The supermarket was a mess. Broken glass everywhere, shelves down, people crying and bleeding. But Miko couldn't just sit there feeling sorry for himself. People needed help."Hey, over here!" he shouted at an old woman trapped under a fallen display. "I'll get you out."He lifted the heavy metal frame like it weighed nothing. The woman stared at him with wide eyes."Thank you, young man. How did you...""Just move fast, okay? Building might not be safe."Miko helped three more people get free from debris. His hands were cut up from the glass, but he didn't care. Every minute they stayed inside was dangerous."Everyone follow me!" he called out. "Exit's this way!"He led a group of about twenty people toward the front doors. Half the automatic doors were broken, but the other half still worked. They squeezed through, stepping over scattered products and chunks of ceiling.Outside was chaos.Car alarms were going off everywhere. Some buildings had cracks running up their sides. A few s

The rescue work went on for hours. Miko pulled people out of collapsed buildings all day. Heavy concrete slabs that would take machines to move. He lifted them like they were made of paper.The news cameras followed him everywhere. More reporters asking questions he didn't answer. By evening, his face was on every channel again."This is the third major rescue operation led by the mystery student," one reporter said. "Authorities still haven't released his name, but sources confirm he's enrolled at Abyssal Academy."Miko ignored them all. He had somewhere to be.The damaged area near Fifth Street looked like a war zone. Buildings with holes punched through them. Street lights bent in half. Cars flipped upside down.That's where he saw him.A man stood near one of the broken buildings. Middle-aged guy with calm eyes and hands that looked like they'd seen real work. Nothing fancy about his clothes. Just regular stuff. But something about the way he stood made Miko pay attention.The man

Aria walked through the government district with her hands in her pockets. The buildings here were all concrete and glass. Official looking. The kind of place where people made decisions that affected thousands of lives.She knew exactly where she was going.The Imperial Intelligence building stood at the end of the block. Thirty stories of dark windows and security cameras. Most people walked past it without a second glance. Just another office building.But Aria knew better.She showed her ID to the guard at the front desk. He looked at her twice, then made a phone call. After a few minutes, he handed her a visitor badge."Twenty-third floor," he said. "He's expecting you."The elevator ride felt longer than it should have. Aria stared at her reflection in the polished doors. She looked calm. Composed. That was good. She didn't want him to see how angry she really was.The twenty-third floor was all white walls and expensive carpet. A receptionist pointed her toward a corner office.

Miko and Anna walked through the dark streets toward the equipment depot. They needed specialized gear for their Abyss mission request. Dimensional scanners. Extended life support. Communication devices that worked across dimensional barriers.The kind of equipment that proved they were serious about deep reconnaissance."You really think Co-ordinator hayes will approve this?" Anna asked."I think he'll approve it because he needs us to approve it.""What do you mean?""The portal breaks are getting worse. The awakened wraiths are getting smarter. Regular military responses aren't working anymore. He needs people who can do impossible things.""Like us?""Like us."They turned down a side street that cut through the old warehouse district. Faster route to the depot, but darker and quieter than the main roads."Miko."The voice came from the shadows between two buildings. Deep and familiar.Miko stopped walking. "I know that voice."A figure stepped out of the darkness. Tall guy with l

Miko walked into Hayes's office without knocking. The secretary outside had tried to stop him, but one look at his face and she'd let him through.Hayes looked up from his desk. "Miko. I was expecting you.""I want to go back to the Abyss.""Straight to the point. I appreciate that."Hayes gestured to the chair across from his desk. Miko sat down."AAU runs training missions to the Abyss all the time," Hayes said. "Why come to me?""Because I don't want a training mission.""What do you want?""A real mission. Deep reconnaissance. No safety protocols. No extraction timers."Hayes leaned back in his chair. "That's not how we do things with students.""Then don't treat me like a student.""What should I treat you as?""Someone who can do the job you need done."Hayes was quiet for a long time. He pulled out a file from his desk drawer and opened it. Miko could see his own photo clipped to the inside."Portal break response. Fifty-three confirmed kills. Zero casualties. Multiple rescue o