## **Chapter 3: Escape and Reckoning**
The alarms screamed through the underground chamber, a shrill warning that time had run out. Jasper and Kaela had only moments before the Dominion forces breached the door and sealed their fate.
Kaela’s fingers blurred across the keyboard, purging their digital footprints, but Jasper knew it was useless. **They were already found.**
A thunderous impact rattled the reinforced door. Dust rained from the ceiling. The second hit left a deep dent in the steel.
“They brought a damn battering ram,” Kaela muttered, yanking a pistol from a concealed holster. “You always had a way of dragging me into the worst situations.”
Jasper smirked as he pulled **Fulminis** from beneath his cloak. The lightning-forged blade thrummed with a power he barely understood, arcs of blue energy crackling along its length. **A weapon of legend—one he still struggled to claim as his own.**
“And yet, here you are.”
The door **exploded inward** on the third impact. A squad of Dominion enforcers—clad in **obsidian armor with glowing crimson visors**—stormed in, magitek rifles raised.
“**Lightning Count!**” the squad leader barked. “Drop your weapon and surrender!”
Jasper didn’t hesitate. He **lunged**.
Fulminis **sang** through the air in a blinding arc. The first enforcer crumpled, his armor **cleaved apart as if it were paper**. The others **opened fire.**
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Kaela **dived behind a server rack**, returning fire with cold efficiency. Jasper twisted, **Fulminis flashing as he deflected a hail of plasma rounds**, the blade **absorbing their energy in crackling bursts**. His movements weren’t just skill—they were **instinct.** Something deeper. Something… **buried in his bloodline.**
“Exit’s sealed!” Kaela shouted. “We’re boxed in!”
Jasper’s eyes darted across the room. **They needed a way out.** Fast.
Then—he spotted it.
A **ventilation shaft**, high on the back wall.
“Cover me!” he ordered.
Kaela **unleashed a relentless barrage**, forcing the enforcers to duck. Jasper **sprinted forward**, leaped, and **gripped a rusted pipe**, swinging himself up. **Fulminis sliced through the vent’s grating like silk.**
He turned, reaching down. “Kaela—**now!**”
Kaela hesitated for **only a heartbeat** before vaulting up. Jasper caught her wrist, hauling her in just as another **wave of gunfire shredded the walls below.**
They crawled through the **stifling metal shaft**, the heat from the overworked servers making **every breath thick and suffocating**. Behind them, the Dominion was already regrouping.
“We won’t outrun them forever,” Kaela warned. “They’ll have reinforcements in minutes.”
Jasper grit his teeth. “Then we need a distraction.”
A **sudden vibration** in his grip made him glance at **Fulminis**. The sword pulsed, sending **a whisper of energy through his veins**.
A memory surfaced. **His grandfather’s voice—hushed, reverent.**
*"The blade will call to you when the time is right."*
Was this what he meant?
They emerged onto a **rooftop**, the **Shadow District** sprawling below. **Neon lights flickered through the mist**, casting the rain-slicked streets in hues of violet and crimson. Below, Dominion patrols **swarmed like wolves**, cutting off every exit. **Drones hovered above**, their cold, mechanical eyes scanning for movement.
Kaela turned to him. “You better have a plan.”
Jasper stared at the **storm-lit skyline**—then at **Fulminis**, its energy whispering at the edge of his mind.
For the first time… **he considered listening.**
“Get clear,” he said. “I’ll buy you time.”
Kaela’s expression darkened. “Don’t be stupid—”
The **rooftop door burst open.**
Jasper didn’t hesitate. **Fulminis pulsed in his grip, as if it already knew what came next.**
He **drove the blade into the rooftop.**
A surge of **lightning** **exploded outward**, **crackling in a brilliant storm**. The force **sent Dominion soldiers reeling**, their **magitek armor short-circuiting in violent bursts of sparks**.
The **nearest drones detonated midair**, flames streaking through the night.
Kaela **shielded her eyes** from the chaos.
And when she looked back—
**Jasper was already gone.**
**Vanished into the storm.**
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