BEAUTIFUL

Gunfire and explosions tore through the streets of Arkadia-7. The air reeked of scorched metal and blood, a symphony of destruction playing on repeat.

The Clan had been fighting for what felt like hours, their bodies worn, their breath ragged. And yet, the Government's forces never ceased.

Drones streaked overhead, scanning, targeting. Enforcers moved with mechanical precision, their glowing visors slicing through the smoke. No matter how many the Clan cut down, more took their place.

It wasn't a battle—it was a slow, torturing erasure.

Blaze ducked behind a crumbling barricade, panting. "We can't hold this forever! They're not fighting to win. They wanna wear us down!"

"Then we don't let them! Keep moving!" Razor fired a pulse round, taking down an enforcer in a shower of sparks.

Cipher worked furiously from behind cover, hacking into a downed drone's interface. "I can disrupt their comms, but it's temporary. We need an exit. Fast."

Flux moved through the chaos like a ghost, every motion instinctive, every kill effortless. His AI hummed beneath his skin, syncing with the battle. The fight was feeding something inside him, something deep and hungry.

His reflexes sharpened and his strength surged. His body moving faster, hitting harder than before.

But it wasn't just his body. His mind felt different too. Detached.

Purple static flickered around his fingers, crackling like an unseen storm. His eyes—just for a second—shifted from their usual hue to an electric violet, flashing between human and... something else.

He crushed an enforcer's arm with ease, the metal buckling under his grip. The soldier screamed before Flux silenced him with a precise strike to the head. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts. Only efficiency.

Too easy.

A drone locked onto him. His muscles tensed. Before he even thought to move, his body reacted—dodging at an unnatural speed, countering with a plasma blade that split the drone in two.

Shade caught sight of him, eyes narrowing. "Flux—what the fuck was that?"

Flux blinked, his breath heavy. His fingers twitched, still pulsing with energy. "Nothing. Just...just keeping up."

But Shade wasn't convinced. Well, neither was Flux. Something is wrong.

The battle wasn't just pushing him—it was changing him.

A sudden shift in the air sent a chill down his spine. He wasn't the only one feeling it. The drones paused, recalibrating. The enforcers straightened, their movements sharpening into perfect synchronization.

And then, the battlefield grew silent.

A figure emerged from the smoke.

Myst.

She walked with an unnatural stillness, her presence like static on the edge of reality. The moment her foot touched the ground, the Government's forces reacted. Drones hovering in a perfect arc, enforcers falling into formation. But they didn't attack.

It's as if they were waiting.

Nyx cursed under his breath. "Shit."

The Clan tensed, their weapons raised, but none of them fired. A thick, unspoken hesitation hung between them. This wasn't just another enemy—this was Myst. The one they had come to save.

Echo's grip on his rifle tightened. "Myst. We can end this now."

But no one spoke. Not even Flux.

Myst's gaze swept over the battlefield, her expression unreadable. Flux felt it again. That pull. That connection. His AI pulsed wildly, recognizing her—resonating with her.

Then, finally, her eyes met Flux's.

For a moment, nothing else existed.

Then she smirked, tilting her head slightly. Her voice was smooth, mocking. "I heard everybody's looking for me."

The tension snapped like a wire pulled too tight. The battle was far from over.