The cold dawn seeped into the tunnels, casting long shadows on cracked concrete and rusty pipes. The hideout hummed with quiet activity. New recruits trained, sharpened weapons, whispered plans. Jaden sat alone, staring at the faint glow of his Lock System, wrestling with the weight of command.
Then came the warning.
Static buzzed through the comm. Tess's voice was sharp. "Knightley, Resistance forces incoming. Heavy. They're not here to talk."
Jaden's heart sank.
The Resistance. The very people who had branded him a traitor. Now, they were hunting him.
They wanted him dead.
He gathered his team, faces taut with tension.
"No negotiations," Jaden said, voice low. "They want a fight. We'll give them one."
Outside the tunnels, the Resistance force moved like a storm—armed, disciplined, ruthless. They surrounded the hideout's entrance with precision.
Jaden stepped forward alone, hands raised.
"Cole," he called.
A shadow moved in the smoke. Cole stepped out, eyes cold and hard, but something was different—an eerie glow pulsed beneath his skin, veins darkening with strange energy. His presence radiated power far beyond anything Jaden had seen.
"You betrayed us, Knightley. Went rogue. We're here to end this," Cole said, voice low but charged with energy.
Before Jaden could react, Cole's aura flared violently—a shockwave of force that slammed into Jaden, knocking him off his feet. Jaden scrambled up, activating Phase Trigger, slipping briefly into intangibility, but Cole's power bent reality itself, tearing through his defense.
The two clashed fiercely—blade against knife, strength against skill—but Cole's awakened power was overwhelming. Each strike sent ripples through the air, and Jaden could feel the sheer force crushing him.
Pinned beneath Cole's grasp, Jaden gasped, desperation rising.
In the chaos, Lena appeared, firing a pulse rifle straight into Cole's side. The blast staggered him just enough.
"Run, Jaden!" Lena shouted.
Jaden didn't hesitate. Using the momentary distraction, he twisted sharply, slipping free from Cole's grip.
He darted into the shadows of the tunnels.
Behind him, a scream tore through the air.
"Lena!"
Jaden glanced back, horror rooting him in place.
Cole's eyes burned with fury as he raised his blade.
Lena fell, lifeless.
Jaden's breath caught in his throat. The first human life lost—and it was someone who had saved him.
Beside him, Tess pulled him forward. "We have to go! Now!"
Jaden nodded, swallowing the pain.
As they fled deeper into the tunnels, Jaden's mind raced.
Cole's power wasn't just awakened—it was beyond anything Jaden had faced.
If Cole had this strength now…
There were others like him. People far stronger.
With enough time, they would overpower him.
And then he would be powerless again.
Later, in the dim safety of their hideout, Jaden clenched his fists.
The Lock System pulsed quietly, but inside him, a new fire burned hotter than ever.
He would grow stronger.
He would learn to kill when necessary.
He would never lose someone like Lena again.
And one day, he would make Cole—and the entire Resistance—pay.