The night didn't return to normal.
It couldn't.
Not after a Zero-Form lay shattered behind them, dissolving into pale dust that floated like dying stars.
Axis kept glancing over his shoulder as they walked deeper into the city's industrial underbelly—a maze of metal walkways, flickering neon signs, and rusted ventilation pipes that hissed steam like wounded beasts.
"Loki…" he said quietly, "that thing wasn't even their real agent. That was a projection. A disposable construct."
Loki didn't respond immediately.
Silent Edge remained unsheathed at his side, droplets of rain sliding down its surface without sticking—almost repelled by its energy.
Axis continued.
"Division Zero doesn't waste resources. If they sent a construct, it means they're preparing. They're… measuring you."
Loki finally spoke.
"They underestimated."
Axis let out a dry laugh.
"Yeah. And now they won't make that mistake again.
--
Miles away, beyond the city limits, a spire rose from the desert—black metal woven with glowing lines of pale circuitry.
Division Zero.
Inside, the air was cold.
Clinical.
Silent.
In a circular chamber, twelve holographic monitors flickered to life, each displaying the same fragmented footage from the alley.
Loki fighting.
Predicting.
Awakening.
A voice—distorted and layered—filled the chamber.
"SUBJECT: LOKI OF THE MINDVEIL."
"ARCHIVE UPDATE REQUIRED."
Another voice joined—calm, human, but colder than the machines.
"Replay the moment of Zero Shatter."
The footage slowed.
Loki stepped inside the construct's kill-zone—
and broke its future.
The human voice hummed thoughtfully.
"Fascinating. He's adapting faster than our projections."
A faint silhouette of a man stood behind the monitors, his hands clasped behind his back.
The Director.
Director Varos.
His presence alone seemed to warp the room's atmosphere.
"Prepare the Reapers."
A synthetic voice answered immediately:
"CONFIRMED."
"And send a message to the Weaver Council," Varos added. "Tell them Mindveil Singularity has begun."
---
Axis and Loki slipped into an abandoned metro station, its walls covered in peeling advertisements and old graffiti. The air smelled of damp concrete and electricity.
They sat near a broken vending machine, its neon lights flickering like a dying heart.
Axis's voice softened.
"You okay?"
Loki nodded.
But Axis could see the strain.
Mindveil Level Three—Zero Shatter—wasn't a small awakening.
It was the kind that rewrote nerves, memory, and perception.
"You pushed yourself too far," Axis muttered. "Next time, that overload might fry your brain."
Loki's eyes dimmed from electric blue to their usual cold calm.
"There won't be a next time like that," he said quietly. "I'll be stronger."
Axis leaned back against the wall.
"You say that like it's a choice."
"It is."
Axis stared at him for a long moment.
"You know… I'm not a machine, right? I feel things. Fear. Pain. Hell, I was shaking back there."
Loki looked at him fully—something he rarely did.
"I know."
Axis blinked, surprised.
"And you stepped between me and that spear," Loki continued. "That wasn't logical."
Axis rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah, well… you're my friend. Logic doesn't get to vote."
A rare softness crossed Loki's expression—quick, almost invisible.
But Axis saw it.
A deep hum filled the station.
Lights flickered.
Down the dark tunnel, a pulse of crimson energy glowed—
slowly approaching.
Axis's blood ran cold.
"No… no no no… that's not possible. Not this soon."
Loki rose, Silent Edge already drawn.
"What is it?"
Axis's voice shook.
"Reapers."
Electric red symbols began etching themselves into the tunnel walls.
"Division Zero's elite hunters."
"Not constructs."
"Not soldiers."
He swallowed hard.
"Humans with erased identities and upgraded neural nets."
"Once they're sent, it means Division Zero has officially declared you a planetary threat."
Footsteps echoed from the tunnel.
Slow.
Heavy.
Human.
A voice followed—calm, emotionless.
"Loki."
"By order of Division Zero, you are to be retrieved alive."
"Or in pieces."
Axis grabbed Loki's arm.
"We can't fight them. These aren't like the Nullhound. These are—"
But Loki was already stepping forward.
His eyes glowed again—
a steady, controlled azure.
"No more running."
---
From the tunnel shadows stepped a tall man in a black coat lined with crimson circuitry.
His face was calm.
Expressionless.
Eyes glowing faintly red—artificial, but still… human.
He carried no weapon.
He didn't need one.
"Subject Loki," the Reaper said. "Your awakening is anomalous. Come quietly."
Loki lifted Silent Edge.
"No."
The Reaper smiled faintly—just enough to chill the air.
"Good."
His hands ignited with red fractal light.
"Show me your evolution."
The metro trembled as the fight began.