DEVIL'S advocate

The moment we stepped beyond the gates, the world felt different. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something else something wrong. A low hum of unnatural energy pulsed through the ground, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

The forest loomed ahead, its gnarled trees twisting into grotesque shapes, their bark blackened and scarred. The devils had been here.Chief Orion raised a fist, signaling us to halt. The Nightwalkers spread out on Ethan's command, silent as shadows. Sergeant Ryder, standing at the front, rolled his shoulders. The KhaosGear pulsed with every movement, its energy veins dimly glowing beneath his skin. He was too eager.

"Stay sharp," Chief Orion muttered, his eyes scanning the darkness. "They're watching us."Then, the first attack came.

A blur of jagged limbs and glowing red eyes shot from the underbrush. A devil, its flesh twisted and pulsing, lunged at one of the cadets. Before anyone could react, Ryder was already moving.With a sickening crunch, his claws tore through the creature's midsection. The devil shrieked, its insides igniting in unstable hellfire before disintegrating into blackened ash. sergeant Ryder exhaled, eyes gleaming.

The forest erupted with movement—more devils, crawling from the shadows, their howls piercing the air. Some were small, barely human-sized, their bodies contorted with raw malice. Others were monstrous, towering over us, their limbs too long, too sharp, their mouths lined with rows of jagged teeth,The battle began in full force.

I moved on instinct, dodging a clawed strike and slashing upward with my blade. A devil screeched as my sword bit deep, its flesh sizzling as the enchanted metal did its work. To my left, Aria weaved between two attackers, twin daggers flashing as she carved through their throats.

"Levi, behind you!"

I spun just in time to see a devil lunging. I raised my blade, but before I could strike, sergeant Ryder was there.With terrifying speed, he grabbed the creature by the skull and crushed it, black ichor spraying across his armor. His grin widened. The KhaosGear was thriving in this chaos.The more he fought, the stronger it pulsed.

And then he faltered.

Sergeant Ryder movements slowed for just a second, his breathing uneven. The veins in his armor flared brighter, flickering wildly.

Then I saw it.

His eyes glazed over, unfocused, as if he wasn't seeing the battle anymore but something else.

" Sergeant Ryder?" I called, slicing through another devil. He didn't respond.And then he moved again.

But this time, it wasn't right.

His strikes became erratic, his breath ragged. His claws tore through devils—but too violently, too recklessly. He was losing himself.And then he turned toward us.

His grin was gone, replaced by something darker. The KhaosGear wasn't just enhancing him—it was consuming him.I barely had time to react before he lunged.I threw myself back as his claws slashed where I had just been. "Ryder! Snap out of it!"

No response. His body convulsed, muscles twitching as if something inside him was breaking free.

Then, I saw the worst of it his armor was shifting. Growing. The KhaosGear was mutating, its demonic energy spilling out, feeding on his loss of control. His skin darkened in patches, his claws lengthened.I had to stop him.I gritted my teeth, lunging forward. I ducked beneath his next strike and slammed my shoulder into his chest, trying to knock him back. It barely moved him.

Then his claws found me.Pain exploded in my side as his strike connected, slashing deep. I staggered, blood seeping through my uniform. My vision blurred, but I forced myself to stay standing.

I reached for him, gripping his arm. " Sir Ryder! It's me!"

For a moment, his body tensed. His breathing hitched. His eyes flickered just for a second.And that second was all I needed.

Summoning every last bit of strength, I pulled him back. Not physically, but mentally. Through the bond we had as warriors, as comrades.

"You are not a devil," I snarled, my grip tightening. "You're Ryder!"

His entire body shuddered. The energy veins pulsed violently—then dimmed.The whispers stopped.

And just like that, sergeant Ryder collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.The battle still raged around us, but for now, we had him back.And I had survived.

Sergeant Ryder was still on his knees, his breath ragged, his body trembling from the aftermath of the KhaosGear's rampage. His eyes flickered back to normal, the demonic glow fading—but exhaustion clung to him like a shadow.

I barely had time to steady myself before a firm hand gripped my shoulder.

"You did well."

Chief Orion's voice was steady, his presence grounding. He pulled me to my feet, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield. The devils lay in heaps of smoldering flesh and twisted bone, their bodies already beginning to disintegrate into the abyss they came from.

"We've won this fight," Orion said, his tone calm but resolute. "But this war is far from over."

He turned to the others. "Gather all their infernal cores. We take every last one. Then we head back."

The unit moved swiftly, retrieving the glowing remnants of the devils' energy. Infernal cores precious and deadly. Weapons, fuel, research material. Every one of them mattered.Mike and Aria were at my side in an instant.

"You're in bad shape," Mike muttered, looping my arm over his shoulder.Aria, inspecting my wound, gave a small smirk. "Still breathing, though."

"Barely," I shot back, wincing as they helped me forward.The forest was eerily silent now, the battle's echoes fading. The tension was lifting. For the first time, I exhaled, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down.

And then I saw it.

A flicker in the distance.

The mysterious figure that appeared in the battle before and gave us the first devil infernal core we had our Hands on.

Standing at the tree line, just beyond the haze of battle, watching.

My breath hitched And before I could call out, before I could move, it was gone.