——When Truth Arrives in Gunfire
The teacup hit the floor with a crack, shards skittering across the silk tablecloth like startled insects.
A breath later, the first explosion rocked the pavilion.
Elder Lee's head snapped up.
Outside, the pond's glassy surface shattered into ripples. The koi beneath thrashed in panic as reality crashed back into place.
Then came the noise—shouts in the distance, sharp and urgent. Boots thundered against stone, clack-clack-clack, drawing closer with every beat.
Kent's hand flew to his Wind Core. His glasses flared with a flash of red light. "We're breached."
Shawn was already on his feet. The Thunder Core pulsed against his chest like a second heartbeat. "Who the hell would dare attack X-Red Base?"
Elder Lee didn't answer. His fingers curled around the Heaven Core. The air grew heavy—dense and humming, as if time itself were holding its breath.
BANG!
The doors burst open.
A wave of black-clad soldiers surged into the room. Rifles up. Visors down. Their armor bore the National Guard insignia, but their movements—perfect, fluid, inhumanly synchronized—said otherwise.
At their front stood a man with a face like a hatchet. Uniform spotless. Eyes cold.
Gary Voss. Commander of the National Guard's Elite Division.
"Elder Lee." His voice was cold steel. "Apologies for the interruption." He glanced at Shawn. "But we're here for the boy."
Shawn tensed. This wasn't a warning. It was an execution order.
Elder Lee's smile was thin and glacial. "Gary. I didn't know the Guard had jurisdiction over CP-Hub guests."
"Normally, we don't." Gary unclipped a tablet from his belt and flashed a warrant. The Dragon Seal glowed red at the bottom—Chairman Da's personal signature. "Shawn Carter has been identified as a Class-A Threat under the 6521 Act. Satellite footage places him at the epicenter of three unsanctioned danger events."
His eyes locked on the pendant around Shawn's neck.
"And we both know what that means."
Kent stepped forward. Voice calm, but razor-edged. "Even if Chairman Da signed it, you don't have clearance to storm X-Red. So tell me, Gary—who's really pulling your strings?"
For a flicker of a second, something shifted in Gary's eyes. Not fear.
Satisfaction.
Then—pop!
The lights died.
Darkness swallowed the pavilion.
Gunfire ripped through the air. Tat-tat-tat! Muzzle flashes lit the space in hellish bursts. Shawn dove behind a stone bench, silk cushions exploding into shreds where he'd just been.
This wasn't an arrest.
They were here to erase him.
A voice roared—Kent's. His Wind Core unleashed a whoosh of raw air, flinging soldiers like rag dolls. Bones cracked. Screams bounced off the marble walls. But more kept coming. Their rifles now fitted with glowing rods—dampeners. Designed to disrupt Core energy.
They came ready.
Shawn's Thunder Core surged, electricity clawing at his veins. His fingers twitched. The storm inside wanted out.
"Not here." A hand gripped his shoulder. Elder Lee's whisper sliced through the chaos. "If Gary sees what you really are… he won't waste time with a cell."
The old man's hand tightened.
Then the ground shifted.
The floor groaned—and moved. Stone rippled like water, tossing tables, soldiers, everything into disarray. The pond roared, its surface rising in a spiral that froze midair into jagged ice.
Gary shouted something, but the sound vanished under the howl of Elder Lee's will reshaping reality.
Kent reappeared beside Shawn, blood streaking down his temple. "We need to go. Now!"
Shawn didn't hesitate.
They ran—darting into a side corridor, the Thunder Core pulsing like a compass. Behind them, Elder Lee remained.
His silhouette stood tall in the storm. Hands raised.
And the sky… answered.
---
X-Red Base had become a maze of fire, smoke, and screaming metal.
Shawn and Kent wove through the chaos. Patrols barked orders. Drones buzzed above—sleek, faceless, and fast.
Kent cursed as one spotted them. Its red eye widened like a bloodshot pupil. "Down!"
VRAK! The drone's pulse rifle blasted the wall behind them.
Shawn yanked Kent into a side alcove. The Wind Core burst, slicing the drone in two with a shhhh-krak! Sparks rained over the tile.
But another clang echoed ahead.
Another squad.
Kent's jaw clenched. "Plan B." He tore open a maintenance hatch. "Sewers'll take us to the perimeter."
Shawn hesitated. "Elder Lee—"
"Can handle himself." Kent's voice was grim. "You can't."
They dropped into the dark.
---
The sewers stank of rot and rusted lotus roots.
Shawn's boots slipped on algae-slick steps. The Thunder Core glowed faint blue, their only light. Above them, the earth trembled—the old man still fighting.
Then came the ambush.
Gary stood ten steps ahead. Pistol level. Six men behind him, rifles trained.
"End of the line," he said. "Come quietly, Carter. Or your friend dies here… in the filth."
Kent coughed blood, eyes burning. Fingers inched toward his Core.
Shawn gave a tiny nod.
Now.
BOOM!
Kent's Wind Core exploded. A tidal wave of air slammed into the soldiers. Sewage splashed. Bones cracked.
Shawn surged forward, lightning in his veins.
BANG!
Kent jerked. Blood bloomed on his shoulder.
Gary smiled, pistol smoking. "Last. Chance."
Shawn's vision went white.
Then—
KRACKOOM!
Lightning screamed from his chest. It tore through the tunnel like a god's whip. Soldiers crumpled. Gary's rifle melted in his hands. The stench of scorched flesh filled the air.
More boots thundered behind them.
Too many.
Kent staggered up, face ashen. "Go. Now."
Shawn reached for him—
A hand yanked his collar.
The world spun.
---
One moment, sewage.
The next—cold concrete.
Ozone clung to his tongue. Shawn blinked, fists raised.
Then froze.
A man stood before him. Silent. Impossibly still. Robes untouched by battle. Eyes ancient.
Mr.Ranzi .
The Master of the I Ching.
Behind him, Capital City's skyline flickered through a shattered skylight. They were in an abandoned factory.
Shawn's mouth went dry. "How—?"
"Breathe, boy," Ranzi said. His voice was brittle, like dry leaves crushed underfoot. "Unless you'd prefer Gary's hospitality?"
Shawn's hands shook. "Kent—"
"Will live. For now." Ranzi tossed him a cloth bundle. A shirt. A burner phone.
Shawn stared. "You knew."
Ranzi didn't deny it. His smile was thin. Tired. "I know many things. Including why Chairman Da just declared war… on Gary."
He turned to the window.
Dawn had arrived.
And the sky was bleeding.