Scene One: The city burned.
The once-bright sky over New York was drowned in smoke, fire, and the thunder of foreign engines. The airships hung above like dark sentinels, their hulls lined with crimson lights that pulsed in sync with their heavy weapons. Every few seconds, one of them unleashed a searing beam, and the city answered with screams. Towers cracked, glass rained down, streets split apart under explosions that made the ground shudder like it wanted to flee.
Inside the Guild Academy, chaos mirrored the city outside. Alarms blared. Red emergency lights strobed across the walls, bathing recruits and officers in an urgent, bloody glow. Katherine's team huddled in the main atrium, weapons drawn, still in the clothes they had worn to Caleb's wedding reception. The sharp shift from joy to terror hung heavy over all of them.
Caleb's tuxedo jacket was torn. His hands, once steady holding Cecelia's waist, now gripped a blade crackling with energy. His bride stood beside him, her white gown scorched from stray sparks, yet her gaze burned hotter than the fires above. Cecelia's hands trembled, not in fear but in fury.
"They didn't even wait," she spat, her voice sharp against the chaos. "They didn't even give us a day."
Jeremiah was silent, his eyes fixed upward through the fractured ceiling where the airships hovered. His hand rested against Katherine's arm, grounding her while his other hand clenched, faint light flickering along his fingertips. Katherine leaned against him, jaw tight, her own aura flaring violet around her.
Ezra stormed into the atrium, cloak singed, eyes glowing with raw calculation. "Everyone on your feet!" he barked, his voice slicing through the panic. "The city is under siege. The Guild will not fold. Formation Alpha—now!"
Recruits scrambled, but their faces showed the truth: most were untested, terrified. Only the veterans moved with purpose. Jax pulled on his gauntlets, electricity dancing across the metal. Lyra's eyes flashed silver as she drew in energy from the panic itself, her power feeding off the emotions in the air. Even so, she pressed closer to Marcus, who stood like a shadow at her side. His dark aura swirled, hungry, but his face remained calm, unreadable.
Katherine forced her breathing steady. The ground shook again as another beam ripped through the city. "They're targeting population centers," she said quickly. "They want to wipe out morale before we can even mobilize."
Ezra nodded, lips curling with disdain. "Typical Leonard. Shock and awe, crush the spirit before the body." His gaze sharpened, voice hard. "But he made a mistake—he attacked my city."
The roof exploded.
A massive shadow crashed through, debris scattering like rain. A creature landed in the center of the atrium, its body a grotesque fusion of obsidian armor and writhing flesh. Its four arms twitched, ending in blades that glistened with poison. Its face, if it could be called that, was a jagged maw that split open in a shriek that shattered windows.
"First wave!" Caleb roared, charging forward without hesitation.
The battle ignited.
Jax met the creature with a lightning-coated punch that cracked against its torso, sending sparks flying. Katherine's blade sang free, her aura flaring brighter as she swung in tandem with him, her strikes aimed to disable. Lyra whispered under her breath, and chains of shimmering energy burst from the ground, wrapping around one of the monster's arms, holding it in place. Marcus moved in silence, his hand piercing the air like a knife—dark tendrils slithered out, grabbing the monster's legs and dragging them against the floor.
Cecelia, her dress still white but streaked with soot, raised her palms and released a wave of sound that reverberated like a thousand bells. The creature staggered, its shriek drowned out by hers, the vibration splintering the blades on its arms. Caleb followed, his own blade glowing red-hot as he struck deep into its chest.
But the creature didn't fall.
It twisted, faster than expected, and slammed two of its arms downward. The floor cracked, and shockwaves hurled recruits off their feet. One landed hard, screaming as blood streaked his arm. Jeremiah moved before thought, his body glowing as he pressed his hands to the wound. Light surged, and the bleeding stopped instantly.
"Stay in the fight!" Jeremiah commanded, his voice steadier than he felt.
Another explosion rattled the academy. Above them, more creatures poured in from the ships, smashing through buildings, climbing down walls, leaping into the streets. The city was overrun.
Katherine met Caleb's eyes across the chaos. "If they've started this here, then the Guild facilities worldwide are next."
Caleb's expression hardened, sweat dripping down his brow. "Then we hold the line here first."
Ezra's voice echoed, booming with authority. "You don't understand! This is not a raid. This is the first stage of an extermination. If we don't rally now, there won't be a Guild to defend."
The creature roared again. But this time, it wasn't alone. Three more dropped through the broken ceiling, their weight shaking the foundation. The atrium became a warzone.
"Split into squads!" Ezra ordered, slamming his staff against the ground. A surge of energy formed a barrier wall to stall one of the beasts. "Protect the civilians in the lower wings. Do not let them breach the sanctuary halls!"
Lyra grabbed Marcus's wrist. "We need to cut them down before more arrive."
Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Then we'll carve a path through them."
They charged together.
The atrium rang with steel, lightning, shrieks, and fire. Recruits who only hours before had been clapping for Caleb and Cecelia's union now fought tooth and nail to keep from being torn apart. Katherine felt her muscles burn, her aura stretching to its limits, but she refused to falter. Every strike was for her family. For Jeremiah. For the city.
And still, above them, the airships pulsed with crimson light. More shadows stirred inside their bellies, waiting to be unleashed.
Scene Two: Nowhere to Run
The streets of New York were unrecognizable.
Buildings that had once pierced the sky now smoldered as broken skeletons. Cars lay overturned, glass glittering like blood across the pavement. Fires painted the night in red and orange, their smoke rising into the beams of alien warships that hung like vultures overhead. Every corner was filled with chaos—civilians fleeing, sirens wailing, and the screeches of creatures not of this world.
Ezra led the charge out of the Academy. His staff glowed with sharp blue light as he struck the ground, creating a barrier that pushed civilians back toward safer corridors underground. "Keep moving!" he roared. "The Guild protects you—RUN!"
Katherine sprinted beside him, blade drawn, Jeremiah close behind. Her violet aura cut through the darkness, making her a beacon that terrified recruits followed through the smoke. Every step burned in her lungs, but her mind was sharp: count the civilians, count the wounded, calculate the fastest escape. There was no room for hesitation.
A creature slammed into their path. Twice as tall as a man, its body shimmered with metallic scales that shifted colors like oil. Its claws dripped with acid, hissing as it touched the cracked pavement. Its maw opened, shrieking, and then it lunged.
"Down!" Katherine barked.
Jax was already in motion. He dove forward, gauntlets blazing, and punched upward with enough force to shatter the creature's jaw. Lightning burst through its skull, exploding out the back in sparks. The monster toppled, but more shadows stirred above.
"They're sending them in packs," Jax spat, wiping blood from his lip. "Hunting waves."
"Then we break them wave by wave," Caleb growled, dragging Cecelia behind him toward cover. Her gown, shredded by ash and combat, still trailed behind her like the ghost of the wedding they'd lost.
Lyra stood at the center of the squad, her silver eyes glowing as she absorbed the chaos around them—the fear, the anger, the desperation. Her hands trembled, but energy built inside her like a storm. Marcus's voice was low and steady at her side.
"Control it. Breathe. Focus it."
Her chest rose and fell sharply. Then she thrust her palms outward. Energy erupted from her in chains of silver flame, wrapping three creatures at once, dragging them to the ground. Marcus followed, shadows spilling from his arms, constricting the beasts until their bones cracked like brittle twigs.
Recruits cheered. For a brief moment, hope flickered.
Ezra didn't allow it to linger. His voice cut like iron. "Do not waste time celebrating. This is the enemy's opening. Leonard is probing our defenses before the hammer falls."
Another explosion rocked the street. A tower collapsed in the distance, throwing up a shockwave of dust. Civilians screamed as debris fell, scattering in every direction. Jeremiah reacted instantly, slamming his staff into the ground and raising a dome of shimmering light that shielded dozens of people from the falling concrete. The barrier cracked but held.
Katherine grabbed his hand the moment it dropped. "You're overusing it."
"I don't have a choice," he shot back, sweat streaming down his temple. "Every second we hold buys them life."
Caleb cursed, eyes darting up to the crimson ships. "We can't win this on the ground. We're rats fighting a hawk."
Ezra's gaze hardened. "Then we clip its wings."
He raised his staff toward the airships. Runes flared along its length, pulsing in rhythm with his voice as he began an incantation. Lightning split the sky, striking the nearest vessel. The ship's shield shimmered but did not break, the impact shaking windows along the street.
The Guild froze, hope faltering.
Ezra grimaced. "Stronger than I thought."
"Then we hit harder," Katherine said fiercely, stepping forward. "All of us. Together."
She raised her blade, aura blazing violet. Jeremiah set his staff beside her, golden light crackling along its edge. Jax slammed his gauntlets together, sparks exploding. Lyra and Marcus raised their hands, opposite forces—light and shadow—spiraling outward into a dangerous harmony. Caleb lifted his sword, Cecelia pressing her palms against his back, channeling her resonant sound into his weapon.
For one breath, the Guild stood united, a single pulse of defiance against the storm.
"NOW!" Ezra roared.
The combined blast shot upward. Violet light, golden radiance, lightning arcs, shadow tendrils, and silver flame twisted into a single spear of energy. It tore through the sky, slamming into the nearest airship.
The shield resisted. For a second, it blazed red, cracks racing across its surface. Then it shattered.
The ship rocked violently, fire spilling from its underbelly as explosions ripped across its hull. A cheer broke out among the recruits, civilians screaming in relief as the burning wreck tilted sideways, crashing into the Hudson River in a wave of fire and smoke.
But the victory was brief.
Above them, the other ships shifted. Their engines pulsed, brighter, angrier. Dozens of smaller pods detached from their bellies, streaking downward like meteors.
"They're sending the armies," Ezra hissed, his eyes narrowing. "That was their signal. Leonard knows we'll fight back, and now he'll bury us."
The pods slammed into the ground across the city. The streets cracked open. From each pod crawled a different monstrosity—some armored like tanks, others fast like beasts, their forms an obscene fusion of obsidian and alien flesh. The city roared with the sound of war.
Katherine tightened her grip on her blade. Jeremiah's hand brushed her shoulder, grounding her once more.
"No retreat," she said through clenched teeth.
"No retreat," Caleb echoed, standing shoulder to shoulder with his wife.
"No retreat," Lyra whispered, her voice trembling but steady, Marcus's shadow curling protectively around her.
Ezra raised his staff high, his cloak whipping in the heated wind. "Guild! This is no longer a defense. This is survival. Fight with everything you have. Show Leonard the Earth is not his to claim!"
The sky split open again as another volley of pods descended. The ground shook, fires spread, and the Guild roared into the storm.
The invasion was no longer beginning. It was here.