Chapter 1: The Cage
[Location: Earth, U.K- United States.]
The house was never quiet.
Even in the dead of night, the walls seemed to hold whispers, echoes of shouts, the sound of glass breaking, and the heavy, suffocating weight of fear.
She learned early on that silence was a lie.
A fragile thing that shattered under the weight of her father's rage.
He wasn't always like this—at least, that's what her mother used to say. Back when she was still alive.
Back when she still smiled.
But the years chipped away at that smile, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but a hollow, broken woman who tried to shield her daughter but never had the strength to protect herself.
And then one night, she was gone.
No one came to ask questions. No police knocked on their door.
No one cared about the bruises she had hidden or the way she suddenly disappeared.
Just another tragedy, another forgotten woman in a world that didn't stop moving.
And that left her alone with him.
April never called him "Dad." The word felt wrong, like a title he never earned. He was just him—drunk, violent, unpredictable.
When she was younger, she tried to be small. She tried to disappear, tiptoeing around the house, holding her breath whenever he came home.
But small wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. His anger found her no matter how quiet she was.
A slap for speaking too loudly. A shove for not moving fast enough. A fist when he needed something to take out his frustration on.
April stopped crying after a while. Tears were a weakness, and weakness only made him angrier.
She survived. Day after day.
Until the night everything changed.
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Chapter 2: The Night Everything Changed
The house smelled like cheap beer and sweat.
April sat on the old couch, body stiff, staring at the television. The volume was low, but she wasn't really listening.
It was just noise—something to fill the silence, something to make her feel like she wasn't alone.
Her father had been out all day, and April prayed he wouldn't come back. Sometimes, he disappeared for nights at a time, drowning himself in alcohol and whatever misery kept him breathing.
Those were the good nights. The quiet nights.
But tonight wasn't one of them.
The front door slammed open, hitting the wall hard enough to shake the picture frames.
April froze.
Heavy boots stomped against the floor, uneven, clumsy. Drunk. He was drunk.
A bottle crashed against the wall, shattering into tiny pieces.
"Where the hell are you?" His voice was thick with alcohol, slurred but sharp, like a blade pressed against her throat.
April didn't move. Didn't breathe. Maybe if she stayed quiet, he would pass out. Maybe he would forget she existed, just for tonight.
Then he saw her.
"There you are," he muttered, staggering toward her. His shirt was stained, his breath thick with whiskey. "Sitting there like a damn ghost. Just like your mother."
April's hands clenched into fists.
He hated when she looked like her mother. And she did—same dark hair, same quiet eyes. It was a curse. A reminder.
A reason to hurt her.
"Come here."
April didn't move.
His face twisted, and then he grabbed her arm, yanking her up so hard her shoulder burned.
"I said—"
"Let go."
April didn't know why she said it. Maybe it was the years of pain, the nights of pretending not to exist, the weight of her mother's death pressing down on her.
Maybe she was just tired.
His grip tightened. "What did you just say to me?"
April's heart pounded. She should've backed down. Should've stayed quiet.
But she didn't.
"Let. Go."
The next moment, pain exploded across her face.
April hit the floor, head spinning, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
He stood over her, breathing heavily, eyes dark with something she had never seen before. Something worse than rage.
Something final.
"You think you can talk back now?" He knelt, grabbing a fistful of her hair, forcing her to look up. "You think you're strong?"
April's vision blurred. She knew what was coming.
But April never could have prepared for it.
Not for the way he held her down.
Not for the way he stole the last piece of herself.
Not for the way she broke.
April didn't sleep that night.
April just lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling nothing.
She was hollow.
Empty.
A corpse in her own skin.
And then, as the sun rose, something inside her snapped back into place.
Not the girl she used to be. That girl was gone.
What was left was something else.
Something sharp.
Something hungry.
Something that whispered, Kill him.
__________________________________
Chapter 3: First Bite!
April spent the entire day in silence.
Her father didn't care. He had stumbled into his bedroom after it was over, passing out like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't taken something from her.
Like she wasn't shattered into a million pieces.
But she wasn't broken.
Not anymore.
April sat at the kitchen table, hands resting against the wood, mind blank. The house was still, the kind of stillness that came before a storm.
And she was the storm.
The knife was in her hand before she even realized she had grabbed it. Cold, sharp, familiar.
April traced her thumb along the edge, not enough to cut—just enough to feel the promise of pain.
This ends tonight.
April stood, moving through the house without making a sound.
Her father's door was slightly open. His loud snores filled the hallway.
April stepped inside, watching his disgusting form sprawled across the bed.
His mouth hung open, breath thick with alcohol, arms loose at his sides. For the first time in her life, he looked small.
Weak.
April's grip tightened around the knife.
She could do it. One deep plunge into his throat, and it would be over. He wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore. Wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again.
Her heart pounded, but her hands didn't shake.
April raised the knife—
Then he moved.
His eyes snapped open, bloodshot and dark.
"The hell—?"
April struck.
The blade came down, aiming for his throat—
But he was faster than she expected.
His hand shot up, grabbing her wrist.
Pain exploded through her arm as he twisted, yanking her forward. She gasped, the knife slipping from her fingers, clattering onto the bed.
"You bitch!"
The next moment, she was airborne.
Her back slammed against the dresser, knocking the wind out of her.
April barely had time to react before he was on her, a fist slamming into her ribs.
April coughed, gasping for breath, but she didn't stop fighting.
April's hand shot out, grabbing the closest thing she could reach—a glass ashtray from the dresser.
April swung.
It shattered against his temple.
He cursed, stumbling back, blood dripping down the side of his face.
April didn't wait. She lunged for the knife—
A hand grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face into the dresser.
Pain.
Blinding, white-hot pain.
April screamed, something wet dripping down her face. Her vision swam, her ears ringing.
The room spun.
No—it wasn't spinning. It was fading.
Darkness swallowed the edges of her sight, creeping inward, consuming everything.
Her father was saying something, but April couldn't hear him.
April couldn't hear anything.
The last thing April saw before the world went black was the look on his face.
Not anger.
Not satisfaction.
Fear.
Then—nothing.
April woke up in a hospital bed, drowning in silence and darkness.
April realized she would never see or hear again.
__________________________________
Chapter4: Silence and Silver
Darkness.
That was the first thing April knew. A deep, consuming black that stretched endlessly.
Then came the silence.
Not the comfortable kind. Not the kind that came with peace. This was something else—something suffocating, a void where sound had once been.
April was awake. But the world was gone.
Panic clawed at her chest. April tried to move, but something tugged at her arm—wires, tubes. Her skin felt numb, heavy.
April wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
A hand touched her wrist.
April flinched. She hadn't heard them coming. Hadn't felt anything before the touch.
A vibration pressed against her fingers, steady and slow.
A heartbeat.
April focused.
A hand squeezing hers.
Reassuring.
A doctor? A nurse?
April didn't know. She couldn't ask.
April was trapped in this darkness, this silence, and she had no way of escaping.
April didn't know how much time passed.
When the bandages were removed, April expected… something. Light, color, shadows.
Instead, the darkness remained.
April was blind. Completely, permanently.
Her eyes, the doctors said, had taken on a darker shade of silver—almost unnatural.
A strange side effect of the surgery.
April didn't care. What did it matter? Silver, black, red—she would never see them again.
The doctors tried to explain what had happened. Words she couldn't hear, written on a clipboard she couldn't read.
But April picked up fragments.
Head trauma. Skull damage. Unstable surgery.
And something else. Something they didn't want to say too loudly.
Something about a mistake.
They had put something inside her.
Something they shouldn't have.
Weeks later:
April was released from the hospital weeks later.
No family came to pick her up. No one held her hand on the way out.
She had no one.
But she wasn't weak anymore.
April had reported him. Her so-called father. She had told the police everything.
And now, he was rotting in a prison cell where he belonged.
April was free.
Even if the world had gone dark.
Even if the silence never ended.
But the silence wouldn't last.
Because something inside her had changed.
Something waiting to wake up.
__________________________________
Chapter 5: Echoes in the Dark
Two weeks had passed.
April had learned to navigate the apartment by memory—counting steps, feeling along the walls, using her cane.
It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.
The silence was the hardest part.
April had grown used to hearing something—the hum of the fridge, the distant chatter of neighbors, the soft patter of rain. But now, there was only emptiness.
A void where sound used to be.
Until tonight.
It started as a whisper.
A faint tick. A vibration in the air.
April paused, sitting up in bed.
Was that… sound?
April focused.
There it was again. The softest rustling of fabric. The creak of old wood.
The rhythmic beat of a pulse—her own heartbeat.
Her breath hitched.
She could hear.
No—it wasn't hearing. It was something else. Something deeper.
April turned her head, and suddenly, she saw it.
A faint outline in the darkness. The walls of her apartment, the curve of the table, the window where the wind whispered against the glass.
But it wasn't sight. It was echoes.
April lifted a hand, waving it slowly. The air shifted, and the shape of her fingers formed in her mind, traced by soundwaves she couldn't explain.
Her heart pounded.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
April didn't sleep that night.
April spent hours moving, testing, experimenting.
A snap of her fingers—sound rippling outward, bouncing off walls, giving her a shape of the room.
A tap of her foot—the floor stretching in her mind, revealing the furniture, the edges of her world.
She wasn't blind. Not really.
She could see in a way no one else could.
April didn't understand it, but one thing was clear—this wasn't normal.
This was something else.
Something buried inside her skull.
And she needed to know why.
__________________________________
Chapter 6: The First Test
The city was alive.
April stood on the rooftop of her apartment complex, feeling the world around her.
The hum of distant cars, the footsteps of people below, the heartbeat of the streets.
It was overwhelming and beautiful.
For the past few days, April had been testing her abilities, pushing her limits.
She wasn't just hearing—she was perceiving.
Every sound created an image, an outline in her mind. A car door slamming revealed the shape of the vehicle.
The flutter of a bird's wings painted the sky in fleeting strokes.
Even the softest sounds bounced back to her, giving her a world made of echoes.
The night air was crisp.
April walked home from a small grocery run, one hand gripping the bag close to her chest.
The city hummed around her—cars rolling down wet streets, the distant chatter of people leaving bars, the rhythmic click of a bicycle chain.
April had learned to rely on these sounds. They formed a world she could navigate, a world made of echoes and movement.
She was starting to feel normal again.
Until the footsteps came.
Fast. Unsteady. Rushing toward her.
Before April could react, a hand grabbed her bag.
April instinctively yanked back, but the attacker was stronger. A sharp tug sent her stumbling forward.
No.
Something clicked in her mind.
Her world sharpened.
April felt the air shift, sensed the force in his grip, heard the tension in his muscles as he prepared for another pull.
And then—another sound.
The wind splitting. A fist, swinging toward her.
April didn't think. She moved.
April ducked just as the air above her shifted.
A punch sailed past her head, missing by inches.
Her attacker grunted in surprise.
April could see him—his shape outlined in sound, the way his weight shifted, the unevenness of his breath.
Her body moved on instinct.
April twisted, dodging another wild punch, then drove her elbow into his ribs.
A choked gasp.
He stumbled back.
Another heartbeat. Unsteady footsteps.
Then—he turned and ran.
April stood there, her own breath ragged.
That wasn't luck.
That was something else.
April touched her temple, heart pounding.
April saw him. Through sound. Through vibrations. Through something that wasn't human.
April swallowed hard.
She needed answers.
And there was only one place to get them.
The hospital.
But first she had to get used to this strange phenomenon.
The city was alive.
April stood on the rooftop of her apartment complex, feeling the world around her.
The hum of distant cars, the footsteps of people below, the heartbeat of the streets.
It was overwhelming and beautiful.
For the past few days, April had been testing her abilities, pushing her limits.
She wasn't just hearing—she was perceiving.
Every sound created an image, an outline in her mind. A car door slamming revealed the shape of the vehicle.
The flutter of a bird's wings painted the sky in fleeting strokes. Even the softest sounds bounced back to her, giving her a world made of echoes.
But she needed answers.
She needed to know what was inside her skull.
And there was only one place to find out.
The hospital.
The place where everything changed.
Sneaking in was easier than April expected.
Hospitals were busy, chaotic. No one noticed a blind girl walking too confidently down the halls, her head slightly tilted as she mapped the world around her.
April moved carefully, following the memory of her stay, tracing her path back to the restricted areas.
Then she found it.
The mechanism formed in her mind. A pattern of tiny movements. A map she could follow.
Carefully, April twisted the knob.
A soft snick.
Unlocked.
April slipped inside.
The records were a mess.
Her fingers traced the raised ink of printed papers, following the words carefully.
Then—her file.
April scanned it, feeling each letter.
Subject: Unknown cranial technology discovered during emergency operation.
Medical team authorized immediate integration due to the risk of patient death.
Nano-tech origin: UNKNOWN.
April clenched her fists.
They hadn't meant to save her. They had just… experimented.
They had implanted something inside her without understanding it.
And now, she wasn't human anymore.
She was something else.
A ghost in the dark.
A weapon waiting to be used.
But by who?
And then she heard it—voices approaching.
Security.
She had to move.
Now.
__________________________________
Chapter 7: The Hunters
April moved.
Fast. Silent.
Every footstep, every shift of air, every creak of the floor painted a picture in her mind.
April wasn't just running—she was flowing through the space, weaving between desks, slipping behind shelves.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
Two people. Heavy boots. Armed.
Not security guards.
They moved too carefully. Too controlled.
They're looking for me.
April pressed her back against the wall, controlling her breathing.
The door handle turned.
A slow, deliberate motion.
They weren't rushing in. They were checking.
They know someone's here.
A soft click—a weapon being drawn.
April's heartbeat hammered in her ears, but she stayed still, listening, feeling the space around her.
One of them stepped inside.
Just a few feet away.
April could hear the shift of fabric, the weight of a gun resting in his grip.
Then—
A voice.
Low. Calm.
"Nothing here. But someone was."
A pause.
"Let's move. She won't get far."
The door closed.
April didn't move until their footsteps faded down the hall.
Then April exhaled, gripping the edge of a desk.
'Who the hell were they?'
April wasn't waiting to find out.
Chapter 8: Escape into the Night
Getting out of the hospital was harder than getting in.
The two men were searching now, sweeping through the halls with precision.
April could feel them moving—every shift of weight, every controlled breath.
They were trained. Professional.
And she was their target.
April slipped down a side corridor, keeping low, using every sound to map her surroundings.
A security checkpoint was ahead. A single guard sat behind a desk, staring at a monitor.
No way past him without being seen.
Her mind raced.
Then—an idea.
April reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone.
April tapped the screen, cranking the volume, then tossed it down the hall.
A loud chime rang out.
The guard perked up, turning toward the noise.
That was her chance.
April moved—swift, controlled, barely making a sound.
One step.
Two.
Three.
April was past him.
The exit was ahead.
April pushed through the doors and stepped into the cold night air.
April didn't stop moving.
Didn't look back.
Chapter 9: The Organization
April walked fast, gripping her jacket tightly.
Her mind was spinning.
Someone had been waiting for her at the hospital.
Not the police. Not the doctors.
People who knew.
People who were hunting her.
April needed to get home.
Then—
A shift in the air.
April froze.
Footsteps.
Not loud. Not rushed.
But controlled.
April wasn't alone.
April turned sharply, listening, feeling.
And then she heard it—three heartbeats.
Surrounding her.
One behind. One to her left. One ahead.
Trapping her.
A voice cut through the night.
"You've been busy."
April clenched her fists.
"Who are you?"
A pause.
Then—
"We're not your enemies."
Lies.
April took a step back, ready to run.
"Wait," another voice said. Softer.
Not a threat. But cautious.
"We know what's inside you. We know what they did."
April's breath caught.
"You have no idea what you are, do you?"
April hated that they were right.
But April wasn't going with them.
April spun, ready to escape—
But the third person was already behind her.
Fast.
Too fast.
A hand gripped her wrist.
Firm. Not violent.
"We're here to protect you."
April wanted to fight. Wanted to break free.
But something about them felt... different.
Not like the men in the hospital.
Not like hunters.
Like people who understood.
Her mind screamed at her to run.
But for the first time since waking up in that hospital, April hesitated.
And that hesitation changed everything.
____________________________Chapter 10: The Truth About the Gears
April tensed, her body coiled like a spring. The people surrounding her hadn't attacked, but they hadn't let her go either.
The one who spoke first—a man with a calm, steady voice—stepped forward.
"We don't have a name. No official records. No history. We don't exist."
April's jaw tightened.
"Then who the hell are you?"
The second person, a woman, answered.
"We're here to protect people like you. People with Animalistic Gears."
That stopped her.
"Animalistic… what?"
The man nodded. "Your nanotech. It's not just technology—it's a Gear. A living system, fused into your body. And it's not just any Gear. It's the Wolf."
April felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine.
"Wolf?"
The woman continued. "Each Gear is based on an animal. We have people with the strength of bears, the reflexes of cats, and the vision of eagles." She gestured to April. "And you—you're a wolf."
April swallowed.
"So what does that mean?"
The third person, the one who had grabbed her wrist earlier, spoke up.
"It means you're evolving."
"Come with us for now. We'll explain later on, it isn't safe here."
Chapter 11: The Wolf Awakens
They led her to an abandoned warehouse—not a dark, creepy one, but a well-lit space filled with training equipment, maps, and high-tech monitors.
April stood with her arms crossed.
"You said I'm evolving. What does that mean?"
The leader, the calm-voiced man, pointed at her.
"You've already unlocked the first ability—Echoing Effect. That's how you see without your eyes."
April stiffened.
"That was my Gear?"
"Yes. It's just the beginning. Wolves have heightened senses. The next ability will be Smell—the ability to track anything, anywhere."
April thought back to how her world had changed after waking up from surgery. The way she could hear everything—the way it all formed a picture in her mind.
"And after that?"
"Claws." The woman's voice was firm.
"Your body will develop weapons—claws sharp enough to cut through iron. A wolf's natural weapons, but stronger."
April clenched her fists.
"And the last?"
The leader's expression darkened.
"Bite."
The warehouse fell silent.
"What does it do?"
"We don't know." The woman admitted.
"No Wolf Gear user has lived long enough to fully unlock it."
April's stomach twisted.
"So you brought me here to train? To fight?"
The leader nodded.
"Because if you don't, you'll die."
Chapter 13: The Awakening Process
The woman walked closer, touching the back of April's head.
"Your Gear isn't fully awake yet. If it was, something would have sprouted from the back of your skull."
April jerked away.
"Sprouted? What the hell does that mean?"
The woman exhaled. "When a Gear reaches full activation, an appendage appears—almost like a crown. For you, it will take the shape of angelic wings, folded upward, forming a halo-like accessory above your forehead. That's the sign of your fully awakened Gear a.k.a a sigil."
April's head spun.
"So I still have a long way to go?"
The leader stepped forward. "Not if Ragnörak finds you first."
April's fists tightened at the mention of that name.
"Who are they?"
The woman's voice was cold. "A global syndicate. They control everything—government deals, underground crime, weapons, drugs. And now, they're collecting Gears."
April inhaled sharply.
"For what?"
The leader's eyes met hers.
"For war."
Chapter 14: No More Normal Life
April sat on a metal crate, gripping her knees.
"So what do you want from me?"
The leader's voice softened. "We want to train you. To help you control your Gear before Ragnörak does."
April shook her head.
"I never wanted this."
"None of us did." The woman's tone was understanding. "But wanting a normal life doesn't mean you'll get one."
April bit her lip.
They were right.
The moment she lost her senses, the moment that tech fused with her skull—her life was never going to be the same.
And people were hunting her now.
If she wanted to survive, she had no choice.
She exhaled slowly.
"Fine. I'll go with you. After all I have nothing else to lose?"
The leader nodded. "Then your training starts now."
Chapter 15: The Truth About the Gears
April sat on the cold floor of the warehouse, her mind racing.
The leader—who still hadn't given her a name—stood in front of her, arms crossed.
"You want the full truth?" he inquired.
April exhaled sharply. "That would be nice."
The woman—who April had started mentally calling Sharp Voice—leaned against a nearby crate.
"We created the Gears."
April's head snapped toward her. "What?"
Sharp Voice nodded. "This organization—we built the Animalistic Gears. They were supposed to be controlled experiments. Military-grade enhancements for select individuals."
April frowned. "Then why the hell do I have one?"
The leader sighed. "Because some idiots in our ranks screwed up. A shipment of Gears got accidentally sold on the black market. While some are with Ragnörak."
April's stomach twisted.
"How do you accidentally sell a weaponized piece of technology?"
Sharp Voice smirked. "Ask the bureaucrats with itchy trigger fingers. It wasn't supposed to happen, but once those Gears were out in the world, there was no getting them back. We've been trying to recover them ever since."
The third person—the quiet one who had grabbed her wrist earlier—spoke for the first time.
"And by sheer luck, you ended up with one that fit your situation perfectly."
April's fists clenched.
"So if I hadn't lost my eyesight and hearing, would the Gear have just… sat there, doing nothing?"
The leader shook his head. "No. The Gears adapt to their hosts. If you had all your senses, your abilities would have taken a different form."
April's mind reeled.
"And Ragnörak? They're trying to collect these Gears?"
Sharp Voice's expression darkened. "Not collect, control. They want to weaponize Gear users—to use them as living superweapons in a global war."
April swallowed hard.
"So that means…"
The leader nodded. "You're on their list."
Chapter 16: Training Begins– Unlocking Smell
April wasn't ready.
At least, that's what she thought—until the leader tossed a knife straight at her face.
She flinched, instinctively ducking. The blade flew past her, clattering onto the warehouse floor.
"What the hell?!" she snapped.
"You have to be faster."
April gritted her teeth.
"I can't see!"
"Then use what you can."
April exhaled sharply.
Fine. If they wanted her to fight, she'd fight.
The first lesson was about unlocking Smell.
"You already rely on your hearing to sense movement," the leader explained. "But wolves don't just hear. They track. You need to activate your second ability—Smell."
April crossed her arms. "And how do I do that?"
Sharp Voice tossed something at her—a cloth.
April caught it, her fingers gripping the fabric.
"That belonged to someone who was just here," Sharp Voice said. "Find them."
April frowned. "Are you serious right now?"
"Very," Sharp Voice plainly said.
April sighed and lifted the cloth to her nose.
Then—her senses exploded.
The world around her shifted. The air was suddenly full of information—scents layered upon scents, twisting and turning through the warehouse like invisible trails.
She nearly dropped the cloth.
"What the—?"
The leader smirked. "Good. Now follow it."
April's legs moved before her brain caught up.
She could see the scent—feel it weaving through the air. She moved, following an invisible path, until she reached the edge of the warehouse.
A door.
Without hesitation, she pushed it open and stepped outside.
The night air was alive with smells—cars, street food, smoke, people–overwhelming, suffocating. But beneath all of that, she caught it.
A single, distinct scent.
She followed it down the alley, turning a corner—
And nearly crashed into someone.
A man. The one who had given her the cloth.
He raised an eyebrow. "That was fast."
April's breath came hard and fast.
"I found you."
The leader's voice echoed behind her.
"Welcome to your second ability."
April exhaled slowly.
If this was just the beginning… What else was she capable of?
Chapter 17: The Others Like Her
April sat cross-legged on the warehouse floor, her mind still spinning from what she had just experienced. Smell. She had tracked someone—like an actual wolf.
The realization sent a shiver down her spine.
She wasn't the only one with these abilities.
"You should meet the others," the leader said, stepping forward. "You're not alone in this, April."
April tensed. The idea of meeting more people like her—people with these Gears—made her feel uneasy.
But if she was going to survive, she needed to know what she was up against.
They led her to a different part of the warehouse—an underground section she hadn't known existed.
The air was cooler here, the space lit by dim industrial lights.
Four figures stood waiting.
The leader gestured toward them.
"Meet your new allies."
April's enhanced hearing picked up the subtle differences in their breathing, their shifting postures, the weight of their movements.
One of them—a muscular yet slim guy with a confident stance—was the first to step forward.
"Name's Jax," he said, offering a nod. His voice carried an easy arrogance, the kind of person used to leading. "My Gear's the Lion."
Jax had Medium-length, slightly messy black hair that falls naturally around his face, enhancing his sharp features.
He wore a loose, oversized beige long-sleeve shirt, casually tucked into his black cargo pants. His black cargo pants have multiple pockets, reinforcing a practical and slightly military-like aesthetic. And he completed his look with gray and white sneakers, giving him a street-style edge.
April frowned. "Lion?"
Jax smirked.
"Strength, durability, intimidation. You don't want to get in a fight with me."
April took a small step back. The way he stood… she could feel it. He radiated something primal. Powerful.
The next one—a woman with sleek movements, her presence almost ghost-like—spoke up next.
"Saya. My Gear is the Panther."
April barely heard her move.
"I specialize in stealth, agility, and speed." Saya's lips curved into a small smile. "If you blink, you might lose me."
April resisted the urge to test that theory.
The third person was much taller—broad-shouldered, heavy-set, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Dante," he rumbled. His voice was deep and steady. "My Gear's the Bear."
April immediately got why. His breathing alone sounded like a mountain refusing to be moved.
"Endurance, raw power. I take hits so others don't have to."
April nodded slowly. 'Okay. He's the tank in the pack,' She thought to herself.
The last person was different from the rest.
Younger, maybe a year or two younger than her. Lean, relaxed, but something about his posture told April he was always ready.
"Kai," he introduced himself. "I've got the Hawk Gear."
April raised an eyebrow.
Kai grinned. "Am sure you'll see what that means sooner or later enough."
April could already guess—heightened vision? Speed? Flight? There was something sharp about the way he moved, like he could see things before they happened.
The leader clapped his hands together.
"Now that we're all introduced… time for your real training to begin."
April took a deep breath.
She had just met her new pack.
And now, she had to prove she belonged.
Chapter 18: The Pack Trains
"Your first lesson will be strength & endurance, with me and dante," explained Jax.
April's muscles ached. Every breath she took burned. She had thought she was strong—thought she had learned something after the fight in the alley.
She was wrong.
"Get up," Jax ordered, standing over her.
April gritted her teeth and pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Her body screamed in protest, but she wasn't about to back down.
"You're fast, but you're not strong," Jax continued. "Wolves are both. You want to survive? Then alter your mindset."
April clenched her fists. She knew wolves weren't just about speed. They fought in packs. They hunted with precision. They survived.
April forced herself up, wobbling slightly.
"Again."
Jax smirked. "That's more like it."
Dante was her next opponent. If Jax was the lion, Dante was the mountain.
"Hit me," he said simply.
April hesitated.
"Come on, Wolf. Show me what you've got," Dante proclaimed with his arm's spread wide-open.
April took a deep breath and launched a punch. The moment her fist met his torso, pain shot up her arm. It was like punching solid steel.
Dante didn't even blink.
"That all?"
April growled and swung again, but Dante barely moved.
Jax chuckled from the side. "You've got the instincts, but no power behind your hits. Keep going."
April threw punch after punch, feeling her knuckles bruise. But with each strike, she adjusted—focused.
The echoing effect of her hearing let her feel the weight behind Dante's frame, the slight shifts in his balance.
She wasn't going to win against him with force alone.
So she changed tactics.
The next time she swung, she faked the hit. Dante moved slightly to counter—just enough for her to shift her weight, drop low, and use her leg to sweep under him.
Dante actually stumbled.
Jax let out a short laugh. "Not bad. Not bad little wolf."
April grinned through her exhaustion.
Dante cracked his knuckles. "Alright. My turn."
April's smile dropped.
April's second lesson was speed and agility with Saya & Kai.
If Dante was an unstoppable force, Saya and Kai were the opposite.
"Your strength is your reaction time," Saya said, circling April. "But how fast can you really move?" She smirked to herself.
April had no time to answer before Saya disappeared.
A whisper of sound behind her—April ducked just in time to avoid Saya's strike.
Her hearing painted a picture of the fight.
The way Saya barely touched the ground, the controlled breathing, the sudden burst of movement—April could track it.
But knowing where an attack came from wasn't the same as dodging it.
Saya swept April's legs out before she could react, sending her sprawling.
Kai snickered from the sidelines. "Try keeping up with this."
April barely had time to roll before Kai's kick landed where her head had been.
He was faster than she expected.
But she could hear the slight shift in his weight, the subtle rustle of his jacket before he moved.
She dodged.
Kai let out an impressed whistle. "Nice. But can you do that at full speed?"
He launched at her again. This time, April reacted quicker—barely twisting out of the way in time.
Her heart pounded.
She wasn't as fast as them. But she could adapt.
And that was enough to keep her standing.
The training continued for days. Pushing, dodging, learning. April absorbed everything—the way they moved, the way they fought.
Then, one night, something changed.
She was sparring with Jax when a rush of instinct hit her. She felt the shift before it happened—an overwhelming surge in her muscles, a sharp tingling sensation through her fingertips.
Jax swung. April reacted on pure impulse.
Her hands moved—no, slashed.
A metallic sound rang through the air.
April stumbled back, breathing heavily. Her hands…
Her fingers had elongated slightly, coated in sharp, claw-like extensions, colored orange.
Jax's eyes widened slightly. He looked at his shirt—three clean cuts had been made across the fabric.
April stared at her own hands.
"Oh?"
Jax grinned. "Now you're getting somewhere."
April had unlocked her third ability—Claws.
Now, she was really starting to become a true wolf.
Chapter 19: Sharpening the Claws
April sat on the cold training mat, staring at her hands.
The claws had retracted, but the sensation lingered—a faint, sharp energy in her fingertips.
Jax crouched beside her. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"
April flexed her fingers. "Like something's trying to break out."
Dante chuckled from across the room.
"That's because it is. Your body's still adjusting to the Gear. Since you haven't fully awakened your sigil."
April looked up at him. "How do I control it then?"
Jax smirked. "Simple. You practice until it's second nature. And the first lesson is to summon them at will."
The first step was calling the claws on command.
"Focus on that feeling," Saya instructed, pacing around her. "The way it surged when you fought. Your body already knows how to use it. You just need to listen."
'Listen to my body,' April thought as she proceeded to her eyes. She tried to recall the moment—Jax attacked, the rush of instinct, the need to react.
Her breath steadied.
Then—
Shk!
The claws extended.
"Good," Saya said. "Now, retract them."
April concentrated. It was harder pulling back than letting go, like forcing a muscle to stop moving mid-motion. But after a few tries, she managed.
Jax clapped. "Not bad. Now let's see how sharp they really are. lesson two is precision."
Dante set up a thick steel pole in front of her. "Cut through it."
April frowned. "Through steel? Isn't that—"
Dante gestured to his shirt. "You already tore through reinforced fabric. 10-time's stronger than steel, just try."
April hesitated for a few seconds. Then, she focused.
She swung her hand—
CLANK!
The impact sent vibrations up her arm, but her claws had left a dent.
"Again!," Jax ordered.
April gritted her teeth and struck harder.
The claws sank in this time, carving a shallow groove.
She exhaled sharply.
"Getting better," said Dante. "Next lesson combat application."
Kai and Saya were her next opponents once more.
"Claws won't mean anything if you can't hit your target," Kai teased. "Let's see if you can touch me."
April lunged. Kai dodged effortlessly, stepping just out of reach.
"Too slow."
April focused. The echoing effect kicked in, tracing his movements through sound. She adjusted her angle, slashing mid-dodge—
Rip!
A small cut appeared on Kai's sleeve.
He blinked. Then, he grinned. "Not bad, Wolf."
Her training was far from over, but she wasn't going to get more time to prepare.
Because that night, the hunt began.
The first sign was the silence.
April was heading back to her quarters when she felt it—an unnatural stillness in the air. The usual hum of distant voices, the footsteps of patrolling members—gone.
Then—
Footsteps. Heavy. Calculated.
April turned.
A group of figures stood at the entrance of the underground facility.
Their movements were too controlled, their breathing steady, their presence deliberate.
Her stomach tightened.
"Ragnörak," she whispered.
The leader stepped forward, their voice calm, almost amused.
"Found you. Little wolf."
April's first battle against Ragnörak was about to begin.
____________________
Chapter 20: First Blood
April exhaled, steadying her stance.
Across from her, a dozen soldiers in black armor raised their rifles. Their commander, a tall man with a cold gaze, gestured for them to hold fire.
"Let's see what she can do," he muttered.
April's heart pounded. She could hear them—every shift of their boots, every finger tightening on a trigger.
Then—
One lunged at her.
April dodged effortlessly, twisting around his attack. The echoing effect painted a clear image in her mind. She saw the next soldier coming and countered, her claws extending mid-motion.
Slash!
Armor tore, and the man stumbled back with a pained grunt, nursing his wounded side.
The others hesitated.
Jax, Saya, Dante, and Kai stood in the shadows, arms crossed, watching. They weren't going to help. Not yet.
"She has to handle this," Jax murmured.
April clenched her fists. "Fine. I got this."
Three soldiers charged at once. April dropped low, sweeping one off his feet before slashing at another's arm.
The third managed to grab her, but she twisted out of his grip, ramming her elbow into his ribs.
The fight was fast. Brutal.
But she was winning.
She was stronger.
The commander sighed.
"Enough," he said, stepping forward.
April barely had a second to react before he was on her.
A blur of movement—
Wham!
Pain exploded through her side as he struck her. She skidded backward, gasping.
He was fast. Too fast.
April lunged, claws flashing—
Miss.
He sidestepped effortlessly, countering with a brutal kick to her ribs.
She hit the ground, coughing.
Saya, Jax, Kai & Dante tensed.
"Should we step in?" Kai murmured.
Jax's fists clenched.
April pushed herself up.
"Come on," she growled.
The commander smirked. "You've got fight. But it's not enough."
He moved again—faster than before. Blow after blow landed, forcing April back.
Her mind screamed at her to react, but he was too skilled.
Another hit–
Another–
Her vision blurred.
Then–
"That's enough. Move in," seriously and calmly uttered Jax.
With those words Saya, Dante, and Kai finally moved.
Dante was first, blocking the commander's next strike with his bare hands. The ground cracked beneath him from the impact.
"Tch," the commander muttered, stepping back as the others surrounded April.
The commander looked at them. Really looked.
Then he smirked.
"Your stronger than expected." He turned. "I'll need to inform the leader."
And just like that, he left.
April struggled to her feet, panting.
"Who… was that?" she asked.
Dante crossed his arms. "Just a mere commander."
April's breath hitched.
"Just a mere commander? You've got to be kidding me!"
Jax's expression darkened. "They have Gear users too. And now that they know about you, they'll come for us more than before."
April clenched her fists.
Ragnörak was a bigger threat than she had ever imagined.
Chapter 21: The Path to Strength
April sat on the ground, still catching her breath. Her body ached from the fight, but the frustration in her chest burned hotter than the pain.
"I wasn't strong enough."
Jax knelt beside her. "You did well. But well isn't enough. Not against Ragnörak."
April clenched her fists. She had trained for weeks, pushing herself beyond her limits. Yet, the commander had handled her with ease. If he had been serious, she might be dead.
She looked at Jax, then the others.
"Train me harder," she said, voice firm. "I need to be far stronger. Fast!"
Jax smirked. "Now that's the spirit."
Dante cracked his knuckles. "Then we push you past your breaking point."
Kai nodded chuckling. "You'll hate us by the end of this."
Saya grinned. "Let's begin."
April's first test was simple: survival.
Dante, the powerhouse, took charge.
His Bear Gear granted him monstrous endurance and strength. April had to last ten minutes against him without going down.
Wham!
A single blow sent her sprawling.
"Again," Dante said.
She got up.
Another hit. Another fall.
"Again!"
Her body screamed, but she forced herself to rise. Over and over. Until she could dodge. Until she could endure.
Kai took over next. His Hawk Gear made him almost untouchable. April had to tag him—just once.
She chased him through the training grounds, relying on her echoing effect to track his movements. But he was too fast.
Hours passed. Or maybe days.
Then—finally—she heard the faintest hesitation in his step.
Now.
April lunged—claws extended—
SCRATCH!
A thin tear in Kai's sleeve.
She had done it.
"Not bad," Kai admitted.
Phase 3 was stealth & instincts with Saya.
She used her Panther Gear, which specialized in stealth and precision.
April had to track her in a pitch-black room.
Her Echoing Effect was sharp, but Saya moved silently. No sound. No presence.
April had to feel her.
Days passed.
Then, one night—
A whisper of movement. A shift in air pressure.
April spun, claws flashing.
Clang!
Metal met metal. Saya blocked—but April had found her.
"You're getting there," Saya said with a smirk.
The 4th and last phase was full combat with Jax. The Lion Gear user fought with sheer force and strategy. April had to beat him.
They clashed—blow for blow, strike for strike. Jax tested every skill she had learned. He pushed her until she bled, until her body screamed for rest—
Until she roared in defiance.
One final move—
A perfect counter—
BAM!
Jax hit the ground.
Breathing hard, April stood over him.
He grinned.
"You're ready."
April had pushed past her limits. She had become stronger.
But she knew—
Ragnörak was coming.
And next time, she will be ready.
Chapter 22: The First Hunter
The air was thick with tension. April stood with her team outside their hideout, her sharpened senses picking up every distant sound. They all knew the moment was coming.
Ragnörak wouldn't wait long.
Then—
A scent. Metallic, sharp. Blood.
Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "We have company."
A figure emerged from the darkness—a man dressed in sleek combat gear. His presence radiated confidence, danger.
He smirked. "So, you're the Wolf?"
April's muscles tensed. He knows about me.
The man rolled his shoulders. "Name's Vance. I'm here to bring you in… or put you down."
Jax stepped forward. "We'll see about that."
But Vance lifted a hand.
CRACK!
The ground split beneath him. His fingers curled like claws, the air around him distorting.
Dante muttered. "Hah… He's a Gear user."
April swallowed hard.
Vance grinned, revealing unnaturally sharp blue teeth.
"Time to hunt!," said Vance.
Chapter 23: The Hunt Begins
April took a deep breath, her sharpened senses locking onto Vance's movements. Every shift in his stance, every breath he took—it all painted a picture in her mind.
"You sure you want to do this alone?" Jax asked, but April stepped forward without answering.
Vance chuckled. "Brave. But stupid."
"Since you want to fight him yourself. Here's the info we know of Vancer's Gear. Which is known as the cobra," Saya's voice echoed in April's left ear where a earpiece was located.
"He's abilities are Venom strike, Serpent Reflexes, Constrictor Hold & Lethal Fang. Venom Strikes– His punches deliver a paralyzing effect upon contact. Serpent Reflexes– He moves with unnatural speed and flexibility. Constrictor Hold– Once he grips a hold of you, escape is nearly impossible so watch out for it. And finally Lethal Fang– It's Vancer's ultimate ability, rumored to be highly deadly. That's all. Now go get him, little wolf."
Then, he moved.
Fast.
April barely had time to react before he was in front of her, his fist flying toward her ribs.
Dodge.
Her body moved on instinct. She twisted, feeling the wind from his strike graze her side. Her foot shot out, aiming for his knee—
Too slow.
Vance twisted mid-air, catching her kick before slamming his elbow down toward her shoulder.
Echoing Effect!
April sensed the attack at the last second, throwing herself backward. She skidded across the ground, heart pounding.
"Not bad," Vance mused. "But you won't last long."
April clenched her fists. He was stronger. Faster. But she wasn't going to back down.
She bared her teeth. "Try me."
Vance grinned. "Alright, Wolf. Let's see how long you last."
He lunged again, faster this time. The real fight had begun.
____________________________Chapter 24: Awakening the Claws
April barely had time to breathe. Vance was relentless—his speed unnatural, his movements fluid like a snake slithering through water.
She dodged another strike, twisting her body just in time. But the moment her foot touched the ground, he was already there.
Too fast!
His fist slammed into her stomach, sending her skidding backward.
Pain flared, but she gritted her teeth. She couldn't let up.
Vance smirked. "Come on, Wolf. Show me something real."
April's body trembled. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The fight was pushing her beyond her limits.
And then—
Something shifted.
A burning sensation coursed through her hands, her fingers twitching uncontrollably. She clenched them instinctively, and—
SHING!
Metallic, razor-sharp claws extended from her fingertips.
April's breath hitched. 'What—?'
Vance's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Well, well… looks like you're finally getting serious."
April flexed her fingers. The claws felt natural, as if they had always been a part of her.
She looked up at Vance, her lips curling into a grin.
"Your turn to run."
The real fight had just begun.
Chapter 25: TakeOver Unleashed
April lunged, her newfound claws slashing through the air with deadly precision.
Vance barely dodged, his smirk faltering as she pressed forward.
Faster.
She twisted, using her Echoing Effect to predict his movements. Her claws raked across his arm, drawing blood.
Vance hissed in pain, leaping back. "Tch. Annoying."
April didn't let up. She dashed forward, her claws gleaming. She was stronger now—faster, sharper. And she could feel it.
The thrill of battle. The power in her hands.
Vance wiped the blood from his wound, his grin returning. "Alright, Wolf. You win this one."
April narrowed her eyes. 'What? That's all?,' April thought to herself.
Then—
The ground trembled.
Vance's body tensed as his nanotech pulsed, circuits glowing along his veins.
"TakeOver—Activate."
April's instincts screamed at her to move, but it was too late.
Vance's body twisted, shifting unnaturally as metallic plates burst from his skin. His legs elongated, his arms coiling into thick, steel-like cables.
His face stretched, his eyes turning serpentine as his entire form became something monstrous—
A massive, cybernetic cobra with gleaming fangs and a segmented, armored tail.
April clenched her fists. 'Shit!'
The fight had just escalated.
Chapter 26: Adapt and Overcome
April darted back, narrowly avoiding Vance's lunging fangs. His massive, cybernetic cobra form loomed over her, his metal scales gleaming under the dim light.
April clenched her fists. "How the hell am I supposed to fight this!?" April yelled out loud in frustration.
Vance lashed out with his tail. April flipped to the side, but the force of the attack sent her skidding backward.
"Struggling, little wolf?" His voice was deeper now, more distorted. "This is what happens when you rely on instinct alone. You're outmatched."
April grounded her teeth. "I had been winning—that is until he transformed to whatever that thing is?"
Now, every move felt like a desperate attempt to survive.
Suddenly, Jax's voice rang in her earpiece.
"TakeOver… That's what it is."
April dodged another strike. "No kidding!"
"Listen," Jax continued. "TakeOver is when a Gear user fully masters all their abilities. It lets them shift into a form that embodies their animal instincts. Vance has complete control over his Gear now."
April barely avoided another tail slam. "So what? I just die because I haven't 'mastered' mine yet?"
"No, but you need to think differently. You can't overpower him like before—he's too fast, too strong. But you still have something he doesn't."
April ducked under a swipe, her mind racing.
Kai's voice cut in. "Vance relies on instinct in this form. He's moving purely on his Gear's programming. That means he's predictable."
Her breath hitched. Predictable…
Vance lunged, fangs bared. This time, April didn't dodge—she moved with his attack. At the last second, she twisted, slicing her claws across his exposed throat.
Vance reeled back, hissing.
Jax's chuckled voice crackled in her earpiece. "Now you're getting it."
April smirked. "Alright, snake. Let's see who's the real predator here!"
Chapter 27: Breaking the Beast
April steadied her breath, her claws glinting as she circled Vance. His TakeOver Mode was powerful, but now she understood its weakness—he wasn't thinking, just reacting.
"You figured it out, huh?" Jax's voice crackled in her ear.
April smirked. "Yeah. He's fast, but he's predictable."
Vance lashed out with his metallic tail.
Instead of dodging outright, April sidestepped at the last moment, causing him to overshoot. The moment his tail slammed into the ground, she moved—
'Strike where he's open.'
She dashed forward, claws slicing into the cables along his side. Sparks flew as Vance recoiled, his massive cybernetic body twitching.
"Tch… You little—"
He lunged again, fangs aimed at her throat. April didn't panic.
Instead, she baited him.
She feinted to the right, tricking his instincts, then darted left—straight under his jaw. With one swift motion, she drove her claws into the joints of his mechanical throat.
Vance let out a garbled hiss as his body convulsed. His TakeOver Mode flickered, the nanotech struggling to hold together.
Kai whistled over the comms. "Damn. She took him apart piece by piece."
April stepped back as Vance collapsed, his cybernetic cobra form fading. He groaned, reverting back to his human body, bruised and beaten.
She exhaled. "That was a lot of fun."
Jax laughed. "You're a fast learner, little Wolf."
But April barely had time to celebrate.
Because in the distance—watching from the shadows—stood another figure.
Someone from Ragnörak.
And they had just found their next target.
Chapter 28: Mark of the Awakening
April stood over Vance, her claws poised to end him. He was down, his body battered, his TakeOver Mode broken.
"You were so confident a minute ago," she murmured, her voice cold.
Vance groaned, his body twitching. He tried to move, but April pressed a claw against his throat.
"It's over. Vance."
April was about to finish it—when a sharp gust of wind kicked up around them.
April's instincts flared. She spun—just in time to see a hooded figure standing a few feet away. Their presence was like a void, silent but heavy.
Before she could react, they moved.
A blur. A single step.
Then Vance was gone.
April's eyes widened as the figure reappeared, holding Vance over their shoulder.
"Not today, little wolf." The voice was deep, distorted.
April lunged, but a shockwave pulsed through the air, knocking her back. By the time she steadied herself—
They were gone.
April clenched her fists, growling. "Damn it! He escaped alive!"
Jax's voice came through the earpiece, unusually serious. "Return we need to talk."
April exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus.
Chapter 29: The Exodus
Back at the HQ, the air was tense.
Jax stood before the team, arms crossed. "We need to move out."
Kai frowned. "You think they'll come back?"
Jax nodded. "They know where we are now. The problem isn't that we can't fight them—it's that others are here too. Innocent people. We're not putting them at risk."
Saya sighed. "So, we pack up and relocate?"
"Exactly. I'll inform the leader. Everyone else, get ready," Jax said.
April leaned against the wall, still replaying the fight in her head. She had him. And then—
"April."
She looked up as Saya approached, her expression unreadable.
"You know what just happened out there, right?"
April raised a brow. "Yeah, I let that bastard get away."
Saya shook her head. "No. You awakened."
April blinked. "What?"
Saya pointed at the back of her head. "Touch it."
Confused, April reached up—and froze.
Something was there.
Something had grown from the base of her skull. It was smooth, yet firm—almost metallic. As she traced its shape, her breath caught.
An angelic wing.
One side had telescoped outward, a sleek, feathered silhouette made of her Gear's nanotech.
Her sigil.
Proof that she had taken the next step.
April stared at the floor, her mind reeling.
She wasn't just stronger.
She was changing.
And there was no going back.
Chapter 30: The Road to Nowhere
The team moved fast.
Jax didn't waste time. Within an hour, their HQ was stripped down—gear packed, weapons stashed, and anything traceable erased.
April stood near the entrance, watching as Kai loaded the last case into a black, unmarked truck. The tension was thick. Everyone felt it. This wasn't just a relocation.
It was a declaration.
They were on the run now.
"Everyone in," Jax ordered.
April climbed into the truck, taking a seat near Saya. The others followed—Kai, Juno, Mara. The doors slammed shut, and the engine rumbled to life.
Juno and Mara were the two individual's who were with the leader the day April met the still unnamed organization.
As the city lights blurred past, April stared at her reflection in the tinted window. The faint outline of her new sigil was barely visible in the glass.
She clenched her fists.
Ragnörak wasn't done with them. Not even close.
Chapter 31: The Hollow
The drive lasted for hours. No one spoke much. Jax had given them the basics—the new HQ was off-grid, somewhere no one would expect.
When they finally arrived, April stepped out, stretching.
And froze.
The place was massive.
It wasn't a run-down bunker or an abandoned warehouse—it was an entire underground facility built beneath an old, decommissioned military base.
"Welcome to the Hollow," Jax said.
Kai let out a low whistle. "Damn. You've been holding out on us."
Juno smirked. "We get cool bunkers and get to piss off Ragnörak? Best day ever!"
April said nothing, still taking it all in.
Hallways lined with reinforced steel. A fully stocked armory. Training rooms. Even a medical bay.
This wasn't a hideout.
This was a war zone waiting to happen.
Jax turned to the group. "Get comfortable. This is home now."
April exhaled, a slow smirk creeping onto her face.
Fine by me.
____________________________Chapter 32: Awakening
April sat on the edge of a steel-framed cot, running her fingers over the cool metal.
The Hollow was unlike any place she had been before—secure, hidden, and prepared for war. But no amount of reinforced walls could stop the storm brewing inside her.
She pressed her fingers to the back of her head, where the sigil had appeared. Saya's words echoed in her mind.
"You've fully awakened your Gear."
She wasn't sure what that meant yet.
"Can't sleep?"
April turned her head slightly. Saya leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with that knowing look.
April exhaled. "Something like that."
Saya stepped inside, taking a seat on the opposite cot. The dim overhead light cast sharp shadows across her face.
"You felt it, didn't you? Back at the old HQ," Saya carefully asked.
April hesitated but nodded. "Yeah. It was like... something inside me clicked. Like my body was trying to tell me something, but I didn't understand the language."
Saya grinned. "Your instincts are sharper now. The Gear isn't just some power boost—it's a part of you, woven into your being. And from what I saw, yours is different."
April frowned. "Different how?"
Saya tilted her head, studying her. "Most people's Gears manifest in a way that fits their combat style. But yours... it's evolving."
A chill ran down April's spine. She had felt it during the fight with Vance—the strange sense of clarity, the way her body moved faster, reacted before she even thought.
But it was more than that.
She could feel something else lurking beneath the surface, just out of reach.
Saya stood. "Come on. Let's test it."
April blinked. "Now?"
Saya smirked. "What, scared?"
April scoffed, pushing herself up. "You wish."
The training room was empty when they arrived. The reinforced walls had taken a beating from past sparring matches, but they still stood strong.
Saya cracked her knuckles. "No holding back."
April nodded, taking a stance.
The moment Saya moved, April felt it—her body responding before her mind even processed the attack.
She ducked under a punch, twisted, and countered with a sharp elbow strike.
Saya barely blocked it in time.
Their movements blurred as they exchanged blows, faster and more precise than before.
April wasn't just reacting—she was predicting, feeling the shifts in Saya's stance before they happened.
Then it happened.
Saya feinted left, but April knew it was a fake. Instead of dodging, she pivoted into the attack, her hand moving on instinct—
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from her palm.
Saya's eyes widened as she barely managed to step back, the force of the energy distorting the air between them.
April stumbled, her breath hitching. "What... was that?"
Saya stared at her, then grinned. "That was your Gear waking up."
April looked down at her hands, fingers still tingling from the energy. She had no idea what she had just done.
But she was damn sure she was going to find out.
____________________________Chapter 33: The Sigil's Whisper
April flexed her fingers, staring at the faint shimmer of energy that still clung to them. The sensation was unlike anything she had felt before—raw, electric, alive.
Saya shook out her arms, still smirking.
"You're adapting fast. But that wasn't just instinct. Your Gear is trying to show you something."
April swallowed hard, her heart still racing.
"And how the hell am I supposed to understand it?" She asked.
Saya shrugged. "You listen."
"To what?"
Saya tapped her temple. "Your body. Your instincts. The sigil on the back of your head isn't just decoration—it's a conduit. It's your Gear's way of communicating with you."
April exhaled sharply, running a hand through her dull-orange hair. "Great. So now I have to learn to listen to something that doesn't talk."
Saya chuckled. "That's the idea. And considering you nearly knocked me on my ass, I'd say you're off to a good start."
April narrowed her eyes. "I barely touched you."
"Yeah, this time." Saya turned toward the exit. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we will push harder."
As Saya left, April remained in the training room, staring at her hands. The energy had faded, but she could still feel it lingering beneath the surface.
She closed her eyes.
"Listen…," She told herself.
April focused, trying to reach for the same feeling she had during the fight. The sigil on the back of her head tingled, and for the briefest moment—
A whisper.
It wasn't a voice, not exactly. It was more like a pulse, a ripple of intent moving through her body. A feeling of power coiling within her, waiting to be unleashed.
Her breath hitched.
This wasn't just some combat enhancement.
Her Gear wasn't just evolving.
It was changing her.
April barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the pulse again, like a presence just beyond her reach.
By morning, she was already in the training hall, waiting.
Kai walked in, stretching. "You know it's barely dawn, right?"
April ignored him, adjusting the wraps around her hands. "I need to figure this out."
Kai smirked. "Then let's see what you've got."
The spar started of slow. Kai was fast—faster than Saya—but April could sense his movements before he made them.
April ducked under a high kick, twisted, and landed a sharp strike to Kai's ribs.
Kai grunted but grinned. "Nice—"
April felt it again. The pulse.
This time, she leaned into it.
Energy surged through her limbs. She pivoted and struck out—faster, harder. The air cracked as Kai barely blocked in time, the force sending him skidding backward.
He blinked. "Okay. That's new."
April's breathing was steady, controlled. The sigil's whisper was getting clearer.
She was starting to understand.
____________________________Chapter 34: The TakeOver Truth
April stood in the training hall, the energy from her last strike still thrumming through her veins. Kai rolled his shoulders, shaking off the impact.
"Alright," he exhaled, grinning. "That's definitely not normal."
Saya walked in with Jax and Dante behind her. Jax's expression was unreadable, but his sharp gaze flicked to April's hands.
"You felt it again, didn't you?," He asked.
April nodded. "It's getting stronger. It's like my body knows something I don't."
Jax sighed, exchanging a glance with Saya. "I figured it was time we had this talk anyway. Sit down."
April frowned but complied, taking a seat on the bench. The others gathered around.
Jax leaned against the wall. "Let's start with the basics. You already know about TakeOver Mode—the ability to push past human limits using your Gear. But what you don't know is that TakeOver Mode has two levels."
April raised an eyebrow. "Levels?"
Saya nodded. "The 2nd level is the more dangerous one called RageMode."
Kai scoffed. "Dangerous is an understatement. It's a death sentence for most people."
Jax crossed his arms. "TakeOver Mode is like overclocking your body, but RageMode is something else entirely. It's when a user pushes so far past their limit that their mind and body stop working all together."
Juno added. "You become stronger, faster, and deadlier—but you lose complete control. Most people don't come back from it. Their bodies burn out, or worse, their minds shatter. Allowing their Gear's consciousness to take complete control over them."
April's stomach twisted. "And Vance was about to enter that Mode, wasn't he?"
Jax nodded. "If he had, you wouldn't have been fighting a person. You would've been fighting a monster."
April's grip tightened. She had come dangerously close to that battle going a different way.
Saya continued, "But RageMode isn't the only thing we need to talk about. Your Gear… it's different. We suspected it before, but after what you just did, we're sure now."
April narrowed her eyes. "Different how?"
Jax exhaled. "There are different classifications of Gears. Mine, Dante and Saya's—are classified as Animalistic type. While yours is… known as a zodiac type."
April tilted her head. "Animalistic? Zodiac?"
Saya smirked. "It means we don't follow the usual rules. Our abilities aren't straightforward, and they evolve in unpredictable ways. Most Gears have a defined function—ours don't. While the ones like yours are unknown."
Jax continued, "Animalistic types are rare. Most people don't even believe they exist. They can manifest in ways that defy logic—like my ability to read movements at an unnatural level."
April frowned. "So you guy's are basically freaks among freaks?"
Kai snorted. "Pretty much."
Dante smirked. "But that's not all. There are other classifications, too."
April leaned forward. "Like what?"
Jax listed them off.
"First, there are Monstarious type Gears. We don't know much about them. The few people who have them are either missing or dead, and any data on them is classified."
Saya added, "From what little we do know, Monstarious types might be connected to something deeper—something primal. They don't function like normal Gears, and their abilities can warp reality itself."
April shivered. That sounded… unsettling. "And the next?"
Dante crossed his arms. "Zodiac type Gears. Again, little info exists, but the name suggests there are only twelve of them and you April are one of them. Zodiac type Gears are rumored to have abilities tied to astrological concepts. We've never encountered one. That is until we met you."
April's mind reeled. "And the last type?"
Jax's expression darkened. "That's where things get messy. There's a classification that has no name. No real records. No confirmed users. Just whispers."
Kai muttered, "But we do know one thing—the leader of Ragnarök the 2nd & 3rd seat all have one."
April's blood ran cold.
Jax's voice was grim. "If that's true, then we're dealing with individual's beyond any of us."
April clenched her fists. First TakeOver, then RageMode, and now an entire classification of Gears that no one understood?
The deeper she went, the more she realized—
She was only scratching the surface.
____________________________Chapter 35: Scratching the Surface
Silence hung thick in the air. April processed everything Jax had just told her. Different classifications of Gears.
A power that could drive someone into a berserker state.
And an unknown type of Gear wielded by just not the leader of Ragnörak but also the 2nd and 3rd seat's.
It was too much to take in all at once.
April exhaled, shaking her head. "So let me get this straight—your Gears evolve unpredictably, there are other types of Gears that barely anyone understands, and our mortal enemy that we're facing have something completely unknown?"
Kai smirked. "Pretty much."
Saya stretched, cracking her neck. "Makes things interesting, doesn't it?"
April scoffed. "Interesting isn't the word I'd use."
Dante leaned forward. "This is why we need to get stronger. We can't afford to just react to things as they come. We have to understand what we're up against."
Jax nodded. "Which is why we're going to push your Gear to its next stage."
April blinked. "Next stage?"
"Your Gear is awakening faster than most. That's both a blessing and a curse. You need control." Jax's expression darkened.
"If you don't learn to regulate it, it'll consume you. And if that happens, you might not come back."
April felt a cold weight settle in her gut.
She had already felt how unpredictable her Gear was—how it acted on its own, responding to threats before she even realized what was happening.
"What do I need to do?" she asked.
Saya grinned. "First, you need to test your limits. We need to see what your Gear is capable of."
Kai cracked his knuckles. "That means we fight until you either pass out or figure it out."
April raised an eyebrow. "That's your grand strategy? Beat me up until I get stronger?"
Dante shrugged. "It works."
Jax smirked. "And considering how fast you're adapting, I'd say it won't take long before you unlock something new."
April exhaled, glancing down at her hands. The energy from before—it was still there, buried just beneath the surface.
Fine.
If they wanted to push her limits, she'd push back even harder.
"Alright," she said, standing up. "Let's get started."
____________________________Chapter 36: Trial by Fire
The training hall was deathly quiet.
April stood in the center, rolling her shoulders as the others positioned themselves around her. The air was thick with tension—this wasn't just sparring.
This was a test.
Jax cracked his neck. "The goal is simple—survive."
April smirked. "Dramatic much?"
Kai grinned. "You'll see why soon enough."
Saya was the first to move. She blurred forward, launching a kick aimed straight for April's ribs. April barely had time to react, twisting to avoid the hit. But before she could counter, Dante was already on her, sweeping her legs out from under her.
April hit the ground hard.
"Sloppy," Jax said, watching from the sidelines. "You're thinking too much."
April grit her teeth. She had dodged the first attack, but she hadn't felt the second one coming.
She exhaled sharply, pressing her fingers to the sigil on the back of her head. She needed to let her Gear take over—not the dangerous berserk kind, but the instincts that had kept her alive before.
She closed her eyes for just a second.
'Listen.'
The air shifted.
April's eyes snapped open.
Dante moved in again, aiming a precise jab for her side. But this time, April felt it coming. Her body reacted before her mind did—twisting, blocking, countering.
Dante's eyes widened as April's palm struck out, stopping inches from his throat.
April smirked. "Better?"
"Much."
But before she could revel in the moment, Kai lunged in from behind.
April pivoted, ducking just in time as his fist grazed past her ear.
She could feel her movements sharpening, her instincts screaming the moment someone made a move.
"I get it now."
The sigil on the back of her head pulsed. A faint glow flickered to life around it.
Jax narrowed his eyes. "It's activating."
Saya grinned. "Then let's push it further."
She blurred forward, faster than before.
April barely had time to react before a wave of force slammed into her—Saya's own Gear-enhanced attack.
April skidded backward, her boots scraping against the reinforced floor.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart pounded.
And then—
It happened.
The energy inside her exploded outward.
A ripple of force cracked the air around her. The sigil glowed brighter, and April felt her entire body shift.
The others tensed.
Kai took a step back. "Uh… Jax?"
Jax's eyes narrowed. "She's pushing past the first barrier."
April clenched her fists. The power surging through her was different from before—more controlled, more refined.
She could see their movements before they even made them.
Everything was clear.
Saya smirked. "Now we're talking."
April exhaled, a slow grin creeping onto her face.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go again."
____________________________Chapter 37: The Threshold
The moment the words left her mouth, Saya was already moving.
April saw it—felt it—before it even happened.
A pulse ran through her body, her Gear syncing with her instincts. She sidestepped just as Saya's fist shot forward, the strike missing by inches.
But she wasn't just dodging anymore.
April twisted her body mid-motion, using Saya's momentum against her. With a sharp pivot, she hooked her foot behind Saya's ankle and shoved.
Saya stumbled, her eyes flashing with surprise.
Kai let out a low whistle. "Damn."
Dante smirked. "She's getting the hang of it."
April barely had a second to breathe before Jax stepped forward. His presence alone sent a wave of pressure through the room.
"Good," he said. "Now keep up."
Then he was gone.
April's senses screamed.
Jax moved faster than the others—too fast. But her Gear reacted instantly, her body twisting just as his fist brushed past her cheek. She countered with a strike of her own, but Jax blocked effortlessly, his arm barely shifting from the impact.
He was testing her.
Pushing her to see how far she could go.
April's breath was steady, her heartbeat controlled. Every movement, every shift in the air, it all felt predictable.
Then Jax vanished again.
No sound. No warning.
April barely had time to spin around before she felt his presence behind her—too close.
Her instincts screamed.
She moved on pure reflex, ducking and twisting just as his arm shot past her neck.
She retaliated instantly, her knee driving toward his ribs.
Jax caught her strike at the last second, his fingers wrapping around her leg with inhuman precision. His grip was ironclad.
April's mind raced.
She felt the energy inside her shift again.
Something was about to happen.
Then—
A sudden surge of power pulsed from the sigil on the back of her head.
Jax's eyes widened.
A shockwave erupted from April's body, forcing him to release her as she was thrown backward. She hit the ground but rolled with the momentum, landing in a crouch.
Her entire body hummed with energy.
The air around her crackled.
Dante took a cautious step forward. "She's—"
Saya grinned. "She's breaking through."
April looked at her hands. The energy swirling around them wasn't just a result of her Gear—it was something more. Something that shouldn't be possible at this stage.
She wasn't just adapting.
She was evolving.
Jax straightened, his usual composed expression unreadable. "That's enough for today."
April blinked. "What?"
"You've reached the first barrier. Any further, and we risk triggering something neither of us understands." His tone was firm.
April clenched her fists. She wanted to push further, to see what was beyond this power that was stirring inside her.
But Jax was right.
If she lost control, there was no telling what would happen.
She exhaled, forcing herself to calm down.
The energy around her faded, settling beneath her skin once more.
Jax turned to the others. "We'll pick this up tomorrow. For now, we need to regroup and go over everything."
Kai groaned. "More talking?"
Saya elbowed him. "Shut up. You need the lesson just as much as she does."
April smirked but stayed quiet as they all made their way back toward the main room.
She had broken past the first barrier.
But she knew—
This was just the beginning.
____________________________Chapter 38: The Name That Marks You
April sat on the edge of a metal bench in the main hall, her hands clasped together as she replayed the fight in her mind. The rush of energy, the way her body reacted before she could even think—it all felt too natural.
Jax stood in front of her, arms crossed.
The others were scattered around the room, listening but letting him take the lead.
"You're at the first threshold," Jax said, his voice calm but firm. "You've felt it—the power shifting inside you, the way your Gear reacts without hesitation."
April nodded. "Yeah, but what now? I felt like I could go further."
"You can," Jax confirmed. "But before that happens, your Gear has to do one thing."
April frowned. "And that is?"
Jax's gaze sharpened. "It has to tell you its name."
Silence.
April blinked. "Its name?"
Saya leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "He's not talking about some random label. Every Gear has a true name—one that defines what it is at its core. That name marks it, makes it what it is."
Dante nodded. "Until you hear it, until your Gear speaks to you, you're still in the first phase. You might be strong now, but you haven't fully awakened it yet."
April exhaled, leaning back. "And how am I supposed to make it talk? It's not like I can just ask it?"
Jax smirked slightly. "That's the point. You don't make it talk. You listen."
April's hands tightened into fists. "Listen to what? I've been using this thing for weeks now, and it's never said a damn thing."
Jax tilted his head. "Hasn't it?"
April opened her mouth to argue but hesitated.
Her Gear had reacted on its own before. It had protected her. It had moved before she could think. That sigil that burned at the back of her head—it wasn't just a symbol.
It was something else.
Something alive.
Kai finally spoke up. "Once you learn the name, you own it. It becomes part of you, and you become part of it." He shrugged. "From that point on, you're not just using your Gear—you are your Gear."
April exhaled slowly.
A name.
That's what she needed to break past the threshold.
She pressed her fingers to her sigil, eyes narrowing in thought.
Somewhere, deep inside, she knew the answer was there.
Waiting.
Watching.
And when the time was right—
It would speak.
____________________________Chapter 39: Back to Reality
April stared at the ceiling of her bunk, arms folded behind her head. Her body still buzzed from the training, but her mind was stuck on what Jax had told her.
A name.
That's what she needed.
She sighed and closed her eyes, but before she could lose herself in thought, a sharp knock echoed from the doorway.
"April," Jax's voice called. "Get up. We need to talk."
She sat up immediately. "What now?"
Jax stepped inside, tossing a folder onto the bed beside her. "Change of plans. You're going to high school."
April blinked. "What?"
Kai, who had been lingering in the hallway, chuckled. "Man, your face right now."
April shot him a glare before turning back to Jax. "Explain."
Jax sighed, rubbing his temples. "Our last move stirred things up more than expected. Ragnörak's looking for us, and we can't afford to draw more attention. Staying underground all the time isn't an option."
"So your solution is high school?"
Saya leaned against the doorway. "It's the perfect cover. No one expects a blind girl in a uniform to be involved in anything dangerous."
April scoffed. "You do realize I've never been to? You all know my past," She said the last part in a whisper. But Jax, Kai, Saya and Dante all easily heard her.
Saya smiled hopelessly to herself as she spoke. "We all know. But we truly have no other choice, please forgive us for this."
April didn't say anything, but the next second she only nodded her head. Accepting the plan.
Dante smirked. "Good. Oh yeah I almost forgot you have to attend highschool regularly."
April's eye twitched. "You have to be kidding me."
Jax shook his head. "We need to keep things stable. If you suddenly disappear, people start asking questions. So you have to act well."
April exhaled sharply. "How long?"
"Until we say otherwise," Jax said. "Take this as a chance to lay low, at least for a while."
April muttered something under her breath but grabbed the folder anyway.
Inside were school documents— attendance records, schedules, even a reminder about some upcoming school event.
She groaned. "Great."
Kai grinned. "Look on the bright side. Maybe you'll actually make some friends this time."
April threw a pillow at his face.