But Leo’s brave act of kindness made a terrible mistake.The Devourer feeds on magic. The Hollows track System energy.When Leo created the massive blue shield, it acted like a giant, glowing lighthouse in the dark.Mr. Vance turned his silver eyes toward Leo. "Ah," Mr. Vance smiled politely. "A bright light in the cold."All fifty Hollows stopped attacking the Militia. They turned their smooth, blank grey faces toward Leo. They glided across the ice, their white hard-light blades raised high. They swarmed toward the blue shield like angry hornets."Leo, drop the shield!" Jayden shouted, limping forward. "They are tracking your energy!""I can't!" Leo yelled back, sweat pouring down his face. "If I drop it, the Militia will shoot Elias!"The first Hollow reached the blue shield. It slammed its white blade against the blue crystal. CRACK. A spiderweb of cracks appeared on the shield. Then five more Hollows hit the shield. Then ten.Leo fell to one knee. Blood dripped from his nose. Th

The winter wind blew hard across the frozen Hudson River. It carried the bitter, freezing cold of New York into the ruined suburbs of New Jersey.Here, the world was quiet. The tall, shining skyscrapers of Manhattan stood far away across the water. On this side of the river, the streets were lined with broken American houses. White picket fences were smashed into pieces. Old cars sat in the driveways, buried under thick, heavy snow. Street signs that used to say "Elm Street" and "Maple Avenue" were bent and covered in dark soot.This was a Gold Zone. It was a safe place. Jayden had claimed this small neighborhood for the innocent people. He had drawn a line in the snow. He told the world that no fighting was allowed here.In the front yard of a ruined house, a little girl was playing in the snow.Her name was Lily. She was only seven years old. She wore a thick pink winter coat that was too big for her. Her small hands were not wearing gloves, but she was not cold.Lily held her hands

"I don't need infinite energy!" Talon roared, spitting dark purple blood into the snow. "I only need one hit!"Talon charged again. But this time, he didn't aim for Jayden.He faked a punch toward Jayden’s chest, then suddenly twisted his body. He slid across the icy ground, slipping right past Jayden’s legs.Talon was heading straight for Lily."Target acquired," Talon laughed crazily. He raised his deadly bone-spike, aiming it right at the little girl’s heart.Jayden’s Prime logic instantly calculated the math.Distance to child: 10 feet.Talon's speed: 200 feet per second.Time to impact: 0.05 seconds.Jayden moved. He used his ultimate Prime speed. He teleported the ten feet, appearing directly in front of Lily just as Talon thrust his spike forward.Jayden reached out and grabbed Talon by the throat.He lifted the assassin off the ground. Talon choked, kicking his legs in the air. The purple bone-spike stopped just inches from Jayden’s face.Jayden had him.The golden screens in

The dark red blood was hot. It melted the pure white snow in the front yard. Jayden stood frozen in the cold New Jersey wind. He looked down at his right hand. It was covered in the blood of the assassin, Talon. For years, Jayden had been the shield. He had taken thousands of beatings. He had let his own bones break and his own skin burn just to prove that a man did not need to kill to survive.But Talon had forced his hand. To save the little girl, Lily, Jayden had to punch a hole straight through Talon’s chest.Now, the monster was dead. And Jayden was a killer.Inside Jayden’s mind, the golden System screens were no longer calm. They were angry. The edges of the screens burned with a dark, bloody crimson light. The words pulsed with a heavy, terrible heartbeat.RETRIBUTION AUTHORITY: ACTIVE.PACIFISM PROTOCOL: DELETED.Jayden closed his eyes. He felt a deep, terrible coldness spreading inside his chest. It was not the winter wind. It was the System. Because he had killed, the glob

Jayden hesitated for a second. He looked back at the door leading down to Leo and David. He had sworn to protect them."They are safe for now," Eli said, looking over his shoulder. "The Purists won't attack this far into New Jersey tonight. They are busy securing Manhattan. If you want to save your flock, you need to see what I have found."Jayden nodded. He grabbed the zip-line and followed Eli and his ghost soldiers into the dark, freezing night.They traveled for two hours through the ruined American suburbs. They did not use glowing magic to run fast. They walked through the deep snow, sticking to the shadows. Eli’s men used small, handheld devices that emitted a low-frequency hum. Eli explained that the devices were local EMP dampeners. They did not destroy the System like the big bombs, they just created a "blind spot" so the global network could not see them walking.Finally, they reached an old, abandoned United States Post Office building.It looked completely destroyed from