Jaden no longer cried.

His tears had dried up somewhere between the football field and his walk back to the freshman dorms. The path seemed longer than usual, every stride heavy, as if his body was still tethered to the emotions he'd left behind in Adam's townhouse. But even amidst his exhaustion, a dash of resolve pushed him forward. There was hope now, an idea that had crystallized in his mind like the stars he often summoned—bright, purposeful, and persistent.

The senior residential area was miles away from where Jaden lived, separated by lawns of manicured grass and winding paths that snaked through the heart of Lightcrest University. It gave him ample time to clear his head, to ground himself, and to remember the purpose driving his steps.

He pulled out his phone and opened the Notes app. His thumbs hovered over the screen before he started to type, the plan unfurling in bullet points. Just like his mother's method of reframing, he needed to find a way to present Van Boxtel Technologies' crimes in a way that the public couldn't ignore. He needed to get it out there. He needed—

"Hey, you're back," Teddy's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jaden looked up, blinking in surprise as he walked into his suite, and his eyes fell on Teddy, who was sheepishly smiling at him from inside the star forcefield. The vibrant rainbow hues glimmered around him, just as they had with Skylar, creating a surreal sight in the otherwise mundane room.

"T-Teddy?" Jaden stuttered. "What the... Why are you in there? Where is Skylar?"

Teddy sighed dramatically, leaning against the shimmering wall of the forcefield as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience. "Long story short, your star barrier had a bit of a temper tantrum. I tried to help Skylar get out, and... well, the forcefield decided to swap prisoners. He escaped, and I got stuck."

"What? Teddy! Why would you do that?" Jaden grunted, dragging a hand down his face. "Skylar is sort of dangerous right now. He could hurt a lot of people..." he added, "if he didn't get himself killed first. That is why I trapped him here in the first place."

A wave of worry swept over him as his mind drifted to Skylar. What was he planning now? If he still intended to kidnap Wilton and hack into his brain, there was no way he could infiltrate Van Boxtel Technologies headquarters on his own. Skylar was smart, brilliant even, but desperation had pushed him closer to the edge.

Would he really risk a suicide mission to ram his way in, even if it meant dying in the process? And what if he did succeed? Van Boxtel Technologies was vital to Veridian; so much of the city's infrastructure relied on it. Jaden's stomach twisted with the thought of the potential fallout.

Teddy's eyebrows arched, and he theatrically clutched his chest. "Dangerous? Sweet, charming Skylar? The same guy who almost knocked himself out trying to throw that chi bolt at your star barrier? Shocking."

Jaden blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before giving him a flat stare. "I'm serious. He's—"

"Oh, I know you're serious," Teddy interjected, wiggling his fingers against the forcefield with an air of mock indignation, "but if he's that dangerous, why did you leave him in our suite? Were you hoping he'd turn me into a human pancake? Where's the love, Jaden? Where's the concern for your poor, delicate, incredibly fragile roommate?"

A reluctant smile formed on Jaden's lips, the heaviness lifting just a bit. Teddy was always like this—lighthearted, bringing joy and jokes even when things were dire. It was hard not to feel a little lighter around him.

"You are such a drama queen," Jaden grumbled before softening, the worry still lingering in his eyes. "But honestly, he wouldn't have hurt you. I don't think he wants to hurt anyone. He is just... complicated. He's been through more than anyone should have to."

Teddy tilted his head, eyes wide with confusion. "You and your friend are weird."

Jaden rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should just leave you in there."

"No way you'd do it. You're too much of a softie."

"Wanna bet?" Jaden replied.

"Don't you dare, you little rascal!" Teddy's voice pitched higher, more scandalized than genuinely angry. "After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me?"

"You are so whiny."

"You can't just leave me in here like some magical houseplant! I need sunlight, snacks, and maybe a little Wi-Fi!" Teddy whined even more, flailing his arms for dramatic effect.

"Now I'm definitely leaving you in there," Jaden teased, already turning toward the door.

"Jaden Troublefield!" Teddy yelled, his voice bouncing off the star barrier. "If you walk out that door, I swear I'll tell everyone you still sleep with that big ugly SpongeBob plush in your room."

Jaden froze, narrowing his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would," Teddy challenged, lifting his chin defiantly, a devilish grin curling at the corners of his mouth. "This is how villains are born, you know! One minute, I'm your adorable, harmless roommate, and the next, I'm spilling all your deepest, darkest secrets. The whole freshman class will know how you cuddle up with Bobbie Squishpants every night."

"It's just a plush toy, Teddy. One plush toy."

"Yeah, and it's been with you since, what, age five? Don't think I didn't notice the way you squeezed it the first day you moved in here." Teddy's cerulean eyes sparkled with triumph, his laughter bubbling up like an overexcited kettle. "I mean, you've got to give it up eventually—trade it in for a more grown-up option... like, I don't know, a chiseled, life-sized male sex doll?"

Jaden's face turned as red as a tomato, and he yelped, "Oh my God! Just—stop being disgusting, and I will let you out!"

"Ah, now that's the spirit!" Teddy declared with mock grandeur, puffing out his chest like a royal announcing a decree. "Go on then, work your magic, exorcist boy."

Rolling his eyes, Jaden strolled over to the table and grabbed the glass jar filled with origami lucky stars. Popping off the cork, he pointed his index and middle fingers toward the forcefield and chanted with quiet authority, "Stellae cadunt, vincula solvite. Arcus lucis, inimicum dimittite."

The barrier trembled, and the stars peeled away from their five-pointed formation, fluttering like iridescent butterflies before slipping back into the jar. The forcefield dissolved in a cascade of light.

Teddy stumbled out, groaning exaggeratedly as he stretched his limbs. "Sweet freedom! I was starting to get forcefield cramps." He darted forward and pulled Jaden into a hug. "You have no idea how good it feels to be free again."

Jaden gave him a pointed look as he reluctantly patted Teddy on the back. "Okay, okay, personal space," he grumbled, nudging Teddy away. "Did Skylar happen to spill his grand scheme before you got swapped into his place?"

Teddy released him, shrugging nonchalantly. "Nope, didn't get the villain monologue treatment. But he was dead serious about getting out of here. Said something like, 'You saved my life, but if you leave me locked up, none of it matters.' Real intense, that one."

"Why is it that every guy at this university feels the need to run headfirst into danger?" Jaden's voice carried a weariness that went beyond this latest mess. It was more than just Skylar—Adam's impulsive decisions were weighing on him, too.

"Maybe they're just adrenaline junkies?" Teddy suggested with a smirk. "So, what do you think Skylar's up to now?"

"Nothing good," Jaden uttered, his expression darkening. He walked over to the living area, dropping his backpack on the sofa with a thud. It was clear his mind was already miles away, tracking Skylar's next move.

"Whoa, hold on," Teddy called after him as Jaden made for the door. "You're seriously leaving already? You just got back." His tone took on a new edge, genuine apprehension lacing his words now.

Jaden paused at the threshold, throwing a glance over his shoulder. "I must catch up to him before he does something he cannot take back. Someone has to stop him from burning everything down."

"Think you can change his mind?" Teddy asked, his voice gentler now, less playful.

Jaden's gaze grew resolute. "I have to try," he declared, "because there is a chance I might know a way to help him that does not end with him destroying himself."

------------

The last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a swirl of oranges and purples over Veridian City's skyline. The sprawling city hummed with life, and the towering headquarters of Van Boxtel Technologies loomed over the smaller building Skylar perched on. The reflection of neon lights painted his face in hues of green and pink, an eerie contrast to the iron-willed expression he wore. His fingers moved over the keys of his compact laptop, the screen shining with lines of code.

Skylar checked the time again. 7:30 PM. The headquarters stood like a fortress—a series of interconnected towers, all made of glass and steel, that stretched into the heavens. The structure was alive with digital defenses: firewalls, encryption protocols, intrusion detection systems—an impenetrable digital labyrinth. But Skylar wasn't easily deterred.

"This time, there's no room for mistakes," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as memories of his last infiltration surfaced. The MITM attack he'd pulled off had been a triumph, setting off a false fire alarm and creating just enough chaos for him to slip inside undetected.

But they had adapted. New firewalls, added security protocols, and patrolling guards now roamed the perimeter, their silhouettes moving with the rigid precision of machines.

Skylar shifted, adjusting his laptop on his knees, the rooftop gravel crunching beneath him. "Alright, let's see how I can get in this time," he rumbled. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small drone—sleek, matte black, and no larger than his palm. Activating it with a tap, Skylar watched the tiny machine spun to life, ascending into the twilight sky. His laptop screen split into two feeds: one side showing real-time telemetry data, the other displaying the live video feed from the drone's camera.

The drone zipped through the air, deftly avoiding the building's high-mounted security cameras. Skylar's fingers danced across the keyboard, controlling its path, sweeping across the complex. Sweat beaded at his temple. One misstep, one fleeting sight of his drone, and the entire plan would unravel, leaving him with nothing but the wreckage of his own failure.

Minutes passed. The drone's footage revealed more than just the positions of guards—it mapped out the very rhythm of their movements. Patrolling patterns. Blind spots. The ever-narrowing windows of opportunity. Then, just as Skylar started to doubt, the feed showed it. An unguarded, unmonitored section of the building's 20th floor.

"Bingo," he whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The 20th floor's maintenance and utility rooms. Skylar watched the drone hover in place, its camera panning over the area. Not a single camera. No heat signatures. No motion sensors. Nothing. Just an unassuming set of doors leading to the building's inner systems: HVAC units, electrical panels, and water supply lines. The kind of place deemed insignificant by those who failed to consider its potential as an entry point. It was, after all, just a few floors below Wilton Van Boxtel's office on the 22nd.

"Perfect!" Skylar set the drone into a circular surveillance pattern, ensuring he'd have constant visuals on this entrance. He leaned back, gaze wandering to the illuminated Van Boxtel logo, a lustrous emblem of corporate power that dominated the cityscape. "Wilton, you arrogant bastard. You think you're untouchable."

Skylar's fingers stilled over his keyboard as he gazed up at the sky, feeling the adrenaline coursing through him. Tonight, the stakes were higher. He wasn't some amateur hacker tinkering with alarms; he was going after the head himself. This time, he'd do more than just trigger false alarms or stir up panic. This time, he'd make sure Wilton felt his presence.

One floor at a time, Skylar mapped out his route. He memorized the drone's feed, every detail: the venting systems he could crawl through, the locked maintenance panel that could be bypassed with an electromagnetic pulse. Every second spent watching the screen was a second his determination steeled.

"All I need is ten minutes with Wilton," he said, eyes glancing down to the schematics of the building he'd painstakingly pieced together. He glanced back at the towering structure, feeling its shadow stretching out over him as the last light of day disappeared. "Ten minutes, and my hometown will be free."

Skylar's gaze was fixated on the drone's path. As the city buzzed below, and the lights from the headquarters flickered like the spark of a living circuit, Skylar packed up, readying himself for the next phase. He wasn't just fighting for himself; he was fighting for his island, for the people Wilton's company had subjugated.

And tonight, he was going to bring it all down.

Skylar centered himself atop the rooftop, the cool night air brushing against his skin as he closed his eyes. He felt the bioenergy pulsating within him, like a second heartbeat reverberating beneath his veins, responding to his every thought. With a controlled breath, he concentrated, drawing the energy up from the pit of his stomach, letting it ripple through his body like an electric current. His heartbeat synchronized with the flow, and a golden radiant aura emanated from him.

Subtly, the chi energy shrouded him, wrapping around his form in translucent tendrils of golden light, almost like liquid. He felt lighter, weightless, as if gravity's grasp was loosening around him. Without hesitation, Skylar lifted off the rooftop, ascending into the air. His movements were fluid, each rise and fall as natural as a leaf gliding on the breeze, perfectly attuned to the rhythm of the universe. The wind whipped around him, but his focus remained unshaken, every ounce of concentration riveted on the window several stories above.

As he approached the maintenance and utility rooms, Skylar reached out, letting his fingers caress against the thick glass. The barrier was solid, unyielding, and reinforced, as he'd anticipated. However, he wasn't going to be discouraged by a mere obstacle. He fished into his pocket, feeling the cool metal of his Dragonshade Staff—a device that, when compacted, resembled nothing more than an unassuming cylinder. He pulled it out and held it flat in his palm, feeling the smooth, polished surface against his skin.

He took another breath, deeper this time, feeling the chi energy swell within him, building like a tidal wave. Then he directed that flow down his arm and into the staff. It responded instantly, absorbing the bioenergy like a sponge, its molecular structure morphing and rearranging. The once-compact weapon elongated, its specialized alloy expanding and warping, reacting to the infusion of life force until it grew to its full length—a staff as tall as Skylar himself, shimmering with the faintest radiance.

Holding the staff securely, he drew back, muscles coiling with the stored energy, and struck. The first impact shuddered through his bones, the glass holding firm but webbing with hairline fractures.

Skylar adjusted his posture, channeling more chi into the staff until it thrummed with power. He struck again, harder this time. The vibrations rumbled through his body, but he ignored the discomfort, focusing only on the task at hand.

On the third strike, a loud crack resounded, and a spiderweb of fractures spread across the glass, jagged and chaotic. Skylar gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his brow, and lifted the staff one last time. With a final, decisive blow, the glass shattered, shards spilling inward like a waterfall of crystal.

Skylar paused, taking in the sight of his handiwork. The window was now a gaping entryway, the darkness beyond beckoning him, mirroring nightfall's descent upon the city. As he floated into the building, he took one last look at the dark sky. "Here goes nothing." With that, he eased inside, leaving the wind to whisk away the remnants of broken glass, and ventured further into the heart of Van Boxtel Technologies headquarters.

Getting inside the 20th floor was the easy part. Now came the real challenge. Skylar advanced with practiced precision, each step finding its place in the worn carpet like a hunter treading on brittle leaves. The gloomy corridors stretched before him, segmented by the irregular glow of emergency lights. Each flicker bent the shadows, shifting the walls and making the space feel alive, almost breathing with him. His pulse pressed hard against his ribs, but he kept it in check. One slip, one errant sound, and the entire plan would collapse like a house of cards.

Skylar reached the stairwell, the door protesting with a low, metallic scrape as he pushed it open. A glance at his watch—three minutes gone. He jogged up the stairs two at a time. His fingers tightened around the staff, its weight a solid reassurance, coiled and ready to strike at the slightest sign of danger.

By the time he got to the 22nd floor, he cracked open the door just a sliver and peered through the gap. This was Wilton Van Boxtel's territory, the nerve center of his operations. The floor plan he'd committed to memory indicated he needed to cross from one wing to the other, through a wide, open office space filled with glass cubicles. At the far end, past a pair of reinforced steel doors, was his target: Wilton's private office.

Skylar approached the control panel next to the door, fingers flying over the screen as he tried to hack the system. "Work with me here." He bypassed layers of encryption. However, a ruby light flashed, and the screen buzzed with an error message. "Access denied?" he murmured. "Fine, let's try that again—"

Before he could finish his thought, a faint metallic click sounded overhead. He looked up just in time to see a series of laser turrets descending from hidden compartments in the ceiling. Each turret emitted a pulsating cobalt light, targeting lasers crisscrossing the room, zeroing in on his position.

"Shit," he hissed, diving to the floor just as the turrets revved up.

Beams of scorching light slashed through the air, grazing inches from where Skylar had stood moments earlier. The intense heat seared the metal panel he'd just hacked, leaving it glowing red-hot. Skylar rolled as another blast sliced above him, the heat prickling the back of his neck. He scrambled behind a row of cubicles, pressing his back against the flimsy partition. The smell of burnt ozone saturated the space, mingling with the metallic tang of adrenaline seething beneath his skin. He had to think fast—he didn't have the time to play cat and mouse with automated defenses.

The turrets swiveled, their targeting lasers scanning the room in rapid sweeps. Each movement was accurate, mechanical, relentless. Skylar closed his eyes for a split second, grounding himself, feeling the torrent of chi undulate through him like molten lava. He waited, listening to the rhythm of the laser paths as they swept closer, and the second they moved past his position, he launched himself out of cover.

His body blurred in motion as he ducked, just as a laser seared past, barely missing his head and singeing a few strands of his hair. He flowed into the next motion, every step calculated, more like the glide of a predator than a sprint. Energy crackled at his fingertips, coiling into a jagged spear of blazing gold, fluttering erratically as if barely contained. With a sharp, decisive thrust, he launched it forward. The air sizzled in its wake, a brief glimmer of light trailing behind, before it tore through the turret. It exploded in a shower of metal and sparks, a dying ember swallowed by the night.

Nonetheless, the remaining turrets adjusted, their whirring clicks intensifying, gears spinning faster as they locked onto him once more. He could hear them powering up, the whine of energy building to another blast. Without hesitating, Skylar vaulted over a desk, his staff extending in a heartbeat, intercepting an oncoming shot. The energy collided with the chi-infused weapon, dissipating in a flurry of fiery cinders, but the impact rattled through his bones.

He didn't have time to pause. The turrets recalibrated in seconds, and Skylar felt the temperature drop as they zeroed in on him again. Pushing off the ground, he sprinted toward the wall, propelling himself sideways into a gravity-defying run along its surface. Blue beams charred the air, carving glowing paths into the concrete, but Skylar was faster. He leaped from the wall in a spiraling arc, chi energy weaving around his staff in a brilliant flare.

With a powerful swing, he unleashed a crescent wave of golden light, the bioenergy cutting forward like a blade. It carved into the turrets in one relentless sweep, shearing through their metal shells with an effortless, vicious proficiency. A scatter of embers burst forth, the corridor plunging into stuttering darkness as power lines red. The turrets twitched, their targeting lights spasming wildly before dimming into silence, joints screeching in metallic agony as their crumpled forms collapsed to the floor, hissing trails of smoke as they lay dismantled and still.

Skylar landed lightly, his golden aura fading into the subdued light of the hallway. He glanced at the smoking remains and allowed himself a brief, triumphant smile.

But it wasn't long before the crackle of static crept into the corridor, followed by the smooth, dispassionate tone of an automated system resounding through hidden speakers: "Warning: Unauthorized access detected on the 22nd floor."

Skylar's victory drained from him immediately, his grin vanishing as if snuffed out. The whirring of machinery grew louder, and he didn't need to turn around to know what was coming next. The corridor's emergency lights bled from a pale yellow to a blaring scarlet, and an ear-splitting alarm ruptured through the space.

"Damn it," he cursed.

From the shadows of the far end of the hallway, mechanical sentinels emerged—humanoid robots with gunmetal-gray exoskeletons, their joints churning with each movement. Their eyes glowed an eerie sapphire, boring through the darkness as they scanned the area, laser sights igniting to life and converging on Skylar's position.

They moved with the unsettling fluidity of something that wasn't quite human but had studied humanity's most lethal instincts. One lifted its arm, a compartment sliding open to reveal a mounted energy cannon. An abrupt flashback jolted through Skylar's mind, rumbling like distant thunder, as the weapon began to charge, a deep, resonant hum shuddering through the corridor.

"Warning: Unauthorized access detected on the 22nd floor," the automated voice repeated.

For an instant, he was no longer in the cold, sterile hallway of Van Boxtel Technologies. Instead, he was sixteen again, standing on the ravaged streets of Baiyun Cliff, watching the same automated sentinels bear down on his home. He saw his father's silhouette outlined against the garish blue light, felt the tremor in the atmosphere as energy weapons thrummed with menace. The cries of the wounded, the pungent odor of burning wood, the unmistakable scent of blood, and the coppery taste of fear coating his tongue all surged back, a maelstrom of helplessness threatening to pull him under.

"No," Skylar whimpered, his voice swallowed by the deafening hum of the sentinels' charging weapons.

Cobalt-blue energy fizzed and swirled within the cannon's core, growing brighter, more volatile with each passing moment. But Skylar's body seized up as he stood there, still trapped in the haunting memory of that fateful day five years ago. The present reality blurred with the past, and all he could see was his father, standing defiant against the sentinels, only to be engulfed in that terrible light. It was happening all over again.

He could feel the heat intensify, see the blinding light reflected in his eyes, and for a fleeting moment, he accepted that this was it—he was done for.

Then, the cannon fired.

The world slowed, every second stretching into an eternity. But just as the fiery energy reached Skylar, a flash of silver streaked into his vision. An arm wrapped around his waist and yanked him aside, the scorching energy ripping past so close it singed the edge of his cheek.

It wasn't until they hit the ground, tumbling behind the safety of a metal column, that Skylar realized who had saved him—Jaden. The boy was crouched beside him, panting, his silver hair gleaming like stardust in the red glow of the emergency lights.

"Do you have a death wish or something? Getting your butt handed to you by Adam and almost dying yesterday wasn't enough—you just had to go looking for more?" Jaden snarled, scowling at Skylar.

Skylar's heart battered against his chest, and he blinked in disbelief. "Jaden?" he stammered. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I am here to take you back to Lightcrest." Jaden's grip latched onto Skylar's arm with a fierce, almost desperate intensity. His eyes darted down the corridor, where more sentinels emerged from the dimness. "You won't make it to Wilton's office. We need to move. Now."

Skylar wrenched his arm free. "No," he spat, his voice tinged with a raw vehemence that punctured the clamor of the alarm blaring around them. "I didn't risk everything to turn around now. I'm not leaving until the Van Boxtel network is in pieces. This is the moment the rebellion on Heng Chi Island finally gets a real chance."

"Listen to me. You are going to get yourself killed at this rate," Jaden argued, his tone urgent. "You cannot take on this entire building alone, Skylar. Even if you manage to reach Wilton, do you truly believe he will simply allow you to walk in and tamper with the cybernetic implants in his brain?"

Before Skylar could respond, a sentinel opened fire. Jaden reacted with lightning speed, shoving him aside as the blast shredded the column and incinerated the wall behind them. With a groan of frustration, Jaden's eyes flitted around until he spotted a toppled server cabinet nearby, its heavy metallic frame riddled with scorch marks but still intact. He didn't hesitate, hauling Skylar to his feet and dragging him behind it just as more shots rained down, leaving sizzling craters in the ground around them.

The floor felt gritty beneath them, particles of debris sticking to their palms as they crouched low, pressing themselves against the hard metal of the cabinet. Sweat slicked their skin, making their grip slip for a fraction of a second as they braced against the next round of fire.

"See what I mean? They will persist until we are reduced to ashes."

"I don't care!" Skylar shouted over the laser cannon fire. "If I have to take this place apart brick by brick, I will. I'm not going to abandon my people."

Jaden twisted out of cover. An orb of rainbow starlight materialized in his palm, its radiant hues cutting through the dimness. With a fierce flick of his wrist, he hurled it toward the sentinel. The orb expanded, detonating in a stellar explosion of magic. The machine convulsed, metal warping and wires snapping as it collapsed into itself, a smoldering ruin.

The hallway was thick with the acrid scent of burnt circuitry, a noxious blend of melted plastic and charred metal that stung the back of Jaden's throat, making each breath feel like inhaling smoke. "And how is getting yourself killed supposed to help them?" he asked, crouching back down and turning to Skylar. "Your father didn't fight so you could throw your life away."

Skylar's breath caught, his father's voice echoing in his ears, telling him to be strong, to never yield. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against the despair encroaching, ready to devour him whole. "What choice do I have?"

Jaden grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing Skylar to look at him. "My parents are among the best political strategists in D.C.," the boy asserted, his voice steady despite the havoc around them. "They've handled situations worse than this before—they can help you. I can help you."

Skylar shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't some political maneuver. The Cataclysm Federation's military stepping in would be a seismic shift in their foreign policy. They don't care about Heng Chi Island—that's why I have to take matters into my own hands." Another blast erupted nearby, forcing them both to duck, scintillations skittering around them.

Jaden's eyes bore into his, unwavering. "You are wrong. If anyone can rally the Federation, it is my parents. We will ignite a movement right here in Veridian City, forge an international alliance, and make the world see why they need to care—why the ultra-tellurians of Heng Chi cannot be ignored."

Skylar's frame braced instinctively, sensing Jaden's grip tighten around his shoulders. He could see the conviction in the boy's eyes, the unremitting belief that there was another way—a better way. But that certainty, that naïve idealism, only sank the knife deeper into Skylar's chest. How could Jaden understand what it was like to watch everything crumble, to see an entire world fall apart while he stood helplessly at the center of it? How could he understand the burden of being the last hope for liberation?

"We don't have time for campaigns! By the time your speeches and petitions reach the right ears, Wilton will have rebuilt his space station, and my people will be crushed. The rebellion doesn't have months—it barely has weeks," Skylar huffed, his fingers tightening on the staff, knuckles blanching with the pressure.

"We can work fast, gather evidence, and expose them. What purpose does this desire for martyrdom serve? What, ultimately, does it achieve?"

"How could you, of all people, ask me that?" Skylar countered. "You revere Adam because he lives for self-sacrifice—for the Iron Phalanx, for the Federation." Welling emotion pricked at the corners of his eyes, but he forced them back, refusing to let them fall. He wouldn't show that kind of weakness. "How is what I'm doing any different?"

"Because I've come to realize that this obsession with ideological purity leads nowhere. It is precisely why Adam nearly killed you yesterday—blinded as he was by his rigid sense of duty," Jaden answered.

"Jaden, I'm just done, okay? Done waiting. Done clinging to false hope. Done. Miracles aren't coming. Our only shot in this fight is to tear down Van Boxtel's digital infrastructure—right here, right now—before it's too late."

The silence stretched taut between them, as if the air itself had thickened, suffocating in the wake of Skylar's words. Jaden's expression wavered—confusion, hurt, and something else tangled together, marring his features. His shoulders drooped, a slight tremor running through him, and his lips parted, but no sound came. It was as if he were sifting through a hundred unspoken arguments, searching for one that might bridge the chasm yawning between them. But Skylar knew there was nothing left to say. Not now.

"Let me fight my battle." Skylar's voice was quiet, adamant, every syllable steeped in finality. "Go back to Lightcrest."

Without waiting for a response, Skylar tore himself from Jaden's grasp and sprang out from behind the server cabinet. The world snapped into a harsh, hyper-focused reality—every sound crashed against his eardrums, and every motion unfolded in serrated, electric clarity. The thrum of the sentinels' energy weapons reverberated through his being, the flux of power palpitating as they honed in on his position. He acted before thought could catch up, instinct overriding everything else.

Skylar launched himself at the nearest sentinel, the Dragonshade Staff in his hands radiating golden chi. The sentinel attempted to raise its arm to block his strike, but Skylar was faster—stronger. He thrust the staff into the machine's shoulder joint, then withdrew it swiftly, swiping downward to sever metal and circuitry with a fizzing burst of energy. The sentinel's arm fell limp, its laser cannon sputtering uselessly.

"Not this time!" Skylar growled. He ducked low, pivoting on his heel, and brought the staff down like a hammer against the back of the sentinel's knee. The machine buckled, its joints screeching in protest as it struggled to maintain its balance.

Skylar didn't give it a chance to recover. He leaped onto its back, using his momentum to drive his staff into the base of its neck with all the strength he could muster. Golden light spewed from the point of impact, and the sentinel spasmed frantically before collapsing into a heap of twisted metal, lifeless and still.

Panting heavily, Skylar jumped down from the wreckage, glaring at the remaining sentinels. He was ready for them—ready to face whatever came next. This was his fight, his battle—and he would see it through to the end.

"You really can't help yourself, can you?" Jaden mumbled under his breath, irritation simmering as he watched Skylar take down yet another sentinel.

Skylar was relentless, a whirlwind of chi energy and indomitable will, tearing through the battlefield like he could take on the world. But Jaden knew better—there was no way Skylar could take down every single robot on his own, no matter how much fury fueled his strikes. Jaden grimaced, his reflection in the glass wall distorted by the emergency lights that blinked and quivered around him, casting stark shadows across his face.

He had tried. He had pleaded with Skylar to reconsider, to go back with him, to find another way to topple Van Boxtel Technologies. But Skylar's resolve was immovable, forged by scars only he could understand. This wasn't Jaden's fight. It had never been. Yet here he was, standing amid the cold drone of sentinels and the lingering echo of Skylar's stubbornness.

What else could he do? The question gnawed at him like a gradual, festering ache. He didn't belong here—in this battle, in this place. His instincts told him to leave, to walk away while he still could. But the thought of abandoning Skylar now, of turning his back while his friend fought alone, wrenched something inside him.

Jaden glanced down at his hands, his mind racing. He couldn't walk away. Not now. This wasn't just about the fight anymore—this was about loyalty, about something far more personal and undeniable. This was his friend. And Jaden just wasn't the kind of guy to desert a friend, no matter how much the world told him to retreat.

The familiar heat stirred in his chest, the stars' magic whispering through his veins, pulling him back from the edge of doubt. He wasn't leaving. If Skylar was determined to see this through, then so was he. And if there was one thing Jaden understood, it was how to unleash the wrath of the stars.

"Ugh, for the love of God!" Jaden grunted, moving forward, his annoyance impossible to miss.

He inhaled deeply, steadying himself. His stance widened, feet rooting into the ground like anchors. Deliberately, he raised his hands, one above the other, palms apart as if cradling something fragile and dangerous. Multicolored flecks of light began to appear, spiraling together, like the fabric of reality itself was knitting something new into being. The lights fluttered in frenetic rhythm, gathering momentum, until they exploded outward, forming a swirling mass of star-born energy.

Wind lashed against Jaden, tugging at him as if drawn to the gravitational force of the luminous orb, which seemed to grow bigger and bigger by the second into a miniature cosmos between his hands. Colors bled into each other—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—an entire spectrum fused into one churning sphere, brighter than the neon skyline of Veridian City that flickered in the distance.

Skylar finished off another sentinel with brutal efficiency, but the atmosphere changed. He stiffened, a chill creeping down his spine. When he turned, Jaden was at the heart of it, wielding something that wasn't just starlight—it was the pulse of the universe. The brilliance compelled Skylar to squint, shielding his face from the glare.

"What the hell is he doing now?" Skylar murmured, half in awe, half in dread.

Jaden's gaze fixed on the swarm of sentinels converging on them, his eyes igniting with the same molten heavenly magic as the sphere in his hands. "Ira Stellarum Explodentium!" he roared.

The miniature supernova shot from Jaden's hands, and for the briefest heartbeat, the world stilled—silent, breathless. Then, like a star violently shredding itself apart, the explosion unfurled. Ripples of raw mana raged across the battlefield, distorting the air with the might of its release. The walls trembled, cracked, and then shattered under the sheer intensity, fragments of stone and metal flying outward as if gravity had momentarily relinquished its grip.

Skylar threw himself to the ground, arms crossed over his head to shield himself from the blistering heat. Sentinels caught in the path didn't just fall—they came apart at the seams. Their metal exoskeletons were deformed, consumed by the rainbow-hued inferno.

The supernova's force didn't stop with the sentinels. It slammed into the steel doors Skylar had been struggling to hack open, ripping through the reinforced metal like it was nothing more than tin foil. The doors buckled and then burst apart, revealing the wing where Wilton's office lay hidden, untouched by the bedlam until now.

Skylar pushed himself upright, staring at Jaden in stunned silence. "You... you blew the damn doors open," he rasped, the words barely audible as he tried to grasp the magnitude of what he'd just witnessed.

Jaden stood amidst the aftermath, surrounded by the fading residues of his heavenly body magic, its power gradually dissolving into nothing. His shoulders sagged as the tension drained from his body, the storm of devastation ebbing around him. He surveyed the scene before his eyes—circuits shorted, limbs crumpled, and liquefied steel dripped from the wreckage. The ground was littered with the last remnants of the sentinels, incinerated and defeated.

A frown creased Jaden's face. He had never wanted this level of destruction, and even now, victory left a sour taste in his mouth. "If you are so adamant about destroying Van Boxtel Technologies' digital infrastructure, fine. I will help you," Jaden said quietly, his voice firm but reluctant. "However, I cannot condone any loss of life in the process."

"Jaden—" Skylar began, but Jaden cut him off.

"Skylar, you told me yourself. The cybernetic implants in Wilton's brain link him directly to the Van Boxtel network. You believed it would be simpler to abduct him, access those implants, and deploy a virus to disable their infrastructure. But we are already here now, inside the headquarters. Would it not be more prudent to locate the physical network? Data centers, servers, network hubs—there must be something around here. We can dismantle this place without taking a life."

Skylar's eyes lingered on Jaden, his expression taut with unresolved tension. The silence between them wasn't just hesitation—it was a battleground, charged with the weight of the choice ahead. Skylar's jaw clenched, his hands curling slightly, ready to move, to do something—anything—but the practical clarity in Jaden's words was something he couldn't dismiss.

"This isn't about revenge," Jaden continued, more gently now. "It is about saving people, your people, without becoming what you are fighting against."

Skylar exhaled slowly, the fight in him waning just a bit. He nodded, begrudging but willing to follow Jaden's lead, for now at least. "Alright. We'll do it your way."