Location: Jerkin Residence - Grand Hall
Time: Evening - The Ambush
---
Vaela and Marek stood side by side, their auras pulsing with something dark and wrong—contaminated, twisted, hungry. Their eyes were fixed on Leo with predatory intensity. The air around them shimmered with a rotating presence—visible at the edges of their silhouettes, like heat over asphalt, like a screw turning in soft wood.
Marek's voice was a low rumble. "Make it quick. The brat's core is more juiced up than ours. We need to end this before ours goes down again."
Vaela nodded, her lips curving into a sharp, hungry smile.
They moved as one.
---
Vaela came at Leo from the front—claws of shimmering energy extended, aimed at his throat. Marek came from behind—massive arms sweeping, aimed at his spine.
Leo's body reacted before his mind could.
He twisted—not dodging, but accepting. His weight shifted, his hips turned, and his leg swept out in a spinning kick that caught Vaela's wrist and deflected her strike. His momentum carried him into a backfist that connected with Marek's jaw.
Marek staggered. Vaela hissed.
But they didn't stop.
They came again—faster, more desperate. Their auras pulsed with that rotating presence, and their movements grew more erratic. More dangerous.
Marek's voice was a growl. "This kid—his core is more juiced up than ours! We need to end this now!"
Vaela's eyes blazed. "Then let's finish it together!"
They reached for each other.
Their hands met—fingers intertwining—and their auras merged. The rotating shimmer around them intensified, a single field of energy that pulsed with hungry, desperate power. They turned toward Leo, their eyes wild.
And then they ran.
---
Leo's internal voice screamed.
Wait—are they planning on taking me with them?! Are they going to blow themselves up?!
He did the only thing that made sense.
He ran.
Leo sprinted across the hall, his legs pumping, his breath coming in short gasps. Vaela and Marek chased him—their merged aura pulsing, their footsteps thundering, their voices raised in wordless cries.
The hall erupted in chaos.
Irina's voice carried a note of disbelief. "Did he just—run away?!"
Jax's voice was flat. "Smart."
Ilya nodded. "I'd run too."
Caspian peeked out from behind his table, his voice carrying a note of genuine understanding. "Don't blame him. Those guys are now suicidal lunatics."
Even Corvin's hollow eyes flickered—just for a moment. Confusion. Surprise.
Timo Moriah watched from beside a pillar, his glasses glinting. His voice was a low, amused murmur. "Interesting."
---
Jenna and Jace moved.
They had been waiting—watching, calculating, biding their time. And now, with Vaela and Marek focused entirely on Leo, they struck.
Jenna came from the left—her body low, her movements sharp, her fist connecting with Vaela's ribs. Vaela gasped, her grip on Marek's hand loosening.
Jace came from the right—his body twisting, his leg sweeping out to catch Marek's ankles. Marek stumbled, his massive frame crashing to the ground.
The merged aura flickered. Then sputtered. Then died.
Vaela and Marek lay on the floor, their eyes glassy, their bodies trembling. The rotating shimmer around them faded—and with it, the threat.
They didn't explode.
Timo's voice carried a note of quiet realization. "Their weave path is of the deviated type. But I didn't expect the Wycliffe suits to have contingencies for those types of situations."
Leo skidded to a halt, his chest heaving. He turned back toward Jace and Jenna, his voice carrying a note of genuine gratitude.
"Thanks. I—"
Jenna cut him off, her voice dry. "You did all the rest for us. We just finished the job."
Jace nodded. "What she said."
Leo's cheeks flushed. "Right. Well. Thanks anyway."
---
A slow, deliberate sound echoed through the hall.
Footsteps.
Everyone turned.
Corvin had released Valerik. The battered man slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Corvin now stood at the center of the hall, his hollow eyes fixed on Leo. His presence was different—heavier, sharper, hungrier.
He took a step toward Leo.
Leo's hand rose, motioning for Irina, Jax, and Ilya to back away.
Timo's voice carried a note of theatrical admiration. "My, how heroic of you. Concerned about the well-being of beauties."
Leo's head snapped toward him, his face flushing furiously. "It's not like that!"
Timo's smile widened. "Of course not."
---
Corvin's gaze shifted to Vaela—still on the floor, trembling, empty.
His voice was low. Flat. "You told me they were all bugs. You told me they were beneath us."
Vaela's voice was a strained whisper. "It's not that—this Jerkins kid—something's off with him. The way he can control the energy of his suit. Don't tell me he's a Fully Realized Circuit Bound or something."
Corvin's eyes flickered.
And then—for the first time—something ignited within them.
His aura shifted. The rotating shimmer at his edges intensified—a hungry, urgent presence that pulsed with something deeper than extraction. Something that felt like fighting spirit.
The air around him grew heavy. The ground beneath his feet cracked. The shadows in the hall deepened.
Corvin's voice was quiet. Measured.
"So. You are a Fully Realized Circuit Bound. That should be impossible for a human. And yet..."
He took a step forward.
"My name is Corvin. I am of the noble Erynder clan. Since birth, I have been guided into understanding the Breath of Heaven—the force that surrounds us all. The path of the Anima."
He paused, his hollow eyes fixed on Leo.
"To fully rotate in the Anima, one needs the Keys—the spiritual anchors hidden in all beings. Including the livestock." He tilted his head. "You humans."
The air around him grew heavier. His aura pulsed—stronger, sharper, hungrier.
"I came here to make you beg for mercy. To beat you so thoroughly that you would never speak ill of a Sutran again. But now..."
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"Perhaps your Sol would be more iconic. More exciting. You surprised me—revealing that you are a Circuit Awakener. This will be a ride."
He took another step forward.
"Let's see if you really are the better of the new prospects in Crestwood."
---
Irina's voice carried a note of desperate encouragement. "You've got this, Leo! Show him what you're made of!"
Jax nodded. "Don't let him push you around."
Ilya's voice was softer. "We believe in you."
Leo's cheeks flushed—not from embarrassment, but from something warmer. His voice was quiet. "Thanks. I—I'll try not to disappoint."
Caspian's voice floated from behind his table. "You'd better not, bro! I already praised you once!"
Leo's blush deepened. "Shut up, Caspian."
---
The hall fell silent.
Corvin stood at one end. Leo stood at the other. Between them, the ruins of a celebration—overturned tables, scattered food, groaning cadets.
The air crackled with tension.
Corvin's aura blazed—hungry, urgent, ignited. Leo's weave pulsed—confusion, puzzlement, confidence, intertwined.
Timo Moriah watched from the sidelines, his glasses glinting. His voice was a low, amused murmur.
"Now this is interesting."
The night outside was very, very quiet.
And the battle was about to begin.