The city of Eryndra Prime didn't sleep that night.
Not because of the storm — but because of the fear that followed it.
Every screen, every public terminal, every rooftop broadcast shimmered with the same phrase, glowing against the rain-dark sky:
REBELLION WITHIN THE HERO ACADEMY — COUNCIL DENIES EXPERIMENTS
VALOIS LEADS UNAUTHORIZED ASSAULT AGAINST ENFORCERS
PUBLIC ALERT: RECLAIMERS DECLARED HOSTILE ELEMENTS.
The Council had spoken — twisting the truth before dawn could.
The Hideout
Xander woke to the rhythmic beeping of a med-patch monitor. His vision was blurred, the ceiling cracked and unfamiliar.
The smell of smoke and metal filled the air.
Mira sat nearby, her uniform torn, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.
"You're alive," she said flatly. "Barely."
Renn leaned against the wall, his arm in a sling. "You missed the fun part — watching the Council rewrite history."
"They made us villains?" Xander asked, though he already knew.
"Front page," Renn said. "They're calling you the 'Echo of Revolt.' Sounds fancy, right?"
Mira frowned. "They sent Purifiers to 'secure the academy.' Anyone who helped us is gone — expelled, arrested, or worse."
Xander sat up slowly, the silver lines under his skin faintly glowing. His reflection in a broken shard of glass looked… different.
Older.
Colder.
"I didn't want this," he whispered.
"No one ever does," Mira replied. "But they forced your hand."
They had lost more than safety that night.
Two Reclaimers — the twins from Wind Nation — hadn't made it back.
Rina had burns across her arms that wouldn't heal.
In the corner of the hideout, she sat sharpening her blade with shaking hands.
"They were just kids," she muttered. "And the Council called us dangerous."
No one answered.
For the first time, silence wasn't peace — it was grief.
Xander clenched his fists, the faint crackle of energy lighting the edge of his palms.
He wanted to scream. To break something. To run.
Instead, he stood and walked outside.
Eryndra at Dawn
The city was quieter aboveground — unnaturally so.
Large holographic screens displayed the Council's symbol: a silver flame encased in a circle of glass.
Underneath it, a message scrolled endlessly.
"Serve the Order. Trust the Flame."
Every citizen wore a wrist tag — new, freshly distributed — scanning movement and energy signatures.
Those without one were already marked as Unregistered.
The world was changing fast.
Xander moved through an alley, his hood drawn. A broadcast played from a shop window nearby.
"Council forces successfully neutralized rogue hero elements within Eryndra Academy.
Director Varrin Sol assures citizens that the situation is under control."
Then came the twist — a face on the screen.
His own.
"Primary instigator identified as Xander Valois, former cadet of Eryndra Academy.
Suspected of involvement in data leaks, energy weapon theft, and the deaths of multiple officers."
Mira's voice echoed behind him.
"They've made you the enemy they needed."
Xander looked up at the broadcast, rain trickling down his face.
"Then we'll give them the truth they fear."
Meanwhile — The Council Chamber
Beneath the Prime Spire, the Council gathered in shadowed silence.
Director Varrin stood before them, face tight with frustration.
"The Purifiers failed to capture Valois. The Resonance field he emitted disrupted our entire surveillance grid."
A Councilor's voice answered, sharp and echoing.
"Then escalate containment. Activate the Observation Knights."
Varrin hesitated. "Those were prototypes—"
"So is he."
Another voice added, quieter.
"The boy's power resonates beyond dual elements. It's something older. If he continues to evolve, we won't contain him… we'll have to erase him."
Varrin bowed slightly, though his expression darkened as he turned away.
"Understood."
That night, the Reclaimers gathered again — fewer in number, but stronger in resolve.
Mira spread maps of the city across the table.
"They've cut off supply routes. Every registered hero is now under surveillance. We can't stay in the city."
Rina frowned. "Then where?"
Renn pointed to the map's edge — the mountain zone of Valenreach, once home to an old hero outpost.
"Abandoned ten years ago. Still got working resonance fields. If we rebuild it, it could be our base."
Mira looked to Xander.
"You decide."
He was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"We go. But not to hide. We go to rebuild — a place that trains heroes the right way."
Rina smiled faintly. "A hero academy without corruption?"
"Exactly," Xander said. "A real one."
Mira leaned back. "Then we'll need supplies, contacts, and a miracle."
Xander looked toward the flickering lights of Eryndra in the distance.
"No," he said quietly. "We just need to believe that heroes can still exist."
Elsewhere — Selra Kaelith
Far from the city, in a transport en route to the Council's capital, Selra sat alone, replaying the footage of the battle.
Each frame of Xander's power — the way it resonated with his allies — shouldn't have been possible.
"Elemental Convergence…" she murmured. "It wasn't chaos. It was harmony."
Her comm-link buzzed.
"Captain Kaelith, the Council requests your presence. The Order expects results."
She hesitated before replying.
"I'll deliver them. But first, I need to understand him."
The screen flickered off.
Outside the window, lightning illuminated the clouds — soft silver instead of white.