The six students walked through the city, scanning the streets as they searched for an exit point. It didn't take long for them to notice something strange.
The city wasn't surrounded by massive walls or towering gates.
Instead, a blue, translucent dome stretched overhead, curving across the skyline like a second sky. Cool air flowed constantly beneath it, brushing against their skin in a way that felt almost artificial—controlled.
"So cool," Joey said, spinning slightly as he waved at a few children who ran past them, laughing.
"Yeah…" Luka muttered.
His eyes never left the sky.
They continued walking, Luka still staring upward, until Jordan suddenly grabbed his shoulder, halting him mid-step.
"Whoa—hey," Luka said, turning toward him.
But his words died in his throat.
Beyond the edge of the dome lay an endless wasteland.
The ground outside was cracked and bleached white, as if the earth itself had been burned dry. Jagged stone and sand stretched on for miles, warped by heat waves that bent the air and made the horizon shimmer. No plants. No structures. Just scorched land beneath a blinding sun.
What unsettled Luka most was the sky.
Inside the dome, it looked like early morning—soft light, gentle hues.
Outside?
It was high noon, the sun hanging mercilessly overhead.
"I understand now," a blue-haired girl said as she stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the barrier. "This dome wasn't just for protection… it was to make civilization possible."
She extended her hand past the edge of the dome.
The reaction was instant.
Her skin began to swell and redden, heat visibly rippling around her fingers. She gasped and yanked her hand back, clutching it to her chest.
The cool air inside the dome surged toward her like a living thing, wrapping around her hand. The swelling vanished in seconds, her skin returning to normal as if nothing had happened.
"Okay," she said after a breath. "That's good news. We'll be fine."
She glanced back at her team, her expression calm but sharp. "Luckily, we have an Ice Evolver. That gives us a major advantage. Most others will have their own methods, but we'll manage."
Turning to one of her teammates, she gave a clear order.
"Yelani. Start producing ice. When she does, everyone—put it everywhere. Under your shirts, in your pants, anywhere you can."
The group immediately followed her command, frost beginning to form as they prepared themselves.
Harkel and the others simply stood there, watching in silence.
"Leo" Harkel Began " What can you see?" Leo walked up beside the boy, squinting his eyes. The boy had excellent vision he could see you 120 m no With Lil to less difficulty The farthest is we can reach would go up to that 220 m but at that point he would have to Squint his eyes and barely make out What he's seeing
"There A forest" Leo said shocked if The planet with truthfully at its Temperature No natural life should've been able to survive out here
" how far" Harkel question
" I'd say maybe about 150 m away"
" 150 By the time we get to 100 things to the heat, they'll most likely won't be able to see us all right let's go" Harkel Walking up to the edge of the Dome
" hey are they crazy" one team called out? " none of those boys are an ice Evolver, what are they planning?"
" I don't care" another blue haired boy said back " leave less competition for me"
As Harkel and the group we are getting to get out of the dome a lot of of the Second years already came through showing that They wasted a lot of time more than they know when AS Sinclair and his group walked out of the portal they Could see kids running around and guards near the portal, obviously wanting to stop the kids from ever getting curious but It wasn't that that made Sinclair scared. It was seeming a little brother out there in the scorching heat
"Hey what is he?" the boy was began the question until all 6 of Harkel Group, including him, all started running in her own direction
" are they insane" a student yelled nervous for their safety
" they're going to die of a heat stroke out there" another laughed
" shit harkel" Sinclair was ready to move, but was stopped by one of his teammate, Matthew
" don't go sir" the white haired boy said i'm looking straight at them running
" are you insane he's—They are going to die out there if we don't do something" Sinclair protested
" is your brother really that big of a fool?" Matthew questioned, But not in a mocking tone he was serious and Sinclair knew the answer to that question
" no Harkel May do some dumb things sometimes, but overall he's not Dumb"
exactly
"Alright!" Harkel yelled, hopping onto the bike and revving the engine.
"Hey, we're on limited gas—don't waste it all," Jordan warned.
"Sorry," Harkel said quickly.
"Okay, now remember what we planned," the blue-haired boy said with a grin. Everyone nodded in response.
Leo paused.
He could hear it—footsteps. Crunching against dust-covered rocks. Not just one pair. Multiple.
"We need to hurry this up," Leo said, his voice tense. "They're catching up."
"Okay, Riven, hop on," Harkel said, ready to go.
Riven jumped onto the bike, his back turned to Harkel as he grabbed onto the rear frame. Joey did the same on the bike Jordan was riding, holding tight as the engine hummed beneath them.
"Leo," Luka said, smiling ear to ear, already riding forward—whatever he was on, it was way cooler than a bike.
"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Leo smirked back.
The academy uniform was made from a highly flexible, reinforced material—designed for evolvers. Even if a student transformed into something massive, something inhuman, the fabric would stretch and adapt, ensuring they wouldn't be left exposed once they returned to normal.
Leo exhaled slowly.
Then his body began to change.
A sharp crack echoed as his spine arched violently, vertebrae grinding and snapping into a new alignment. His shoulders widened with a sickening crunch, bones pushing outward beneath his skin as muscle mass surged unnaturally fast. Leo clenched his teeth as his arms lengthened, forearms thickening, fingers stretching as nails darkened and sharpened into claws.
His ribcage expanded with a deep, hollow thoom, forcing air from his lungs as his chest broadened. Dark fur erupted across his skin in uneven patches at first, then rapidly spread, swallowing his arms, torso, and neck in thick, shadow-colored strands that shimmered faintly under the light.
His jaw snapped forward with a brutal crack, teeth rearranging as his mouth elongated, canines pushing past his lips into long, lethal fangs. A low growl vibrated from deep in his throat—no longer entirely human—as his legs bent and reformed, bones snapping backward as his stance lowered and stabilized.
Within seconds, the boy was gone.
In his place stood a towering wolf-like figure, muscles coiled beneath layers of dark fur, eyes burning with sharp awareness as dust settled around his massive frame.
⸻
"That's never going to get old," Luka said, staring in awe at the massive wolf in front of him.
"Hurry up and get on," Leo growled through gritted teeth. Speaking in this form was still difficult—even though he'd been born with the ability, controlling it never became easy.
Luka didn't waste another second. He hopped onto Leo's back, gripping the thick, dark fur tightly, refusing to let go for even a moment. Engines roared to life as the others mounted their bikes, speeding forward while the nine-foot werewolf launched into motion beside them—running on all fours, powerful muscles rippling beneath his black coat, a black-haired boy riding securely on his back.
"Woooooo!" Luka shouted, laughing as the wind tore past them.
"I wanted to do that," Joey muttered under his breath.
Everyone heard him.
Several smirks turned his way.
"Oh, you know what I meant!" Joey yelled back defensively as they neared the forest's edge.
The terrain ahead darkened as towering trees rose in the distance, their dense canopies swallowing the light.
"One advantage we have," Harkel said calmly, "is that they don't even know a forest exists here. They'll probably search the lower plains for beasts first—that's why they're being cautious. But eventually, they'll realize there's nothing down there and start moving this way."
He glanced back at the group.
"So we use that time to our advantage."
Riven looked at Harkel, already knowing exactly what the boy was thinking. His gaze drifted briefly to the dagger strapped at his brother's side.
Really, man? What a sore, Riven thought.
Two days ago, the boys had decided it was a good idea to hold a small free-for-all. Jordan and Harkel had gone at it first—Harkel won easily. When Riven fought Harkel next, he barely scraped out a victory.
He didn't want to admit it, but even after squeezing out a noticeable stat increase, they were still nearly dead even.
What the hell does the Voss Clan do for training to get you this strong?
They reached the forest soon after. The bikes came to a stop, engines fading into silence as Leo slowed and Luka slid off his back. One by one, the bikes vanished into their inventories.
The forest loomed around them.
Trees towered high into the sky—some stretching nearly seventeen meters tall, their thick trunks wrapped in moss and creeping vines. The air was cool and damp, heavy with the scent of earth and old leaves. Sunlight barely pierced the canopy, scattering in thin golden shafts that illuminated drifting particles of pollen and dust.
"Okay, let's go," Harkel said, stepping forward.
The others followed.
14 minutes passed as they moved deeper into the forest, boots crunching over roots and fallen branches. Then they stopped.
"Where are they?" Riven called out, his voice echoing faintly between the trees.
"Maybe they're sleeping," Joey suggested, scanning the shadows.
Harkel's lips curled into a grin.
"Then let's wake them up."
He turned slightly.
"Joey—let out the beast."
"Do you really have to say it like that?" Joey sighed, stepping forward.
A golden glow erupted around him.
"Oh—shit," Luka yelped, immediately ducking behind Leo.
"Don't use me as a shield," Leo snapped, stepping out from in front of him.
Joey just smiled. He knew they were messing around.
The golden light tightened, condensing as Joey raised his hand. His palm faced a massive tree ahead—its trunk wide enough that several people couldn't wrap their arms around it.
The surrounding energy collapsed inward, forming a small, blinding orb of yellow light in his palm, humming violently as if barely contained. The forest itself seemed to recoil—leaves trembling, branches creaking, the air vibrating with pressure.
Then—
The blast detonated.
Light swallowed everything.
A shockwave tore outward, flattening the ground in a wide radius. Trees vanished—not shattered, not burned—erased, as if they had never existed at all. The earth was scorched smooth, roots ripped from the soil, the forest line ending abruptly in a massive, empty clearing.
Silence followed.
The group stared at the aftermath, throats tightening.
Riven swallowed hard.
And this is why Joey won, he thought.