Arrow-13 Incident Report – Classified
Location: Secured Pocket Void – Director’s Barrier
Subject: Recruit Zoey Bail
At approximately 2200 hours, an unknown exposure entered the A+ Rank Director training barrier during scheduled honing drills. Exposure corrupted internal stability for approximately 9 seconds before being fully neutralized and re-stabilized by Director.
All recruits inside the barrier witnessed the anomaly. No fatalities reported.
Subject Zoey Bail identified as the origin point of the corruption. Method of exposure remains undetermined.
Current Status: Detained in secured containment cell. Pending outcome from Southern Command review.———————————————————
Present Day
“The E.R.O is moving around their Veythari and enforcing their stations. New York hasn’t had that happen yet. Perfect time to push everyone together with a few monsters.”
———
Anaya sat atop the hood of a parked car, her boots crossed at the ankles, arms folded tight. Moonlight glinted off her piercings—a silver shimmer along her brows and lips. She wore a combat uniform under her hoodie and jeans.
She was bored.
Utterly and annoyingly bored.
No monsters. No ghouls. No real movement in the streets.
A Demurge showing up in the city? That’d be rare. Too rare.
She glanced around, then pulled out her phone, swiping through messages with a sigh.
Still nothing from Lucenzo.
Probably trying to charm that redheaded whore, she thought bitterly.
And immediately, Anaya winced at herself.
It wasn’t that she hated Savannah.
She just… couldn’t stand her ego.
Savannah acted like she was above everyone—always had. The way she walked into meetings like she already knew the mission better than the captain, the way she barely acknowledged half the team unless they were bleeding or in her way.
Anaya had even tried to make good with her once. Back when they were both fresh into Unit V-29. Offered her respect. A little camaraderie. Tried to joke with her, lighten the mood, even backed her in the field when she didn’t have to.
But Savannah never gave anything back.
Just that cold stare. That “you’re not on my level” energy.
It wasn’t just annoying—it was insulting.
So yeah, Anaya didn’t get why Lucenzo liked her.
Why he still hung around her.
Why he kept trying.
His funeral, she thought bitterly.
And what really stung?
Savannah was still ahead.
Still the one people looked at with awe.
And worst of all? She acted like it meant nothing. Like none of them mattered.
Savannah had survived an Alpha-level threat. That changed everything.
There were five threat levels in the E.R.O system:
- Level One – Minor Disruption: contained quickly, low public exposure.
- Level Two – Regional Hazard: high property damage, requires multiple teams.
- Level Three – National Crisis: full tactical deployment, loss of civilian control.
- Level Four – Alpha-Level: global attention, possible structural collapse of cities, often involving mutated Rifts or Demurges.
- Level Five – Omega-Level: extinction-tier threat. Only theoretical.
Anaya had survived a Level 3.
Which sounded close to a 4. But it was like the difference between climbing a mountain and walking into a volcano.
And now?
Now she had to push even harder.
Not because she was scared.
But because she refused to let Savannah stay ahead of her. She could accept being second to a lot of things. But not her. Never her.
Anaya’s comms chirped softly in her ear, the faint digital ping cracking through the quiet of the night.
“Yo, anything pop off on your side?” came the voice of Cherry, a bubbly-sounding woman with a deceptive bite. B-Rank Operative, specialized in detection and barriers—bright voice, sharp instincts, and a smile Anaya could hear even over comms.
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Anaya leaned back on the hood of the car, lazily scrolling her phone, pretending not to perk up at the sound of Cherry’s voice. “Nah. Dead as usual.”
There was a pause. Then Cherry’s tone shifted—subtle, sharper. Business.
“Well, there was an energy spike just south of your location. Near 17th and Mandrel. Something weird. Doesn’t match Ghoul energy. Probably monsters… I’m calling for everyone to rally on me. Meet there in five.”
Anaya’s lips curved into a grin.
Finally.
She stood up in one swift motion, boots clicking as she cracked her neck. “Alright. On my way.”
But as she stepped off the hood and fire began to curl beneath her soles, her eyes flicked toward the city skyline for a brief second.
When this is over…
She had to build the courage to ask Cherry out. No more excuses. No more delays. It wasn’t just the way she laughed or the way she handled herself in combat—it was how she never treated Anaya like she was second to anyone. Like she mattered.
Maybe she’d say no.
But maybe… maybe not.
Then—WHOOSH.
Purple flames burst from beneath her feet, curling around her calves like elegant serpents. Her body lifted slightly, weightless, and she launched herself forward—through alleyways, over rusted fences, zipping past flickering lamplight like a bullet laced in violet fire.
The city blurred by.
Wind kissed her skin. Her heart thundered.
She needed this. Something to do. Something to hit.
And once it was handled?
She’d grab a bite. Talk to Cherry. Maybe—
Finally stop acting like a coward.
Lucenzo and Savannah could figure their mess out. She had better things to chase.
The moonlight skimmed across the rooftops of New York, casting silver shadows between the alleyways and warehouse tops of the old industrial quarter. On a stretch of cracked pavement just off 17th and Mandrel, Anaya landed in a burst of purple flame, the heat curling like a violet serpent under her boots.
Waiting near the edge of a low rooftop was Cherry Belleforte, leaning casually against a ventilation unit. She wore an all-black tactical uniform, sleek and form-fitted with reinforced plates along the arms and legs, the E.R.O. insignia faintly outlined on her shoulder in soft magenta stitching. Her boots were laced tight, her gloves fingerless, and across her belt were neatly clipped plastic animals.
Despite the combat-ready gear, her rainbow-colored hair stood out like neon graffiti against the dull rooftop—a cascade of vibrant reds, greens, and blues that shimmered slightly in the moonlight. It framed her face in playful waves, the contrast only amplifying her reputation as the most deceptively cheery operative on the field.
Above her head floated a shimmering pink bubble, pulsing faintly with detection mana, casting soft glows across the rooftop tiles like ripples in a calm pond.
“Took you long enough, hot stuff,” Cherry said with a smirk, twirling a gum-colored strand of her hair. Her voice was all sugary charm, but her eyes glinted—watchful and knowing.
Anaya rolled her neck, breath steady. “I came literally faster than anyone else could have. You want me to spark the street up too next time?”
Cherry grinned wider. “Only if you’re bringing that attitude. It’s kinda my favorite.”
Anaya bit the inside of her cheek, hiding the heat in her face. She’d just come out recently. Years of strict upbringing had kept her quiet—closed—but being in the E.R.O., having powers, having people like Cherry?
It changed her.
And Cherry… Cherry always knew how to twist the knife and make it feel like a compliment.
They weren’t alone long.
Mina Dreyx landed near them like a stitched shadow, silent and composed. Her black tactical gear, like Cherry’s, was sleek, segmented plating running down her arms and legs, reinforced with protective threadwork that shimmered subtly with reactive mani. Loose golden threads trailed from her wrists, curling and twisting like curious tendrils.
Tai “Matchbox” Yurenji jogged up next, sparks flickering from the sleeves of his worn-out red hoodie. Beneath it, you could just barely make out the reinforced undersuit plating. His sweatpants were reinforced too, disguised but functional, giving him both flexibility and protection.
Kass “Backbeat” Volei arrived last, stepping in with a calm rhythm, headphones on, nodding to a beat only she could hear. Her attire looked casual at first glance—loose-fitting jacket, torn jeans, combat sneakers—but the jacket was lined with sync-thread for feedback control, and her layered tee concealed a signal-linked amplifier built directly into her undershirt.
“Yo,” Tai greeted, spinning a flame coin on his knuckles. “Mafia coming?”
Anaya shook her head, arms crossed. “Nah. He’s tied up. Got sent on a mission with Red Gale.”
The group exchanged glances—tight-lipped, unsettled. Even Cherry’s mani bubble, usually soft and rhythmic, gave off a sharper pulse. Like it could feel the tension too.
Tai gave a low whistle as he leaned against the side of an old AC unit. “Man… Red Gale heard she’s acting like nothing happened after Red Hollow, huh?”
It wasn’t judgmental—just baffled. He scratched the back of his neck, clearly still trying to process it.
Kass, crouched with her elbows resting on her knees, muttered under her breath, “That whole situation’s wrapped tighter than one of Mina’s knots. Nobody knows what really went down.”
Mina didn’t respond right away, just nodded once, her eyes scanning the rooftops like they might reveal something. “The higher-ups sealed the files. I heard Echo-9 got hit a few nights ago too. And something happen at Arrow-13…. No footage, no debrief. Just… ‘handled.’”
“Yeah, and that sky thing,” Cherry added, her voice quieter now. She glanced upward, a frown tugging at her glossed lips. “What even was that? That weird gold-blue glow lit up the entire east end for like ten seconds. Every scanner flipped. My detection nodes crashed like four times.”
The others didn’t respond immediately. The moment lingered—weighty.
It wasn’t just one weird incident. It was a pattern. Something bigger than what they were being told.
“Definitely weird,” Tai said finally, voice low. “All of this is.”
The wind passed over them, cold and sharp, tugging at loose threads and jacket hoods. The city hummed below like it always did, but somehow it felt quieter. Like it, too, was waiting.
They stood in silence for a moment, each one thinking it—but none of them saying it.
Then Cherry stepped forward. “Alright,” she said, switching gears with a wink at Anaya. “Serious mode. Let’s handle something in our pay grade. The energy spike came from the old subway sector beneath this block. Something stirred it hard—might be Rift residue or worse. We’ll sweep it as a team.”
Mina’s threads extended slightly, her voice cool and clear. “Standard formation. Kass and Tai on mid-field sweep, Cherry covers the perimeter. Anaya, you’re point. We move in three.”
Anaya gave a short nod. She didn’t show it, but her heart beat a little faster when Cherry winked at her before moving into position.
After this, she told herself, I’ll ask.
She’d fought monsters, survived demurges, stood against chaos.
Asking Cherry out?
Wouldn’t be the hardest thing she’d done.
Right?
————
High above the rooftops—beyond the reach of streetlights and detection fields—something massive hovered in the sky.
A monstrous bird-like creature, its wings stretching across the clouds like jagged shadows. Feathers shimmered with a faint iridescence, and its eyes glowed like dying stars. On its back stood two figures, the wind barely disturbing their garments.
One leaned forward, arms crossed, eyes narrowed toward the team below.
“They took the bait. That wasn’t too hard.”
The second figure shifted, dreads brushing their shoulders. “Yeah,” they said, gaze steady. “Now… this’ll show us what she can really do.
“You’re actually planning to work with her?”
“I don’t see why not. If she’s got the talent, what’s the point in holding back?”
The first scoffed. “Because the Butcher probably won’t comply. You know that.”
A small laugh escaped the second figure—half amused, half challenging.
“Haha… hmmm… true.”
They lifted a hand, loosening the white blindfold wrapped across their eyes, revealing a faint glow underneath. Their other hand swept their dreads to the side, revealing a crooked grin that caught the silver gleam of moonlight.
“But don’t worry,” they said, voice low and calm.
“I’ve got that handled.”