That night, Tyler leaned against his upper bunk, his entire body aching with a phantom resonance. He pulled up his internal status panel, watching the data shimmer in the dark.
[Host Status: Tyler Levison (Celestialsapien Vessel)]
Template: Carnitrix (10% Sync)Progress: 42/100Active Items: Sword of Ek Chuah (Soul-Bound to The Void-Wraith)Physique: Entry-Level Plumber (Enhanced Mental Fortitude)
Tyler let out a long, weary sigh. According to his link with the System, the Celestialsapien Vessel was a biological prerequisite. To eventually handle the power of a "Full Correction" Alien X—one without the leash of multiple personalities or a cooldown—his human form had to be structurally reinforced to withstand the reality-warping strain.
"Vilgax is in a pod, and the heavy hitters are hiding," Tyler muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the small RV. "Who else is going to step up and give me that next percentage?"
His constant grumbling eventually annoyed Ben enough that the younger boy shoved a pillow over his head in the lower bunk.
Early the next morning, a blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of the Rustbucket.
Tyler, still halfway in dreamland, tried to bury himself under his covers. "Who is screaming at this hour..."
"Tyler! Wake up!" Ben poked his head up, his face pale and eyes wide with terror.
Tyler rubbed his eyes, looking down. "Ben? What's the matter?"
"I had a nightmare! About The Void-Wraith!" Ben's voice was a frantic whisper. "He was in my head, Tyler. He told me to let him out. He even warned me to tell you to stop using his name. He said his name is Zs'Skayr!"
Tyler yawned, leaning over the edge of the bunk. "Ben, who was the first one to tell you that his name was Zs'Skayr?"
"You were," Ben answered flatly.
"And who is the one currently keeping him in check?"
"You are," Ben admitted.
Tyler flopped back onto his mattress. "Then relax. If something actually tries to crawl out of that watch, the Carnitrix will let me know. Now go back to sleep."
"But what if he comes back into my dream?"
"It's your head, Ben. In your dreams, you're the one in charge."
Under Tyler's "immortal" guidance, Ben drifted back to sleep. This time, when the spectral face of Zs'Skayr appeared in his subconscious to threaten him, Ben's dream-self transformed into The Bio-Hazardous Bolt. He spent the rest of the night practicing lightning-infused boxing on the ghost's face.
"Wait, school? Summer vacation is over already?!"
Ben's scream of horror in the bathroom surpassed any fear he had ever felt toward Vilgax. The realization that autumn was approaching was a trauma no alien transformation could fix.
The Rustbucket pulled up in front of a magnificent, ivy-covered campus. This wasn't Ben's old elementary school; this was Bancroft Academy, an elite institution for the academically gifted.
"Bancroft?" Ben crossed his arms, looking at the gothic architecture. "Great. A school full of professional Nerds."
"It's a prestigious academy, Ben," Gwen said, adjusting her bag with a proud smirk. "Most people can't even get past the front gate."
"Hello everyone! You must be the Tennysons."
A girl with long, blue hair and a polite smile approached them at the entrance. She looked remarkably mature for her age. "I'm Wendy. Mr. Max, I'll be your student guide for today's tour."
"Lead the way, Wendy," Max said with a jovial nod.
As Wendy began her tour, pointing out the history and the high-tech facilities of the academy, Tyler kept his hand close to the Carnitrix. The air on campus felt heavy—not with academic pressure, but with a lingering, cold energy that he knew all too well.
The tour was peaceful, but Tyler could feel the Void-Wraith DNA in his own watch humming in sympathy with something nearby. Zs'Skayr wasn't just in Ben's nightmares anymore.
New Transformation Log
The Bio-Hazardous Bolt (Shocksquatch Variant)
Traits: A hulking, simian-like entity with white fur and Tesla-coil-like appendages on its back.Ability: High-Voltage Pugilism. Tyler can focus thousands of volts into his fists, creating "thunder-claps" upon impact that can liquefy stone and short-circuit even shielded alien technology.Passive: Conductive Aura. Any metal within ten feet of this form becomes energized, acting as an extension of Tyler's reach.
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