Save this book like a hidden cupcake—sweet surprises await!
High above Emberfield's rooftops, Soren Wolfe floated like judgment incarnate.Moonlight kissed the edge of his silver hair, his Judicator's cloak billowing in weightless defiance.
Below him: a blood-slicked alley.Two bodies crumpled like discarded toys.A girl in a hoodie, eyes locked on him, didn't flinch.
Too still. Too calm. Too... wrong.
He scoffed—and vanished. A comet of silver streaked across the night sky.
Moments later, he landed on a wooded ridge outside town. The trees whispered secrets only the wind understood.Soren peeled off his gloves with clinical ease and activated his wrist interface.
[Vitalis Surge detected in Blackridge County.][Callan Wolfe is on-site. Brooks and Haven are moving in tandem.]
His jaw tightened.
Fourth time. Fourth.
He'd just left Blackridge, chasing a ghost named Ezekiel Grimm—traitor, killer, Psi-class legend.Then came the summon: Abort chase. Head to Emberfield. Eliminate Infernal-class before sundown.He complied.
And the second he left?
Boom. Nine Source flares light up Blackridge.
Coincidence? Not a chance.Someone was yanking his leash.
A premonition from a Trait-class? Maybe.Or maybe this was an inside job.One of the family's own, rerouting him on purpose.
His smirk turned glacial.
Once could be bad luck.Four times? That was war.
Fine. Let them play.From here on out, he played solo.
Meanwhile, Avery Blake was sprinting across Emberfield's edge like a hoodie-wearing lightning bolt.
"LUSTRA, I just turned two dudes into human puzzles. Self-defense, obviously. So... what's the legal protocol for a newborn Esper?"
[Uploading local codes… Complete.]
A neural info-bomb detonated in her brain.
"Jesus. If this is Beta Mode, Full Release better come with dental and stock options."
[⚠️ Warning: Ego Boost Detected. Adjusting AI humility index: -5%.]
"Smug little toaster," she muttered.
The download confirmed: killing attackers during Awakening wasn't a crime, if reported to the Public Safety Bureau within 24 hours.
She yanked up her hoodie, hiding the drying blood."LUSTRA, take me to PSB."
[Generating route…]
A mini-map lit up her retina.Four blocks. Blue-gray building. Big glowing arrow.
[⚠️ ALERT: Live Combat Detected!]
The map blared red.Then—
BOOM.
A quake of sound. The sky above her lit up like Judgment Day.
Two titans hovered midair—giants carved from power and nightmare.
One was armored in sleek black, masked, his palms spinning a storm of fire and ice.
The other—shirtless, howling, red aura blazing like a furnace.Muscles the size of small cars. Voice like two trains crashing.
"Middle-rank trash like you dares challenge me?!"
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Clouds detonated. Street signs exploded. Windows imploded.
Avery stumbled into a doorway, mouth ajar."Is this... is this real life?"
Across the street, a boy clutched his dad's hand."Daddy, is that the Iceflame Judicator?"
"Shh!" the man hissed. "Never point at a Judicator."
"The red guy's from Hidden Gate, right?"
"Yeah. Infernal-class. Peak Mid-Rank. Get down!"
Avery's heartbeat synced with the thunder above.
Hidden Gate—underground Esper mafia.Judicators—elite PSB executioners.
The fight escalated. The Judicator compressed his vortex into a single blade of light.
A sword of fire and frost.
"COME ON!" the Infernal-class bellowed.
His body swelled. His skin split.He launched forward like a cannonball.
Then—flicker.
He paused midair.
Too late.
The Judicator blinked behind him.
SLASH.
Light cleaved flesh.Red mist painted the skyline.
Two halves of a body spiraled in opposite directions.
Blood rained like confetti.
Avery doubled over and dry-heaved into a bush.This wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
She'd killed two men tonight, sure. But this?
This was clinical. Unapologetic. Spectacularly final.
"Who the hell said 'you get used to it if you throw up enough'? I want a refund. And a bucket."
[⚠️ Judicator signature within 100 meters.][Recommendation: Do not puke on his boots.]
Great. If I puke on his boots, will he slice me in half or offer a mint?