Carter sprinted through the back hallway, lungs burning, footsteps echoing off the tile. Behind him, the Guild investigator's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Carter Kane — STOP!"
He didn't.
REI flickered beside him, her form glitching with every step. "Your concealment field is active. Twenty‑seven seconds remaining."
"Plenty," Carter muttered, vaulting over a fallen trash bin.
He burst through the rear exit doors into the cold morning air. The sunlight hit him like a slap, too bright after the violet distortion inside. Students outside turned, startled, as Carter tore across the courtyard.
"Is that Carter?!"
"Why's he running?!"
"Is the Guild chasing him?!"
He didn't answer. He didn't slow.
REI pulsed urgently. "Your mana signature is stabilizing, but the trace is still active. The entity may attempt another pull."
"Great," Carter said through clenched teeth. "Love that."
A shadow moved behind him — Mara Voss stepping out of the building, coat whipping in the wind, eyes locked on him like a predator.
She raised her hand.
Mana surged.
"Carter," REI warned, "incoming binding spell!"
Carter dove behind a concrete barrier as a chain of blue light slammed into the ground where he'd been standing, cracking the pavement.
He rolled to his feet and sprinted again.
"Carter Kane!" Mara shouted. "You are interfering with a Guild investigation!"
"Lady," Carter yelled back, "I'm interfering with staying alive!"
He cut across the parking lot, weaving between cars. REI flickered again, her voice strained.
"Concealment field ending in five… four…"
Carter skidded behind a delivery truck.
"Three…"
He crouched low, breath ragged.
"Two…"
Mara's footsteps grew louder.
"One…"
The concealment field collapsed with a soft pop.
Carter felt the air shift — his mana signature flaring back into existence like a beacon.
Mara's detector beeped violently.
"There you are."
Carter cursed under his breath.
REI's voice sharpened. "Carter — you must leave the school grounds. Now."
"Working on it!"
He sprinted toward the chain‑link fence at the edge of the lot. Mara raised her hand again, mana swirling into a tight spiral.
"Do not make me incapacitate you!"
Carter didn't look back.
He jumped, grabbed the top of the fence, and hauled himself over. His palms burned as he dropped to the other side and hit the ground running.
Behind him, Mara shouted orders.
"Lock down the perimeter! He cannot leave the district!"
Carter darted into the tree line behind the school, branches whipping against his arms. His heart pounded, his breath sharp in his throat.
REI hovered close, her glow dim. "Carter… the Guild will not stop. You are now classified as a high‑risk anomaly."
"Yeah," he panted, "I figured."
He pushed deeper into the woods, the school fading behind him.
Branches snapped under his feet. Birds scattered. The wind carried the faint hum of mana from the school grounds.
REI's voice softened. "Where will you go?"
Carter slowed, leaning against a tree, chest heaving.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I can't go home. I can't go back to school. And I definitely can't let the Guild get their hands on me."
REI floated in front of him, her expression gentle despite the flickering glitches.
"You are not alone," she said. "We will find a way."
Carter nodded, swallowing hard.
Then the System chimed.
A new quest window opened.
> [NEW QUEST: Divergent Path]
> Evade Guild capture
> Locate a safe zone
> Investigate the trace left by the entity
>
> Reward: Class Evolution Path (Locked)
Carter stared at the glowing text.
"REI… what's a Class Evolution Path?"
Her eyes widened.
"That," she whispered, "is something the System should not be giving you yet."
Carter's pulse quickened.
"Why not?"
"Because," REI said softly, "Class Evolution Paths are only granted to users who have broken their original destiny."
Carter exhaled slowly.
"So I really did change everything."
"Yes," REI said. "And now the world — and something beyond it — is reacting."
Carter pushed off the tree, determination hardening in his chest.
"Then let's move. We're not getting caught."
He stepped deeper into the forest.
The System pulsed.
The hunt had begun.