They needed proof.
Not belief. Not theory. Proof.
Alaric said it plainly over the comms. "We do not invite Zane into an untested room. One mistake and the planet pays."
Xin agreed. "So we test it."
Rion glanced at the sealed doors on the far side of the facility. "On what."
The answer arrived thirty minutes later.
Dive delivered it themselves.
The creature was dragged in screaming.
Once human. Now twisted by Spinat Symbol overuse. Limbs elongated. Skin hardened into patchy armor. Its mouth split wider than it should have, teeth grinding together like it was chewing the air.
"Spinat Enforcer," Alaric said. "Mid tier. Adaptive regeneration. Pain resistance. It will survive long enough to show us results."
Xin stood inside the observation zone, calm, breathing steady. Raxton hovered above him, plates shifting faintly, watching.
Rion remained near the control console. "If it breaks loose."
"It won't," Alaric replied. "The field activates instantly."
The containment doors opened.
The creature lunged.
Alaric activated the anti Spinat zone.
The room hummed.
Not loud. Deep.
The effect was immediate.
The creature collapsed mid leap, slamming into the floor like gravity had suddenly tripled. Its regeneration stalled. Wounds stopped knitting. Its screams changed pitch, turning desperate.
"It's losing resonance," Alaric said, voice sharp. "Spinat feedback detected."
Xin stepped forward slowly.
The creature snarled and tried to rise.
Failed.
Xin grabbed its head and slammed it into the floor once. Hard.
The creature did not regenerate.
Xin froze.
"Again," he said.
Rion hit the control.
The field intensified.
The creature convulsed, body shaking as if rejecting its own existence. Veins glowed briefly, then faded.
"It's severed," Alaric said. "Temporarily."
Xin clenched his fist.
Raxton reacted.
Two plates snapped into alignment around Xin's forearms, hovering close without touching. A soft harmonic tone filled the chamber.
Rion's eyes widened. "That's more than before."
Xin felt it too.
Stability.
Not power. Control.
He struck again.
The creature's skull shattered.
No regeneration followed.
Silence.
The body stayed still.
Dead.
For real.
The field powered down.
Xin stepped back, breathing slow.
Alaric did not hide his relief. "It works."
Rion nodded. "On something weaker than Zane."
"Yes," Alaric agreed. "But the principle holds."
Xin looked up at Raxton. "You saw that."
The armor responded with a faint pulse.
Acceptance.
Not full. Not yet.
But closer.
They did not celebrate.
They never did.
Because alarms sounded seconds later.
Dive breach alerts.
Multiple signatures.
Fast.
"They found the facility," Rion said.
Xin rolled his shoulders. "Good."
Alaric's voice sharpened. "No. This is not a raid. This is a message."
The screens lit up.
Zane hovered above the ground outside the mountain range, smiling directly into the camera feed.
"Testing toys without me," Zane said. "Rude."
Xin met his gaze through the screen. "You're early."
Zane tilted his head. "You're stalling."
The mountain shook as Zane landed.
Not attacking. Just standing there.
Feeling the ground.
Feeling the field.
"Oh," Zane murmured. "That tickles."
Xin's blood ran cold.
Rion stepped closer. "He felt it."
Alaric spoke fast. "He did not enter the zone. But he knows now."
Zane smiled wider. "You're building a cage."
He leaned closer to the camera.
"Make it strong," Zane said. "I hate flimsy things."
The feed cut.
Silence returned.
Xin exhaled slowly.
"He knows the plan," Xin said.
"Yes," Rion replied. "But not the timing."
Xin looked at Raxton again.
"Then we move fast," he said. "Before he decides to burn another city just to hurry us up."
Above them, deep underground, the armor hovered closer than ever before.
And far above the planet, Zane laughed to himself.
The game had finally become interesting.