Three days passed.
The world continued normally.
Too normally.
Morning traffic filled the streets. News channels argued about politics. Students complained about exams. Nothing suggested reality had almost been rewritten.
But Arjun couldn't relax.
He stood on the rooftop of his apartment building, watching the sky.
Waiting.
Ever since returning from the Trials, sleep felt shallow. Every time he closed his eyes, he sensed movement beyond reality — like distant waves pressing against glass.
Mira walked up behind him, holding two cups of coffee.
You haven't rested at all, have you?
Arjun accepted the cup.
I tried. Feels like something's coming.
She nodded.
I feel it too. Like the world is holding its breath.
Below them, Kael argued loudly with a street vendor about food prices.
Some things never change.
Lyra stood near the rooftop edge, staring directly upward.
They are searching.
Arjun followed her gaze.
The sky looked normal.
Blue.
Peaceful.
But faintly — almost invisible — thin lines crossed it like fractures hidden beneath paint.
Seraphine activated quietly.
Dimensional pressure increasing. External observation confirmed.
Mira frowned.
Observation?
Lyra answered calmly.
Overseers do not attack immediately. First they study anomalies.
Kael joined them, chewing food casually.
So basically cosmic stalkers.
Before anyone could respond—
The sky flickered.
Not lightning.
Not clouds.
Reality itself glitched.
For half a second, the blue sky disappeared, replaced by an enormous geometric eye staring downward.
Then everything returned to normal.
People below continued walking, unaware.
Only the four of them saw it.
Kael slowly lowered his food.
…Okay I officially believe we're in trouble.
A deep vibration passed through the air.
Phones across the city lost signal simultaneously.
Cars stopped.
Digital screens froze.
Seraphine's voice sharpened.
Global system interference detected.
A voice echoed faintly across space, heard only by them.
Persistent Variable located. Observation complete.
The crack in the sky widened slightly.
Light leaked through.
Arjun felt pressure pushing against his existence again — but weaker than before.
Testing him.
Judging him.
Mira stepped closer.
Are they attacking?
Lyra shook her head.
No.
They are sending something smaller first.
The crack expanded.
A figure descended slowly from the sky, surrounded by falling fragments of light.
Humanoid.
White armor formed from shifting symbols.
No face.
Only a glowing core where a heart should be.
Seraphine identified instantly.
Overseer Proxy detected.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
The figure landed silently in the middle of the street below.
Cars lifted into the air around it as gravity distorted.
Pedestrians froze mid-motion, suspended like time had paused for everyone except the four of them.
Kael stared.
They just paused the entire city?!
The Proxy raised its head toward the rooftop.
It looked directly at Arjun.
Target confirmed.
Arjun felt energy inside him respond instinctively.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He stepped forward.
Guess Volume 2 starts now.
The Proxy lifted one hand.
Reality folded inward.
Attack initiating.
Arjun's eyes glowed softly as he prepared to move.
This time…
He wasn't a candidate.
He was the anomaly they came to erase.
And he was ready.