Panic tore through the entire hall. Students screamed. Loud, sharp. Some ran without looking back. Some froze, stuck in place. Others grabbed their friends and pulled. Desks and chairs scraped across the floor. Some tables flipped. Footsteps pounded against tile. It was brimming with chaos.
Instructors were shouting, trying to guide the students out, but no one was listening. Most just wanted to survive.
Then Marius stepped forward.
He walked, slow and steady. The sound of his cane tapping the floor cut through everything.
"All instructors, get the students out. Now," he said. He didn't raise his voice, but everyone heard him.
The floor cracked a little under each step. The air felt heavier. Like gravity itself was amplified around him.
The creature looked at him and grinned. "Look what we have here—"
It didn't finish when its body got slammed into the ground like something yanked it down. Its bones, crushed my the overwhelming pressure. It growled, trying to move, but couldn't. The tiles beneath it cracked further, pushing it deeper into the floor.
Marius hadn't moved a finger, but the weight of his presence was already doing the job.
Then it howled. Loud. Like it was calling for something.
The doors burst open. And more creatures ran in. Some were like wolves—tall, covered in fur, red eyes. Others looked human but weren't. Their faces were twisted. Their skin was pale. Some had blood-red devilish horns. Some had claws. None of them looked alive.
They smashed windows. Dropped from the ceiling. Pushed through doors.
Some students were caught in the sudden ambush. One was pulled by the leg, torn limb to limb, blood spilling across the wooden floor. One was thrown into a wall, crushed by their hands. Screams filled every corner.
Goldie reached for Lyra. "Come on!" she shouted, pulling her hard.
Lyra followed. Her heart was pounding. She could barely think.
They ducked under a table. Slipped through a gap in the crowd. Students pushed past them. Some fell. Some cried. But they just kept moving.
***
Thorne Graves, head of the Ministry of Tactical Operations, stood in silence. From the tall windows of his office, he looked down at the city. He looked at the city that was peaceful just about an hour ago, now filled with monsters.
The sky was stained with black trails, buildings in the distance already burning. Even from this far up, the sound of sirens, panic, and collapse reached him.
He didn't move. His eyes were cold. Focused, like he had seen worse. He had prepared for worse.
"They're really here," he said quietly. "I've only heard stories."
Behind him, the room was still. Clean. Organized. Everything in place, just like he liked it. Except the world outside was falling apart.
And now, it was his job to fix it. Or he could die trying.
Liora Crest, his assistant, walked into the room. She didn't knock. Her face tense, serious, focused.
"You've been summoned by the council," she said.
Thorne didn't move at first. Still looking out the tall window, watching the city fall apart in real time. Smoke in the distance. Screams below. Fires catching onto rooftops. Panic spreading like a deadly infection.
He didn't flinch. He just spoke, locking his eyes on the ongoing war. "What do they want?"
"I don't know," she answered. "I just got the message."
"They must have known about this," she added.
Thorne turned to face her. His expression didn't change, but his eyes sharpened in curiosity. "Who's to say they're not behind it?"
She didn't respond. She wasn't supposed to.
He grabbed his coat from the chair beside him. "What's the situation? Have you found the source yet?"
Liora followed him as they moved out of the office, her steps fast to keep up. "Yes. They came from the gate," she said, "The old sector. Near the mountains."
Thorne stopped. His hand tightened around the doorknob. "What?" he said, his voice sharp.
Liora nodded. "Also, we haven't gotten any word from the vault."
"Then the seal's broken," he said. "And everyone guarding it is dead."
"It would appear so," she replied.
"I need you to manage the situation while I'm gone," Thorne said. His voice was calm, but his face wasn't. It was all focus. No hesitation, "And hey, you might not see me again. Keep that in mind."
Then he vanished.
Thorne Graves, his technique was speed. Pure reflex, boosted by Vibes so sharp, he could move faster than most people could process. Rumor was he once dodged lightning mid-air. Some said he could outrun sound itself.
That was why they called him Tempo.
***
The Band-In students were stationed in an old government building in the Shanks District, one of the few places the creatures hadn't reached yet. The storm tearing through the city hadn't touched this spot. But no one felt safe. They were shaken, quiet, trying to process what just happened. Trying to understand what those things even were.
With them were the Harmonics, elite fighters assigned to guide each squad after Band-In Day. Squad 3 of Division 2 from the MTO was here now.
Nox Halden walked over to Lyra's group. He was one of the youngest Harmonics ever. Barely older than them. A prodigy who flew through the academy faster than most. He looked relaxed.
"How you guys doing?" he asked, hands in his pockets. "Y'all good?"
Michelle turned to him, eyes still red but sharp. "We just watched our classmates get torn apart. Like torn apart. And you're asking if we're good?"
Lyra nodded in agreement.
Levi gave a small laugh. "Pretty dumb question for a genius."
Spencer chuckled. "Damn....."
Camille, ever the peacekeeper, tried to smooth it over. "Guys… don't be rude, he's just trying—"
Goldie cut her off. "Stfu."
Nox laughed. "Y'all are a handful, y'know that?"
He raised his hands like a peace offering. "I know you're not… okay. No offense. I just meant, like.... is there anything you need?"
"Yeah, like you could get us anything in this dump," Levi said, leaning back, still stoned.
Lyra dipped into her jacket. "Good thing I brought my bottle. I should probably take another one."
"You're not seriously going to take that now, are you?" Camille said, looking genuinely concerned.
"Is there a bug in your brain?" Lyra snapped. "I said shut the fuck up."
"Yeah Camille, give her a rest," Michelle added, barely blinking.
Nox stepped forward before Lyra could do anything else and plucked the bottle from her hand like it was nothing.
"Aight, I'll be taking that," he said casually.
"Hey!!" Lyra reached for it, but he already stepped back.
Goldie shook her head. "Yeah, could you just get both of them a bottle of water or something?"
Spencer, leaning on the wall said, "This group needs therapy and snacks. In that order."
Nox chuckled again. "Got it. Water and damage control. I'll be back."
"Hey… is there any chance the MTO sends us out there?" Goldie asked, hurrying after Nox as he walked off.
He glanced back at her.
"It's not likely," he said. "Thorne's not that reckless."
***
Thorne met Marius at the entrance to the council chamber.
"You were summoned too?" Thorne asked.
"Yeah," Marius replied, "They probably don't trust us anymore."
Thorne sighed. "That can only mean one thing. Today's our last day."
They pushed open the massive double doors. The room beyond was a tall, circular chamber. The walls stretched up into darkness. At the center stood a giant round table, surrounded by high-backed desks that reached so far up, no one could see who was sitting behind them. Shadows cloaked every figure. Twelve of them.
They were The Council. The Council Of Twleve.
They never showed their faces. No one ever saw them. They were known only by their voices.
A deep, old time voice echoed out. "What is this riot?"
Marius recognized the voice. Lord Kaelen, one of the oldest on the council.
Thorne stepped forward. "The creatures appeared all over the city. I suspect the undead have escaped the Vault."
Lord Veyric spoke next, his tone sharp and accusing. "Have you taken the right measures?"
"Why aren't they put down yet?" Lord Seris demanded.
"Have you deployed all forces?" came the cold voice of Lord Alron.
Marius kept his voice steady. "We haven't reached the squad of the Elite Twelve yet. And we didn't send out the Band-In Day students, the Echoists."
"And why is that?" Lord Veyric snapped.
"You are inefficient," another councilor added, Lord Draeven.
Then a commanding voice rose above the rest. Lord Olyrus. "Enough. Here is your order. Send out the Echoists. Let them prove their worth."
Thorne frowned. "But they're not trained. They have no experience."
"Is there a problem, Thorne?" Olyrus asked, voice low but dangerous.
Marius didn't hesitate. "Not at all."
"You are dismissed."
The two men turned and walked out of the chamber.
As they left, Marius said quietly, "Then we make our last day count."
Back inside the council room, the shadows still talked. A voice spoke from another sit. It was Lord Verian.
"They're swaying. They must be eliminated. Both of them."
"Can you do that, Pan?" asked Lord Selene.
"And what about the girl with the Echomaker?" Lord Caevan added.
From the farthest corner of the shadows, a dark mysterious, with glowing red eyes and overwhelming dark presence hovered forward. His voice was calm. Cold. Confident.
It was Pan.
"Don't worry… I'll take care of them." He smirked, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.