Antipolo – 11:42 PM
The wind changed.
Kael stood at the highest point of the hill, sensing it before any alarm went off.
He turned slowly—eyes scanning the distant rooftops.
"Something's here."
And then—
BOOM.
The ground split.
A streak of violet shadow tore through the house like a blade of lightless fire.
Maya dove, grabbing Elias just in time as the ceiling collapsed behind them.
Then—
Dominic landed.
Feet first. Calm.
No fanfare. No battle cry.
Just presence.
And his shadow walked in after him.
---
Face to Face
Elias stood, fists clenched, armor halfway formed.
Dominic said nothing at first. He just looked—really looked—at Elias. Like he was studying a mirror that disappointed him.
"Still holding back," Dominic finally said. "Still afraid of what happens if you let it all out."
"I'm not like you," Elias growled.
Dominic stepped forward, his own armor liquid and shifting, reacting to his mood.
"That's the lie you tell yourself to sleep."
His voice dropped.
> "But we both know... you want this power."
---
Maya Strikes First
Without warning, Maya's obsidian tendrils shot forward, striking Dominic across the chest.
It should have staggered him.
Instead… he let it happen.
And then grinned.
Her shadows wrapped around his limbs—but his shadow slithered inside hers.
Corrupting it.
She screamed as the connection turned to venom.
Elias caught her before she fell.
"She's not ready," Dominic said.
"But you—maybe you are."
---
Elias's Limit
Dominic launched forward.
Elias braced.
The impact shook the hillside.
Blow after blow rained down.
Elias's armor cracked at the shoulders, sparks flying, blood at the edge of his mouth.
Kael tried to interfere—but a second shadow rose from Dominic's back, a second form, mimicking Kael's attacks before he could even blink.
"You can't win," Dominic said coldly.
"I'm not trying to win," Elias whispered.
He closed his eyes.
And unleashed.
---
Flame Shadow – Version 1
Elias's armor glowed from within—not just black now, but threaded with embers. His shadow flickered, reacting more like flame than smoke.
The color of rage. Of survival. Of instinct.
Dominic's smile twitched.
"So you finally heard it."
Elias blinked once—and in that instant, closed the distance.
His punch landed squarely on Dominic's jaw.
A sound like thunder cracked across the valley.
Dominic staggered back—staggered.
For the first time in years.
---
But at a Cost
Elias stood over him, breathing heavily. His new form burned like a furnace—one inch away from losing himself.
Behind him, Maya screamed, her shadow lashing out, barely re-contained.
Kael shouted, "If you stay in that form too long, you'll Overburn!"
Elias's hands shook.
His flame-shadow whispered to him. It liked the pain. It wanted more.
But Elias gritted his teeth.
And stepped back.
Choosing restraint.
Dominic rose, slowly wiping blood from his lip.
Then… he smiled.
"Interesting," he whispered. "Maybe you are worth breaking."
He vanished—his shadow evaporating into the night.
---
AFTERMATH
Silence.
Ash drifted through the broken air.
Maya lay unconscious. Kael was bleeding. The house was gone.
But Elias stood tall.
Shaken. Burned. Alive.
For now.
---
Final Scene — The Government Reacts
Inside a hidden bunker, Colonel Dela Vega watched the satellite footage.
"Reyes retreated," he said.
Dr. Velasco frowned. "He never retreats."
"No," Dela Vega agreed. "He just found a new game."
He turned to the room full of new trainees—each with a flickering, caged shadow in their containment cells.
"Deploy Project Gemini. Elias won't be our only variable anymore."