The silence of the night was shattered by a thunderous BOOM.

  Hiruzen, Emma, and Jonathan bolted upright as fire lit up the sky in the distance—south sector.

  Hiruzen: "That explosion… it came from the southern labs!"

  Emma (gritting her teeth): “Let’s move! Someone could be hurt!”

  Jonathan (already running): “Let’s just pray we’re not too late!”

  South Sector – 12:19 a.m.

  The trio skidded to a halt, breath catching in their throats. The once-quiet research block was now engulfed in flames, thick smoke curling up into the night sky. Glass crunched beneath their feet as flickers of flame lit the charred edges of the nearby buildings.

  Jonathan (covering his mouth): “What the hell is going on? This ain’t normal fire—it’s spreading too fast. Someone’s behind this!”

  Emma (wiping sweat from her brow): “Hiruzen, can you do something?”

  Hiruzen (already kneeling): “On it.”

  Placing both palms against the scorched floor, his arms pulsed blue. Ice shot outward in every direction, flash-freezing large swaths of fire in jagged crystalline spires.

  But before the team could breathe, a sudden pulse of heat exploded from within the ice, shattering it in a fiery blast. A figure emerged from the swirling smoke, shirtless, tattooed, with glowing red lines crawling across his body like molten veins.

  ???: “Hey now… what’s with the chilly welcome? Took me all night to get that fire looking good.”

  Emma (eyes narrowing): “Hostile confirmed. Take him down, fast!”

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  In a burst of light, Emma vanished from sight and reappeared mid-air, slamming a glowing kick into the stranger’s chest. He was launched across the hallway, crashing through debris.

  Emma (landing): “Hiruzen, cut him off! Jonathan, left flank!”

  Hiruzen: “Let’s box him in!”

  Jonathan: “Finally—some real action!”

  They closed in, forming a triangle around the man, who slowly stood, cracking his neck.

  ???: “Damn, you guys hit hard. At least let me introduce myself before trying to kill me.”

  He grinned. “Name’s Liam. I blow stuff up. What’s your talent, huh?”

  But before he could even blink, Jonathan surged forward, moving faster with every step as kinetic energy built in his limbs.

  Jonathan: “My talent? Kicking your ass!”

  He vanished in a flash and reappeared behind Liam with a punch, but—

  Liam spun, catching Jonathan’s wrist, and pressed his palm to Jonathan’s gut.

  Liam (smirking): “Boom.”

  A small shock explosion detonated at point-blank, sending Jonathan flying backwards through a wall.

  Emma (horrified): “JONATHAN!”

  But Liam turned just in time to see Hiruzen’s ice spear flying toward him. He dodged—barely—catching the side of his shoulder.

  Liam (grimacing): “Tch. Not bad. You kids might actually be fun.”

  His tattoos glowed brighter. Flames burst from his palms as he detonated the air around him, using the shockwaves to launch himself into the sky.

  Hiruzen: “He’s trying to escape!”

  Emma: “No, he’s repositioning for another blast—he’s charging something!”

  From the rubble, Jonathan rose slowly, coughing.

  Jonathan (breathing hard): “Alright... playtime’s over.”

  He kicked off the ground, zig-zagging at insane speeds, building up more and more kinetic charge.

  Jonathan (to himself): “Keep moving… charge to 75%... just gotta get one good hit.”

  Above them, Liam began glowing brighter than before. The very air crackled around him.

  Liam (hovering): “Let’s test how strong Chikara’s elites really are!”

  Emma (yelling): “HIRUZEN! NOW!”

  Hiruzen (chanting): “Glacial Surge: Arctic Bind!”

  He slammed both fists into the ground, and frozen chains of ice erupted like snakes, latching onto Liam mid-air, trying to suppress his power.

  Liam (roaring): “I DON’T THINK SO!!!”

  With a massive explosion, he shattered the restraints, but the brief delay was all Jonathan needed.

  Jonathan (grinning): “Tag, you're it!”

  He zipped forward, charging through the explosion with his body glowing blue, fist drawn back.

  Jonathan: “Kinetic Release—75%!!!”

  He collided with Liam’s chest, unleashing the stored energy in a blinding detonation. The shockwave cracked nearby windows, extinguished nearby fires, and sent Liam crashing into the cratered pavement.

  Emma landed beside them, panting. Her hands glowed, ready to fire more light beams.

  Emma: “Is it… is he down?”

  Liam groaned, barely conscious, his body twitching and smoking.

  Liam (coughing): “Heh… I was just a distraction anyway…”

  Hiruzen (freezing him in place): “We’ll take that as a confession.”

  Jonathan (falling on his butt, exhausted): “Whew… Ice him up good, man. I don’t want that bastard blowing up in my sleep.”

  Hiruzen nodded, encasing Liam in a layer of thick frost, locking him down completely.

  Emma: “That explosion... It wasn't just for chaos. He was destroying something.”

  Hiruzen (grim): “We need to report this. He said he was only the distraction. That means—”

  Jonathan (serious now): “Something bigger’s coming.”

  End Chapter