CHRONOS SYSTEM

Meanwhile, inside a police car were Lena, Tom, Max, and James, the afternoon sun casting long shadows as they made their way through the city streets.

Upon hearing about Kealin's sudden disappearance, Max and Lena had decided to leave the station and head to his house in hopes of finding him. The urgency in their hearts was palpable—they couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

After roughly twelve minutes of driving through familiar neighborhoods, the car had entered a long, winding tunnel. But at the end of the tunnel was something that made Tom's blood run cold—a spike mat stretched across the entire roadway.

"Look out!" James warned, his voice carrying the weight of impending disaster, but it was too late. The tires had been pierced by the sharp metal spikes, causing the car to veer wildly before crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch of metal and glass.

Max was the first to regain his senses and get out of the car. As he looked around, assessing the damage, he could see an injured Lena slumped against the passenger door, and in front of him was James, who had been knocked unconscious and now had a nasty cut on his head that was bleeding steadily. Tom was bruised but still conscious, though clearly shaken by the impact.

"C'mon, help me get 'em out," Tom said urgently as he struggled to pull James and Lena out of the crumpled vehicle, his police training kicking in despite his own injuries.

After a while, James regained consciousness with a groan, clutching his head and wincing in pain. But Lena remained unconscious, her breathing shallow and worryingly slow.

"Hey, is everything okay over there?" 

Suddenly, two males in police uniforms had appeared behind the car, their footsteps echoing ominously in the confined space of the tunnel. The one who came to talk to them was James, still disoriented from the crash.

"That's strange. We haven't called for backup yet, so why are they here... unless... but..." Tom tried to warn his partner, his experienced instincts screaming danger, but alas, it was too late.

Tom was left speechless and so stunned that he didn't notice when one of the "officers" had gotten in front of him with predatory grace. The male swung a dagger with deadly precision, but Max had somehow gotten in between the two, taking the hit for Tom before crumpling to the ground, unconscious from the wound.

"Kid... you bastards," Tom growled through gritted teeth, his protective instincts overriding his shock as he pulled out his gun and fired at the male.

But strangely, all his bullets were deflected by the attacker, metallic projectiles clattering harmlessly to the ground.

"But... how?" Tom stammered, his training telling him this was impossible.

With no other choice, the officer pressed his hands against the side of his radio on his shoulder clip, ready to call for backup. But the male wasn't giving him a chance—his dagger thrust forward with murderous intent. At this point, Tom's entire life flashed before his eyes in a chaotic montage of memories.

"Oh well, I hope my uniform is still pressed after I'm gone," the male officer said to himself with grim resignation, accepting his fate.

In midair, the dagger was caught mid-strike, and the attacker was flung to the side with tremendous force. Standing in front of Tom was a muscular youth whose presence radiated power and authority.

*****

Meanwhile, at the Thompson's apartment, Kealin, Rudy, and April were still engaged in a deadly dance of combat that was tearing the room apart.

Using her shadow manipulation abilities, April created five perfect clones of Rudy, each one indistinguishable from the real thing and moving with the same deadly grace. One of the clones rushed forward and threw out its fist with mechanical precision.

Kealin evaded the attack with a fluid sidestep and delivered a palm heel strike that connected with satisfying impact, finishing the clone in one devastating attack. But another had already appeared behind him, materializing from the shadows like a nightmare.

"Shoot!" Kealin cursed as the clone delivered a punch to his cord, but it was stopped in midair by his mana zone's protective barrier.

"Thank you, mana zone," Kealin thought gratefully as he twisted the upper half of his body and blasted the clone into the wall with a powerful strike that sent debris flying.

The teenager was ready to move onto the next target until something grabbed his leg with ethereal fingers. Looking down at his leg, there was nothing there—just empty air. And instead of a physical attack, a flame punch materialized from nowhere and struck his abdomen with searing heat.

"What the hell?" Kealin gasped, the phantom pain making him stumble backward.

"Altered thoughts—she's playing mind games with you, master. As long as you can distinguish what's real from what's not, then you'll be able to defeat her," Chronos advised Kealin urgently, his digital voice carrying a note of concern.

But his words fell on partially deaf ears as the teenager grabbed the clone's head and sent a knee to its face with brutal efficiency, the impact sending it dissipating into shadows.

"Quit playing games, you coward! Come out and fight me head on!" The teenager roared furiously, his patience wearing thin as the psychological warfare continued.

"What are you going on about? I'm right here," a voice called out from behind him.

Turning around, Kealin had received another flame punch that sent him crashing across the room, his back hitting the wall with enough force to crack the plaster.

As Kealin got up, battered but not broken, another attack was sent to his abdomen with lightning speed.

"Is this all you can do? I'm disappointed. I was really looking forward to some real entertainment," Rudy said with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes, though his confidence was starting to waver.

As he pulled away, ready to deliver another devastating punch, Kealin surprised everyone—including himself—by grabbing Rudy's flaming arm. He didn't care about the searing heat that should have been unbearable, and with his other arm, he slammed it into Rudy's shoulder with bone-crushing force.

"You're the real one, right?" Kealin asked with a grim smile, his eyes locked onto Rudy's with unwavering certainty.

Rudy no longer had a smirk on his face but a worried look that betrayed his growing fear. He decided to increase the intensity of his flames, hoping to overwhelm Kealin's defenses.

"It's useless. As long as my mana zone is still active, your flames can do nothing to me," Kealin declared confidently, his aura flaring brighter as he channeled his power.

Rudy gritted his teeth in frustration as Kealin's fist crashed into his face with tremendous force before slamming his head into the ground. A small crater appeared in the hardwood floor, and Rudy was now bleeding from a gash on the top of his head, his consciousness rapidly fading.

[One opponent defeated]

[Reward: 20 mana points]

[MP: 20% (+20)]

[You are one step away from leveling up]

Kealin was huffing and panting as he looked at the injured Rudy, his body aching from the prolonged battle but his spirit unbroken.

"Ah, do I have to do everything by myself?" April sighed dramatically as she appeared in front of Kealin, her shadow-like form rippling with dark energy. "Impressive, but now you'll have to deal with me..."