CHAPTER 9 — The First Mini?Boss

  The heat in the air thickened as Aiden moved deeper into the ruined district. Not warm—hot. The kind of heat that shimmered above asphalt and warped the air like a mirage.

  A roar split the street.

  Aiden ducked behind a collapsed balcony and peeked over the edge.

  A creature towered in the center of the intersection.

  A Hybrid.

  Its body was thick with Strength Force—muscles bulging beneath cracked stone skin. But heat radiated from it in waves, glowing lines pulsing beneath its surface like molten veins. Every breath shimmered with scorching air.

  Aiden’s pulse spiked.

  “…Heat and Strength.”

  Hunters surrounded it, weapons glowing, but they were losing ground fast.

  One hunter swung a blade of compressed air.

  The Hybrid caught it.

  And crushed it.

  Another unleashed a burst of flame.

  The Hybrid absorbed it.

  Aiden’s breath caught.

  Hunters weren’t winning this.

  The Hybrid roared and slammed its fist into the pavement. The ground cracked, sending a shockwave through the street. Hunters staggered, scrambling to regroup.

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  Aiden stayed in the shadows.

  Invisible.

  Unregistered.

  Unseen.

  But the Hybrid’s head snapped toward him instantly.

  Of course it did.

  Aiden ducked lower.

  He wasn’t ready to fight this thing head?on. Not yet. But he couldn’t let the hunters die either. Not when he could help without being seen.

  He shifted his weight—10% lighter—and slipped behind a crushed sedan.

  The Hybrid charged a hunter.

  Aiden moved.

  He darted behind the creature and unleashed a quick Pressure burst at its ankle. The shockwave staggered it—barely—but enough to throw off its charge.

  The hunter rolled away, confused.

  “Did something hit it?!”

  Aiden didn’t answer.

  He shifted his weight heavier—10%—and slammed the rebar into the Hybrid’s knee from behind.

  The blow cracked molten skin.

  The Hybrid roared, spinning around.

  Aiden was already gone—lighter again, slipping behind rubble.

  Hunters shouted.

  “It’s stumbling!”

  “Keep pressure on it!”

  “What’s happening?!”

  They had no idea Aiden was there.

  The Hybrid inhaled sharply.

  Heat built in its chest.

  Aiden’s instincts screamed.

  He dove behind a collapsed wall as the Hybrid exhaled—a blast of scorching air that melted street signs and warped metal.

  Hunters scattered.

  Aiden peeked out.

  The Hybrid was furious now—thrashing, stomping, searching for the invisible force disrupting its attacks.

  Aiden hit it again—another Pressure burst, this time at its ribs.

  The Hybrid staggered.

  Hunters seized the opening, unleashing a coordinated barrage of Force attacks. The Hybrid roared, overwhelmed for the first time.

  Aiden shifted his weight downward—hard—and slammed the rebar into the back of its leg.

  The Hybrid dropped to one knee.

  Hunters shouted triumphantly.

  “It’s weakening!”

  “Push it back!”

  “We can take it!”

  Aiden stepped back into the shadows.

  He wasn’t here to finish the fight.

  He was here to tilt the scales.

  The Hybrid roared, heat flaring violently. It slammed both fists into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked hunters off their feet.

  Then it turned—

  —and ran.

  Not away.

  Deeper into the city.

  Toward the Rift.

  Aiden’s breath caught.

  “…you’re kidding.”

  Hunters scrambled to their feet.

  “It’s retreating!”

  “After it!”

  “No—fall back! That thing’s too strong!”

  Aiden watched the Hybrid disappear into the smoke.

  He tightened his grip on the rebar.

  He hadn’t beaten it.

  He hadn’t even truly fought it.

  He’d only slowed it down.

  But the Hybrid had felt him.

  It had seen him.

  And it wasn’t done.

  Aiden stepped out of the shadows, eyes fixed on the direction the creature fled.

  “Round two,” he whispered. “You and me.”

  He followed it into the ruins.