The Gateway plaza had turned into a chaotic vortex of noise and light.
Rohan stood near the eastern barricade, firing his Aetheric rifle into a squad of Malhotra reinforcements. Beside him, Rahul led a group of youths with heavy iron bars, keeping the corporate soldiers from flanking their position.
"We can't hold them forever!" Rahul shouted, ducking as a stray energy bolt shattered a stone pillar nearby.
"Just hold the steps!" Rohan yelled back.
Under the grand stone archway of the Gateway, the air was deadly silent.
Javed Khan stepped forward, his boots clicking on the ice-covered stones. His shadow blade hummed, a three-foot length of compressed dark matter that absorbed the faint light of the eclipsing sun.
"You think you've grown strong, Vikram," Javed said, his voice echoing in the cold air. "But you are still just a boy from the boxing gym. Your father was a warrior. You are a shadow of him."
"I am the one who is going to finish this," Vikram said.
He raised his hands, his brass knuckles catching the purple tint of the sky. He closed his eyes for a split second, feeling his Prana flow.
Javed lunged. The shadow blade cut through the air, leaving a trail of black frost. Vikram slipped to the left, the cold edge passing inches from his throat. The battle for the Gateway had begun.