Code Nexus

A manic laugh erupted from Karl, mingling with the tension that had taken hold of the board members.

"Ahahahaha! Oh, Cassian, do you really think you have the power to stop me? I'm a force to be reckoned with!"

His eyes gleamed with madness.

Cassian didn't flinch. Instead, he watched Karl with calm resolve, waiting. He had seen this kind of bravado before—dangerous hubris that came from someone who had lost it all.

As the laughter subsided, Karl's expression shifted in annoyance. The thrill he felt from taunting had morphed into impatience.

"It seems you're not as easily provoked as I thought," he said, biting back his discontent. "Go figure… It's time to show everyone why I'm not to be trifled with!"

With that, he held out his wrist, activating his Band. An incandescent glow of yellow light emanated from it, illuminating the dark corners of the room.

"Behold!" he cried, reveling in this moment of dramatic flair. "This is the power I wield!"

The yellow luminescence glinted against the walls as Karl spun around, arms raised high in triumph. It was meant to intimidate, a warning that he had been transformed; he believed himself powerful.

Cassian observed in silence, unmoved by the display. He had expected something like this.

The light flickered over Karl's strained features as he turned to face the others. Suddenly, his self-satisfied laughter was abruptly cut off by the wallop of Cassian's fist meeting his nose.

Bang!

The force sent him staggering backward, shock punctuating his expression as blood immediately began to trickle from the bridge of his nose. His hand shot up instinctively, cupping the wound in disbelief.

"What?!" he sputtered in confusion. "You… You should have been turned into a doll!"

Cassian stood unfazed by the victory of the first strike. He simply rolled up his sleeve, revealing his own Band—a radiant gold light shining next to the sickly yellow glow of Karl's.

They were the same.

"What? You have a Band?!" Karl exclaimed in both shock and anger. "What does it do?"

Now Cassian understood. It was obvious that Karl was out of his depth and had not been given the proper knowledge about Bands—he knew little to nothing about them.

To expose one's Band was akin to exposing a vital weakness, and it seemed Karl was too consumed with his need for vengeance to understand that fact.

Cassian continued to meet Karl's bewildered gaze and said, "Get up, Karl. I'm not done yet."

Karl's eyes were wide, the blood seeping from his nose illustrating the shock settling within him. With a grim smile, he climbed back to his feet, unbuttoning his blood-stained suit jacket.

"You think you're clever, huh?!" he spat, shaking off the confusion. "I haven't been sitting idle doing nothing this past year, you know; I've been training…"

With that revelation, Cassian casually assessed the situation, his eyes narrowing slightly. There was a visible confidence in Karl, one that stemmed from truth; his forearms had indeed looked muscular for a former office worker.

But so what? Cassian had also grown in skill, agility, and resolve after he had run away from home.

"Let's have it then!" Karl roared, lunging forward while aiming a fist.

Cassian sidestepped, allowing Karl's punch to sail past him. The moment was fluid; Cassian felt calm within the sudden tension. He wasn't just reacting; he was moving by pure instinct.

With precision, he seized the opportunity—the vulnerability left after Karl overextended. He delivered a sharp jab to Karl's midsection, making him double over slightly.

Before Karl could recover, Cassian turned, pivoting on his heel, and landed another punch, this one connecting with the side of Karl's head to send him spinning.

But Karl regained some composure, fueled by fury rather than clarity. He retaliated—throwing a punch that Cassian saw coming from a mile away.

He ducked and countered with a body blow that knocked the wind through Karl's clenched teeth.

"Is this your training?" Cassian asked. It wasn't taunting but a statement that showed how cool and controlled he was. "How can you fight with that much rage inside?"

Karl's frustration boiled over. He lunged again, this time with all his weight, but Cassian struck quickly, sidestepping to let the momentum of the attack carry Karl off balance.

For a brief moment, time felt suspended as the board members watched the clash unfold. They witnessed the elegance of Cassian's movements, the composure he exuded even as the battle escalated.

"Has Karl always known how to fight?!" Victor wondered.

"Forget Karl!" Reen pointed. "He's the one being pushed back!"

Karl, desperate now to land something—anything—aimed a series of wild swings. Cassian continued to glide and evade each angry blow, slipping and weaving until his opponent grew more unhinged.

Only when he felt Karl becoming clumsier did Cassian decide it was time to turn the tides.

He maneuvered himself around Karl and pressed closer, striking low with a jab to his stomach, forcing the air from Karl's lungs. The very next moment, Cassian went upward, hitting Karl's chin with an uppercut!

The force of the blow was enough to send Karl backward by several yards, his eyes wide and bewildered as he hit the floor hard.

Spitting blood and disheartened by his failure, he glared at Cassian in hatred and asked, "How… how are you doing this?!"

Cassian stood poised above him, steady and unfazed, answering, "You think just because you have a Band makes you special…?" Karl was speechless. "Having a Band is one thing; knowing how to use it is another."

Slowly, Karl pushed himself back up, using the edge of a nearby table for leverage. He was undoubtedly angrier, looking more primitive—a deep-seated resentment that was slowly turning into fear.

Cassian had turned the narrative against him, exposing him for what he was: a man haunted by his choices and the weight of his regrets.

"You think this is over?!" Karl spat. "You think you can take me down like that?!"

Cassian, silently bemused by Karl's struggle against acceptance, decided not to engage with his madness. Instead, he awaited the next round.

Karl lunged forward once more, but this time, Cassian met him directly, anticipating the distance and gauging the moment perfectly. He threw a feint to the left, guiding Karl into believing he could slip past again, then struck him with a punch to his jaw.

The impact sent Karl stumbling back, landing painfully on the floor. Shock could be seen on his face as everything around him seemed to fall away—the laughter, the bravado, the idea of being a "force to be reckoned with."

He was simply another man who had been manipulated by the devils around him, laid bare to the uncertainties of this world because of his poor choices.

Cassian slowly walked toward him. It wasn't long until he was now standing directly above the man.

"You were wrong to assume you could control everything," he calmly said. "Revenge doesn't bring you peace, Karl. You're just left empty, chasing ghosts you can't catch."

Karl struggled to rise again, but Cassian wouldn't let him. With a light push, he kept him pinned on the floor. The weight of the situation finally settled in.

The board members gathered, both in horror and admiration. Karl's defiance could still be seen.

"It's time to give up, Karl," Cassian relayed.

"But I can't!" he yelled, battling against the loss. "They were taken from me! Zephorya's corrupted, and I need to make them pay!"

Cassian shook his head.

Eliza felt empathy for the man. So she voiced her thoughts, "Karl… Please, you don't have to live like this; you can seek help; you can find a better way."

"She's right, Karl," Reen added. "There are things you can do to handle your grievances."

Karl's resolve began to shatter. It was fleeting, but Cassian saw it, the moment where hope began to seep into the cracks of a lost man's hallowed heart.

Yet, it was too late for that man now. He had already committed murder and would be tried for his actions.

"Are you finally ready to let things go?" Cassian wondered, finally steadying Karl's shoulders against the ground.

With that, he stepped back, allowing the man the space and air to breathe while keeping vigilance in his stance. Every eye rested on the scene unfolding—a moment of reckoning as Karl saw the darkness within himself plainly for the first time.

Cassian knew better than anyone how fragmented this world was. But even he wouldn't stoop that low.

"W… wait," Karl whispered. "There's… still someone…"

At those words, Victor became stunned when he could suddenly see his breath. It was misty as if someone had lowered the temperatures to a chilling degree. The air became icy as layers of frost began to form on and around the furniture.

Karl's eyes remained locked to the ceiling while his frame began to be covered in ice.

Everything was getting cold, and Cassian immediately understood why.