Days passed since the battle with Hammerstrike.
The city was still recovering — but for Kael and the others, there was no time for rest.
High above the skyline, atop a hidden rooftop training ground, the team had gathered.
Kael stood in the center, fists clenched, breath steady. Beside him, Veyra's crystalline aura flickered — unstable, struggling to break free. Across from them, Orion cracked his knuckles, and Lyra spun her twin blades in smooth arcs.
A faint wind blew.
"Again," Kael said quietly.
Orion lunged first — fists wrapped in cosmic force. Kael met the strike head-on, the impact sending ripples across the ground.
Veyra moved next — a sharp kick laced with crimson flame. Lyra countered with a fluid dodge, blades humming as they swept through the air.
For hours they sparred, pushing past exhaustion, testing the limits of their strength.
Veyra's strikes grew fiercer — flashes of deeper power erupting with each motion. Sparks of crystalline energy danced around her.
She stumbled slightly, clutching her chest.
"…It's happening again," she whispered. "That power… it's trying to break out."
Kael stepped toward her, concern in his eyes.
Before he could speak — a sudden chill washed over him.
Something — someone — stood beside him. A presence vast, unknowable… yet calm.
Kael's gaze darted to the side — but there was no one there. Only empty air.
Still… he felt it. A force beyond comprehension. Watching. Guiding.
(Unknown to him — One-Thought had momentarily manifested, observing the young warriors in silence.)
Meanwhile — deep below the surface, Zevak sat hunched over a glowing console in his underground lab.
Dozens of holographic screens floated before him — all displaying fragments of Hammerstrike's design.
"Who built you…" Zevak muttered. "This wasn't random."
Data patterns scrolled faster and faster — but each line pointed to something deeper, older… beyond anything native to this dimension.
Suddenly, Zevak's eyes widened.
A faint signature. A foreign code — laced with an energy source older than recorded time.
"This wasn't just a machine…" he whispered. "It was sent… by something greater."
He tapped his comm.
"Kael, Veyra — we need to talk soon. I've found something."
That night, as the team regrouped at their hidden base, a shared sense of urgency hung in the air.
The battle was only beginning. Stronger foes would come. They could all feel it.
And unseen in the vast dark beyond, Nullframe stood in the void — taking silent orders from his unseen master.
"Phase One failed," the machine spoke, voice hollow. "Deploying next."
The shadows shifted — a silent command given.
Nullframe's gaze narrowed.
"Ecliphaze will not fail."
TO BE CONTINUED…