The wind returned with a thunderous roar, like the sky had just taken a deep breath after forgetting how. Vaelin fell to his knees, chest burning with energy he couldn't control. The rain hit him again—cold, metallic, alive.
> [PHYSICAL UPGRADE: IN PROGRESS...]
[AETHER NODES UNLOCKED: 2%]
[WARNING: ENEMY DETECTED - CLASS BLACK SIGMA]
"Enemy?" Vaelin gasped, his voice raw.
> "They are coming. Hold still, I will rewrite your nervous system."
"What?!"
"Trust me."
His fingers spasmed, then cracked backward and forward, like his skeleton was rebooting. Muscle fibers twisted unnaturally, realigning into new strength. Pain seared his spine. He screamed.
Across the city, three black hoverbikes raced down a sky bridge.
Each rider wore a sleek obsidian bodysuit with glowing blue insignias: ALPHA-TAC — Azura Corporation's elite hunter unit.
"Target ID confirmed," said the lead soldier. "Rajan, Vaelin. Tier Zero Bluecore. Engage non-lethal."
"No such thing," muttered the second.
Meanwhile, Vaelin collapsed under the weight of his own body — as if his bones had grown denser, heavier.
> [NEURAL SYNC: COMPLETE.]
[ARMOR WEAVE: DEPLOYED.]
Like liquid silk, a dark-blue bodysuit grew over his skin, thin as paper, harder than steel. From his back, lines of soft light formed a symbol—an incomplete Aether Sigil.
A sudden voice came from behind him.
"Hey, boy!"
Vaelin whipped around.
An old man stood barefoot on the broken staircase, wearing nothing but a lungi and a half-burnt shawl. His eyes, though, weren't human—they glowed with white circuitry.
"I see the core chose you," the man grunted. "Poor city. Poor you."
Vaelin blinked. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. "Name's Arangan. I was the previous host."
> [IDENTITY CONFIRMED: ARANGAN — EX-BLUECORE HOST | STATUS: DEFECTED]
"Wait—what?! You—!"
Before he could finish, the rooftop exploded.
The three Alpha-TAC agents descended like demons, weapons drawn. Their suits gleamed with tech — magnetic pulse sabers, infrared lenses, reaction-speed boosters.
Vaelin stood still.
Then he moved.
Without thinking, his foot twisted at an angle he'd never learned. His hand intercepted a stun-baton mid-air. He twisted, pulled, dropped low, and slammed his elbow into the soldier's chestplate, cracking it open.
> [AETHER COMBAT: INSTINCTIVE EXECUTION | SUCCESS]
The old man chuckled. "You'll get used to it. Or die fast."
Vaelin backed up, breathing hard, two more enemies flanking him.
He felt something awaken inside — not rage, not fear, but clarity. Calm.
The Bluecore didn't just protect. It rewrote what he was.
And now, he was evolving.
---