The city wasn't ready for what came next. Neither was Evan.
He stood at the edge of Foundry Square, staring down the main street. Dozens of lanes shimmered under his boots — violet circuits waiting to be lit.
Aelira's voice came through the comm. "You sure about this? The Cadence Step's still untested."
"Exactly why I'm testing it," he said. "If I can't run it under pressure, it's useless."
Cairn grinned, already charging up. "Then let's pressure you."
He slammed his hands together. Lightning exploded across the street, forming a massive electric construct — a humanoid shape made from raw current, yellow arcs snapping across its frame.
"Meet your sparring partner!" Cairn shouted.
Evan rolled his neck. "Looks slow."
"Looks like it's about to break your ribs."
[TRAINING SIMULATION — ACTIVE] [OBJECTIVE: STABILIZE CADENCE STEP UNDER COMBAT STRESS] [ENEMY: ELECTRO-CONSTRUCT, POWER LEVEL — 68% OF USER]
The construct roared. Pavement cracked beneath its feet. It swung a fist the size of a car straight at Evan.
He moved before it hit halfway. The world stretched, sound vanished, and the streets bent.
Pulse Step.
Violet light tore through the square. He appeared on the construct's shoulder, palm glowing. "Too slow."
He kicked off its head and vanished again, reappearing behind it. His strike landed — thunder snapped. The construct's back split open, spilling yellow current into the street.
Cairn laughed through static. "Faster than last time!"
Evan didn't respond. He was already gone again.
[PULSE STEP — CADENCE LINKED] [SPEED SYNC — 100%] [WARNING — NEURAL LOAD INCREASING]
The city's rhythm pulsed in his chest. Every flicker of light, every sound of a cart wheel, every shout — it all matched his heartbeat. He wasn't just running through Lowwater. He was running with it.
He dashed forward again. The construct swung. He dodged, leaving a trail of violet ghosts behind him. The afterimages overlapped, moving in delayed echoes.
It hit one — and nothing happened.
The second hit. Nothing again.
The third connected, and the impact shattered glass blocks — but Evan was already above, lightning curling from his legs.
"Pulse Step Combo—Cadence Strike!"
He slammed his fist down, riding the shockwave. Violet met yellow. The construct's torso blew apart in a burst of static.
[TARGET DAMAGE — 61%] [SYNC STABILITY — 82%] [MENTAL STRAIN — HIGH]
Aelira's voice cut through. "You're redlining. If you push past that, the city link could invert."
"Then I'll un-invert it," Evan said through his teeth.
The construct reformed, its broken pieces drawn back by electricity. Its eyes flared white.
Cairn whistled. "Didn't tell you it had regeneration, did I?"
"Would've been nice to know."
"Surprise builds reflexes!"
Evan grinned. "Then watch my reflexes."
He vanished again. This time, it wasn't a single flash — it was ten.
He zigzagged between streets, bouncing off railings, signs, walls, anything conductive. Lightning snapped behind him like chained thunder.
[CADENCE STEP — OVERDRIVE MODE] [ENERGY SURGE — MOMENTUM FIELD REACHING LIMITS]
The construct turned, but every direction it looked, he was there. A blur. A phantom. A storm with too many eyes.
He launched upward, grabbed a loose power line, and siphoned it midair. Sparks rained around him like falling stars.
"Hey, Cairn!" he yelled. "How much current can that thing handle?"
"Not this much!"
Evan smirked. "Good."
He dropped.Lightning followed.
[STORM CHOIR — AMPLIFY] [COMBO ATTACK INITIATED] Cadence Step + Pulse Step + Momentum Field = "Storm Drive"
The moment he hit the ground; the entire block exploded in violet light.The shockwave shattered every window in sight. The construct disintegrated in the center of it, torn apart from the inside out.
The hum of the city faded back to normal. His storm dimmed. The rails stopped glowing.
Evan stood there, breathing hard, smoke rising off his suit. His hands still crackled faintly, but the lightning was steady. Controlled.
[TRAINING COMPLETE] [CADENCE STEP STABILIZED — SUCCESS] [NEW RECORD SPEED: 2,011 m/s][SYSTEM NOTE: OVERDRIVE MODE INDUCES TEMPORARY SPATIAL BLEED. RECOMMEND CAUTION.]
Cairn whistled again, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're getting faster. You even broke my construct before I could upgrade it."
Aelira's voice softened. "You over-synced with the Lattice for eight seconds. If you stayed there any longer, you might've burned your brain out."
Evan looked up, the corners of his mouth curling. "Then it's a good thing I'm faster than my limits."
The sky above them rumbled like it heard him.
Aelira sighed. "You're impossible."
"Maybe," he said. "But I'm the impossible this city needs."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE — UNKNOWN FREQUENCY DETECTED] [SIGNAL SOURCE: "ASHCODE"][STATUS: OBSERVING.]
Evan's smile faded. He glanced toward the horizon where the sun met the smoke.
"Guess the code's still watching."
Cairn cracked his knuckles. "Then we'll give it a better show next time."
Evan smirked. "Deal."
Lightning sparked across his shoulders. "Let's make it a real fight."
He vanished again, the city lighting up in his wake — and this time, the rhythm of Lowwater followed him perfectly.