Amanda lowered her weapon slightly, eyes never leaving the leader's. "Let the boy go. He's innocent."

The leader's gaze softened for a heartbeat. She looked down at Ren, at his terrified eyes.

"I know," she murmured. "I know anyone like him — anyone who doesn't have the powers you people discriminate against — is innocent. Even those who do…" She trailed off, her face twisting. "Even they're innocent. It's not about who's innocent and who's not… it's about changing society so we don't have to choose."

Ren blinked. Did he just hear sympathy in her voice? What is this even about? He was confused.

She looked back at Amanda, voice rising again. "But do you know how people like me — like us, the ones born without skills — are treated?"

Amanda said nothing.

"They treat us like trash. No. Worse than trash." Her grip tightened on Ren's collar, but her eyes glistened. "That needs to change."

Ren swallowed hard.

"This is not the way! You can peacefully protest...you can debate.." Amanda tried to talk, but the woman quickly cut her off.

"Shut up." The woman shouted. "Remind me last time we peacefully protested what happened that we need the same salaries and rights as other power holders."

Amanda's voice cut through. "You think blowing up a school will change anything? You'll just confirm what they did was right."

The woman's lips trembled. "Maybe."

Behind them, Daichi slowly lowered himself to the floor, heart hammering. His palms pressed flat against the cool tiles. "Ren…" he whispered.

Ren sighed inwardly, a strange calm settling over him despite the gun at his head. I've really gotten myself caught in a web of problems… I just want to survive, but problems seem to find me as if they love me.

The standoff held. No one moved. Only the sound of distant gunfire and breaking glass echoed from elsewhere in the academy.

Then Amanda frowned. Her free hand felt strange, as if something she had lost for a while had returned to her body. She felt as though she were being reborn all over again because of the strength she had regained.

"What…is this? Is this?" Amanda muttered.

Ren felt it too. A prickle ran down his skin, like static electricity.

The leader holding him hostage stiffened. "No…" Her face went pale.

Amanda's eyes widened slightly. "The jammer…"

The woman's fingers twitched. "It stopped."

Ren blinked. "What stopped?"

Amanda's voice was quiet but edged with steel. "The ability jammer. It's offline. Our powers returned."

The leader swallowed hard. Her eyes darted down the hall at the SWAT team, then back to Amanda. She knew exactly what that meant.

Ren didn't understand at first, but then he noticed the subtle shift in Amanda's posture — the way the air seemed heavier, charged, and the way the armored operatives straightened, like predators scenting prey. If they had been dangerous before, now they were even more dangerous.

The leader hissed through her teeth. "No… this isn't good."

Amanda took a step forward. "You're out of options."

The leader backed up a step, dragging Ren with her. "Stay back!"

Amanda didn't stop. "You had control when the jammer was active. You don't anymore."

From behind her visor, one of Amanda's teammates said in a low voice, "Orders?"

Amanda raised a hand slightly. "Hold."

Ren's heart pounded as he realized he was the only thing keeping the woman from being swarmed.

The leader's breathing grew uneven. "I'm not… I'm not going back to that life. Not after this. I will not go to a jail and rot there. I will not betray my comrades. Traitors will not fall this time."

Amanda's eyes softened just a fraction. "You don't have to go back. We can talk. But you need to release him."

"I…" The woman's eyes darted to Ren. For the first time, he saw genuine sorrow there. "Kid, you shouldn't look at me."

Her hand trembled. Then, in one swift movement, she shifted the gun from Ren's head to her own temple.

Ren's breath caught. "Wait—"

Before anyone could react, a deafening bang exploded in the narrow hallway. The shot echoed off the walls like thunder.

Warmth and wetness sprayed across Ren's face and uniform. He stumbled backward, eyes wide.

The woman crumpled to the floor, blood pooling beneath her head, her body twitching once before going still.

Amanda rushed forward, grabbing Ren's shoulders and turning him away from the body. "Don't look. Look away!"

But Ren couldn't. His eyes stayed fixed on the woman's ruined face, her vacant stare, the blood and brain matter spattering the tiles.

Amanda's voice hardened. "Ren. Look at me."

He swallowed hard, his hands trembling. "I… I've already seen things."

What worried him wasn't the woman's death; it was the fact that he was already too involved in all of this, and the realization that if he wasn't careful with his actions, he could end up like her one day.

The metallic smell of blood filled the hallway, heavy and cloying. Ren's stomach churned. He knew, even as Amanda guided him away, that the image was burned into his memory forever.

But Amanda still looked uneasy, even though she had fully taken control of the situation. She turned sharply to Ren, her voice urgent.

"Ren… answer me! Quickly — have you seen Ms. Jenny?"

***

The gymnasium was chaos.

Bullets punched through the high windows with deafening cracks, sending glass and dust raining down. Cleaner women ducked behind benches, carts, or anything they could grab as makeshift cover. Students lay flat on the polished wooden floor, trembling, some bleeding. The echo of gunfire made it impossible to think straight.

"Stay down! She'll shoot!" one of the cleaner women screamed, her voice shrill and panicked. Her hands shook as she held a broom like a spear, eyes darting toward the broken windows.

Meiling pressed a blood-stained palm against her side, her breaths shallow. Her vision blurred; the metallic smell of her own blood mixed with the powerful scent of gunpowder. Around her, everyone was on their knees or crawling for cover.

And then it happened.

A strange sensation pulsed through the gym—warm, slow at first, then stronger. It was like a breeze flowing through every vein, like something lost was rushing back.

"W-what… is this?" a student whispered, lifting his head from the floor.

Another clutched her chest. "My… my energy…"

Meiling blinked, then wiped the blood from her mouth. The pain in her side reduced. She could feel her heartbeat steady, stronger with every second. Golden sparks flickered at the edges of her vision. She pushed herself up.

The cleaner woman who had screamed before pointed at her, wide-eyed. "Get down! I said get down or I'll shoot you next!"

But Meiling stood. A golden aura unfurled around her like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. The cleaner woman froze mid-gesture, mouth hanging open. One by one, the other women who had been shouting commands stiffened, eyes flicking nervously toward Meiling as if their bodies refused to move.

"Her… her power…" one of them stammered.

Students gasped. The warmth filling the gym grew hotter, thicker. Power—real power—was returning to them. Fingers crackled with energy, wounds started to hurt less, eyes glowed faintly as dormant powers flickered back to life.

A woman at the far corner clenched her fists and shouted, "My powers… they're back!"

Another screamed in terror and launched a stray blast of energy that scorched the wooden floor.

"No! Stop—don't use it in here!" a teacher tried to yell, but her voice was drowned by the sudden eruption of chaos. Beams of light, shards of ice, gusts of wind—all of it exploded across the gym as frightened, wounded students lashed out instinctively, sometimes hitting their own people.

The cleaner women shrieked back, "Stop them! Stop them before they—" but the words vanished in the roar of magic.

Bullets still whined through the windows, striking the walls and sending splinters flying. Two students fell before they could fully shield themselves, blood pooling beneath them. Someone screamed for a medic who wasn't there.

The gymnasium had become a cesspit of violence—powers clashing with panic, gunfire puncturing every second. The smell of violence and smoke mixed with sweat and fear.

Meiling turned in a slow circle, golden aura swirling around her like a storm. Her eyes swept over the chaos, unflinching, as if she was searching for something. Or someone.

"Ren…" she muttered under her breath, scanning every face.

At the other end of the gym, Kyouka staggered to her feet, hands trembling as power flickered across her palms. She stared at her hands, stunned, then clenched them into fists.

"My powers…!" she whispered.

Another bullet cracked past her ear, sparking against the wall. She dove behind an overturned table and then looked up, eyes darting across the crowd without even bothering to fight. Her only concern was finding her brother.

"Ren! Where are you?!" Kyouka's voice cut through the noise, desperate.

Meiling cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted too, "Ren! Answer me!"

They moved in opposite directions through the chaos, weaving between students who were firing off bolts of power or ducking for cover. A fireball exploded near the bleachers, sending a wave of heat across the gym. A student in the corner screamed as another was dragged away, bleeding.

"Ren!" Meiling called again, louder this time. Her voice trembled despite the golden aura around her.

Kyouka vaulted over a fallen bench, shoving aside a panicked boy. "Ren! Can you hear me?!"

But no answer came.

"Where is he?" Meiling's thoughts spiraled, heart hammering. "He has to be here. He has to be."

She pushed forward, ignoring the cleaner women who now stood frozen, eyes wide with fear at the returning powers of the students. One tried to lunge at her but halted mid-motion, her rifle trembling in her hands as the golden aura around Meiling intensified.

"Don't… come closer!" the woman shrieked, voice cracking.

Meiling barely spared her a glance as she kept shouting. "Ren…"

Then—someone grabbed Meiling's hand.

Her instincts flared. Without thinking she spun, twisting the wrist of whoever had touched her, ready to strike. Golden light coiled around her arm.

"Wait—Meiling, it's me!" a familiar voice cried.

Meiling froze, eyes widening.

"Ms… Jenny?" she breathed.

Ms. Jenny winced, still caught in Meiling's grip. "Yes! It's me! Let go—you're hurting me!"

Meiling blinked, then quickly released her. "I—I'm sorry. Are you okay, Ms. Jenny?"

Jenny straightened, rubbing her wrist. Her face was pale but her eyes were determined. "I'm fine. Listen to me—we have to move. Ren is with me."

"What?" Meiling's heart jumped. "Ren—he's safe?"

Jenny nodded quickly. "Come. He's in the storage room behind the stage. We don't have much time before this place turns into a slaughterhouse."

Meiling's expression hardened. "Take me to him. Now."

Jenny didn't hesitate, turning on her heel and pushing through the panicked crowd. Meiling followed close behind, golden aura crackling, parting the chaos like a blade through water.