Blink: Ethereal Fury

A Flicker of Darkness

The forest around the temple was deathly quiet. Not peaceful—just waiting for something to snap. Benji stood at the edge of the courtyard, his fists clenched tight, muscles taut as tension simmered under his skin. His mind was elsewhere, replaying the Sensei's teachings over and over.

"We protect life," Sensei always said. "No matter what. We fight to preserve, not destroy."

Benji had bought into it for as long as he could remember. Mercy. Restraint. Control. But some nights, like tonight, he questioned it. What good was mercy in a world full of killers?

His power crackled under the surface, always there, always pulsing. His fingers twitched as sparks of blue energy flickered between them, ready to be unleashed. He could feel the raw, dangerous power that could level mountains if he let it. And still, Sensei held them back.

"Hey." Mira's voice broke through his thoughts. She stood next to him, her dark hair lifting in the breeze, her expression sharp and knowing. "You're thinking too much again."

Benji exhaled sharply, shaking off the tension. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You've been on edge for weeks. What's going on?"

Benji didn't answer. How could he explain the storm brewing inside him? The doubt that gnawed at him? Instead, he looked away, his voice tight. "Do you ever wonder if Sensei's wrong? If all this—holding back—is making us weak?"

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Sensei's way works. We're alive because of him."

Alive. But for how long? The world didn't care about mercy, and Benji knew it. His eyes scanned the courtyard, where the temple loomed in the distance. It had been their home, their sanctuary, ever since Sensei had taken them in as kids. He had taught them how to fight, how to control their powers—but never to kill.

It gnawed at him. The world wasn't as merciful as Sensei wanted them to be.

Before Mira could respond, a subtle shift in the air made Benji's senses sharpen. His power surged, instinctively responding to the danger. A sound—a faint rustle of leaves, barely audible, but out of place.

"Shit," Benji muttered, his muscles tensing. "Mira, get Daichi. Now."

Mira didn't hesitate, vanishing into a gust of wind—her power. Speed, quick as a gale. Benji stayed behind, his hands crackling with energy, ready for whatever was coming.

The shadows moved.

Figures emerged from the trees, cloaked in darkness, their forms shifting and shimmering as if they were part of the night itself. Assassins. But not just any assassins. They moved too fluidly, their presence too heavy. These weren't ordinary killers. The way their powers distorted the air around them—it was wrong. Twisted.

Benji blinked toward the closest figure, vanishing in a puff of black and violet smoke, reappearing behind them just as they struck. His hand shot out, releasing a burst of concussive energy that sent the assassin flying through the air.

The courtyard erupted into chaos.

More figures appeared, slipping from the shadows, their powers warping reality around them. Benji could feel the tension snapping like a live wire as the other students poured into the courtyard, their powers blazing. Mira reappeared in a blur, followed by Daichi, whose hands shimmered with liquid metal, molding and reshaping like living armor.

The assassins came in waves.

One moved through the shadows, his form twisting into smoke, slipping around attacks like a phantom. Another raised her hands, and the air around her warped, bending space itself, distorting reality in pulses. Benji barely had time to react before she launched a spatial shockwave at him, but he blinked away just in time, reappearing behind her with a blast of raw energy that knocked her off her feet.