Jayden exhaled and slowly retracted his arm. He could now use the ability at will. But his work was far from done.

He worked through the afternoon.

The learning curve collapsed faster than it had with any previous ability... the Mastery stat doing exactly what it was built for, compressing repetition into comprehension at an accelerated rate.

Within the first hour Jayden had achieved a reliable full-body intangibility, able to maintain the frequency for thirty-second stretches before the stamina cost forced him to drop it.

Within two hours he was extending it to a minute. By mid-afternoon he had mastered the switch... the rapid toggle between intangible and solid, phase and physical, the same trick the lynx had used to make itself impossible to pin. He practiced it until it had the rhythm of breathing.

Intangible.

Solid.

Intangible.

Solid.

Over and over.

The transition time narrowed with each repetition until it was nearly instantaneous.

Then Jayden started working on partial intangibility. This was harder.

Selective phasing... making one part of his body intangible while the rest remained solid. This required a finer degree of control and focus than the all-or-nothing version, like trying to hum one note while speaking another.

He dropped it repeatedly in the first thirty minutes. Kept reaching back for it. The hand first, since that was where he’d started. Then the forearm. Then both arms while keeping his torso and legs fully tangible, which produced a brief and deeply strange sensation of being partly absent from himself.

Eventually, after a while, he could flawlessly initiate and execute the selective phasing.

Next, he decided to try something. He mind reflected back on how the Ghost-lynx had phased the crystals out through its victim’s chests. Phasing not just itself. But also something it was holding.

This was done by extending the vibrational field to objects... to make them intangible too.

He found a long stick near the tree line. Picked it up, and turned it over in his hands.

He vibrated his hand and let the frequency spread down into his fingers, into the surface contact between his palm and the stick. He felt it propagate... the molecules of the stick beginning to respond to his frequency, catching the vibration at the point of contact and carrying it inward through the object’s structure.

The stick went slightly translucent for a moment then began stable. Stable but intangible.

He walked to the nearest tree, held the stick out, and pressed it forward.

The stick passed effortlessly through the solid bark, sinking deep into the wood along with Jayden’s hands. He held it there for three seconds. Then he drew it back out. The stick returned with his hand. He stood holding it, entirely normal-looking, not passing through anything anymore.

Jayden stared at the stick. Then at the tree. A grin broke across his face... wide and genuinely, completely unguarded, the expression of someone who had just done something that still felt impossible despite having just done it.

He was absolutely exhilarated. The tactical applications of this new ability were endless. But there was a severe downside. The sheer mental and physical focus required to forcefully vibrate every cell in his body took a massive toll on his stamina. He felt the familiar, heavy burn of exhaustion creeping into his muscles.

Still, it was a problem he was already used to. Almost all of his abilities consumed ridiculous amounts of stamina. The fire constructs when he’d first started. The size manipulation. Even his telekinesis. But he’d built up the tolerance for all of them through use, and he would build it for this too. The critical thing was efficiency — knowing when to use it and when to conserve it, timing the expenditure against what he needed to accomplish.

Satisfied with his progress, Jayden headed home. He showered when he got back, then dressed in front of the mirror, not his tactical suit... he set that aside deliberately.

Wearing a body armor and a high-tech mask to a crowded nightclub wasn’t exactly smart. If he wanted to assassinate a Pioneer, he needed to blend in first, not announce his presence to every thug in the building.

So he opted for casual clothing: a fitted black t-shirt, dark jeans, and a stylish leather jacket that concealed his muscular build and gave him enough room to move.

By evening, he was out the door. He summoned his hoverbike and hit the aerial highway.

The journey to Ruby City took just about forty-five minutes.

The City was a glittering, chaotic metropolis, entirely different from the grounded aesthetic of Emerald City.

Jayden followed the coordinates his bike had locked to the address of the club the Black Cobra man had told him.

Half an hour later, the GPS coordinates led him to the entertainment district. And he finally arrived at The Neon Serpent club.

It was a converted building set back from the main road, lit up in deep blue lights with the name in white letters above the entrance. A line of people formed outside, stretching half a block. The bass music inside pulsed steadily through the space.

Jayden found an alley running alongside the building. It was dim and empty except for a ventilation unit and a stack of crates pushed against the far wall. He guided the bike in, set it down, and dismissed it.

He stood in the alley, looking at the brick wall of the club’s rear exterior. Then, instead of looking for a back door, Jayden simply phased through the wall.

He stepped smoothly through the solid brick and mortar, emerging directly into the club’s men’s restroom.

The bathroom was empty, save for one wiry man standing at the sinks. He was mid-thirties, button shirt mostly open at the collar, leaning over the counter with his forearms on the edge of the basin. In front of him, on the sink ledge, was a small quantity of white powder arranged in a hasty line. There was more of it on the tip of his nose.

The man looked up into the mirror just as Jayden literally walked through the solid wall behind him.

Jayden blinked. His muscles tensed, ready to knock the man out cold before he could compromise the mission.

But the man didn’t even seem fazed. He simply stared at Jayden’s reflection, blinked, looked down at the powder, looked back up at Jayden’s reflection, blinked again.Then he started laughing. "Wow," he giggled, wiping his nose. "This stuff works fast. I’m already seeing ghosts."

Realizing the man was completely out of his mind on whatever stimulant he had just snorted, Jayden relaxed his stance. He decided to leave him to his powder and walked out the bathroom.

He stepped out of the hallway and was instantly hit by a wall of sound.

The club was a madhouse.

Blinding strobe lights swept across a massive, packed dance floor. The bass from the speakers was so loud it vibrated in Jayden’s teeth. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, exotic smoke, and sweat.

Jayden moved into the crowd. He circled the main floor, his eyes scanning the chaotic sea of bodies, searching for his target. He looked through the VIP booths. He checked the bar. He even climbed the near staircase to the mezzanine, using the height to sweep the floor below.

But there was no sign of Duke. The pioneer wasn’t in the club.

Jayden crossed to the far staircase and came back down on the other side. He leaned against a railing, his fist clenching in sudden rage.

Had that thug in the warehouse lied to him? Or was he at the wrong club?

Just as he was about thinking of a contingency plan, a heavy commotion started at the front entrance. The massive bouncers stepped aside, and a group of men swaggered into the club. They all wore sleeveless jackets, proudly displaying the coiled serpent tattoos on their arms.

And leading them was none other than Duke.

Jayden recognized him instantly from the EVA files. Duke was a mountain of a man; easily six-foot-six and incredibly muscular, with a gleaming bald head. A massive, intricate tattoo of a black cobra started at the base of his skull, winding down his thick neck and disappearing beneath his shirt.

The crowd instinctively parted, clearing a wide path of respect and fear as Duke and his lackeys marched straight toward the velvet ropes of the highest-tier VIP section. They settled into the space with the ease of people who occupied it regularly.

Jayden let out a slow breath, releasing the tension in his shoulders. He walked down to the main bar, found a stool with a clear sightline to the VIP area, and ordered a virgin mojito.

And then, he waited.

For what felt like hours, he sat there, slowly sipping the minty drink. He watched as Duke and his men drank heavily, smoked thick cigars, and laughed boisterously with a group of women who had joined their table. It was a test of patience, but Jayden didn’t mind. He was a hunter, and the prey was finally in sight. All he had to do was wait.

Eventually, Duke stood up. He grabbed one of the girls by the hand, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. He led her out of the VIP booth and headed toward the back stairs leading to the club’s private, soundproofed rooms.Two of his lackeys peeled away from the table and followed at a distance.

Jayden watched them walk to the door of the nearest room. Duke and the girl went in, closing the door behind them. While the two men took up guard positions right outside the door, standing at either side of it.

Jayden set down the glass in his hand. That was his cue.

He stood, moved from the bar, and walked casually toward the dance floor, letting the dense, grinding crowd swallow him up.

Once he was fully concealed by the bodies and the flashing strobe lights, he initiated his invisibility and entered stealth mode. His body shimmered and vanished from sight.

Invisible, he slipped out of the crowd and silently ascended the back stairs. He walked right up to the two Black Cobra guards posted at the door. They were busy scanning the club below, completely oblivious to the unseen predator standing inches away from them.

Jayden reached the door and simply activated his Molecular Phasing. Then he stepped forward, and walked right through the solid door into Duke’s private room.

........

Inside the soundproofed club room, the heavy, thumping bass of the club was reduced to a dull vibration. Duke was sitting on the edge of a king-sized bed, fully occupied with kissing the woman he had brought upstairs.

"Hello, Duke."

The distorted, mechanical rumble of Jayden’s voice suddenly cut through the room like a blade.

The woman jolted backward so fast she nearly fell off the bed entirely. She shrieked, scrambling off the bed, and backed into the corner. Duke’s head snapped up.

Standing just inside the room, seemingly having materialized out of thin air, was a figure clad in a dark jacket, a matte-black tactical suit, and a metallic mask with glowing white eye-slits. Jayden had equipped his gear the very millisecond he phased through the door.

Duke didn’t panic. He slowly stood up, cracking his massive knuckles, and let out a dismissive scoff. "You. I knew you were coming." The Pioneer casually cracked his neck. "Word travels fast in the underworld. Heard about some masked freak going around Emerald City, beating men to a pulp asking for my location."

Jayden tilted his masked head, the white slits narrowing. "If you knew I was coming, why leave yourself completely open like this?"

Duke grinned. "Who said I did?" he chuckled. Then he let out a sharp, piercing whistle.

Immediately, the door to the room swung open. The two massive gang members who had been guarding the hallway marched in, their fists glowing with elemental energy, ready to fight.

"Now," Duke sneered, crossing his arms. "It’s three against one."

Jayden remained perfectly still. "I wouldn’t be too sure about that."

As if on cue, the guard on the left suddenly convulsed. He violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood and staggered sideways, clutching his chest. The other guard’s eyes went wide, reaching out to support his partner. "Hey, man, what’s wro—"

Before he could finish the sentence, the second guard also choked, vomiting blood all over the carpet.

Duke watched in absolute shock as both of his elite enforcers slumped heavily to the floor, completely incapacitated.

When Jayden had walked past them invisibly in the hallway, he had extended the very tip of his claws, laced with a dose of his poison, and delivered a microscopic jab to each of them. He had intentionally delayed the toxin’s effect, timing it perfectly. He hadn’t used enough to kill them, just enough to completely ravage their nervous systems and take them off the board.

Duke’s jaw tightened. He looked at the men on the floor, then at the door, thinking through the math of the situation.

He let out a scoff, trying to hide his shock. "Cute trick. But I have three dozen more boys downstairs. The second they hear us tearing this room apart, they’ll be up here."

"They won’t be coming," Jayden said coldly. "Because the fight isn’t happening here."

Then he moved.

He crossed the room in a blur of speed, tackling Duke squarely in the chest. His momentum drove the massive Pioneer backward toward the exterior wall of the room. Just before they made impact, Jayden activated his Molecular Phasing, extending his vibrational frequency to envelop Duke’s body as well. And instead of crashing into the drywall, both men phased completely through the solid brick and steel of the building’s exterior.

They emerged into the empty air above the dark, narrow alleyway behind the club. Gravity instantly took hold, and they plummeted toward the pavement. Jayden expertly shifted his weight mid-air, using Duke’s massive frame as a human shield to break the fall.

CRACK.

They slammed into the concrete with a deafening crash. The impact was so severe it spider-webbed the asphalt beneath them.

Jayden immediately rolled off, springing to his feet and bounding backward to create distance.

To his credit, Duke scrambled up almost instantly. Despite falling several stories and taking the brunt of the impact, there wasn’t a single broken bone in his body. He ripped off his ruined, sleeveless jacket, revealing his upper torso. His skin was no longer flesh; it had transmuted into an incredibly dense, jagged, grey rock-like material.

Jayden let out a low chuckle. The EVA intel was flawlessly accurate. Duke possessed the ability to harden his body.

Just then, a low rumble of thunder echoed overhead, and the sky opened up. Heavy, cold rain began to pour, slicking the neon-lit alleyway.

Duke sneered, the rain bouncing off his rock-hard shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can walk away right now and go home to live. Or you can stay here, and die."

"I’ll take my chances," Jayden replied.

Duke let out a guttural roar. The rock material surged upward, rapidly encasing his neck, his jaw, and finally his entire head, leaving only two deep, dark holes for his eyes. He was now literally a walking boulder.

Jayden cracked his neck.

Then, they both charged.