FWOOSH!A massive, incredibly hot wall of red fire erupted from the snowy ground. The thick, rolling flames completely swallowed the two lieutenants.The normal fire did not melt their thick silver armor, but the extreme, sudden heat caused their robotic hydraulic joints to lock up in a desperate safety panic mode.The two monsters were stuck standing entirely still in the roaring fire. Their blue swords hummed uselessly in the air. They couldn't move.“Landon, hit them together!” Claire thought brilliantly.Landon understood instantly. He didn't need any more instructions. He ran straight toward the burning, frozen monsters. He did not punch them directly.Instead, Landon slammed both of his glowing, white, magical hands against the frozen concrete ground. He sent a massive, violently vibrating shockwave of Kinetic Echo energy straight through the earth.The targeted earthquake rolled perfectly beneath the two frozen lieutenants. The concrete ground shifted violently beneath their he

Claire’s eyes softened. She gently rested her hand on his thick arm."We just killed his four absolute best fighters," Landon said, his voice breaking slightly. "We fought harder than we ever have before. We did everything right. And what did General Rauth do? He didn't even care. He just parked a giant spaceship over our heads and dropped giant gravity towers on the city."Landon looked out at the crying children in the basement."The war feels completely endless, Claire," Landon whispered. "If we somehow win today... what will Rauth send tomorrow? If we break these towers, he will just build bigger ones. We are never going to win. We are going to lose this city. Everyone in this room is going to die because of me."Claire did not argue right away. She squeezed his arm tightly. "Look at me, Landon," Claire commanded gently.Landon turned his dark eyes back to her face."We do not fight for tomorrow," Claire told him firmly. Her beautiful face was covered in dirt, but her eyes shone l

They raised their rifles and began firing a hail of deadly blue lasers at Claire and Sera.ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!Claire grabbed Sera’s jacket and pulled her down hard behind a small pile of frozen ice chunks. The lasers melted the ice all around them. They were completely pinned down.The massive, armored supply train was roaring closer and closer. In thirty seconds, it would pass them. If it passed, the city would be lost forever.Claire needed a distraction. She needed cover. She sent a powerful feeling of desperation through the magical web to Landon.Miles away, Landon felt her need hit his brain like a physical punch. He closed his eyes. He focused his mind on the geography of the city. He knew the massive underground water pipes connected the whole city directly to the river.Landon dropped to one knee in the snowy street. He placed both of his large hands flat against the cold concrete.He poured every single drop of his Kinetic Echo magic directly into the ground. He pushed with all

They ran for two miles through the freezing winter storm. The snow fell heavily, covering their tracks so the Hunter could not easily follow them.They finally reached a brand new, secret safehouse.It was an old, abandoned boat warehouse sitting right on the rocky edge of Lake Michigan. The massive building was filled with rusted fishing boats, broken nets, and old wooden crates. The freezing wind howled violently off the lake, rattling the tin roof of the warehouse.Inside the warehouse, Priya and Sera were waiting for them. They had set up a new computer station using battery power.Kade and Juno helped Landon sit down on a wooden crate. Landon was shivering uncontrollably. But he was not shivering from the winter cold. He was shivering from the inside out.Juno quickly opened her red medical bag. She pulled out a small flashlight and checked Landon's eyes."His pupils are totally dilated," Juno whispered, looking worried. "His pulse is erratic. Landon, what is wrong with you? The

The freezing snow fell heavily over the dark, ruined city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the middle of the night. The city was completely silent. But it was not a peaceful silence. It was the tense, terrifying silence of a rubber band pulled back as far as it could go, just waiting to snap.Landon Hale stood in the dark shadows of a snowy alleyway. He looked down at his large, strong hands. He was wearing thick, black leather gloves. The cold winter wind bit at his cheeks, but he hardly felt it. He was listening to a sound that no one else in the world could hear.Deep inside his mind, echoing from the dark, icy waters of Lake Michigan miles away, he heard the terrible heartbeat.Wub...... Wub...... Wub......It was the Deep One. The ancient, impossible monster sleeping beneath the earth. It was waiting for Landon to use his magic. It was hungry for his power."Landon," a soft voice whispered next to him.Landon blinked and turned his head. Claire Arden stood right beside him in th