The Fury attacked again.
This time there was no warning, no taunting smile, no moment to gather my thoughts. Her wings snapped once, propelling her across the hallway with terrifying speed. The marble beneath her clawed feet splintered as she launched herself, leaving cracks spiderwebbing across the polished floor.
She was faster than before.
Much faster.
To my eyes, she became little more than a streak of black feathers and crimson eyes.
Fear crashed into me with overwhelming force.
I couldn't outrun her.
I couldn't overpower her.
I didn't even understand the strange energy flowing through my body.
The logical part of my mind screamed that this was the end.
Another part—quieter, calmer, impossibly steady—refused to panic.
The warmth within me pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
The invisible pathways awakened by the System glowed with renewed life. Energy surged through them like a river released after years behind a dam. It flowed effortlessly from my chest into my shoulders, down my arms, and gathered in my right hand.
I hadn't chosen to direct it there.
My body simply knew.
The world narrowed until only two things existed.
The Fury.
And the growing light beneath my skin.
Her claws reached for my throat.
I could see every detail.
The curved points glinting beneath the flickering lights.
The ancient hatred burning in her eyes.
The powerful muscles beneath dark feathers preparing to tear through flesh and bone.
She expected another dodge.
She expected prey.
Instead, instinct took over.
My right hand shot forward.
I didn't shout.
I didn't know any secret words.
No symbols flashed before my eyes.
No elaborate technique unfolded.
There was only the overwhelming need to survive.
The energy answered.
A brilliant emerald glow burst from my palm.
It wasn't a beam.
It wasn't fire.
It was pure force.
A dense wave of luminous energy erupted outward in a roaring surge, rippling through the air like a shockwave. The hallway flashed green as the blast crossed the remaining distance in an instant.
The Fury's eyes widened.
For the first time, genuine surprise crossed her twisted features.
The wave struck her squarely in the chest.
The impact sounded like thunder trapped inside a stone chamber.
She was hurled backward.
Her wings folded involuntarily as the force lifted her clear off the ground. She slammed into a marble column with enough power to fracture its surface before collapsing onto the floor.
The emerald light lingered for a heartbeat, illuminating the corridor before fading into sparkling motes.
Silence followed.
The Fury tried to rise.
One claw scraped weakly across the floor.
"No..."
Her voice had lost its confidence.
It sounded old.
Fragile.
Impossible.
She stared down at herself.
Thin cracks of golden light spread across her dark form, creeping beneath feathers and leathery skin alike. They branched outward in every direction until they covered her completely.
She looked back at me.
Not with rage.
With disbelief.
"What...are...you?"
I opened my mouth.
No answer came.
I didn't know.
The cracks widened.
Golden radiance poured from within her body.
The Fury let out a shriek unlike anything I had ever heard.
It echoed with countless voices layered together, carrying sorrow, fury, and ancient pain all at once. The sound seemed older than language itself, as though something from the dawn of history had been forced to acknowledge defeat.
The light became blinding.
Then—
She shattered.
Not into blood.
Not into bone.
Into countless flecks of shimmering gold.
The glowing particles drifted through the hallway like tiny stars caught in a gentle breeze. They circled lazily for several seconds before dissolving completely into the air.
Nothing remained.
No body.
No feathers.
No scorch marks.
Only silence.
The oppressive weight hanging over the corridor vanished.
The smell of sulfur disappeared.
Warm, ordinary air returned.
The fluorescent lights steadied.
Even the shadows seemed less threatening.
I lowered my trembling hand.
The emerald glow had faded.
Only a faint warmth remained beneath my skin.
My breathing became ragged.
Had I...
Actually done that?
Footsteps echoed from the gallery.
"Percy!"
Grover hurried into the hallway, panting as though he'd run the entire length of the museum. Mr. Brunner followed close behind, leaning heavily on his bronze-colored walking stick.
Both stopped the moment they saw me.
I was alone.
The hallway showed only cracked marble, scattered dust, and a single shaken twelve-year-old boy.
Grover's eyes darted around nervously.
"What happened?"
I pointed toward the empty space where the Fury had stood.
"She was right there."
"Who?"
"Mrs. Dodds."
Mr. Brunner frowned.
"Percy," he said carefully, "Mrs. Dodds?"
"Our math teacher!"
He exchanged a quick glance with Grover.
Grover looked confused.
Then worried.
"There isn't any Mrs. Dodds," he said quietly.
"What are you talking about? She just chased me in here!"
Mr. Brunner rested both hands atop his cane.
"You've been under a great deal of stress lately."
"I'm not making this up!"
"No one is accusing you of lying."
"But she—"
I stopped.
The hallway looked perfectly ordinary.
There were no claw marks where she'd struck the wall.
The shattered column stood flawless.
Even the marble floor beneath my feet appeared untouched.
The evidence had vanished.
Every impossible trace had disappeared as though the battle had never happened.
Grover placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You probably got turned around."
"I fought a monster."
His expression softened with concern.
"Come on. Let's get back to the others."
I looked at my right hand.
For a moment, I thought I saw a tiny emerald spark dance across my fingertips before fading into nothing.
Maybe exhaustion was playing tricks on me.
Maybe the world had somehow rewritten itself.
Or maybe something far stranger had happened.
Deep inside my mind, almost too faint to hear, the calm synthetic voice returned one final time.
**[Initial Hostile Encounter Cleared.]**
**[First Sign-in Successfully Validated.]**
The message vanished before I could react.
I slowly closed my hand into a fist.
Whether anyone else believed me no longer mattered.
I knew what I had seen.
And I knew my life had crossed a threshold from which there could never be any return.