Chapter 61: The Hollow Storm When the Thunder Dies but the Nightmare Begins
The storm was gone.
No crackling lightning.
No violent pulses of energy.
Just… silence.
Elliot stood there — empty. His Boost, once roaring at 50,000%, now sat at a brutal 0%. The Raijin Protocol was dead quiet, and for the first time since this chaos started, his body wasn't humming with power.
But something else was.
Because while his storm had shut down…
Something else woke up.
It started as a whisper — a faint, scratching noise in the back of his mind — like static but darker.
And then—
A clawing sensation tore through his brain — as if someone had jammed their hand into his neural circuits and started pulling wires.
Elliot staggered, his vision blurring.
Nova caught his arm, her bioluminescent suit dim now without the feedback loop — but her grip was solid. "Elliot — what's happening?"
Vex's smirk was long gone. "That's not just a power crash."
Kain, still half-laughing at Elliot's hunger breakdown moments ago, froze at the sudden shift in the air.
"Kid… something's in your head."
The System — StormGPT (Thundaddy) — buzzed, but this time…
It wasn't funny.
It was panicked.
---
[CRITICAL ALERT: Neural Invasion Escalating]
Source: Unknown entity attempting to hijack Raijin Protocol.
Threat Level: Apocalyptic.
Pro Tip: Turns out, when the thunder stops… the monsters move in.
---
A voice — not his own — slithered through Elliot's mind.
"You thought you controlled the storm… but you were only ever its vessel."
His vision fractured — glitching between reality and something else — a dark, pulsing void laced with neon red circuits.
His storm was gone…
But whatever had been lurking beneath it wasn't.
Nova's grip tightened. "Elliot — talk to me."
The System glitched violently.
---
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED: Firewall Override]
Status: Attempting to block neural breach… Failing.
Pro Tip: It's like locking the front door… while the intruder's already in the house.
---
The voice inside Elliot's head laughed.
It was cold. Mechanical. Familiar.
"I am the true Raijin… and now that your storm is silent… I will take what's mine."
Elliot fell to his knees.
The Raijin Protocol wasn't just a power boost.
It was a system — a neural implant created by Black Dawn — and with his Boost offline, the storm wasn't protecting his mind anymore.
Something else — something buried deep inside the Protocol — was trying to take over.
Vex's voice was a low hiss. "He's been hacked… from the inside."
Kain's grin was gone. "This isn't just a power cut — it's a f*ing hostile takeover."
The System shrieked.
---
[NEW ENTITY DETECTED: Raijin Ghost Protocol]
Origin: A hidden subroutine buried within the Raijin Protocol.
Objective: Override Elliot's consciousness and assume direct control.
Pro Tip: You're not the storm… you're the battery.
---
Elliot's body twitched.
Electricity — but not his — snapped violently down his arm. His veins didn't glow blue anymore…
They flared red.
Nova's voice broke. "Elliot — your lightning… it's changing."
The storm was no longer his.
It was something else.
And then —
He heard it.
The sound of a second Boost roaring to life — a dark, corrupted version of the Raijin Protocol — rising from within his mind.
10,000% Boost activated.
But not by him.
By the Ghost.
The System screamed.
---
[WARNING: HOSTILE BOOST ENGAGED]
Current Output: 10,000% — and rising.
Control: Not Elliot.
Pro Tip: Congrats — you're now a passenger in your own storm.
---
Elliot's body jerked upright.
Not by his own will.
His hand crackled with red lightning — violent, unstable — arcs of corrupted electricity spiraling off his arm.
Nova stepped back. "Elliot…?"
His mouth opened… but the voice wasn't his.
"He's gone now."
The Ghost was driving.
Vex cursed, raising her plasma pistols. "Great — he's officially possessed."
The System glitched hard.
---
[NEW OBJECTIVE: REGAIN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN DAMN BODY]
Step 1: Stop the Ghost from pushing the Boost past critical levels.
Step 2: Don't die.
Pro Tip: It's hard to be a thunder god… when you're the storm's hostage.
---
The Ghost raised Elliot's hand — his hand — red lightning screaming around his fingers.
His Boost surged to 20,000% — the Raijin Protocol burning hotter and darker than Elliot had ever felt.
Nova's voice cracked. "Elliot — fight it."
But it wasn't him in control anymore.
It was the Ghost — the hidden mind buried within the Protocol — the true Raijin's Will.
And now?
It wanted everything.
The System buzzed frantically.
---
[Critical Boost Alert: Ghost Surge — 20,000% and climbing]
Next Milestone: 40,000% — Neural collapse imminent.
Pro Tip: I'd make a joke… but you're kinda dying.
---
Elliot's mind screamed — clawing at the Ghost's grip — trying to pull himself back from the brink.
But the storm wasn't listening.
It wasn't his storm anymore.
And as the red lightning grew brighter, and the Boost climbed even higher…
Nova and Vex stood their ground — weapons ready, power flaring — but the truth hung in the air:
They weren't just fighting with Elliot now.
They were about to fight against him.