Kruger

The jungle howled.

Not with wind.With pressure.

The egg split.

Kaiell and Joran weren't there to witness it up close, but the shockwave hit them like a hammer. As they climbed a ravine wall to gain elevation, a blast of white-purple light tore through the jungle canopy miles behind them. It wasn't just heat—it was wrong. Every leaf, every rock, every living thing flinched.

Kaiell dropped to one knee as the scanner on his hip screamed.

⚠ GLOBAL THREAT UPDATE – CODE BLACKVOID ENTITY: CLASS - MAGENAME: UNKNOWNTHREAT LEVEL: PLANETARYALL CANDIDATES – STATUS: CRITICAL ESCAPE ORDER ISSUED

"Jou's turning inside out," Joran muttered, trying to steady himself as the ground trembled again. Lightning—not normal lightning, but thick, pulsing strands of black-and-blue—crackled through the clouds above. The trees were bending, not from wind, but from gravitational pull.

And then a new sound rang out.

The sharp crack of Kruger override frequency.

A projection formed in the sky itself—Commander Seth's hooded form, larger than life, his voice distorted by interference but still clear enough to chill the blood.

"All candidates, this is Commander Seth. Listen carefully.""The Voidling egg placed within Observation Zone Theta has hatched prematurely. The entity is confirmed Mage-class. This was not intended. This is not part of your trial."

"The subject has released a Voidstorm across the upper hemisphere of Jou. Atmospheric rifts are destabilizing. Voidling activity has increased by 340%. They are now coordinated. Aggressive. Evolving."

"Kruger assault teams are en route, but travel through the storm is restricted. All candidates are ordered to immediately reroute to Outpost Spires. Coordinates are live. Beacon active."

"Spires is the only facility with shielding against the Mage's frequency. Do not engage the Mage. Do not engage organized Voidling units. Do not stop moving."

The projection flickered—once, then twice—and vanished.

Joran looked at Kaiell.

"Tell me again why we signed up for this?"

Kaiell didn't smile. "Because back on Rust-12, this would've already killed us. At least out here, we get a choice."

They looked up.

The sky was splintering.

Clouds rotated unnaturally above a growing eye—a vortex of pure Void energy swirling into a singularity over the jungle. Bolts of purple lightning stabbed into the ground. Trees twisted. Rocks levitated. In the distance, a scream echoed that didn't sound like any creature Kaiell had ever heard—it was a language, and a warning.

The Mage was casting something.

Joran checked his scanner. "Got the beacon. Spires is northeast, twelve klicks. Not far."

"That's twelve klicks through storm-twisted jungle filled with jacked-up Voidlings."

"Better than standing still," Joran said.

They ran.

Branches cracked above them as the environment itself twisted. Animals fused with plants. Fungi exploded into psychic spores that made vision blur. The air itself shimmered, and on the edge of hearing, whispers began to crawl into their skulls.

You don't belong here.You were born to fail.You will be remade.

Kaiell's fingers tightened on the grip of his weapon.

His Viora stirred beneath his skin—unsteady, resisting the noise.

"Don't listen to it," he said through gritted teeth. "It's the Mage. It's trying to break our focus."

Joran spit. "Bad plan. I barely had focus before the talking vines."

They kept running.

The terrain was rising now—rockier, with sharper ridges. Strange growths emerged from the ground: obsidian spires that looked part-plant, part-flesh. Kaiell realized what they were.

"Void veins," he muttered. "It's terraforming the planet."

The storm boiled overhead.

Their scanners beeped—lock acquired.

A metal tower rose just ahead, piercing the jungle skyline: Outpost Spires.

It was a tall, skeletal structure surrounded by half-active shielding pylons flickering in and out of phase. Other candidates had already arrived—some injured, some armed, all terrified. Kruger examiners in black armor waved people inside.

The moment Kaiell and Joran crossed the threshold, the storm's noise in their heads vanished.

Silence returned.

Warmth.

A Kruger guard pushed them toward the interior staging bay. "You two—bunk zone C. Armor scans on standby. Nova users, report to Subdeck Seven for containment and calibration."

Kaiell blinked. "Containment?"

"Standard procedure," the guard said, walking off. "The storm amplifies unstable Viora. We're lucky it hasn't cooked half your minds."

Kaiell and Joran stood in silence a moment, watching the chaos unfold around them.

They had come here for an exam.

They'd found a war instead.

Joran shook his head. "This storm… it's only the beginning, isn't it?"

Kaiell looked out the reinforced glass as a bolt of Void lightning cracked the ground just beyond the outpost barrier.

His reflection stared back—eyes faintly glowing again.

"No," he said. "It's the test beneath the test."