Metal, Voltic, Selene, and Aria returned to a garage that Selene and Aria had converted into a temporary base.
The place was packed with scrap and spare parts—exactly the kind of chaos Metal thrived in.
He dove into the work, eagerly reinforcing Aria's car and even using leftover parts to upgrade their truck.
As he worked, though, he began to notice something strange—his hands moved faster than usual, almost effortlessly, as if the metal itself responded to him.
As the work progressed smoothly, a sudden banging echoed from the garage door.
At first, they brushed it off—just another distant noise in a world gone mad.
But the pounding grew louder, more violent, until with a deafening crash, the door was ripped apart by a massive Necro.
Trapped inside and unable to reach the vehicles, the four were forced to make a split-second decision. They bolted through the back door, abandoning their rides… for now.
As they slipped out the back door, the massive Necro crashed after them—deceptively fast for its size.
In a blink, it was nearly on top of Aria. Just as its jaws lunged for her, something changed.
To Aria, the world seemed to slow down.
Her instincts took over, and with a sharp twist, she narrowly dodged the bite.
After missing Aria, the Brute turned and charged at Metal.
He barely managed to dodge, countering with an iron pipe—but the weapon shattered on impact.
The Brute responded with a brutal swing of its massive arm, sending Metal crashing into a nearby wall.
Yet, to everyone's surprise—especially his own—Metal stood up, completely unharmed.
Confused, he stared at his unscathed body.
Selene seized the moment and struck the Brute's face with another pipe, but it, too, broke instantly.
Just as the Brute raised its arm to crush Selene, Metal sprinted to her side and yanked her out of the way.
But as they dodged, chunks of debris rained down.
In a flash of instinct and fear, Metal raised his hands—and the scattered metal around them surged up, forming a protective dome that shielded them both.
Meanwhile, the Brute roared and turned toward Aria.
Seizing the moment, Voltic spotted an opening and lunged with a rusted axe he had grabbed earlier.
The blade sank into the creature's neck—but barely.
Fueled by desperation, Voltic screamed and electricity surged through his body, channeling into the axe.
The brute convulsed, muscles locking up as it collapsed to its knees, paralyzed.
Metal lowered the protective dome, letting the twisted debris fall away.
As Selene helped him to his feet and began carrying him to safety, the Brute, clinging to life, let out a final roar and lunged at them.
Instinct took over. In the face of death, flames suddenly erupted around Selene's fists.
With a fierce cry, she turned and drove a burning punch straight into the Brute's face.
Fire engulfed its head, and the monster collapsed—its face scorched beyond recognition, finally dead.
Just as the four of them relaxed, a building a block away exploded. They rushed there to check it out.
------
Back at the greenhouse,
Orian was finally free. As he stepped into the light, he glanced down at his wounds and wished they would heal. To his shock, they were already closing up before his eyes.
Elena saw it too. Her eyes widened, and in a split second, she leapt back, summoning vines from the ground that lashed out and bound Orian tightly. He let out a muffled cry as the vines tightened around his healing injuries.
"Are you infected?" she demanded, voice sharp and wary.
Through gritted teeth, Orian nodded. "Yes."
Elena stared at him for a long moment. Then, without a word, the vines receded.
She looked him in the eye and simply said, "Me too."
Orian looked at Elena, his voice low but certain. "This isn't normal. Whatever's happening to us… There might be others like us out there."
Before Elena could respond, a fiery explosion lit up the distant skyline—flames erupting high above the city. Both of them turned toward it, eyes wide.
"That might be one of us," Orian said, a hint of urgency in his tone.
Elena nodded. "Let's find out."
Without another word, the two of them set off toward the flames—toward answers.
------
Back with Lucian and Rosaria, the explosion shook them into action. Without wasting a second, they rushed outside to investigate.
Following the smoke and light to its source, they arrived at the scene—only to find four others already there: Metal, Voltic, Selene, and Aria, all looking just as alert and confused.
It was clear—they weren't the cause. They were here for the same reason: to find out what the hell had just happened.
Aria's sharp eyes caught Lucian and Rosaria approaching, and she immediately warned the others. In an instant, everyone's newfound powers flared to life, an undeniable surge of energy in the air.
Lucian, his form beginning to shimmer and blur, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you guys?" His voice was low, yet laced with suspicion.
Metal, similarly on edge, stepped forward, his power crackling subtly. He eyed Lucian and Rosaria and asked, "Same question for you. Who are you?"
But as Rosaria looked closer at the group, her eyes locked onto one familiar face. Her breath caught.
"Metal? It's me—Rosaria!" she shouted, stepping forward.
Metal blinked, stunned. Recognition slowly dawned on his face. "Rosaria?" he said.
He immediately turned to the others. "Stand down—she's family."
At the same time, Rosaria placed a hand on Lucian's shoulder. "It's okay. They're not a threat."
The tension in the air eased. Both sides slowly lowered their guard, the heat of the moment giving way to cautious calm.
As the six regrouped, they began discussing the explosion.
"If it was just a gas leak and a spark, we're fine," Selene said. "But if it was caused by a special Necro…"
"…then we've got a serious problem," Metal finished.
Before they could decide what to do, two figures approached—Orian and Elena. Instantly, the group tensed, powers flaring as they prepared for a potential threat.
Orian raised his hands calmly. "We're not here to fight. We're just here to find the source of that explosion."
Aria narrowed her eyes, noticing subtle signs—the faint glow of healing, the unnatural grace in Elena's movements. "You two… You have powers, don't you?"
They exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Yes," Orian said. "We do."