The air in the car didn't just chill; it shattered.
"A ruptured gate?"
The words barely left my mouth before the sky above the highway tore open like a jagged wound. Tendrils of dark energy lashed out, and for a second, the neon glow of the city was swallowed by a void.
I glanced toward the passenger seat. Jamie was smirking, and Silas looked like he was watching a boring weather report. Even Chris had stayed behind at the Academy to "coordinate logistics"—a fancy way of saying he had better things to do than worry about a minor apocalypse.
They weren't panicking. They were Dominics.
Suddenly, the car door flew open. Lara stepped out into the chaos, her long hair whipping in the wind as she ran toward the epicenter of the rupture.
"What the hell? Is nobody going to stop her?" I hissed, gripping the leather seat. "It's too dangerous!"
"Calm down, little bro," Silas said, his voice smooth and maddeningly detached. "Let Mom handle it. She's an S-Class, after all."
I stared at them, my heart hammering. I knew her rank. I knew the lore. But a knot of genuine worry tightened in my chest. Wait... why am I worried? I met this woman yesterday. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. Oh, hell no. This world is destined to be a graveyard in a few years. I am not doing this sentimental hero shit.
I forced myself to look out the window.
Ogres.
They were massive—seven feet of corded green muscle and pure malice. Their eyes glowed a sickly crimson as they swung clubs the size of tree trunks, pulverizing the pavement and anyone too slow to run. I watched as people were reduced to red mist in heartbeats.
I waited for the horror to hit me. For the bile to rise.
Nothing. I felt absolutely nothing.
Then, I looked up.
Lara was no longer on the pavement. She was suspended in the air, defying gravity as if the sky were her living room. With a flick of her wrist, a weapon materialized from thin air—her Soul Tool: The Violet Lash. It was a whip of braided light that hummed with enough mana to vibrate the car windows.
The fight wasn't a struggle; it was an execution.
Lara dove. The whip snapped with a crack that sounded like a lightning strike. The first Ogre didn't even have time to roar before its head was vaporized by the purple energy.
She didn't stop. She spun in mid-air, the whip lengthening and glowing brighter. It moved like a living serpent, wrapping around the throats of three Ogres at once. With a sharp tug, she didn't just choke them—she sliced through their thick hides as if they were made of butter.
Six more charged her, their clubs raised. Lara didn't flinch. She slammed her palm into the handle of her whip, imbuing it with a massive surge of mana. The whip transformed into a spinning blade of violet fire. She swept it across the battlefield in one fluid motion, and the Ogres were instantly shredded into emerald-colored rain.
By the time the "Cleanup Crew" arrived—two girls with a staff and a mace, and two boys with a gun and sword—the sky was already beginning to heal. In five minutes, the street was quiet again.
Lara spoke briefly with the reinforcements, her expression shifting from a warrior's steel back to a mother's grace. When she climbed back into the car, her breathing wasn't even labored.
"Everyone is safe, right?" she asked, smoothing her dress. "I trust Silas protected you." She looked at Silas, who gave a practiced nod, then her eyes landed on me. "Jayden... I want you to see only beautiful things from now on. I'm sorry you had to witness such a gruesome sight."
I looked at the bodies in the street, then back at her perfect smile. I tried to lighten the suffocating mood.
"It's alright," I said with a lopsided grin. "Those Ogres... they aren't much different from the 'beasts' I had to deal with in the slums."
The car went dead silent. Jamie's sneer froze. Silas's eyes narrowed. Lara's smile faltered.
Note to self: Slum trauma jokes don't land with the elite.
"Anyway..." I cleared my throat, pointing toward the looming skyscraper ahead. "Aren't we late for my registration?"
"Shit! That's true!" Lara gasped, her "warrior goddess" mode instantly replaced by "panicked mom."
As we pulled into the National Awakening Bureau, I looked at her. "And... thanks. For saving me."
Lara's eyes softened into something far more dangerous than her whip: genuine love. "You never have to thank me for that, Jayden. I'll always protect my family."
I turned away, staring at the Bureau's doors. It was time. Let's see what the world thinks of an "F-Class" with a God-Tier secret.