Chapter song: Karma Police - Radiohead
"A gate has been opened," the voice rang, flat and devoid of emotion, like it was coming from nowhere yet everywhere at once. "Destroy anything that comes out of it. You have twenty minutes."
The sound echoed through the cityscape, cutting through the rising panic like a cold blade.
They all watched with horror as the humanoid creatures stepped out of the rift, their appearance so horrid that even if they closed their eyes, they would be able to make out their shape. Fae took a step back, eyes wide.
"…What…w-what the hell is that?" She muttered.
They were all wondering the same thing. None of them has ever seen something so ghastly in their life before. Even Kenneth was left stunned. But his surprise was momentary as he quickly recovered. "Targets acquired," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady.
His words seemed to snap them out of their stupor. Durian grinned savagely, rolling his shoulders as golden light flared around his arms. "Finally, some action."
Fae steadied her breathing, extending a hand toward Kenneth, her Anchor's link faintly glowing between them. "We stick to the plan. Cover, formation, no rushing in," he reminded, his tone even but taut.
"Got it," Lennon said, summoning his weapon, a gauntlet that covered both his fists. He hit them together like a boxer preparing for a match.
Fae summoned a spear, Durian his axe, and Kenneth a rifle. The first creature stepped out fully, standing nearly seven feet tall. Its head tilted in a jerky motion, locking onto them. Then it let out a shriek that split the air like shattering glass.
The countdown began.
19:59
Kenneth's pulse quickened as he barked, "Positions!" and the four of them scattered into place. The rift pulsed again, spilling more of those vine-like filaments across the street. The hum intensified, distorting the edges of reality around them.
Another one emerged. Then another.
"Three on the left!" Lennon called.
"Got it," Kenneth replied, already channeling energy through his Anchor field. The golden current wrapped around him like sunlight under water as he clutched his rifle, already locked and ready to be unloaded.
Durian laughed as he vaulted over a car, blade in hand, slashing down on the nearest creature. Its body split open, leaking a viscous, shimmering fluid that hissed when it hit the ground.
But for every one that fell, another crawled out of the rift.
Kenneth risked a glance toward the anomaly, its core now pulsing faster, almost eager. The static grew louder, voices whispering under the distortion. The vines thickened, spreading across the street like roots claiming new soil.
"Don't let them near the gate!" Kenneth shouted.
"Yeah, yeah!" Durian yelled back, cutting another creature in half.
Kenneth watched as another swarm of beasts came out of the rift. No matter how many they took down, more kept coming out. He watched as Lennon took care of two on his right, while Fae twirled her spear and pierced one that came straight at her. Despite the fear she had in her eyes earlier, she managed to shove it in and charged forward. Kenneth didn't know where the strength was coming from, but he was grateful for it since it meant not having to keep an eye on her. His eyes moved to the rift. He aimed his rifle straight at it. As soon as one came out, he shot it straight to the head.
He glanced at the timer. 10:57
They still had time, but at this rate, they would be swarming with these creatures.
I need to come up with a plan to deal with these shits all at once.
He aimed his gun at another creature, then another, and another before moving in. Using the street lamps and posts as cover, he aimed at another swarm. His shots were instantaneous and hit their target with terrifying accuracy.
They have five minutes left to go.
"These creepy shits are persistent as hell!" Durian yelled as he hacked a humanoid creature in two.
"Way to state the obvious," Lennon yelled back. He punched one before kicking another.
Kenneth barely had time to register Lennon's retort when something blurred at the edge of his vision. One of the creatures was lean, fast, its limbs bending backward like broken branches, shot past the others, and sprinted straight for Fae.
"Fae! Left!" Kenneth shouted.
She snapped her head around just in time. The creature lunged, claws outstretched. Fae planted her foot, spun her spear with a sharp twist, and drove the blade straight into its torso. It shrieked, a crackling static sound, before collapsing at her feet. She yanked her spear free, breath shaky but determined.
But Kenneth saw it before she did, the second creature. Taller. Faster. Sliding out of the gate's glowing mouth and barreling toward her from behind.
"Fae! Behind you!"
She turned too slowly. Its arms reached for her.
A flash of silver cut through the air.
Durian's axe spun end over end before crashing into the creature's skull with a sickening crunch. The force of the blow pulverized its head, sending the body collapsing inches from Fae's back.
She froze.
Durian sprinted over, boots skidding on the pavement as he yanked his axe free with one hard pull. "Get it the fuck together, Anchor!" he snapped.
Fae bristled, ready to throw it right back at him, until she caught the look in his eyes.
Under all that bluster, anger, and bravado… There was fear. Real fear. Concern flickered behind the bright gold of his irises, just enough to knock the wind out of her retort.
"I—" she started, but nothing came out.
Kenneth didn't have time for whatever was about to unfold.
"HEY!" he barked. "Both of you! Focus up! We've got another swarm incoming!"
Sure enough, the rift pulsed, flaring blue, then red, and another wave poured out.
"Formation!" Kenneth ordered.
This time, no one hesitated.
Lennon flanked left, Durian right, Fae centered with her spear braced, and Kenneth behind them, providing cover fire. They moved as a unit, tight, coordinated, covering each other's blind spots. Spear strikes, axe swings, fist blows, and rifle shots blended together in a rhythm that actually worked.
Kenneth dropped another three with clean shots to their glowing cores.
Timer: 00:48
"Almost there!" he called.
The rift screeched, spewing out one final cluster. Kenneth steadied his breath, focused, and sent a precise beam straight into the closest one. The creature burst apart.
And an alarm blared through the city.
Everything froze.
The scenery dissolved into pixels. The ground beneath them melted into a white grid. The static wind faded into silence. Kenneth pulled off his VR headset and blinked against the bright classroom lights. Fae, Lennon, and Durian sat beside him, dazed and breathing hard.
Instructor Stein clapped once, sharply. "Excellent work. Especially your adaptation during the final scenario. That level of coordination is what keeps squads alive."
Kenneth barely heard her. His pulse was still racing, not just from the fight, but from the uncanny realism of that final simulation.
Gates. Creatures. Humanoid monsters were pouring out of a tear in reality.
Why the hell simulate something like that?
They were training to protect people from criminals, from hostile troops, from human threats. Not… whatever that was.
A cold prickle crawled up his spine. It felt like a warning.
He shook it off as Stein dismissed the class.
Lennon stretched with a groan. "If I'm not horizontal in the next five minutes, I'm going to lose it," he said, his face marred with exhaustion. Everyone felt the same sentiment. Fae muttered something under her breath as she packed her things. Durian hovered nearby, jaw tight, trying and failing not to glance at her.
The air between them felt… strange. Charged. awkward. Kenneth didn't know what happened in that moment during the fight, but something had shifted.
His watch buzzed.
He looked down.
ANCHORING CENTRE: Your presence is requested immediately.
"The Centre?" he murmured. His brows knit together in confusion. There was no appointment today. No evaluation scheduled.
He parted ways with Lennon and Fae outside the hall and started toward the east wing, only to catch Fae and Durian a few steps behind, not speaking, not meeting each other's eyes, but clearly stuck in the same storm of tension.
Kenneth exhaled slowly. Great.
Whatever was waiting for him at the Anchoring Centre…
He had a feeling he wouldn't like it.