Chapter 78: The Eye of the Storm When Raijin Awakens and the Hunt Begins
The Stormchaser tore through the neon-drenched streets of Nexus-9 — plasma engines howling as sparks spat from its damaged frame. The wreckage of Black Dawn's lab faded into the distance behind them, but the storm…
The storm came with them.
Blue lightning snapped and spiraled off Elliot's arms, his Boost locked at 400% — the Raijin Protocol a roaring cyclone beneath his skin. The storm wasn't just wild anymore — it was waiting. Controlled. Calculated.
And something else.
Listening.
Because someone — whoever built this Protocol — had just spoken through the broken lab's speakers.
They didn't call him Elliot.
They called him Raijin.
And the storm inside him knew that name.
It didn't fight it.
It embraced it.
---
"MISSION UPDATE: IDENTIFY THE ENEMY"
New Objective: Trace the voice that called you Raijin.
Data Core: Secured — contains encrypted Raijin Protocol origins.
Pro Tip: You're not just a weapon anymore — you're a loaded storm aimed at whoever pulled the trigger.
---
Kain's hands were a blur over the Stormchaser's console — rerouting the hacked security feeds from Black Dawn's network — his face no longer laughing.
The viral chaos was gone.
This was different.
"Who the hell was that?" Kain muttered, his fingers flying across the screen. "They hijacked the lab's dark grid — whoever it was… they wanted you to hear them, bro."
Vex, still twirling her plasma blade in the passenger seat, arched a brow. "And they knew exactly what to call you."
Elliot's jaw tightened. "Raijin."
The name felt… right.
And that scared him.
Because it wasn't his.
It was the storm's.
Nova, her suit still crackling with static from the feedback loop, spoke without looking at him. "We need to crack that data core — fast."
The storm between them — the invisible thread linking Elliot's Boost to Nova's storm — flared again. Every time his pulse quickened, her suit snapped with white-hot static.
The more he surged, the more she did.
Like they weren't two storms anymore.
They were one.
Elliot's voice was rough. "We have a name. Now we find the one who said it."
Thundaddy, for once, didn't scream a meme.
Instead, his voice dropped into a dangerous hum.
---
"TRACE INITIATED."
"MATCH FOUND: Unknown AI Signature — Encrypted under designation: RAIJIN PRIME."
Location: Moving target — Nexus-9 dark grid.
Threat Level: Severe.
Pro Tip: You're not the only storm they made.
---
Nova's glowing eyes snapped to Elliot. "Raijin… Prime?"
Vex's grin sharpened. "Sounds like a sequel."
Kain's voice wavered. "Bro… what if you're not the only Raijin?"
The storm inside Elliot growled.
Not a wild roar — but a slow, steady pulse of thunder in his veins.
Like the Protocol wasn't just alive…
It was connected to something bigger.
Someone bigger.
Thundaddy's voice returned — half giddy, half deadly serious.
---
"CONGRATULATIONS, ELLIOT!"
"YOU'RE NO LONGER JUST A WEAPON…"
"YOU'RE PART OF A STORM NETWORK."
Raijin Prime: Designated as Protocol Origin.
Raijin Subsets: Active — Elliot detected as "Raijin-02."
Pro Tip: You're not the first storm… you're just the loudest.
---
Silence.
Even Kain didn't laugh.
Nova's voice was ice. "There's more than one of you."
Vex smirked. "Guess you're not as unique as you thought, Thunder Snacks."
Elliot's Boost flared to 410% — the Raijin Protocol pulsing in sync with the data Thundaddy revealed.
Because somewhere out there…
Was Raijin Prime.
The first storm.
The original prototype.
And Elliot wasn't their only creation.
He was just part of a bigger, darker experiment.
And now…
He was connected to all of them.
---
BEEP.
Kain's console flashed again — a trace lock-on — the dark grid pinging back a signal.
"I got a hit!" Kain shouted. "Raijin Prime's signal just jumped nodes — they're moving through the Nexus-9 dark grid, but I've tracked their exit point."
Nova's suit snapped with static. "Where are they?"
Kain's face paled.
He slowly turned the holopad for everyone to see the blinking map.
A red marker pulsed on the screen.
Right over a glowing district deep in the heart of Nexus-9.
The Spire Syndicate's HQ.
Vex whistled low. "Of course it's them."
Nova's jaw tightened. "They were funding Black Dawn's AI experiments — it makes sense they'd be tied to Raijin Prime."
Elliot's Boost growled louder — 420% now — the storm responding to the name like a wild animal that just caught a scent.
"We go in," Elliot said, his voice rough. "We find Prime. We end this."
Kain shifted uneasily. "Bro… the Spire Syndicate isn't just a lab — it's a fortress. We can't just sing our way through the front door."
Vex smirked. "Why not? It worked last time."
Nova's storm flared hotter — feeding off Elliot's Boost through the feedback loop — sending sharp bursts of static into the air.
"We're not here to perform — we're here to end this."
Elliot's storm pulsed again — the Raijin Protocol humming louder as if hearing its own name through the dark grid.
Thundaddy buzzed.
---
"MISSION UPDATED: INFILTRATE THE SPIRE SYNDICATE."
Primary Objective: Locate Raijin Prime.
Secondary Objective: Neutralize any connected Protocols.
Pro Tip: You're not a weapon anymore — you're a rogue storm.
---
Elliot's Boost hit 430% — his storm now a silent inferno waiting to explode.
He didn't care about the viral fame.
The world tour.
The chaos.
He only cared about one thing.
Finding Raijin Prime.
And making the people who built this storm…
Pay.