The sky didn't open politely.
It tore.
Three裂 widened at once, vomiting pressure into the air. Wind screamed across the crater, ripping loose debris into spirals. Kade staggered, dropping to one knee as the crimson lines beneath his skin flared brighter than before.
It hurt—deep, invasive—like something was pulling him apart from the inside.
Nyx's voice cut through the chaos. "All units! Defensive formation! Do not engage unless fired upon!"
The silhouettes descended slowly now, controlled. Human shapes—two men and a woman—each wrapped in unstable energy that snapped and crawled around their bodies like living wire. When their boots touched the ground, the crater answered, cracking outward.
Raze exhaled through his teeth. "Three awakeners at once. Someone's feeling bold."
The woman stepped forward first. She was tall, broad-shouldered, hair shaved on one side. Her eyes glowed a dull amber, unfocused but sharp.
"Nyx Vale," she said, voice rough. "Still cleaning up messes for the Council?"
Nyx's jaw tightened. "Mara Hex. I thought you were dead."
Mara smiled. "Tried that. Didn't stick."
Kade pushed himself upright, breathing hard. His ears rang, but the pressure inside him was beginning to settle—coiling instead of exploding. He could feel it now: tension threaded through his muscles, waiting for direction.
Raze glanced back at him. "Don't move unless you mean it, kid. Once you pull the Web, it pulls back."
Kade nodded once.
Mara's gaze slid to him, lingering. "So that's the host," she said. "He's… small."
Raze bristled. "Careful."
She ignored him. "You know the rules, Nyx. A fresh Binding doesn't belong to you yet."
Nyx stepped forward, boots grinding glass. "The Spiderball landed in my jurisdiction. He's under my protection."
Mara laughed, sharp and humorless. "Protection? Or recruitment?"
The air tightened.
Kade felt it first—a subtle shift, like invisible strings stretching between every person in the crater. His chest burned again, and instinct screamed at him to brace.
Mara moved.
She crossed the distance in a blink, her fist slamming toward Nyx's head. Nyx met it with her forearm, the impact detonating outward in a concussive blast that flattened nearby soldiers.
Kade was thrown back—but didn't fall.
Threads snapped tight inside him, anchoring his stance. He skidded, boots carving lines, then stopped.
His eyes widened.
"I did that," he breathed.
Raze noticed. "Good. You're learning."
Nyx and Mara broke apart, both sliding back. Nyx's sleeve was torn, skin beneath already bruising.
"This isn't your battlefield," Nyx warned. "Walk away."
Mara tilted her head. "I can't."
Her eyes flicked to Kade again—hungrier this time.
"He's pulling already," she said softly. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Kade swallowed.
He did.
Every person here felt connected, like strands stretched between their cores. When Mara's energy spiked, his chest tightened in response. When Nyx grounded herself, the pressure eased slightly.
It was terrifying.
And fascinating.
The second man stepped forward—a thin figure with long hair tied back, eyes calm and calculating. "Enough posturing," he said. "The host doesn't have control. Prolonged exposure will fracture him."
Kade's stomach dropped. "Fracture?"
Raze snorted. "Translation: you pull too hard before you're ready, you tear yourself apart."
The third figure—the youngest—shifted nervously. He looked barely older than Kade, eyes wide, hands shaking.
Mara shot him a look. "Focus."
Nyx made a decision.
"Kade," she said sharply, not turning. "Get behind me."
Kade hesitated.
The pressure inside him surged again—stronger this time, urging him forward instead of back.
Raze's voice dropped. "Careful. If you choose now, it sticks."
Kade clenched his fists. He thought of the city behind them. Of his father's warnings. Of the way the Spiderball had chosen him without asking.
"I'm tired of being pushed around," he said quietly.
And stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
Nyx spun. "Kade—!"
Too late.
Mara smiled wide. "There it is."
She lunged.
Kade reacted without thinking.
He reached—not with his hands, but with intent.
The Web answered.
Crimson threads burst from his forearms, invisible yet undeniable, snapping tight around Mara's incoming strike. The impact redirected, skidding her fist aside as Kade pivoted clumsily and drove his shoulder forward.
He hit her.
Not hard.
But enough.
Mara staggered back, boots scraping. She stared at Kade, stunned.
Then she laughed.
"Oh," she said. "Oh, you're going to break beautifully."
Pain exploded through Kade's arms.
The threads recoiled violently, snapping back into his body like barbed wire. He cried out, dropping to one knee as his muscles screamed in protest.
Raze cursed. "That's the recoil! You pulled too much!"
Nyx moved instantly, placing herself between Kade and Mara.
"Enough!" she shouted. "This ends now!"
The thin man sighed. "Mara."
She hesitated—then clicked her tongue. "Fine. Not today."
She stepped back, energy settling. The others followed, their silhouettes already beginning to blur.
Mara's eyes never left Kade.
"Train him," she said to Nyx. "Or next time, I won't stop."
The air folded inward.
The裂 sealed shut.
Silence crashed down over the crater.
Kade collapsed fully this time, chest heaving, arms numb.
Nyx knelt beside him. "You shouldn't have done that."
He laughed weakly. "Felt… right."
Raze crouched on his other side, expression unreadable. "You felt the pull," he said. "That means the Web's setting in."
Kade looked up. "And if I can't control it?"
Raze met his eyes.
"Then it controls you."
Kade's vision blurred as exhaustion took him—but just before darkness claimed him, he felt it again.
A new thread.
Not here.
Not now.
But watching.
Waiting.
And tightening.