The air was wrong.
Not unstable.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
That was the problem.
Danny stood still, eyes locked on the Correction Unit.
It hadn't moved.
Not yet.
But it didn't need to.
Because the moment the sky spoke—
It had already won something.
"—Correction Priority Increased—"
Danny clenched his fists.
"…Yeah," he muttered.
"…I heard you."
Abby stepped forward.
Her aura flaring again, sharper this time—not wild, not explosive—
Focused.
"We don't let it isolate you again."
Ren cracked his neck slightly.
For once—
No smirk.
No jokes.
"…Agreed."
Danny glanced at both of them.
"…So we're actually teaming up now?"
Ren shrugged lightly.
"Temporary alliance."
Abby didn't even look at him.
"Don't slow us down."
Danny exhaled.
"…Right."
The unit moved.
No warning.
No buildup.
It vanished—
And reappeared in front of Danny.
"—Correction—"
"MOVE!" Abby shouted—
Too late—
The unit's hand phased forward—
Reality bending—
Deletion forming—
Danny reacted instantly.
"…Not happening!"
The distortion exploded outward—
The space between them—
Twisted.
The unit's attack—
Stopped.
Not erased.
Held.
For a split second.
That was enough.
BOOM.
Abby struck from the side—
Crimson energy slamming into the unit—
Actually pushing it back this time.
"…It moved!" Danny shouted.
Ren didn't waste time.
He stepped in—
"Don't give it space!"
His hand cut through the air—
CRACK.
The space around the unit fractured—
Binding it—
Limiting its movement—
For the first time—
They were controlling the fight.
The unit paused.
"—Multiple Threats—Confirmed—"
Its head tilted slightly.
"—Recalculating—"
"…It's adapting again," Abby said.
"…Then we hit it before it finishes," Danny replied.
This time—
No hesitation.
He moved first.
The distortion surged—
Not wild.
Directed.
He stepped forward—
"You want to erase me?"
A pause.
"Then try."
The unit reacted instantly.
Multiple lines formed—
Faster than before—
More precise—
But this time—
Danny saw them.
Felt them.
Understood them.
He moved—
Not away—
Through them.
The lines passed—
But didn't connect—
Because the space around him—
Shifted.
Following his will.
Ren's eyes widened slightly.
"…He's syncing with it…"
Abby didn't respond.
She was already moving again.
The moment Danny reached the unit—
He struck.
Not physically—
But directly—
Into its structure.
The distortion clashed with its form—
And for the first time—
The unit staggered.
"—Error—"
"Now!" Abby shouted—
She unleashed everything—
A concentrated burst—
Crimson energy collapsing inward—
Then exploding—
BOOOOOOM.
The impact sent shockwaves across the entire street.
Buildings cracked.
The ground split.
The unit was thrown back—
Its body flickering—
Unstable.
"…We're actually damaging it…" Danny said.
Ren smirked faintly.
"Told you."
But then—
The sky pulsed.
Everything froze for half a second.
"—Adaptation Complete—"
Danny's heart dropped.
"…No way…"
The unit stood up slowly.
Its body—
Changed.
Smoother.
Sharper.
More… perfect.
"—New Parameters Applied—"
Abby's expression darkened.
"…It evolved."
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"That's not good."
The unit raised its hand again.
But this time—
No lines.
No visible attack.
Just—
A gesture.
Danny felt it instantly.
"…What—"
The distortion around him—
Collapsed.
Gone.
"…Wait—no—!"
For the first time since awakening—
His control—
Was cut off.
Abby reacted instantly.
"Danny!"
The unit stepped forward.
Slow.
Certain.
"—Correction—Final Phase—"
Ren moved.
Fast.
He placed himself between them—
"…Not happening."
He raised his hand—
Trying to reassert control—
But—
Nothing.
His ability—
Didn't respond.
"…What?" he muttered.
The unit spoke again.
"—Authority Suppressed—"
Silence.
Danny's chest tightened.
"…It shut us down…?"
Abby's aura flickered—
Still active—
But weaker.
"…It's overriding everything…" she said.
The unit stopped in front of Danny.
No rush.
No urgency.
Because now—
It had control.
"—Target—Confirmed—"
Danny clenched his fists—
But nothing responded.
No distortion.
No power.
Nothing.
For the first time—
He was powerless.
"…Damn it…"
The unit raised its hand.
"—Erasure—"
And in that moment—
Danny understood something terrifying.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
This was execution.
Abby moved—
But too slow.
Ren stepped—
But too late.
The unit's hand descended—
Reality bending—
Deletion forming—
And then—
Something changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
Danny's eyes widened.
That feeling—
From before.
That connection—
Not to the Rift.
Not to the system.
But to something deeper.
Older.
Familiar.
"…No…"
The world—
Didn't stop.
But something else did.
The unit's hand—
Paused.
Just slightly.
Its eyes flickered.
"—Unknown Interference—"
Danny's breathing slowed.
"…You're not the only one with control…"
His voice—
Changed again.
Calmer.
Deeper.
"…I remember…"
Abby's eyes widened.
"…Danny…?"
Ren froze.
"…No way…"
The unit stepped back slightly.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Because whatever just surfaced—
Wasn't part of its system.
And that meant—
It couldn't control it.
Danny raised his hand slowly.
And this time—
The distortion didn't return.
Something else did.
Something… older.
"…Now I see why this keeps happening."
The air trembled.
Not from force.
From presence.
The sky pulsed violently.
"—Critical Error—"
And for the first time—
The system—
Panicked.
To Be Continued.