Hasta la vista, I'll be back.

Grayson had a powerful quake that made his body tremble uncontrollably as if something inside of him were trying to burst free. His red-lit eyes bucked and flashed once again. His suit pulsed erratically, sweeping through the air like a barely contained tempest, distorting space itself.

The crystal's encryption surged, moving faster than ever before

The arc reactors were powerful, too powerful. He had tried to harness their energy, but now, seeing Grayson like this, he knew he had failed.

The ground beneath them cracked from the energy output. Tson's HUD flickered warnings—dangerous power levels, increasing instability, potential spatial rupture. None of it mattered.

All that mattered was Grayson.

Tson took another step forward, heart hammering against his ribs.

"You can fight it," he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know you, Grayson. You're stronger than this."

Grayson's body spasmed again, the blue light fighting desperately to reassert itself against the raging crimson glow. His fingers twitched, his breath hitched—and for a brief moment, Tson thought he saw recognition flicker in his eyes.

Then Tson was flung backward by a startling burst of power. The breath left his lungs as he slammed against the far wall. Systems rushed to adjust, and sparks burst from his suit. His whole body shook as though two forces were fighting for control, and he pushed himself to get up in time to see Grayson gripping his head.

Grayson's face turned crimson, veins bulging as his suit reacted instinctively. The upper half swiftly extended over his eyes, while the lower portion wrapped around his face from his nose down to his chin, leaving only his forehead and hair exposed.

A fiery red glow pulsed through the suit as he rose to his feet. Rolling his shoulders, he twisted his body in a full 360-degree motion, pressing his knuckles together. His gaze was sharp and distant—utterly indifferent to Tson's words.

In an instant, he vanished. The next moment, he reappeared mid-strike, his fist colliding with Tson's chest before teleporting again—this time above him—delivering a devastating kick. Tson barely had time to raise his arms in defense, but it was useless. The sheer force sent him crashing to the ground, his back slamming against the earth.

Disoriented, Tson struggled to move, but the sight of Grayson striding toward him stole any hope of retaliation. A brutal kick to the head sent him spiraling into unconsciousness once more.

Tson's world blurred as he teetered on the edge of consciousness. His body felt weightless, his mind struggling to hold onto reality. The last thing he remembered was Grayson's overwhelming power—then nothing.

A sharp, stinging pain in his ribs forced him awake. He groaned, blinking rapidly as his HUD flickered back online. His vision swam before stabilizing, revealing the cracked floor beneath him. Smoke and sparks filled the air, the aftershock of Grayson's energy surge still lingering.

Slowly, he pushed himself onto his elbows, wincing at the ache in his limbs. His mind reeled, piecing together what had happened. Grayson. Where is he?

Tson's breath hitched as his eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of his brother. But the only thing left was the crystal—its glow now eerily steady, the crimson light gone.

A cold knot formed in his stomach. Grayson was missing.

"Grayson was gone. Where?" Tson could barely stand up with his torn body; he needed to get to Kevin now, not because he had forgotten about Grayson but because he needed to make sure he hadn't hurt his friend as much as he had his brother. If he turned into a machine zombie, the last he saw from him, he looked like someone drunk. Did his case worsen like Grayson's? Kevin was his first target.

When Tson reached the room where he had locked up his friend, Kevin was already standing there, staring at him.

"Tson, what the hell is going on here?"

Tson froze, surprised. "Ohhh, I was about to ask you the same thing."

But what truly shocked him was Kevin's appearance. He was wearing the Nexus suit—except for the mask. Unlike before, he seemed annoyed rather than enraged.

Tson stared at him, confused. How had Kevin suddenly snapped back to his senses? He glanced down at himself, trying to make sense of the situation, but that only seemed to anger Kevin more.

"What the funk is wrong with you?! What happened to me?!" Kevin demanded.

Tson took a breath and explained his perspective. The house alarm had gone off, and Kevin, thinking someone might need help, had broken in. But instead of finding anything, the alarm had suddenly shut off, and the next thing he knew, he blacked out.

Tson's mind raced, piecing things together. Then how did the Nexus suit merge with you? He thought it, but before he could say it out loud, Kevin spoke first.

"You found me wearing this, didn't you?" He looked down at the sleek white suit wrapped around his body.

"Yeah," Tson admitted, his voice somber. "And Grayson... I don't know where he went. But if you came back to your senses, maybe there's hope for him too."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Ohhh... uhhh, you are going to let me out, right? Otherwise, I can't really help you, can I?"

Tson sighed. "Right."

They found Grayson.

They found Grayson. Tson ran to him, but the man just stood there, in the hall, confused and disoriented. He glanced down at his hands, lost in his own mind.

 Tson quickly gave an order. Sentinel, scan him.

 Brain damage detected. Repairing… Repairing…

 Tson clenched his jaw. Damn. His thoughts drifted back to the time he had carefully drawn spinal fluid from his own back, placing it into the arc reactors. Back then, he never imagined it would be the key to helping Grayson recover.

 Kevin let out a thoughtful hum, catching Tson's attention. What? Tson asked, but his focus quickly shifted to the flickering lights on the monitor.

 Kevin, keep an eye on Grayson for me, he ordered. Don't get too close. Just make sure he doesn't go anywhere.

 Leaving Kevin to his task, Tson made his way to the monitor.

 They moved deeper into the facility, back to where it all began—where Tson had conducted his experiments. Everything was coming back online. He quickly checked the arc reactors, scanning for any discrepancies. That's when he noticed two of them lying on the floor.

 He did a quick count: he, Kevin, and Grayson accounted for three reactors. But one was missing.

 His eyes darted to the prototype. Prime was gone.

 When he turned to the monitor, a message was scrawled across the screen:

 Hasta la vista. I'll be back.

A moment later, the system returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.