Ethan stepped out onto the martial hall's wide observation deck, phone in hand. He scrolled through his contacts, exhaled a slow breath, and tapped Ryan's name.
"Ryan," he said when the call connected, his voice steady and calm. "Bring Riya, Kale, Billi, and Ash. I've arranged for you all to take the awakening test. I know yesterday was...chaotic, but you took the body fluid already, right?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied, his tone hoarse but determined. "We're ready."
"Good. I'll see you in thirty minutes."
Ethan ended the call and looked out across the city skyline. The damage from the monster attack was still visible—shattered windows, scorched rooftops, barricades lining the avenues.
Thirty minutes later, the five of them arrived at the martial hall together, looking solemn but resolute. Their faces were pale from lack of sleep, but no one complained. They filed into the testing chamber, the walls humming with hidden machinery calibrated to measure the limits of the human body.
