The West Yard was sealed off by midnight.
No official alarm had sounded yet, but everyone who needed to know—did. Donnie, Trace Zero, Lora, and Kaito stood inside Room 2C, each one alert and armored in their own way.
The door was reinforced from the inside. The trace screens had been shut down. The ceiling lights were set to flicker every twenty seconds—irregularly. No rhythm for tracking. No patterns to anchor surveillance.
"We hold here," Trace Zero said.
Kaito nodded, tying his gloves tighter. "Until what? They shut the academy down?"
"They won't do that," Lora said. "Too public. They'll try something clean."
Donnie was quiet. Focused.
He had performed Spiral Surge, Shatterstep, and even a rough Collapse Edge in training. But those were rehearsals. This was real. One wrong move and his ability wouldn't be categorized as unique—it would be erased.
He flexed his hand.
"I can't rely on the Trace Band. They locked it once. They'll try again."
Zero tossed him a disk. "Pop this into your Band's secondary slot. It runs a private loop trace. Built for situations like this."
Donnie plugged it in. The Band blinked once—then shifted color, glowing with a dark orange hue. Less visible. Harder to track.
> Stealth Mode Activated
Trace Logs Disabled
Monitoring Bypass: Active
"Let them come," Kaito said, cracking his knuckles.
"They already have," Donnie replied.
A knock echoed from the outside gate.
Once.
Twice.
Then silence.
---
They came through the floor.
Not the ceiling, not the walls. The tiles at the center of Room 2C shifted slightly. Then a ring of glyphs lit up around the center mat, and a surge of wind swept through like a breath of something ancient.
Four figures emerged in matching gray coats with no insignia—just plain silver linings on the shoulders. Their faces were exposed. Their expressions emotionless.
One of them raised a gloved hand.
> "Target: Donnie Reeve."
"Directive: Containment."
Trace Zero stepped forward. "You're not welcome here."
The lead agent ignored him.
"Step aside. This does not concern your registration."
Lora scoffed. "You're a little late for registration protocol."
Kaito vanished.
Literally blinked out of view.
He reappeared directly behind the third agent and struck.
The attack connected—but not well.
The agent didn't stagger. He just turned with mechanical precision and fired a burst of concussive trace energy from his shoulder plate.
Kaito was thrown back.
Donnie dashed left.
"Scatter!" Trace Zero shouted.
Lora formed her distortion blade and met the first agent mid-way.
Donnie activated Spiral Surge.
The fire erupted, fast and wide. He curved the trace arc around himself, then redirected it forward like a whip.
One agent tried to block.
Too slow.
The energy clipped their shoulder.
Their Band glitched momentarily.
> Direct Contact Achieved
Containment Efficiency: Reduced
Trace Zero landed a spinning heel strike on the fourth agent and dropped into a modified stance Donnie didn't recognize. Energy bent around Zero's elbow as if space itself couldn't stay straight.
Donnie found himself beside Kaito, who had just recovered.
"You good?"
"Fine," Kaito muttered. "They're heavier than they look."
"Break Arc time?"
Kaito grinned. "You read my mind."
The two of them moved in tandem.
Donnie launched Shatterstep, but mid-motion he pivoted into Collapse Edge, slamming the trace flame low across the legs of the lead agent.
Kaito followed up with a Phase Step, appearing in front of the same agent and releasing a palm strike enhanced by vibration trace.
This time, the agent staggered.
> Internal Stabilizer Disrupted
Movement Delay: 3.4 Seconds
It was enough.
Lora swept in and landed a high arc slash with her distortion blade.
The agent collapsed.
Donnie turned toward the next.
But something was wrong.
The second agent hadn't moved.
They were standing calmly.
Watching.
Studying.
Then—
They stepped forward and activated a new trace.
The room dimmed.
Not visually.
Energetically.
The air seemed to press inward. All the flames in Donnie's trace flickered. Lora's blade bent. Kaito grunted as his Phase Step failed halfway through.
Donnie's knees buckled slightly.
> Trace Dampening Field Engaged
Range: 12 Meters
Effect: Hybrid Deconstruction
"They're countering us!" Lora shouted.
Donnie's Break Arc was cracking mid-air. He couldn't stabilize the Spiral Surge. It was unraveling before it could form.
"They're dismantling hybrid flows," Zero growled. "This wasn't in their standard list."
Donnie gritted his teeth.
If he couldn't build…
Then he'd force it.
He reached deeper.
Let the Spiral break.
Let the Shatterstep wobble.
But instead of stopping the movement, he forced his own energy through it—like dragging lightning through wet rope.
The effect was raw.
Chaotic.
But it worked.
The energy slammed into the field and disrupted it for a fraction of a second.
Lora saw her window and struck the second agent straight in the side.
Trace Zero used that moment to disable the last agent's Band with a precise injection of looped trace.
Then silence.
Four agents—down.
Panting, bruised, but alive.
Donnie dropped to one knee.
"Is it over?" Kaito asked.
"No," Zero said.
Donnie's Band vibrated.
A new message blinked.
> SECONDARY RESPONSE CONFIRMED
Operative: Active
Arrival ETA: 3 Minutes
"They're sending someone stronger," Donnie said.
Zero pulled off their glove, revealing a palm lined with trace scars.
"Then we do this one more time."
Donnie stood.
"We end it.
© Anthony Osifo 2025 – All rights reserved.