Red mist

Blue lightning crackled around Lucas as he hovered above the devastation, his enhanced senses taking in every detail of the two-horned Harbinger below. His body hummed with raw power, but the strain was already setting in – like molten metal being poured through his veins.

'Should have done this from the start,' he berated himself, watching Micah barely dodge another devastating strike. The wounds from his earlier battle with the single-horned Harbinger had healed in this awakened state, but the memory of his arrogance stung worse than any physical pain. 'Thought being S-ranked was enough. Stupid.'

Soul Awakening – the ultimate expression of an Alpha class's potential. While other awakened humans were categorized by generations, Alphas existed in their own league. Their cores possessed a second layer, a deeper well of power that, when tapped, could elevate them beyond normal human limitations. It's what made S-ranked soldiers like himself both revered and feared.