The afternoon sun hung low over the outdoor basketball court.
The game between Axiom, Callie, Cammy, and Beth had long since stopped being serious. At this point it was mostly laughter, teasing, and Callie insisting that every missed shot was somehow someone else's fault.
"It was the wind," Callie declared confidently.
"There is no wind," Beth replied.
"It was emotional wind."
Cammy nearly dropped the basketball laughing.
Axiom shook his head.
"That doesn't even make sense."
"It does in my heart."
"That's not how physics works."
Before Callie could continue defending her completely ridiculous argument, several unfamiliar voices drifted across the court.
"Yo."
The four turned.
A group of young men were approaching from the far side of the park.
There were five of them.
They looked older than most college students. Late teens, maybe early twenties. Their clothing was flashy, street-style jackets and layered outfits that made them stand out immediately.
The one in front stepped forward.
He had a confident grin that immediately rubbed Axiom the wrong way.
"Didn't know we'd find a party here."
Callie's smile disappeared.
Cammy moved slightly closer to Beth.
Axiom noticed.
Immediately.
The leader's eyes moved toward the girls.
"Well, well."
He whistled.
"Looks like you guys got lucky."
Axiom's expression remained calm.
"Can we help you?"
The leader looked at him.
Then at the girls.
Then back to him.
"You their boyfriend or something?"
Before Axiom could answer, Callie spoke.
"No."
The leader smirked.
"Good."
That was apparently all the invitation he needed.
He immediately began trying to impress them.
Callie looked annoyed after about three seconds.
Cammy looked uncomfortable.
Beth looked like she was mentally calculating how many books she could throw at someone before it became a crime.
Axiom stepped forward.
That was enough.
"Alright."
His voice was calm.
"But they're clearly not interested."
The group looked toward him.
The leader laughed.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
"Axiom."
"Never heard of you."
"That's fine."
The smile slowly disappeared from the leader's face.
His friends exchanged looks.
One of them noticed the basketball.
Another looked toward the court.
Then an idea formed.
"You play?"
Axiom followed his gaze.
Basketball.
Of course.
Somehow everything in his life eventually became basketball.
The leader grinned.
"We've got players too."
Callie folded her arms.
"Oh boy."
Axiom already knew that tone.
It was the tone she used whenever someone was about to embarrass themselves.
The leader pointed toward the court.
"How about a game?"
A crowd had already begun gathering nearby.
People walking through the park noticed the tension.
Others recognized Axiom from the recent tournament clips that had begun circulating online.
More and more spectators started stopping.
Phones came out.
People watched.
The leader spread his arms.
"Let's make it interesting."
Axiom raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting how?"
"If we win..."
He gestured toward the girls.
Callie's eye twitched.
"...they come hang out with us."
The air suddenly became noticeably colder.
Not literally.
Just emotionally.
Beth adjusted her glasses.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Cammy smiled.
Which somehow looked even scarier.
Callie cracked her knuckles.
The leader failed to notice any of these warning signs.
Axiom simply sighed.
Then smiled.
"Sure."
Everyone froze.
The girls looked at him.
The gang looked shocked.
The spectators leaned forward.
Then Axiom continued.
"But if we win..."
The smile on his face widened slightly.
"You stop bothering people."
The leader blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Axiom spun the basketball on one finger.
"If you're that confident, it shouldn't matter."
The crowd murmured.
The leader looked around.
His pride had already trapped him.
There was no backing down now.
"Fine."
He pointed toward Axiom.
"We accept."
Axiom nodded.
Then pointed behind himself.
Callie.
Cammy.
Then himself.
"Three versus all of you."
The gang burst into laughter.
"You're serious?"
"That's stupid."
"Way too arrogant."
Callie smirked.
Cammy smiled.
Beth already looked like she knew how this would end.
Axiom bounced the ball once.
"Scared?"
The laughter stopped instantly.
The leader's eye twitched.
"No."
"Good."
Axiom tossed the ball toward Callie.
"Then let's play."
The crowd exploded with excitement.
People quickly gathered around the court.
Students.
Families.
Passersby.
Even some Jaguars players who happened to be nearby recognized Axiom and immediately stopped to watch.
Word began spreading.
Fast.
Very fast.
And standing at center court, with Callie grinning beside him and Cammy stretching her shoulders calmly, Axiom couldn't help smiling.
Because unlike everyone else watching...
He already knew something.
These guys thought they were challenging three ordinary basketball players.
They had absolutely no idea what they had just stepped onto the court with.
The crowd gathered quickly around the outdoor court.
At first it had only been a few curious bystanders.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
Then fifty.
By now, people were stopping in the middle of their walks just to see what was happening.
Phones were out.
Videos were recording.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Isn't that the Jaguars captain?"
"That's Axiom."
"The tournament guy?"
"The one from the clips online?"
"Who's playing against him?"
Nobody seemed entirely sure.
The Oregano gang looked confident.
At least they did before the game started.
Now?
Not so much.
The moment the ball was checked in, Callie passed it to Axiom.
Axiom dribbled casually.
One bounce.
Two.
Three.
The gang captain stepped forward confidently.
"You're not getting past me."
Axiom smiled.
Then vanished.
At least, that's what it looked like.
The crowd gasped.
The defender blinked.
The ball was suddenly on the opposite side of his body.
Then behind him.
Then back in front.
Then behind him again.
The poor guy looked like he was trying to solve advanced mathematics while riding a roller coaster.
Before anyone could react, Axiom flicked a pass behind his back.
The ball flew toward Callie.
Callie caught it.
Didn't even look at the basket.
Passed it over her shoulder.
Cammy was already there.
SWOOSH.
Three points.
The crowd erupted.
"WHAT?!"
The gang members stared.
The girls simply jogged back down the court.
Like that was normal.
It was not normal.
Not even remotely.
The next possession began.
This time one of the gang members actually managed to touch the ball.
The crowd cheered sarcastically.
Axiom almost laughed.
Callie definitely laughed.
Cammy tried not to laugh.
She failed.
The gang member drove toward the basket.
Shot.
The ball bounced off the rim.
The crowd followed its path.
Cammy pointed.
"Right side."
The ball bounced exactly where she predicted.
Again.
Like always.
She caught it effortlessly.
Axiom internally sighed.
That is absolutely not normal.
The fast break began.
Cammy passed.
Callie passed.
Axiom passed.
The ball moved so quickly between the three of them that several spectators lost track of where it was.
At one point the gang captain jumped to intercept.
The ball had already left.
Then another player jumped.
The ball was gone again.
Then another.
Still gone.
The ball moved like it was teleporting around the court.
Eventually Callie ended up wide open.
SWOOSH.
Another three.
6-0.
The gang captain gritted his teeth.
The next possession was worse.
Axiom intentionally slowed down.
He wanted to play with them a little.
Not cruelly.
Just enough.
He dribbled in place.
The defender lunged.
Nothing.
Another lunge.
Nothing.
A third.
Still nothing.
The ball somehow remained attached to Axiom's hands like it had developed separation anxiety.
The crowd was dying.
One spectator nearly fell off a bench laughing.
"Bro can't even touch the ball!"
Axiom eventually took pity on him.
He literally placed the ball on the court.
The defender's eyes widened.
Finally.
A chance.
The defender reached.
Axiom nudged the ball with his foot.
The ball rolled between the guy's legs.
The crowd exploded.
Callie fell onto the court laughing.
Cammy sat down on a bench because she couldn't breathe.
Even Beth had to turn away to hide her smile.
The gang captain looked like his soul had left his body.
Axiom calmly retrieved the ball.
Stepped back.
Shot.
SWOOSH.
9-0.
The game continued.
And continued.
And somehow got worse.
For the gang.
Every possession became a highlight reel.
Callie hit impossible angles.
Cammy threaded passes through gaps that shouldn't exist.
Axiom seemed to know where everyone was before they moved.
At one point he launched a full-court pass without looking.
Callie caught it perfectly.
The crowd screamed.
Another possession.
Axiom dribbled around three defenders.
Passed to Cammy.
Cammy immediately passed to Callie.
Callie immediately passed back.
Axiom caught it midair.
Reverse layup.
Score.
The gang members were beginning to understand a terrible truth.
They weren't playing against one skilled player.
They weren't playing against three skilled players.
They were playing against three people whose teamwork was so absurd that it looked choreographed.
The Oregano gang finally managed to score a basket.
The crowd actually applauded.
Not because it was impressive.
Because it felt like a miracle.
One spectator shouted:
"LET'S GO! THEY GOT ONE!"
The crowd laughed even harder.
By the time the score reached 42-4, the gang had stopped trash talking.
By 60-4, they had stopped smiling.
By 80-4, they looked emotionally exhausted.
At 100-4, one of them sat down and questioned his life choices.
The crowd was having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile, Callie looked energized.
Cammy looked happy.
And Axiom?
Axiom finally understood something.
Basketball wasn't nearly as fun when he was carrying a team alone.
Basketball was fun when he was playing with people he trusted.
Callie.
Cammy.
Beth watching from the sidelines.
The laughter.
The teasing.
The chemistry.
For the first time in a long while, he wasn't thinking about Dama.
Or Ascendants.
Or the Authority.
He was simply having fun.
And judging from the smiles on Callie and Cammy's faces—
So were they.
The game was over.
The score wasn't even worth mentioning anymore.
At some point, the crowd had stopped counting.
The Oregano gang had come onto the court expecting an easy win.
Instead, they had been completely and utterly dismantled.
Not by one person.
By three.
Axiom.
Callie.
Cammy.
The three stood near center court while the crowd slowly dispersed.
Many spectators were still talking excitedly.
Some were replaying recordings on their phones.
Others were arguing about which play had been the craziest.
The full-court shot.
The impossible passing sequence.
The behind-the-back fake.
The reverse layup.
Everyone had a different answer.
Meanwhile, the Oregano gang looked like their souls had been thoroughly separated from their bodies.
Their leader stood in front of Axiom.
Silent.
Thinking.
The crowd expected him to be angry.
Instead—
He suddenly bowed.
A deep bow.
A proper bow.
The entire court froze.
"What?" Callie said.
"Did he just bow?"
"I think he bowed," Beth replied.
Cammy looked equally confused.
The gang leader straightened.
His expression was serious now.
Completely different from before.
"We lost."
Axiom nodded.
"You did."
"We got arrogant."
"You definitely did."
The gang leader sighed.
Then extended his hand.
"My name's Marcus."
Axiom shook it.
"Axiom."
Marcus nodded.
"I know."
"Everybody knows now."
Callie snorted.
Beth laughed.
Cammy smiled.
Marcus ignored them.
He looked directly at Axiom.
"Teach us."
Axiom blinked.
"...What?"
Marcus gestured toward the court.
"The way you move."
"The way you play."
"The way you think."
"We've never seen anything like that before."
The other gang members immediately nodded.
One stepped forward.
"I thought I was fast."
Another pointed.
"I didn't even see where the ball went."
A third groaned.
"I still don't know how the blonde girl stole the ball from me."
Callie looked smug.
"As you should."
Marcus looked back at Axiom.
"We keep our word."
Axiom remembered the wager.
He had honestly forgotten about it.
Marcus folded his arms.
"Boss."
The rest of the gang immediately straightened.
"Boss."
"Boss."
"Boss."
"Boss."
Axiom nearly had a heart attack.
"No."
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Too late."
Axiom looked toward Beth.
"Help."
Beth immediately betrayed him.
"This is hilarious."
Callie and Cammy were laughing too hard to be useful.
Axiom realized he was completely alone.
Eventually Marcus turned toward the girls.
His expression became more serious.
"I owe you three an apology."
Callie stopped laughing.
Cammy looked surprised.
Beth adjusted her glasses.
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"We were rude."
"We made assumptions."
"We acted like idiots."
"Sorry."
For a moment—
Nobody spoke.
Then Callie shrugged.
"Just don't do it again."
Cammy smiled.
"Apology accepted."
Beth looked at him for a few seconds.
Then nodded.
"Everyone deserves a second chance."
Marcus looked relieved.
The tension disappeared immediately.
Even his gang seemed to relax.
For the first time since they had arrived—
The atmosphere felt friendly.
None of them noticed the girl watching from the far side of the street.
She stood beneath a flickering streetlight.
Black leather jacket.
Chains.
Dark makeup.
Red eyes that seemed almost unnatural in the fading sunlight.
Most people would've called her gothic.
Those who knew her would have called her dangerous.
She leaned against a concrete wall with her arms folded.
Watching.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Every movement.
Every word.
Every expression.
Her name was Raven Vale.
Certified Ascendant.
Three-Star Hunter.
Official field observer for the Dama Authority.
And she had been watching for nearly an hour.
"Interesting..."
Her voice was quiet.
The small tablet in her hand displayed three profiles.
One profile already had dozens of notes.
AXIOM BLACK
Potential Classification:
Unknown
Threat Potential:
High
Recommendation:
Immediate Examination
Raven's eyes narrowed.
The footage she'd recorded was absurd.
The movement.
The reaction speed.
The awareness.
The control.
Most awakened individuals weren't capable of that level of instinctive application.
Especially not at his age.
Then there were the other two.
CALLIE HART
Status:
Unawakened Candidate
Natural Affinity:
Extremely High
CAMMY REYES
Status:
Unawakened Candidate
Natural Affinity:
Extremely High
Raven tapped the screen.
Thinking.
Neither girl knew what Dama was.
She was absolutely certain of it.
Yet both displayed clear signs.
The blonde's predictive instincts.
The brunette's ridiculous physical output.
Neither behavior was normal.
Both were classic indicators.
Potential Naturals.
Rare.
Very rare.
And then there was Axiom.
Raven frowned.
Something about him felt strange.
Even from a distance.
Even while suppressing himself.
She could sense it.
A pressure.
A presence.
Something hidden beneath the surface.
Something that didn't quite fit normal classifications.
"You're going to be trouble."
She smiled slightly.
Not an unfriendly smile.
An interested one.
She closed the tablet.
The Ascendant Exams were approaching.
Fast.
Very fast.
Every year.
Thousands applied.
Hundreds failed.
Only a few succeeded.
And for the first time in years—
Raven felt genuinely excited about a candidate.
"No point delaying it."
She turned and walked away.
Black coat fluttering behind her.
Tomorrow.
Three letters would be processed.
Three invitations.
Three opportunities.
One for Axiom.
One for Callie.
One for Cammy.
The letters would arrive by mail.
Simple envelopes.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing dramatic.
Yet inside those envelopes would be invitations to a world hidden from ordinary people.
A world of Ascendants.
Hunters.
Dama.
Monsters.
Mysteries.
And power.
A world that would change their lives forever.
Back on the basketball court—
Axiom was still trying to convince the Oregano gang to stop calling him Boss.
Unfortunately—
He was losing that battle badly.