Lucian tilted his head. "Always."
"If they break... you don’t."
"Okay."
"If something tries to separate you—"
"It won’t."
"If you feel like giving up—"
Lucian cut her off with a smile.
"Athena. I get it."
She stared at him for a second.
Then exhaled slow.
"...God, you’re annoying."
He grinned. "You love it."
The moment lingered. Heavy, but warm. Like something real passed between them. Like student and teacher didn’t quite cover it anymore. Like she was sending off something more than a soldier.
She turned back to the gate.
"Alright," she said. "You know what to do."
Everyone stepped forward.
The mist surrounding the gate rippled. A strange kind of static buzzed through the air now. The portal’s surface had changed—darker, faster. Like it could feel them.
Lucian took one step forward.
Then another.
And then, without a word, the change began.
It was subtle at first. The edge of his sleeve shimmered. The fabric rippled, darkened—then unfolded outward like liquid shadow. The black shirt melted into a sleek, seamless suit. A high-tech bodysuit formed from his collar down, molded to his frame like a second skin. Thin crimson lines pulsed faintly along his sides and forearms.
Then the trench coat.
It came last.
Flowing down his back like ink, split at the sides, silent as mist.
His boots reshaped. His hands were now gloved, fingertips sharp with retractable claws.
The transformation finished in under five seconds.
And when he looked up again—
Everyone was staring.
Even Vyn blinked.
"...What the hell," Silas muttered.
"Is that even legal?" Evelyn whispered.
Reia stepped half a step back, not in fear—just instinct.
Athena turned slowly, eyes narrowing.
"...You’re really doing this."
Lucian smiled faintly. "It was just on cooldown."
The gate pulsed.
A sound rang out—like a heartbeat across metal. The portal opened wider.
No one waited.
They stepped through together.
First Evelyn. Then Reia. Then Silas and Vyn.
Lucian was last.
As he walked through the gate, the air around the ring screamed.
The black shimmer turned crimson.
The glyphs pulsed blood-red.
The entire frame of the gate shook violently—ground splitting at the seams as the hum turned into a roar.
Behind them, Athena’s eyes widened.
She took a step forward.
Then it hit.
The gate color shifted fully—no longer black.
Now—
Blood red.
SSS-Rank.
"...Oh shit," Athena whispered.
And the world stopped breathing.
A/N
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