Ash slammed his blade hilt into the rock trapping his leg one last time.
Crack.
The stone split, shards clattering to the ground. He yanked his leg free and pushed himself up.
Nearby, Kael yanked a twisted metal beam off Max and pulled him down from the wreckage. Max stumbled as he landed, his suit barely holding together. Broken plates hung loose, and his cracked visor showed part of his face—but not a scratch touched his skin. No burns. No blood. Like the battle hadn't even touched him.
He rolled his shoulder and let out a breath.
"Not bad."
His eyes swept over the battlefield. Charred bodies, scorched ground, smoke twisting in the air. The stink of burned metal clung to everything.
A low whistle slipped out.
"Damn. You really torched the place."
His gaze slid over the blackened corpses. A small smirk tugged at his mouth.
"Didn't think you'd lose it like that. Not for me."
Kael snorted and crossed his arms.
"Lose it? Please. They were just in my way."
Ash walked toward them, brushing ash from his jacket. He let out a short laugh.
"Yeah? Then why did you look ready to chase down the Apex fleet when you thought he was actually dead?"
Kael's head snapped toward him, eyes sharp.
Ash grinned and looked off to the side, pretending he hadn't said anything.
Kael clicked his tongue and turned back to Max.
"Whatever. More importantly—how the hell are you still breathing?"
Max ran a hand over the torn mess of his armor, feeling the dents and broken pieces.
"Beats me."
Then—
Bzzt.
Max's helmet crackled. The damaged A.I. fought to speak, its voice breaking into static and warped sounds.
"[—your... Vein… has... been filled w-with… u—nknown... energy—D-detecting… anomaly—New…change detected—]"
Max frowned. A pulse moved under his skin, slow and steady. It felt strange, but not wrong.
"Wait… Are you saying my Vein evolved?"
"[A-affirmative… And—y-you... are not... the only one… All…three of you… have underg—gone… a t-tra-transformation…]"
Kael and Ash exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.
Max flexed his fingers. The strange force stirred deeper inside him. Not just power—something that had become part of him.
"So what changed?"
The A.I. sputtered.
"[Your… b-b-body… exhibits… incre—ased durability… borderline... indestructible—b-but... pain… is still… registered… Th-the fiery… one—has e-experienced... Veinflow... amp—lification… And—the… youngest… exhibits… enhanced... kinetic output—s-s-significantly… i-increased speed—]"
Max turned his head toward Ash.
Ash tightened his fists, feeling the hum of energy running through him. His body felt light, like the ground couldn't hold him.
Before he could speak—
"What the hell…" Kael's voice cut across the space between them, sharp and unsettled.
Both Max and Ash spun toward him.
Kael rolled his shoulders, shaking off the tension. His flames flickered faintly around him.
"I just got a message from the system."
Max's hand twitched.
"A message?"
Ash's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah… I got something like that right before my new skill."
Kael's head snapped toward him.
"Skill?"
A pulse moved through Max's chest, low and deep. It felt like something had grabbed onto him and refused to let go.
"Wait… I got the message too. Titan Vein?"
Kael's jaw clenched.
"So it wasn't just me."
Ash crossed his arms, the corner of his mouth pulling tight.
"Do you have any new skill?"
Max shut his eyes, feeling inward. His heart beat steady, but something different lurked beneath it. Cold and Heavy
He opened his eyes.
"Endless Agony."
Kael and Ash stiffened.
Max flexed his fingers against the torn suit. His skin felt untouched, smooth where wounds should have been. But when he focused, pain stirred deep inside him—the memory of every blow, every cut, burning raw through his nerves.
His hand tightened into a fist.
"I don't take damage anymore."
He drew in a breath, slow and steady.
"But I still feel everything."
Kael's lips twisted.
"Well, looks like you're our tank now."
Max shot him a look.
"Do I look like I will enjoy getting torn apart?"
Kael shrugged, flame dancing faintly across his shoulder.
"Since you don't actually take damage, I don't see the issue."
Ash stepped forward, voice calm.
"What about you? Did you get a new skill too?"
Kael closed his eyes, sinking into the flow inside him. Power hummed under his skin, louder now, sharper. When he found it, a low breath slipped from him.
"Huh… My Vein type changed. It's Titan Vein now."
Max's eyebrow twitched.
"Same here."
Kael kept searching. A grin broke across his face. Heat wrapped around him, pulling the air tight.
"Flare Ascension."
A spark raced up his arm, heat blooming at his fingertips. The ground under him cracked, too dry to hold the power leaking out.
"Boosts all my fire moves to the maximum limit."
He curled his fingers into a fist, the heat warping the air around it.
"Does this mean i don't get to train my skills anymore. Men this is the best. No wonder my flames felt stronger. This is insane."
Max scoffed, arms crossing tight over his chest.
"Of course. You always get the best upgrades. Even Ash's speed got a huge jump—that's just unfair."
Kael flashed a smug grin.
Ash exhaled, rolling his shoulders as a strange energy buzzed under his skin. He closed his eyes, reaching deeper.
A voice stirred in his mind.
"[Your vein system status…]"
Energy pulsed through him, sharp and alive. Words burned across his vision, carving themselves into his thoughts.
[Status]
Name: Ashley Burns
Vein: Titan [Hybrid]
Vein Energy: 23% (343/400)
Veinflow: [Initiated]
Vitalforce: [5th Tier]
Skills: [8]
Ash frowned.
'Everything still looks the same... except for my Vein type.'
His thoughts shifted, pulling the skill list into view.
[Skills]
Fire:
[Cinderborn]
[Emberheart]
[Scorch Palm]
Lightning:
[Lightning Bane]
[Storm Vein]
[Static Surge]
Dark:
[Nightstalker's Sight]
Titan:
[Phantom's Stride]
His eyes locked on the last skill. The name felt unfamiliar—but right.
"Phantom's Stride," he muttered under his breath.
The moment he focused on it, more words slid into place.
[Phantom's Stride]
Type: Active Skill
Category: Empowerment
Skill Description:
A technique that severs the chains of time. The world slows to a crawl while the user moves like a ghost—untouchable, unseen. To others, they are but a flickering shadow, striking before their presence is even registered.
Burden:
To walk the phantom's path is to unravel an unseen thread of life. Each use steals something irreplaceable—slow at first, inevitable in time. No shadow escapes the price of stretching too far.
Ash's frown deepened.
'What the hell does this mean?'
The words didn't read like normal system info. They felt more like a warning.
His gaze stayed on the word Burden, unease twisting low in his gut.
'something irreplaceable?'
He shoved the feeling aside and flicked back to his Status.
Then he froze.
His Vein Energy.
It had always been 300/300. Now the cap had risen to 400, and he already had 343.
His fingers twitched.
'That shouldn't be possible.'
Ash opened his eyes, slow and careful.
"Check your Vein Energy," he said, voice steady. His hand curled into a loose fist.
"Mine changed. The cap jumped from three hundred to four hundred."
Kael and Max locked eyes, then closed theirs, reaching inward.
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
Kael's laugh burst out, raw and sharp.
"This is insane! My cap doubled—five hundred to a thousand!"
Max let out a slow breath, a crooked smile pulling at his mouth.
"Almost feels like we gained an extra element… just like Ash's hybrid Vein."
Kael's grin faded. His head snapped toward Ash, something clicking into place.
"Wait. If you're already at four hundred in Initiated Stage…" His words trailed off.
Max's face darkened.
"Yeah. His growth is different. Way different. Multiple elements stack harder."
His arms crossed tight against his chest.
"If he hits Master Stage… His cap could break two thousand."
Kael turned fully, staring at Ash like he was something else.
"That's insane. But... wouldn't it take forever to pull in that much energy? And your Dark element—how are you even supposed to use it? We don't have anyone to teach that."
Max nodded.
"He's right. Mom's the only Dark Veinflow user we know. And she made it pretty clear she's not teaching you."
Ash's eyes lowered for a second.
"There's more to this Vein Energy than you think."
The way he said it made the air tighten.
Max's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Ash's jaw tensed.
"My Vein Energy isn't stuck at three hundred. It's already three hundred forty-three."
His voice dropped lower.
"And I think I know why."
The wind tugged at the edges of the broken battlefield.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"So how?"
Ash looked up, steady. The words came out heavy.
"Your Titan Vein awakened after the fight. Mine... happened during it. And I saw something. The Titan Vein grows by killing."