April sat on the edge of a steel-framed cot, running her fingers over the cool metal.
The Hollow was unlike any place she had been before—secure, hidden, and prepared for war.
But no amount of reinforced walls could stop the storm brewing inside her.
She pressed her fingers to the back of her head, where the sigil had appeared.
Saya's words echoed in her mind.
"You've fully awakened your Gear."
She wasn't sure what that meant yet.
"Can't sleep?"
April turned her head slightly.
Saya leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with that knowing look.
April exhaled. "Something like that."
Saya stepped inside, taking a seat on the opposite cot. The dim overhead light cast sharp shadows across her face.
"You felt it, didn't you? Back at the old HQ," Saya carefully asked.
April hesitated but nodded. "Yeah. It was like... something inside me clicked. Like my body was trying to tell me something, but I didn't understand the language."
Saya grinned. "Your instincts are sharper now. The Gear isn't just some power boost—it's a part of you, woven into your being. And from what I saw, yours is different."
April frowned. "Different how?"
Saya tilted her head, studying her. "Most people's Gears manifest in a way that fits their combat style. But yours... it's evolving."
A chill ran down April's spine.
She had felt it during the fight with Vance—
the strange sense of clarity, the way her body moved faster, reacted before she even thought.
But it was more than that.
She could feel something else lurking beneath the surface, just out of reach.
Saya stood. "Come on. Let's test it."
April blinked. "Now?"
Saya smirked. "What, scared?"
April scoffed, pushing herself up. "You wish."
The training room was empty when they arrived. The reinforced walls had taken a beating from past sparring matches, but they still stood strong.
Saya cracked her knuckles. "No holding back."
April nodded, taking a stance.
The moment Saya moved, April felt it—
her body responding before her mind even processed the attack.
She ducked under a punch, twisted, and countered with a sharp elbow strike.
Saya barely blocked it in time.
Their movements blurred as they exchanged blows, faster and more precise than before.
April wasn't just reacting—
she was predicting, feeling the shifts in Saya's stance before they happened.
Then it happened.
Saya feinted left, but April knew it was a fake.
Instead of dodging, she pivoted into the attack, her hand moving on instinct—
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from her palm.
Saya's eyes widened as she barely managed to step back, the force of the energy distorting the air between them.
April stumbled, her breath hitching. "What... was that?"
Saya stared at her, then grinned. "That was your Gear waking up."
"That's your G-force."
"G-force?," April questioned.
April looked down at her hands, fingers still tingling from the G-force.
She had no idea what she had just done.
But she was damn sure she was going to find out.