Stranger(eyes narrowing):
"Who's that on your back?"
Jin adjusted Arden, his expression unreadable. But before he could speak—
Recognition flickered across the stranger's face. His posture shifted, voice suddenly less hostile.
Stranger(snapping to someone behind him):
"Oh shoot—Alice! Get the water, quick!"
Moments later...
Jin sat in a dimly lit chamber, carved into the ruins. The stone walls pulsed faintly with residual energy—ancient tech humming just beneath the surface.
Arden lay nearby on a slab of rock, a crude blanket over his chest. His breathing had stabilized after a generous helping of water.
Across from Jin, the man from before now stepped forward.
Jack:
"You're lucky Arden was with you. If it had been anyone else from another class... things would've gone very differently."
His eyes lingered on Arden with a mix of respect and familiarity. Then his gaze snapped back to Jin—and cooled.
Jack(tone sharpening):
"However…"
Before Jin could even blink, the room was flooded with people.
Classmates. Fighters. Dozens of them.
Weapons drawn. Auras blazing. Powers humming in the air.
The pressure in the room spiked.
Jack(stepping back, voice cold):
"You're not from this class."
Jin's eyes swept the circle. Fire. Ice. Lightning. Gravity. A soup of raw potential aimed straight at him.
The silence pulsed. Jin took a slow breath.
Jin:
"Damn."
Then—he vanished.
A flicker of flame where he once stood, like a candle being snuffed out.
In the blink of an eye, the space was empty.
The group blinked. Looked around. Confused murmurs rippled.
Alice(wide-eyed):
"Where did he go?"
Jack scowled, scanning with precision.
Jack:
"I didn't sense him leave... What kind of ability is that?"
The tension broke, replaced by unsettled confusion.
Then—
A groan.
Arden stirred. He blinked up at the faint ceiling light, dry lips cracking as he tried to sit.
Arden(raspy):
"What... happened?"
A calm voice answered—Simon, slender and quiet, stepping forward.
Simon:
"You almost died out there. Are you okay now?"
Arden rubbed his forehead. His mind was racing even if his body wasn't.
Arden(sitting up, confused):
"Wait... where's Jin?"
Silence.
Jack's expression twisted—part confusion, part concern. The others looked at each other, exchanging grim, wordless glances.
Something about Jin's sudden exit had rattled them.
He didn't teleport.He didn't use speed.He simply... vanished.
Arden felt it too—a ripple in the air, like the echo of something impossible.
And it was only just beginning.