[Biological Sync: 41%]
[Warning: Neural instability detected. Recommend immediate stabilization.]
Kael leaned his back against the steel wall, lungs heaving. Emergency lights flashed through outp the corridor, painting everythin in blood. "Not now," he said in a low voice, sweat running down his face.
[Correction: 'Not now' is irrelevant. You are dying.]
"Yeah, thanks for the pep talk," Kael replies sarcastically, checking the charge on his pulse pistol. Two shots left. Maybe three if he prayed.
[HP: 37%]
[Stamina: 12%]
[Speed: 78%]
[IQ: 68%]
[Strength Output: 54%]
[Sync Level: 41%]
Footsteps echoed. Heavy boots. Metallic sounds. The sound of weapons being readied. Dread Hunters— they are machines built to hunt people like him.
[Suggestion: Full Sync. Muscle output +130%. Survival probability: 62%.]
Kael gritted his teeth. "You know what happens if I go full sync, right."?
[Affirmative. You lose control. I take over. Survival probability: 100%.]
He hesitated. The boots got closer. He cursed. "Fuck, fine. Do it."
[Initiating BioSync.]
Pain burned through his veins. Black lines crawled under his skin, and his vision turned sharp and cold.
[Sync Level: 58%]
[HP: 65%]
[Stamina: 49%]
[Strength Output: 212%]
[Hybrid Protocols: UNLOCKED]
Kael pushed off the wall. The first Dread Hunter rounded the corner. His pulse pistol fired point-blank, melting through the machine's chest. Two more followed. Kael's feet moved faster than he could think. The System's voice rang in his mind.
[Evasion path locked. Counterattack window: 1.2 seconds.]
He ducked under a blade, slammed his fist through metal, and ripped out a power core. The last machine lunged. Kael flipped the core into its mouth. A burst of light filled the hall. Shrapnel clattered across the floor.
[Threat eliminated. New signatures detected.]
Kael froze as a group of soldiers rounded the far end. Not machines. Humans. Each wore black exo-armor with glowing visors. Guns were up. Magic hummed in the air—one soldier's hands blazed with orange flame, another crackled with arcs of blue lightning.
"Target in sight!" one barked. The fire user stepped forward, unleashing a wave of flame.
Kael moved before thinking. BioSync kicked in.
[Trajectory calculated. Evasion probability: 97%.]
He rolled sideways as the flames scorched the wall, the heat biting his skin. A second soldier raised a rifle. Kael snapped up his pistol and fired. The shot hit center mass, dropping the man.
[HP: 61%]
[Stamina: 42%]
The lightning soldier charged. Kael felt the static before it hit. He dove behind a bulkhead as bolts tore through metal, spraying molten steel.
[Warning: Neural strain rising. Suggest raising sync.]
"No," Kael muttered. "Not yet."
The fire user sent another blast down the corridor. Kael burst from cover, his body moving with inhuman speed. He closed the distance, grabbed the soldier by the arm, and twisted. Bone cracked. He slammed him into the lightning user, sending both tumbling.
Bullets whined. Kael ducked behind a wall, breath ragged.
[Stamina: 29%]
[HP: 55%]
[Sync Level: 60% – Neural instability rising.]
"Get me out of here," Kael hissed.
[Recommended route: Sublevel maintenance shaft B-17. Survival chance: 43%.]
Kael sprinted. Gunfire and magic lit the halls behind him. Ice shards slammed into the walls, freezing metal. A soldier appeared ahead, his body morphing and his arms were stretching, his skin was twisting into hardened steel. A transformation user. Kael slowed to a stop, then lunged forward....
They collided. Kael's enhanced strength met metal flesh. He drove a knee into the man's gut, followed by an elbow to the jaw. The soldier staggered, Kael's fist punching through his chestplate.
[HP: 49%]
[Stamina: 18%]
Kael stumbled into the maintenance shaft, kicking the hatch closed behind him. The soilders shouted from above. Magic was being casted everywhere....the steel walls were glowing from the heat. He crawled through, BioSync feeding him schematics.
[Left shoulder: dislocated. Applying Meds]
[Bruise in chest. Applying Meds]
Pain stabbed through him as his shoulder popped back into place and his bruise went away. He gritted his teeth and kept moving.
[Exit hatch 12 meters. External security grid: offline.]
Kael shoved the hatch open and tumbled into the cold night air. He staggered to his feet, the lab looming behind him. Sirens wailed, the police were coming....Then came the explosion. Fire burst from the facility, then the heat became unbearable....
[Probability of them believing your death: 89%.]
Kael swayed on his feet, a bitter smile crossing his face. "Good. Let's keep it that way, I don't want anyone looking for me."
He stumbled into the city. BioSync's voice was the last thing he heard before collapsing.
[HP: 29%]
[Stamina: 2%]
[Agility: 1%]
[Strength: 6%]
[Emergency hibernation mode engaged.]
---
Kael woke to the hum of an engine. He was in the back of a supply convoy, patched up and wrapped in blankets. Outside, the city skyline glowed with holographic banners. Soldiers marched in columns, rifles slung over their backs, elemental energy sparking in their hands.
Draft notices were plastered everywhere. Humanity was at war, and at seventeen, Kael had no choice. Everyone fought.
He stood in line with dozens of other recruits. Some wore training gear; others practiced with their powers— creating streams of water that were dancing between fingers, flame users were having a sparring session , sparks of lightning lit up the venue.Guns and other weapons we're hanging on the hips on the soilders , tech was being mixed with magic....
BioSync's voice whispered in his head.
[Age verification complete: 17 years. Draft eligibility confirmed.]
[Magic Affinity: None]
[Chance of being drafted: 24%]
Kael clenched his fists. "Guess I'm just another soldier now."
[Correction: You are not like them. You are a hybrid. Hide it, or they will tear you apart.]
Kael's gaze lingered on a recruit launching a spear of fire into a practice target, the air shimmering from the heat. Another soldier summoned ice that spread across the ground like crawling vines. He felt the ghost of black veins under his skin and forced them back down.
For the first time since he escape ,
he almost felt ready.
[Sync Level stabilized at 23%. Awaiting command, Kael.]
Kael smirked faintly. "Then let's play soldier."
Kael barely remembered the ride to the compound. By the time they reached the massive concrete training facility, the adrenaline had burned off, leaving him feeling normal and excited. Rows of new recruits shuffled off armored transports under the pale floodlights, most of them around his age, seventeen or barely older.
A man in dark military fatigues stood waiting, scarred jaw tight, voice carrying over the restless chatter.
"Listen up, recruits!" the sergeant barked. "I'm Sergeant Rask. Tomorrow morning, you'll be put through the Evaluation. You'll be tested on three things: firearms handling, tech integration, and elemental combat. Fail any two and you're gone. No exceptions. Pass, and you'll earn your place in the active ranks."
His gaze sweept over the crowd, pausing just long enough to make everyone shift uncomfortably. "You were drafted because this world is at war. We don't have room for passengers. Tonight, you'll get your room assignments. Report to your dorms, get some sleep. You'll need it."
Kael's wristband buzzed as his assignment came through: Dorm 27D.
---
The dorm wasn't much — four bunks crammed into a narrow space, paint had started peeling off the walls, and the faint smell of metal and disinfectant. Kael dropped his bags on the lower bunk just as two others came in.
The first, a tall guy with messy brown hair and a wide grin, tossed his bag on the opposite bed. "Name's Jace," he said. "Fire user. Don't get too close unless you like getting burned."
The second was quieter — a girl with short black hair and sharp green eyes, her uniform jacket hanging loose on her shoulders. "I'm Elira. Water-type," she said simply, then climbed onto the top bunk without another word.
Kael nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Kael. No magic… yet."
[Correction: Inaccurate. BioSync allows full replication of compatible elemental abilities. Once copied, they are permanently integrated. Original host remains unaffected.]
Kael blinked, keeping his face blank. Copy magic… permanently?
"Guess we'll see how you do tomorrow," Jace said with a laugh, flopping back on his bed. "Better get some rest. The Evaluation's no joke — they'll push us until something breaks."
Kael lay back on his bunk, the ceiling lights cast faint shadows across his face. Tomorrow, the tests would decide his future. And for the first time, he began to wonder what he might become with the power to make any magic his own.
He needed to level up...