128 I CAN FLY
"Is there no one in Melrose City who can match me?" Black Halo's voice rang out, the sound distorted by his silver-streaked dark mask as he posed before his fallen victims.
Then his vision flickered—a glyph flashing over Airbender's fallen body. He Identified.
Name: Core of Kinetics
Description: Grants the ability to generate and manipulate kinetic motion.
Damen realized now these Cores were treasures. They could empower him to levels unimaginable by most. A grin touched Damen's lips beneath the mask.
"This is perfect."
He reached out through the mining app's Vision Connect interface. Assimilate.
Airbender's core pulsed once and then dissolved into streams of light, drawn into Damen's living armor. He felt the core merge with his essence, like fire threading through his veins.
"Ahhh… this feels good."
Then the messages appeared, glowing in his sight:
[Core of Kinetics successfully Assimilated]
[Skill Enhanced: Thunder Crush → Kinetic Surge]
[New Ability Unlocked: Limited Flight]
He froze. "Limited Flight…?"
A gust formed beneath his feet. His armor flexed. He rose several feet off the ground, hovering in the cold night air as the faint halo across his chest blazed to life.
"Hell, I can fly now."
That power wasn't available to Rank C metas. It was reserved for Rank A or B. At higher ranks humans have gained enough meta power to be able to defy gravity… and fly.
But it was well known that kinetic based metas could achieve limited fights even at Rank C… because their powers could help them achieve flight quicker than usual.
Damen's case was probably the latter.
After he absorbed the Core of Kinetics, he gained enough power over kinetic forces…helping him to float in the air…. Like flying.
He checked his stats again.
Name: Damen Dark
Strength Rank: B Meta Rank: C Blood Rank: B
Strength: 568 | Charm: 262 | Meta: 243 | Command: 242 | Blood: 881 | Armor: 1004 |
"Finally, I've reached rank C in Meta."
Damen returned to his apartment to get some rest. He needed the breakthrough to Rank C to stabilize.
Tomorrow, the age of Black Halo begins.
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[The Office of Garius Zetheris]
The office reeked of smoke and metal polish. Light from the streets below slashed through the blinds, cutting across Garius Zetheris's desk where half a dozen holo-screens flickered with data and surveillance feeds.
"Boss, we tried to get Zairgid Aukouma but…" Dackerie's voice trembled.
Garius didn't look up from the screen. "What happened?"
"Zairgid brought help—a powerful hero. He defeated all three of them—Aura, Airbender, and Leviathan."
That made Garius look up. His chair creaked in response. "That's impossible. Those are among my strongest hero consultants."
Dackerie swallowed. "If I'm not mistaken, he's a new hero in town. Rank B or higher. He called himself Black Halo."
The name hung in the air like smoke.
"A Rank B… in Melrose City? That is illegal," Garius muttered, his jaw tightening. "Zolan Aukouma is out of control. Bringing outsiders into our city… disrupting the balance of power."
He slammed his fist against the desk, scattering glass data-chips. "This is my bloody territory."
"Sir," Dackerie said carefully, "there's something else."
Garius's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"You asked me to check the other families. I found the Snows suspicious. They've resumed their drone and android production line—even after losing their Fortress Myrone contracts."
Garius slammed the table again, harder. "I knew it. That bastard Quest Snow—he's selling us out. He's working with the Aukoumas behind our backs."
"What should we do now?" Dackerie asked, keeping his tone low.
Garius paced to the window, staring out at the skyline of Melrose—its towers gleaming like teeth. "If I hadn't pushed so hard on the Aukoumas, I could've handled this quietly. But now… those other leeches will start circling over us, waiting for me to bleed."
"I don't think the Veyran family will betray us," Dackerie offered.
Garius shot him a glare. "Don't be naïve. In front of money, there's no loyalty—only opportunity. And Valtor Veyran is the first to run when he has the chance."
Dackerie nodded silently.
Garius stood there for a long moment, his reflection distorted in the glass, before turning back. "Zolan's not the only one who can buy power. If he can bring a Rank B into Melrose City…" His lips curled into a thin smile. "…then so can I."
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[GenSyn Basement HQ]
The lab's lights hummed quietly, the smell of machine oil and coffee lingering in the air.
"I can't believe you made me take public transport for a week," Zairgid grumbled, tossing his backpack onto the counter.
"It's good exercise," Dorin said, scrolling through a tablet. "Keep this up and you might actually lose that future belly."
"That future will never happen", he replied.
Then Damen walked in.
"Is it done?" Zairgid asked immediately. "Did you whack those kidnappers?"
"Yes. It's done," Damen said simply.
Kail whistled. "Big Brother really did it this time—three Rank C metas? You're the strongest meta in town now."
Zairgid's eyes went wide. "Are you serious? You're that strong now?"
"Only in my Black Halo suit," Damen said, leaning against the desk. "I found it in the space rift. It's… alive, in a way."
Dorin perked up. "Whoa, a living armor that boosts your Rank from C to B? That's insane. Can you show it to me sometime?"
"I can't remove it," Damen replied. "It's embedded into my body. I don't even understand it completely. So, for now, I'll use it—but you can't tell anyone about it."
"Of course," Dorin said solemnly. "It's your hero alias. Secret's safe with us."
Zairgid folded his arms. "When can I have a hero alias? Wait—how about 'Party Man.' Sounds cool, right?"
Kail burst out laughing. "Sure, go debut it at the Cosplay Bar, Party Man."
Zairgid scowled. "Laugh all you want, but I'm serious."
"Anyway," Damen said, cutting in with a smirk, "about your transportation problem—use decoys. Have a few doubles leave the house at different times. Keep your enemies guessing. The meta soldiers from Fortress Myrone will arrive soon to back you up. Then you'll have nothing to worry about."
"That's a relief," Zairgid muttered. "Everyone keeps staring at me in the subway."
"That's because you don't look ugly," Kail shot back. "Be thankful."
Dorin chuckled, then tilted her head at Damen. "By the way, where's your girlfriend, Eryn?"
Damen froze, then said flatly, "She's not my girlfriend."
"Yeah, where is she anyway?" Zairgid asked. "Poor girl. Losing her mother to the aliens like that…"
Damen's expression softened. "She went back to her father. They're heading to the space rift—to recover her mother's body."
The room went quiet for a moment, the hum of the monitors filling the silence. Then Kail exhaled slowly. "Damn. That's rough."
"Yeah," Damen murmured. "But she'll be fine. She's stronger than she looks."
Suddenly, one of the holographic monitors on Kail's console flickered red.
"What's that?" Zairgid asked, frowning.
Kail zoomed in on the feed. "City security just triggered an alert. There's been a major heist downtown with many casualties reported."
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