At least, that's what I thought before my entire body reminded me I was human.
When I woke, it felt like my bones had filed a formal complaint. Every muscle screamed. My tongue tasted like metal.
I cracked an eye open, blinking at the dim red lights overhead, the hum of Code Seven's air vents filling the silence.
My arm was hung over something cold—oh, right, the training mat that I flung somewhere on my bed. I groaned and pushed myself up, face scrunching as pain shot down my back.
"Ow. Okay. So apparently surviving Ryu's definition of fun has long-term side effects."
Someone snorted from across the barracks. Damian sat on a chair, hair still damp from a shower, dressed as ever—like he hadn't just spent a day trying to kill me.
I couldn't even ask why he's in my room anymore at this point.
"You shouldn't have taunted him," he said dryly, flipping through a datapad. "Ryu doesn't like sarcasm before breakfast."
I squinted. "He doesn't like *anything* before breakfast."
"He doesn't like anything *after* breakfast either," Jade muttered, walking past with a towel slung over her shoulder.
She paused near the door, glanced over her shoulder. "You alive, rookie?"
Seriously?
"Barely."
"Good. That means the training worked."
"Wow. Thanks for the emotional support."
Her mouth twitched—half a smirk, half pity—before she disappeared down the hall.
I flopped back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. 'Three days of this crap and I still feel like I got hit by a truck. A glowing, lightning-infused truck named Ryu.'
The door hissed open again, and speak of the devil himself—Ryu strolled in, looking way too energetic for a man who'd spent the last seventy-two hours turning me into gym decor.
"Rise and shine, rookie," he said, tossing something at me.
I caught it—barely. A protein bar. Great. Breakfast of champions.
"Morning, sensei," Damian greeted without looking up. "You look cheerful. That's concerning."
Ryu grinned, all teeth. "That's because today's special."
I groaned. "If it's leg day, I'm revolting."
"Oh, it's not training," he said. "We're moving out."
That got my attention. "Moving out where?"
"Field work," Ryu said, tone almost casual. "You're done with the baby pool. Time to swim with the sharks."
I sat up slowly, blinking. "Wait—like an actual mission? I just stopped hallucinating from the last one."
He shrugged. "Best way to learn is to nearly die."
"Wow. That's… horrifyingly motivational."
"Get dressed," he said, ignoring me. "Briefing in ten."
He left, the door sliding shut behind him.
Damian sighed. "You'll want to hurry. He's in one of his moods."
"Which one?"
"The murdery kind."
I threw on the standard Code Seven gear—black combat suit, reinforced gloves, and the jacket with the silver seven patch. My reflection in the mirror looked half soldier, half sleep-deprived intern. Not bad, considering.
As I zipped up, Damian glanced over. "Nervous?"
I hesitated. "Should I be?"
He gave a half-smile. "You'll find out."
Yeah, reassuring as ever.
–––––––––––
The briefing room looked like something out of a sci-fi nightmare—holo-screens flickering, digital maps hovering in the air, lines of glowing code scrolling across one wall.
Commander Harlan stood near the center, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was unreadable, as usual.
Ryu, Jade, and Damian were already there, lined up like an elite squad from a recruitment poster—except for me, the new guy who still didn't know where the coffee machine was.
Harlan's gaze cut to me. "Mercer. Good. You'll be observing under Ryu's command for this one. Minimal engagement unless ordered. Understood?"
"Understood, sir." I said, trying not to sound terrified.
"Good." He nodded toward the holo-map. The image zoomed in on a section of Akel City—docks, warehouses, a sprawl of industrial rot glowing under smog-filtered light.
"We've received intel about a new shipment moving through the west docks. Source claims it's connected to the same dark energy you encountered."
Dark energy. My stomach twisted at the phrase.
Harlan continued. "We need confirmation. If possible, retrieve a sample. Do not engage unless necessary."
Ryu raised a hand lazily. "Define necessary, boss."
Harlan didn't blink. "If the city's still standing when you return, I'll consider that a success."
"Copy that," Ryu said with a grin.
The Commander's gaze lingered on him, then moved to me. "Mercer. You've seen what happens when dark energy leaks into the open world. I suggest you pay attention. One mistake out there won't end in detention—it'll end in body bags."
My throat tightened. "I'll keep that in mind, sir."
He nodded once. "Team dismissed."
–––––––––––
We geared up fast. The ride to Akel was quiet, the hum of the armored transport the only sound for a while. I stared out the window as the city bled into view—towering buildings, broken billboards, alleys glowing with neon rot.
It looked alive, but not in a good way. More like a beast that refused to die.
Jade sat across from me, silent as ever, cleaning one of her blades. Every motion was precise, calm. Damian was checking his weapon—a sleek sidearm glowing faintly green. Gravity manipulation tech, he'd called it. I tried not to stare too long at it or think about how easily he could crush me with it.
Ryu, meanwhile, leaned back in his seat, boots propped on the bench, humming something off-key. "You nervous, rookie?"
"Define nervous," I said.
He smirked. "Good answer."
"I didn't answer."
"Exactly."
Asshole.
Still, under the banter, my pulse wouldn't settle. I'd been through training, sure—but training was one thing. Real monsters? Real dark energy? That was another game entirely.
I pressed my palm against my knee, grounding myself. 'Breathe, idiot. You've survived worse. Probably. Maybe.'
The vehicle slowed, brakes hissing.
"Showtime," Ryu said, pushing the door open.
–––––––––––
Akel's west docks hit me like a punch of cold air and diesel fumes. The night buzzed with the hum of generators and the faint clatter of cargo. Neon signs flickered overhead, reflecting off puddles that looked like spilled oil.
We moved like ghosts—Ryu leading, Jade and Damian flanking, me trailing close enough to not get lost.
The mission was simple. Observe. Confirm. Get out.
Right. Because *simple* always ends well.
Ryu crouched near the edge of a rusted railing, peering down at the docks below. "Movement," he murmured.
I followed his line of sight. A dozen men unloading crates from an unmarked truck. They looked armed. Edgy. Dangerous.
"What are we looking for again?" I whispered.
Jade didn't look at me. "You'll know it when you see it."
"Cryptic. Thanks."
"Shh," Ryu hissed.
He adjusted the comm in his ear. "Ryu checking in. Eyes on Akel's west docks. Movement looks heavy."
Static crackled.
Then Jade's voice came through, low and sharp. "Stay in position, sir. No heroics. We're here to observe until we get confirmation."
Ryu's mouth twitched. "You didn't need to report that to the base, princess."
Jade shot a glare that told she hated the word 'princess' and he knew.
The crates below glowed faintly—barely noticeable unless you were looking. But once you saw it, you couldn't unsee it. Veins of dark light pulsed under the wood like trapped lightning.
My chest went tight. "That's it, isn't it?"
Ryu's expression hardened. "Yeah. That's it."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing as one of the smugglers pried a crate open. Inside—glass cylinders, faintly glowing, humming like heartbeats. Not powder. Not tech. Pure raw energy.
"Boss," one of the men said, nervous. "They're humming again."
"Shut up and load it," growled the trench coat guy in charge—shaved head, scar across his jaw. He oozed authority, the kind that came from stepping on people.
Ryu muttered, "That's not just contraband. That's bottled dark energy. Shit…"
He reached for his comm again. "Commander Harlan—you're not gonna believe this. They're trafficking raw—"
Static. No voice.
He froze. Tried again. Nothing.
"Comms are jammed," Damian whispered.
And then—one of the men below looked up. Straight at us.
Our eyes met.
"Above!" he shouted.
Bullets screamed through the air.
The railing sparked as metal shredded beside me. I dropped flat, adrenaline flooding my veins.
"Shit!" I yelped, rolling onto my stomach.
Ryu was already moving, calm and definitely confident in his ability. He vaulted the railing like it was nothing, coat flaring behind him as he landed hard on a container.
"Cover's blown," he said, blade flashing into his hand.
The trench coat boss sneered. "Code Seven dog…"
"So they know us now," Ryu muttered. "Great, that makes this a lot easier for me."
I barely caught the blur of his movement before he was already in the middle of them. His blade cut through the first thug like lightning through paper. Electricity arced, dancing between bodies. The smell of ozone hit hard.
Screams. Gunfire. Chaos.
Damian jumped down beside him, gravity pulses flaring around his boots, bullets curving away midair before plummeting to the floor. Very convenient
Jade shimmered, vanishing completely.
And me? I was stuck ducking behind a crate, heart trying to claw out of my chest. 'You wanted to see real action, Ken. Congrats. You're living it.'
A gun went off near my ear. I flinched, firing blindly toward the flash. One guy dropped. My hands shook. I didn't even remember pulling the trigger.
Then came the real problem.
One of the glowing cylinders cracked.
The hum changed—deepened.
Everyone froze.
Then it broke.
The world went black and red at the same time as something thick and alive poured out. It hit the ground like liquid shadow, twisting, writhing, reshaping.
When it rose, it had claws. Teeth. Eyes that burned like coals.
"Perfect," Ryu said flatly. "Just perfect."