elias' life was no longer his own.
At first, he thought he was dreaming. He'd close his eyes in his world, and when he opened them again—he'd be here. With her. Walking through impossible landscapes, making friends with people he shouldn't even know, learning things about a civilization that shouldn't exist.
Then he'd sleep here.
And wake up back home.
The worst part? He couldn't control it.
One second, he'd be in a lecture hall, cramming for exams, utterly exhausted—then the next, he'd be standing in the middle of a futuristic shopping district, Sienna getting shocked as he would just appear outta nowhere.
His professors were starting to notice. The dark circles under his eyes were getting worse. His grades were slipping. He was getting called on in class.
"Hey, Elias? You good, man?"
Elias snapped out of his daze. His friend Noah, sitting across from him in the college library, gave him a concerned look.
"You look dead," Noah said bluntly. "Like, actually dead."
Elias sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. Just—haven't been sleeping well."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"
"You have no idea."He wasn't lying. The sleep deprivation was killing him. He never got any rest anymore. One world was always waiting for him, no matter how much he begged his body to shut down.
As whenever he tried to sleep he was transferred to another world it was like,
*goes to sleep*
BAAM (transferred to Sienna)
*goes to sleep there)
BAAM (back in his world)
"FOR GOD'S SAKE LET ME SLEEP"
But slowly, he started figuring it out.
It happened one night when he was lying in bed, utterly drained, staring at his ceiling with unfocused eyes.
But slowly he gained control over this ability.
He was able to decide if he wanted to teleport while he slept or not.
So, with every ounce of willpower, Elias focused. He imagined Sienna's world, its neon-lit skies, its impossible landscapes.
He chose to wake up there.
And when he opened his eyes—
—he was there.
For the first time, he had control.
And that changed everything.
Now that Elias could control when he teleported between worlds, everything felt different.
He could actually plan his time. No more sudden disappearances. No more sleep-deprived confusion. He could choose to stay in his own world when he needed to focus.
And when he wanted to see Sienna again?
It was as simple as falling asleep.
"You seem different today," Sienna said, nudging him with her elbow as they walked through the Academy halls.
Elias gave a half-smirk. "Oh? How so?"
"Less like a zombie, more like an actual person."
"Wow. So nice of you."
She grinned. "Just saying, your eyes don't look like they belong to the undead anymore. You actually seem like you want to be here."
Elias stretched his arms behind his head. "Well, maybe I do."
Sienna rolled her eyes, but there was a light pink dusting her cheeks.
By now, Elias had met all of Sienna's friends. Noa, Kai, Lucian, Mira—they had all gradually become his own friends too. They had classes together now. Lunch together.
And today was no different.
The moment Elias stepped into the classroom, the instructor paused mid-sentence, looking at him with sharp, calculating eyes.
"Ah. You must be the 'student from abroad.'"
Elias blinked. He had been briefed on what to say about himself in case anyone asked—Sienna had told him to just say he was from a distant district.
The instructor gave him a long look, then finally nodded. "Elias Moreau. Welcome to the Academy. Find a seat."
Elias exhaled in relief and took a step forward—
Then he caught Sienna's wink from across the room.
He nearly tripped.
This girl was gonna kill him.
Elias did get control over his power but as a prowd nightowl, he still slept only when he felt the extreme need to. Well… his work and studies messed up his routine too so his eyes turned dead anyways.
If Elias thought walking around the city felt surreal, sitting in a classroom felt straight-up wrong.
Not in a bad way. Not in a threatening way. Just in a "none of this should be happening" way.
He was supposed to be in his normal world, worrying about his exams. Instead, he was here, in a classroom full of students with cybernetic enhancements, holographic interfaces, and tech so advanced it made his head spin.
The teacher, a tall man with silver-rimmed glasses and a smooth, robotic prosthetic arm, clapped his hands together as he addressed the class. "Alright, everyone. We have a new student."
Elias could already hear the whispers.
"Wait, really?"
"Thought we already finished registrations this cycle."
"Yo, look at his eyes. He looks dead inside."
"Why does he dress like he's from the 2020s?"
"Wait, is he hot or just constantly tired?"
Sienna, sitting next to him, was barely holding in her laughter.
Elias sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Great. Here we go.
The teacher smiled. "Elias Moreau, correct?"
"Yeah," Elias said casually, leaning back in his chair. "That's me."
A girl with deep violet hair and sharp, fox-like eyes raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you transfer from? I don't recognize your city code."
Elias smirked. "A place that doesn't exist on your maps."
That answer only made the whispers grow louder.
Sienna, clearly enjoying the chaos, leaned on her desk, chin resting on her hand. "He's mysterious, isn't he?" she teased.
The teacher shook his head, though he was clearly amused. "Alright, alright. Let's not overwhelm our new student. Elias, take a seat. And Sienna—try not to be a bad influence."
Sienna feigned offense. "Me? Never."
Elias just chuckled. This girl was trouble.
And he liked it.
After an exhausting morning of adjusting to the new environment, Elias finally found himself in the cafeteria with Sienna and the rest of the group she had introduced him to.
The place was massive—multiple floors, sleek metallic designs with holographic menus, robotic servers moving between tables, and large glass windows that overlooked the city skyline. It was like something straight out of a sci-fi film.
Elias sat next to Sienna, stretching his arms behind his head. "Alright. I'll admit it. Your world's cafeteria beats mine."
"Damn right it does," Zane grinned, taking a bite of his food. "The food here is top-tier."
Sienna smirked, nudging Elias. "What's on the menu in your world? Microwaved ramen and existential dread?"
"Pretty much," Elias deadpanned.
Elias leaned back in his chair, surrounded by Sienna and the rest of their group, the buzz of conversation and laughter filling the cafeteria. The scent of fresh food mixed with the synthetic, slightly metallic undertones of the New World Order's technology, a reminder that even the most casual spaces here were designed with precision.
Sienna nudged him with her elbow. "You're spacing out again, sleeper boy."
Elias smirked, resting his chin on his palm. "Just taking it all in. You know, appreciating the little things before the universe tries to throw me into another existential crisis."
Aria, sitting across from them, chuckled. "Aren't you always in an existential crisis?"
The group laughed, and for a moment—just a moment—Elias felt normal.
Not an outsider. Not a glitch in reality.
"Hey do ya'll know that the Initiative's made a system through which normal people could visit the moon and chill out there without any hindrance" said Kai.
"Imagine going there with the love of your life, it would feel so cute," said Aria.
"LIKE YOU ARE GETTING ANY LMAO" replied Zane.
There, Elias was just a guy, chilling with new friends.
But then—
"Okay, true, but—"
Before she could finish his sentence, something shifted in the air.
A low, droning hum rippled through the cafeteria, like the sound of reality stretching beyond its limits. The walls flickered, for just a moment, as if the entire space had glitched. A few students noticed—heads turned, confused murmurs broke out—but nothing seemed outright wrong.
Yet.
Elias sat up straight. His fingers curled against the table. "Did you feel that?"
Sienna's expression shifted from playful to alert. "Yeah. What the hell was that?"
Something shifted.
A small flicker. A glitch in the air.
Elias' eyes snapped toward the far end of the cafeteria, where a strange distortion rippled through the space. A warping effect, like reality itself was twisting.
Nobody noticed at first.
Until the lights flickered.
Until the entire cafeteria hummed with static.
Until, from the shifting void—
Something stepped through.
A creature. A thing.
Something that did not belong here.
The moment Elias locked eyes with it, everything changed.
A being—not human, not machine, not anything Elias had ever seen before. Its form was unstable, shifting, as if its body itself was rejecting the reality of this world. Skeletal yet monstrous, tall yet fluid, unnatural in every way. Its glowing eyes locked onto them.
And then, in an instant—
It moved.
Faster than thought, faster than sight. A blur of pure violence.
Tables flipped. Glass shattered. Screams erupted all around as the monster tore through the cafeteria with inhuman speed, striking down anything in its path.
Elias barely had time to react before it was on him.
A clawed hand slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. The impact cracked the tiled floor as he skidded to a stop. A sharp pain lanced through his ribs, but he barely registered it—because the monster was already coming again.
It wasn't just attacking randomly.
It was coming for him.
Sienna's voice rang out, raw with panic. "ELIAS!"
But there was no time to think. No time to breathe.
The monster lunged—and Elias, acting purely on instinct, moved.
A blur of motion—he twisted, barely avoiding the strike as it shattered the ground where he had just been. The force of the impact sent debris flying, students scrambling for cover.
Shit, shit, shit—
Elias' mind raced. Why is it after me? What the hell is this thing?!
The monster twitched, its body glitching, as if it was trying to stabilize its form in this world. And then—without hesitation—it attacked again.
This time, Elias wasn't fast enough.
A brutal strike to his gut sent him hurtling through the air. He crashed into a row of tables, coughing violently, pain burning through his body. The edges of his vision blurred.
For the first time in a long while—
He felt powerless.
The cafeteria was chaos. Students screamed. Sienna was trying to get to him, but the creature was standing between them.
It let out a sound—a distorted, nightmarish growl, like a thousand voices speaking at once. And then—
It raised its hand.
A jagged energy blade formed along its arm, crackling with unstable power. It lifted it directly over Elias' chest.
And then—
It struck down.
—
BLACK.
Everything was black.
Not the comforting black of sleep. Not the gentle darkness of night.
This was something deeper. Something vast.
Something empty.
Elias felt like he was floating in a void, weightless, thoughtless—trapped in a space that had no beginning or end. He couldn't even tell if he was alive.
Then, like a distant echo—
A voice.
At first, it was just a murmur. Indistinct. Blurred. But then, the voice grew louder.
"Elias—"
It was familiar. It was hers.
"Wake up—!"
And then—
Pain.
A sudden, violent shock tore through his body like a lightning bolt. His lungs screamed for air, his chest burned, his senses snapped back into existence all at once—
And Elias woke up to the sound of chaos.
—
He gasped, eyes shooting open, body jolting as he sat up. His vision blurred for a moment before everything slammed into focus.
The cafeteria was wrecked. Tables overturned, shattered glass covering the floor, the walls cracked from the sheer force of the battle. Students were either hiding or had fled entirely.
And in front of him—
The monster.
It loomed over him, its shifting form unstable, flickering between solidity and something else, something that didn't belong in this world. Its jagged energy blade still crackled, humming with power.
It had stabbed him.
Or at least, it should have.
Elias blinked, chest heaving. He looked down. His clothes were torn, his body aching from the previous blows—but he was alive.
The blade had stopped just before piercing him.
Or rather—
Something stopped it.
His body felt different. Lighter. As if something inside him had shifted.
The monster twitched—confused? Angry? It wasn't clear.
But Elias felt it now.
A force deep inside him, surging like an electric current through his veins. It wasn't just adrenaline. It wasn't just instinct.
It was something else.
And then—
The ground cracked beneath him.
A sudden shockwave burst from his body, rippling outward, shaking the very walls. The monster staggered back, its form glitching even more violently, as if his presence alone was destabilizing it.
Sienna's voice cut through the chaos. "Elias—!"
He turned toward her.
Her face was pale, her eyes wide, but in them, there was something else—
Hope.
Because Elias wasn't just awake.
He was changing.
—
The air around him shifted.
Electricity crackled at his fingertips, raw energy building in his limbs. He could feel it, coursing through his body, the sheer power threatening to burst out of him at any second.
He clenched his fist.
The monster snapped its head toward him, as if suddenly realizing—
This wasn't the same Elias it had attacked before.
Elias exhaled, standing to his full height.
The pain in his body faded into the background. The exhaustion vanished.
All that was left—
Was power.
He lifted his gaze to the monster, eyes blazing with something new. Something lethal.
"...Alright," he muttered under his breath, rolling his shoulders, his voice lower, steadier than before. "You had your turn."
He vanished.
A blur of motion—one second he was standing still, the next he was right in front of the monster, fist already in motion.
The impact shattered the air itself.
A sonic boom erupted as Elias' punch collided with the creature's chest, sending it rocketing backward, crashing through multiple cafeteria walls like a ragdoll. Dust and debris exploded outward, filling the room.
Students who had been watching froze, stunned into silence.
Elias lowered his fist, his body still humming with power. He flexed his fingers, testing the feeling—
And then he grinned.
"...Oh, that's sick."
—
The dust settled.
From the massive hole in the cafeteria wall, the monster emerged.
It was damaged—its shifting body flickering wildly, its form unstable, but it was still standing.
And this time, it didn't waste a second.
It charged.
Elias' grin widened.
"Good," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Round two."
—
The fight began.
The monster lunged, its energy blade slicing through the air with terrifying speed. Elias dodged, his movements flawless, each step precise. The air around him blurred as he moved—faster than he'd ever thought possible.
The cafeteria shook with each impact. The sheer force of their blows sent shockwaves through the entire building, rattling the very foundation.
Elias twisted mid-air, dodging a wild swing, then retaliated with a devastating kick to the monster's head.
The impact sent it crashing into the ceiling.
Before it could even recover—
Elias was already there.
In a flash, he was above it, hands glowing with raw power—
And then, he slammed both fists down.
The creature was launched back to the ground, hitting the floor with enough force to crater it.
The battle was relentless.
The monster's form was glitching violently now, its body barely holding together. It let out a distorted roar, clawing its way out of the rubble—
But Elias wasn't done yet.
He landed smoothly, wiping the blood from his lip, exhaling sharply.
"Not bad," he admitted. "But—"
And then—
A sudden presence.
Elias' instincts screamed.
The air shifted once more, but this time, it wasn't the monster.
Something else had arrived.
—
The Ascendancy Initiative had entered the battlefield.
—
Figures in sleek, futuristic armor descended from above, their movements precise, controlled. They moved like soldiers—but not just any soldiers.
They were the elite.
The New World Order's enforcers.
Their leader, a tall, masked figure in dark, form-fitting armor, stepped forward. His voice was calm. Collected.
"Secure the entity," he ordered. "And take the boy, too."
—
Elias' eyes narrowed.
Oh, hell no.
The moment the Ascendancy Initiative stepped in, the air itself seemed to shift.
There was no announcement. No warning.
One second, the battle was between Elias and the glitching monster—a battle of raw, uncontrolled chaos.
The next, order descended.
Sleek black aircraft hovered silently above the shattered cafeteria, their smooth, angular designs reflecting the dim neon glow of the city beyond. Their presence alone sent an unspoken message—
The real authorities were here now.
And unlike the students, unlike even the teachers who had fled—they weren't afraid.
They were here to take control.
—
Elias clenched his fists. His whole body was still pulsing with energy.
Sweat dripped down his temple. His breath came in sharp exhales.
He had no idea how long he had been fighting, but his body was still adjusting to… whatever this was. This power inside him.
And now?
Now these assholes were showing up to take him?
Hell. No.
His gaze flickered between them and the monster, which was still writhing on the ground, its form flickering violently like an unstable signal.
It was clearly still alive. Still dangerous.
Yet they weren't looking at it anymore.
Their focus had completely shifted to him.
Elias' jaw clenched. He took a step back, shifting his stance. His instincts screamed at him—
Run. Fight. Do something.
Then, just as the tension reached its breaking point—
One of the armored soldiers lifted a sleek, high-tech rifle.
A smooth mechanical click.
Aimed directly at him.
"Stand down."
—
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
Then—
"Fuck that."
Elias moved.
—
Everything happened at once.
The moment his foot touched the ground, he vanished. A burst of speed sent him hurtling forward, body blurring through the air as he closed the distance in an instant.
The soldier barely had time to react.
Elias' fist collided with the gun, smashing it out of their hands in a shower of sparks. The force sent the weapon flying across the ruined cafeteria.
The soldier stumbled back, but Elias was already twisting—
A second soldier raised their arm—some kind of energy shield activating on their forearm—
Too slow.
Elias ducked under their swing, grabbed their wrist, and yanked them off their feet.
With an effortless motion, he spun and hurled them straight into another soldier. The two crashed into the cafeteria counter, sending shattered trays and metal debris flying.
More guns raised.
Elias' body tensed—
Then—
A bright pulse of energy shot toward him.
—
The force of the blast slammed into his chest.
For a split second, his whole body seized—pain ripping through him like fire—
Then—
His back hit the ground.
Hard.
He gasped, struggling to pull in air, vision flickering—
The soldiers advanced. Their weapons hummed, ready to fire again.
"Don't resist," one of them warned. "This doesn't need to be difficult."
Elias groaned, blinking the stars out of his eyes.
Oh, yeah?
Try me.
—
Before they could fire again, he moved.
With a burst of sheer willpower, he rolled to the side, just as another shot obliterated the spot where he had been lying.
Heat rippled through the air from the impact.
Elias planted his hands on the ground and pushed himself up, breathing hard.
His body ached, his limbs were screaming, but something deep inside him refused to stop.
A grin tugged at his lips, sharp and reckless.
"You guys," he exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Really picked the wrong day to mess with me."
—
Then—everything shifted.
A deafening boom echoed through the cafeteria.
Not from Elias.
Not from the Ascendancy soldiers.
From above.
For a single moment, everyone froze.
Then—
A bright blue lightflashed overhead, piercing through the ruined ceiling.
Something rippled in the air.
Then—
Elias disappeared.
—
Somewhere Else.
The feeling of teleportation was unlike anything Elias had ever experienced.
It wasn't smooth.
It wasn't like walking through a door or stepping into another room.
It was violent.
His body felt like it was being ripped apart and reconstructed at the same time—as if he existed in two places at once for a fraction of a second.
Then—
It stopped.
The chaos. The battle. The monster. The Ascendancy Initiative.
All of it was gone.
Elias staggered, nearly collapsing onto the ground. His breath came out in ragged gasps, his head spinning.
"What the—?"
The air smelled different.
The temperature was colder. The lighting was… softer?
He lifted his head, blinking rapidly.
And then—
His brain short-circuited.
—
He wasn't in the cafeteria anymore.
He wasn't even in the city anymore.
He was in a room.
A very clean, very white, very futuristic-looking room.
The walls were smooth metal, softly glowing panels embedded into them. Various holographic monitors floated around, displaying… graphs? Readings? Some kind of data.
His eyes flickered to the side—
A large insignia was printed on the farthest wall.
Bold, unmistakable.
A. S. A.
—
Elias stared.
"...The fuck?"
—
"Welcome," a voice spoke from behind him.
Elias spun around—his whole body tensing on instinct.
And there, standing in the doorway, dressed in a sleek, dark blue uniform—
Was a scientist.
An actual NASA scientist.
Older. Maybe mid-forties. Sharp glasses. Slight stubble. A calm, analytical gaze, like he was studying Elias as much as greeting him.
The man smiled.
"You must be very confused right now," he said, tilting his head. "But I promise—we're on your side."
Elias stared at him, still processing.
Then—
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait," he muttered, his brain catching up. "This… doesn't make any sense."
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, trying to think.
"Sienna told me NASA doesn't even exist anymore," he said. "She said the Ascendancy Initiative took over everything. You guys are supposed to be gone."
The scientist's smile widened.
"Oh, trust me," he said smoothly. "That's exactly what they want you to think."
—
Elias sat in a sleek, futuristic room inside the hidden NASA headquarters. The technology around him felt far beyond what he'd expected. Holograms floated in the air, shifting between planetary models, energy readings, and classified data files.
The NASA scientist in front of him adjusted his glasses. "I know this is a lot to take in, Elias."
Elias exhaled sharply, leaning back. His muscles still ached from the fight with that glitching monster. His head was pounding from everything happening all at once.
"Yeah," he muttered. "No shit."
—
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to think clearly.
"Alright. Start from the beginning," Elias said. "If NASA is still around, why does the whole damn world think you're gone?"
The scientist pressed a button on the table, and a holographic projection appeared in front of them. A massive blue energy field pulsed on the screen, stretching across the planet like an invisible net.
PROJECT BLUE BEAM.
Elias narrowed his eyes.
"...What the hell is that?"
The scientist folded his hands together. "This is how the Ascendancy Initiative has controlled the world. This is the reason no one knows the truth."
Elias stared at the projection. "Explain."
—
The scientist pointed at the hologram. "Your world—the buildings, the people, the daily lives? It's all real."
"But the wars? The alien attacks? The false messiahs? The disasters? Every major event that shaped the world into what it is today—"manufactured."
Elias' blood ran cold.
"...You're telling me the entire history of this world is fake?"
The scientist nodded. "Yes. But not in the way you think. The world itself isn't a lie—"but the threats that made the Ascendancy Initiative rise to power were all staged."
—
Elias' stomach twisted.
He thought about Sienna. About everyone he had met.
They truly believed they lived in a world where the Ascendancy Initiative saved them.
But in reality…
"They were the ones who created the disasters in the first place."
—
Elias ran a hand through his hair.
"You know what? I believe you."
The scientist blinked. "That fast?"
Elias smirked. "Dude, in my world? NASA still exists. There's no Ascendancy Initiative. My world is completely normal. We don't have random shit spying on us 24/7. So if you're telling me you guys are the last real force left? Yeah, I buy it."
—
The scientist studied him for a moment, then chuckled. "You're surprisingly open-minded."
"Well, yeah," Elias stretched his arms, still sore. "I mean, look at me. I got dragged into another world, fought a literal glitch demon, and now I'm chilling in NASA's secret hideout. You think I'm gonna sit here and argue?"
—
The scientist's expression turned serious.
"Elias, the fact that you exist here is proof that their control isn't perfect. You broke through their reality. We don't know why, but we do know one thing—you're the only person who can move between the cracks of their world and ours."
Elias paused.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Well, shit," he muttered. "That's kinda awesome."
—
He leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Alright. So what's next?"
The scientist hesitated. "We had planned to take time explaining this to you, but… if you're willing to work with us, we need all the help we can get."
Elias cracked his knuckles. "Then first thing's first—bring my friends here."
—
The scientist raised an eyebrow. "Your friends?"
"Yeah," Elias nodded. "If we're about to go against the biggest power in the world, I'm gonna need backup."
The scientist smirked. "And you trust them?"
Elias' expression softened slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "I do."
—
Meanwhile, Back in the City…
Sienna's hands shook.
Elias was gone.
One moment, he was standing there, barely holding himself together. The next—a blue light had swallowed him.
She had screamed his name.
But he had vanished.
—
The cafeteria was a wreck.
The Ascendancy Initiative forces had pulled back, their focus no longer on the fight—but on the mysterious monster Elias had battled. The creature had been contained, its distorted form flickering as it struggled against their restraints.
And yet—
None of that mattered to her.
All she could think about was Elias.
Where was he?
Was he safe?
Would she ever see him again?
—
Sienna clenched her fists.
Something was very wrong.
Elias had always been different.
And now?
For the first time… she had a feeling that he was the key to everything.
—
End of Chapter 2-CD.