Alex did not want to go home.
The day hadn't exhausted his body. His mind was the problem. The streets of the megacity felt narrower than they should have, buildings crowding inward, faces lingering too long.
No one knew.
No one could know.
Not the academy. Not the government. Not Milo. Not Sera.
The void stayed with him regardless.
He left the city behind and climbed the skeleton of an abandoned tower. Wind tore at his coat, sharp and cold. He didn't slow as he reached the edge.
Alex focused.
Ascension activated.
Pressure coiled along his spine. Energy gathered, tight and controlled.
Wings unfolded.
Not fully physical. Golden, spectral, unstable at the edges. They caught the air anyway.
Alex stepped forward.
The fall lasted less than a second.
Then the wings held.
The city dropped away beneath him. Tempus softened perception just enough to correct his angle. Lux steadied the strain in his muscles. Chaos pressed at the edges, restrained but present.
He flew until the lights vanished.
— — —
The forest beyond the megacity was already ruined.
Broken roads cut through twisted trees. Collapsed structures lay half-swallowed by moss and shadow. The air carried a faint distortion that never fully settled.
Alex landed without sound.
Movement flickered between the trees.
A wolf-shaped figure detached from the darkness. Its outline jittered, half a step out of phase with reality.
[ ENEMY DETECTED ]
Shadow Wold
Threat: 1
Existence: 1
Karma: 0
Alex raised his spear.
The creature lunged.
Tempus tugged at the moment before impact. Alex sidestepped and thrust.
The spear passed through empty air.
The wolf twisted, claws tearing stone where his leg had been.
Intangible.
Alex adjusted his timing.
When the creature solidified again, he fired.
Orionis Sagitta cut through the clearing. The impact staggered the wolf, shadow bleeding away in thin wisps.
More movement.
Two additional wolves emerged, circling wider now.
Alex didn't speak.
Chaos pressed harder, urging speed, urging excess. He bled only a fraction into his movement—just enough to break pattern.
One feinted. One lunged.
Alex let his footing slip.
Steel pierced shadow.
Lux held his balance when the ground failed. Tempus let him pull free before the counterstrike landed.
Moments later, the forest stilled.
The wolves unraveled into nothing.
Alex dropped to one knee. His breathing remained controlled. His hands did not.
The system responded.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Void Entities Slain: Shadow Wolves ×3
Void Scale: 1–1–1
Elimination Credit: Full
Silence returned.
Alex stood slowly. His wings folded back into nothing. His gaze tracked the treeline, already searching for movement that hadn't revealed itself yet.
This wasn't enough.
Not even close.
— — —
A shadow detached itself from the air above him.
Something winged. Larger. Faster.
[ ENEMY DETECTED ]
Flying Lizard
Threat: 2
Existence: 0
Karma: 0
Alex looked up.
And realized he had stayed too long.