Chapter 19 Lockdown Order
893 Words
Before dawn.
No rift appeared over the city.
Yet the atmosphere felt heavier than during any prior alarm.
Because—
A lockdown order had been issued.
[Academy District Under Level-One Military Control]
[Target: Structural Anomaly Entity]
“Structural Anomaly Entity.”
That was the Council’s new designation for Leon.
—
Outside the academy perimeter.
Armored vehicles formed a blockade.
Suppression devices were erected.
Specialized resonance-inhibitor towers activated.
An energy grid spread across the sky.
Lucas slammed his fist against the wall.
“They’ve lost their minds.”
Damian’s voice was terrifyingly calm.
“They’re not insane.”
“They’re afraid.”
Ava stood by the window.
“They’re not afraid of him losing control.”
“They’re afraid of losing control themselves.”
—
Inside the room.
Leon sat quietly.
No anger.
No panic.
The system interface floated silently.
[Failure Catalyst: 73%]
Black patterns had already spread down his right arm.
Not corruption.
Structural reconfiguration.
Suddenly—
His heart pounded violently.
His consciousness was pulled inward again.
The purple-black structural space reappeared.
This time—
The projection was clearer.
It raised its hand.
A more complex structural model unfolded—
The true form of the “door.”
[75% — Critical Synchronization]
[You will no longer be a bridge]
[You will become a node]
Leon’s breathing stalled.
“The cost?”
A brief pause.
[The definition of humanity will change]
The space collapsed.
—
Back in reality.
The suppression towers fully activated.
Forced resonance waves flooded the academy.
The system interface shook violently.
[External Interference Detected]
[Structural Suppression Engaged]
Failure Catalyst—
Ticked upward.
74%.
Lucas burst into the room.
“They’ve started!”
Damian expanded his domain—
But it was weakened by the suppression towers.
Ava grabbed Leon’s arm.
“Don’t respond! They’re forcing you to break through!”
Yes.
The Council hadn’t simply locked the academy down.
They wanted verification—
What exactly 75% meant.
—
High above.
The gray-haired man stood at the command platform.
“Begin full data recording.”
“If loss of control occurs—”
“Execute termination protocol.”
Termination.
Erasure.
—
At the center of the academy.
The suppression waves intensified.
Leon’s body trembled.
Not from pain.
But from—
Forced structural compression.
The system flickered wildly.
[Stability Decreasing]
[Failure Catalyst: 74%]
Ava’s voice shook.
“Don’t take that step!”
Lucas gritted his teeth.
“We fight our way out!”
Damian’s tone remained steady.
“If we leave, we’ll be surrounded.”
The suppression towers surged again.
The air nearly solidified.
Leon suddenly opened his eyes.
Crimson light and black patterns intertwined in his pupils.
“They want to see.”
“Then let them see.”
Ava’s face went pale.
“Leon—”
He spoke softly.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“This time—”
“It isn’t failure.”
—
He released deliberately.
First attempt.
Failure.
[75%]
The world fell silent.
The system interface no longer flashed red.
Instead—
Black background.
White text.
[Failure Catalyst: 75%]
[Node Initialization Commencing]
The crimson skeletal frame no longer manifested externally.
The black patterns fully spread across half his body.
The suppression waves—
Were absorbed in reverse.
Above the academy—
The energy grid collapsed instantly.
Cracks formed along the suppression towers.
The gray-haired man shot to his feet.
“Impossible!”
Monitoring data spiked uncontrollably.
“He hasn’t lost control—”
“He’s rewriting the suppression frequency!”
—
Inside the academy.
Leon stood.
The air around him distorted subtly.
He was no longer merely a bridge.
He had become—
A localized structural node.
Damian’s pupils contracted.
“He’s synchronized with the Night Domain…”
Not full fusion.
But partial invocation.
Lucas muttered under his breath.
“And we’re still calling that human?”
Leon lifted his gaze.
His eyes pierced through the buildings—
Toward the Administrative Tower.
“Lift the lockdown.”
His voice was calm.
Yet through resonance, it spread across the entire district.
For the first time—
The gray-haired man felt something unfamiliar.
Not suppression by power.
But disparity in hierarchy.
After a long pause, he gave the order:
“Deactivate suppression.”
The towers powered down.
The energy grid dissolved.
—
Failure Catalyst stabilized at—
75%.
No rampage.
No collapse.
The city did not fall.
But a boundary had been crossed.
—
Deep within the Night Domain.
The projection appeared again.
This time—
It was no longer distant.
It gave a slight nod.
As if confirming—
The experimental phase was complete.
The next phase—
Was about to begin.
—
On the academy rooftop.
Ava stepped in front of him.
She reached up, touching the black patterns along his cheek.
“Are you still here?”
Leon was silent for a few seconds.
“I am.”
“But it’s not control.”
“It’s connection.”
Lucas exhaled slowly.
“The Council will never trust us again.”
Damian replied coldly,
“We don’t need them to.”
Wind blew in from the direction of the Night Domain.
Carrying a deeper presence.
The system displayed one final message:
[75% Phase Complete]
[High-Tier Existence Has Locked Onto Node]
[Volume One Final Structure Approaching Manifestation]
In the distant night sky—
The true outline of the “door”
Began to emerge.
Not a projection.
A real rift.
- Writer
