——When Truth Arrives in Gunfire
The first explosion rocked the pavilion.
Elder Lee's head snapped up.
Outside, the pond's glassy surface rippled violently, shattered by the force. The koi beneath thrashed in panic as reality came crashing back into place.
Then came the noise—shouts in the distance, sharp and urgent.
Boots thundered against stone, clack-clack-clack, growing louder with every step.
Kent's hand flew to his Mountain Core. His glasses flared with a pulse of red light. "We're breached."
Shawn was already on his feet. The Thunder Core at his chest pulsed 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—humming.
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.
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.
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 Mercer 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!
Gunfire split the air. Tat-tat-tat! Muzzle flashes burst like warning flares in the dark.
Shawn dove behind a stone bench. Silk cushions shredded where he'd just been.
This wasn't an arrest.
They were here to erase him.
A voice roared—Kent's. His Mountain Core unleashed a shockwave, flinging soldiers back like loose crates in a storm. Bones snapped. Screams ricocheted off the marble.
But more poured in, rifles now glowing with dampener rods—designed to disrupt Core energy.
They came prepared.
Shawn's Thunder Core surged. Lightning crawled under his skin, begging to break loose.
"Not here."
A hand gripped his shoulder. Elder Lee's whisper cut through the chaos. "If Gary sees what you are... he won't bother with a cell."
His grip tightened.
Then the ground shifted.
The floor groaned—and heaved. Slabs of stone buckled, tossing tables and soldiers into chaos. The pond swelled unnaturally, spiraling upward with a roar.
Gary shouted, but his voice drowned in the storm Elder Lee had summoned.
Kent reappeared beside Shawn, blood streaking his face. "We need to go. Now!"
Shawn didn't hesitate.
They ran—diving into a side corridor. The Thunder Core pulsed like a homing beacon.
Behind them, Elder Lee stood firm. Hands raised. Behind them—anchoring the chaos he'd unleashed
And Heaven Core… responded.
X-Red Base was a maze of fire, smoke, and twisted steel.
Shawn and Kent wove through the wreckage.
Sirens blared in the distance.
Overhead, drones buzzed—sleek, scanning, relentless.
Kent swore. "We've been spotted!"
A red lens locked on them, like a bloodshot eye.
"Down!"
A pulse blast scorched the wall behind them.
Kent yanked Shawn into an alcove.
The Mountain Core flared—short and sharp—splitting the drone in two. Sparks rained onto the floor.
Metal footsteps echoed. Another squad was closing in.
Kent's jaw tightened. "Plan B."
He tore open a maintenance hatch. "Sewers'll take us to the perimeter."
Shawn hesitated. "Elder Lee—?"
"He can handle himself," Kent said grimly. "You can't."
They dropped into the dark.
The sewers stank.
Rot. Decay.
Shawn's boots slipped on algae-slick steps. His Thunder Core cast a dim blue light—barely enough to see.
Above them, the earth trembled. Elder Lee was still holding the line.
Footsteps echoed ahead.
Gary stood ten steps away, pistol raised. Six armed men flanked him.
"This is it," he said. "Come quietly, Shawn. Or your friend dies right here—in the filth."
Kent coughed blood. His fingers edged toward his Core, eyes fixed.
Shawn gave a tiny nod.
A shockwave erupted from Kent's Mountain Core. Air surged down the tunnel, slamming into the soldiers. Water splashed. Bones cracked.
Shawn launched forward, lightning surging in his veins.
A gunshot rang out.
Kent jerked back. Blood bloomed on his shoulder.
Gary smiled, gun smoking. "Last chance."
White light exploded in Shawn's vision.
A bolt of lightning screamed from his chest, ripping through the tunnel like a whip from the gods. Soldiers collapsed. Gary's rifle melted in his hands. The stench of scorched flesh filled the air.
But more boots pounded behind them—too many.
Kent staggered to his feet, face ashen. "Go. Now."
Shawn reached for him—
Then someone yanked his collar. The world spun.
One moment: sewage.
The next: cold concrete.
Shawn blinked, fists up.
Then froze.
A man stood before him. Still as stone. Robes untouched by battle.
Ranzi.
Behind him, Capital City's skyline shimmered through a broken skylight.
They were in an abandoned factory.
Shawn's mouth went dry. "How—?"
"Breathe, boy," Ranzi said. His voice was brittle, like dry leaves underfoot. "Unless you'd prefer Gary's hospitality?"
Shawn's hands trembled. "Kent—"
"He'll 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."
Dawn had come.
And the sky was bleeding.