The sky was heavy that day. Gray. As if the world itself knew something was coming.
Kael, Selene, Daz, Ryo, and the others were gathered in the base's outdoor training area, perfecting their combined attacks. Rin created illusions to practice against ambushes, Eiko mapped out defensive tactics, and Lyon organized offensive formations. It was a time of harmony. Of true team building.
That's when the alarm sounded.
"Airborne intrusion identified. Threat level: unknown," the base's AI announced with a coldness that chilled everyone's blood.
Aria came running into the main hallway, pale.
— It's him… — he murmured. — HelionTech sent Ashen.
The name made the silence weigh heavier than the sky itself.
Ashen wasn't just a soldier. He was HelionTech's living blade. An old experiment, considered too unstable for ordinary missions. A fusion of machine and dark energy, with capabilities that rivaled the impossible.
Kael approached the screen that showed the aerial image: a figure shrouded in dark mist, with translucent armor pulsing red. His eyes were two crimson streaks that crossed his helmet like flaming scars.
"They sent a monster," Daz murmured, clenching his fists.
"Not a monster… a message," Selene corrected. "They know we're growing."
Ashen descended from the sky like a living shadow, opening a crater as he landed a few kilometers from the base. He didn't say a word. He simply stuck a black blade into the ground. From it, a dark pulse spread that made the earth tremble.
The forest around them withered. Animals fled. The sky brightened… but strangely. As if it were a false sun.
"He's calling us," Ryo said, his eyes wide.
"No. He's challenging us," Kael replied, feeling the solar energy in his body stir as if the sun itself was warning him: This enemy cannot be underestimated.
Aria crossed her arms, tense.
"Let's not face him yet. I want to study the vibration he left with that blade. If it's what I think… he didn't come just to fight. He came to plant something."
Kael looked out the window, where the echo of Ashen's presence still burned the horizon.
"Then let's get ready. Because whatever he planted… it will grow."