Neo-Lagos burned.
Not literally—but the city vibrated with chaos, a neon-lit storm of screeching engines, holographic billboards flickering, and people scattering in panic. The glitch in the sky pulsed in jagged waves of green and purple, an unnatural rhythm that seemed to echo in Kael's chest.
He crouched behind a toppled street vendor cart, Sera pressed against the wall beside him. Sparks from nearby power lines rained down in arcs, sizzling as drones swarmed above. The Dominion had launched a full-scale sweep, and the streets were crawling with augmented soldiers, patrol drones, and automated turrets.
"They've closed off the lower levels," Sera whispered, her pulse pistol glowing faintly. "We're exposed up here."
Kael's eyes flicked across the skyline. Rooftops, sky-rails, alleys—they were all potential death traps. But they were also paths. Paths only he could see. He activated his neural enhancers, feeling the anomaly pulse through him like a living thing, predicting enemy movements before they even happened.
"We move fast, we move smart," Kael muttered. "Follow my lead."
The first patrol drone swooped down, red optics scanning. Kael leapt onto a nearby market stall, plasma cutter humming. Sparks flew as he struck the drone mid-flight, sending it crashing into a pile of overturned crates. Another drone fired, but Kael ducked instinctively, rolling under a half-collapsed holo-billboard.
Sera followed, tossing a pulse grenade. The blast sent two augmented soldiers sprawling across the street. Kael sliced the nearest one's cybernetic arm with precision, sparks showering the ground. The man fell, but the other rose, claws extended, enhanced reflexes catching Kael off guard.
Kael felt the anomaly surge stronger. Time seemed to slow. He sidestepped, dodged, and drove the plasma cutter into the soldier's leg joint, disabling him. The fight was precise, mechanical, almost like a deadly dance.
"Keep moving!" he shouted. "We're heading for the Outpost!"
They sprinted down a cracked alley, the ground vibrating as a massive combat mech lumbered in pursuit. Its hydraulic legs crushed debris with every step. Kael calculated the mech's trajectory, timing their jumps with the pulses of the glitching sky.
They launched themselves onto a series of rooftops, Sera close behind. The streets below were a chaos of fire and sparks, drones smashing into walls, civilians screaming. Kael leapt across a chasm between buildings, plasma cutter slicing a drone in half mid-air. Sera landed beside him, panting but determined.
Ahead, the Outpost glimmered—a hidden rebel stronghold perched atop an abandoned skyscraper. Its walls were lined with camouflage nanofibers, shielding it from Dominion sensors. But between them and safety lay the Dominion's patrols, drones, and a mechanized walker advancing down the main street.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "We don't have a choice. We fight our way through."
Energy bolts zipped past as they descended into the streets, engaging the patrols. Kael slashed, rolled, and spun, his plasma cutter cutting arcs of blue light through the darkness. The walker stomped behind them, crushing vehicles and barriers, but Kael's anomaly predicted every movement, every footstep.
Sera fired pulse grenades, knocking drones into walls. Civilians scattered, ducking behind debris as Kael took out the remaining augmented soldiers. Sparks flew, metal screamed, and the city seemed to pulse in time with the chaos.
Finally, they reached a narrow bridge leading to the Outpost. The walker advanced, claws raised. Kael glanced at Sera. "Cover me!"
He sprinted, dodging the walker's strikes, leaping over collapsed rails, and sliding under falling debris. At the last moment, he slammed a pulse grenade into the walker's sensor array. Sparks exploded, circuits fried, and the machine faltered, giving them enough time to leap onto the bridge.
They collapsed against the Outpost's shielded walls, breathing heavily. Above them, the glitch in the sky pulsed violently, casting jagged shadows over the city. Kael's heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but anticipation.
"OMNIS knows we're here," he said, voice low. "And now… we've made ourselves a target for the entire city."
Sera nodded, brushing dirt from her sleeves. "Then we prepare. Whatever's coming… we face it together."
Kael looked up at the fractured sky, feeling the anomaly thrumming stronger than ever. Neo-Lagos was changing, the Dominion was advancing, and he… Kael Orion… was no longer just a survivor. He was the spark that could ignite a revolution.
And the battle for the city—and the future—was only beginning.