Blaster shots ripped past them, leaving trails of red static in the air.
Riley ducked behind a crystalline boulder, panting. Aeris placed her palm on it—the crystal rippled like water, hardening into a shield.
"You can… control objects?" Riley asked.
"Only low-tier code structures," Aeris said, cheeks flushed from exertion. "I'm not that strong."
A notification appeared above her head.
AFFECTION +2
TAG: EMBARRASSED
Riley groaned.
"I'm not supposed to see that, right?"
"That's not normal?"
"No!"
The shield shattered as a Null Order commander leapt over it, swinging a blade of red code.
Riley reflexively raised his arm.
Static crackled.
A blast of black-blue energy erupted from his palm, hurling the commander several meters back.
Aeris's eyes widened.
"You used… advanced-tier projection."
"I didn't mean to!"
NEW ABILITY: ERROR—UNIDENTIFIED ATTACK
POWER RATING: INCONSISTENT
More soldiers hesitated. Riley's body hummed with glitching energy he didn't control.
Aeris grabbed his hand again.
"We're leaving. Now!"
And they ran deeper into Nexus-9.