The morning sun filtered through thin clouds, painting soft golden streaks across the quiet streets. A slight breeze danced along the pavement, lifting small bits of snow and brushing gently against Zazm's coat as he walked with steady, unhurried steps. His dark boots tapped against the sidewalk rhythmically, and with his hands tucked inside his coat pockets, his eyes drifted up to the familiar streetlamp ahead.
There she was—Jennie.
Standing under the lamp, dressed neatly in a cream-colored coat, a light scarf wrapped delicately around her neck, and her shoulder-length hair tucked behind one ear. She looked alert, but tense. Like a student on the first day of school.
Zazm's lips curved into a smirk as he approached.
"Well, don't you look fancy," he said, slowing down beside her. "Is this a meetup or a fancy dress party?"
Jennie rolled her eyes but cracked a small smile. "Thought I'd at least look presentable. You're the one dragging me into a group of superpowered strangers."
Zazm chuckled. "If anything, you're overdressed. Trust me—when you meet them, you'll realize you've already got the highest IQ in the room just by standing still."
Jennie exhaled a short laugh, but her fingers still fidgeted slightly.
"You're nervous," Zazm noted, not even looking directly at her.
Jennie glanced at him. "Is it that obvious?"
"I've seen war zones less tense than your posture."
"I don't know anyone would be nervous if they suddenly have to meet new people and especially like that...." she spoke while fidgeting with her hair.
He smirked again, shifting his weight slightly. "Relax. Each Catalyst is dumber and weirder than the next. You'll fit right in."
She blinked. "That's comforting."
Zazm nodded seriously. "Kiyomasa might offer you a cookie mid-fight, Jahanox will probably stare at you like he's analyzing a bomb, and Caspian—" He sighed dramatically. "He might flirt with you and the streetlamp you're standing under."
Jennie laughed, this time genuinely. "Wow. What a team."
Zazm tilted his head, his expression softening just a little. "They're chaotic, yeah… but they're real. They've got your back once you're one of us."
Jennie looked down at her shoes, then back up. "And… I'm really one of you?"
Zazm gave her a sideways glance. "You were the moment you wanted answers."
A moment passed before he turned and held his hand out to the side. The space shimmered, and with a flick, a tear in the air unfolded—a portal, elegant and quiet, opening up to another world.
Zazm looked back at her, eyebrow raised. "Ready to meet the weirdos?"
Jennie took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Yeah… Let's go."
And with that, they stepped through together—toward chaos, camaraderie, and the beginning of something new.
---
A ripple cut through the air like a gentle slice in reality, and the portal swirled open inside Zazm's apartment. He stepped in first—only to be met with chaos.
Empty chip bags, soda cans, takeout containers, and what appeared to be a single sock hanging from the ceiling fan greeted him. A pizza box sat proudly on his sleek coffee table like a trophy of delinquency. The place looked like a rap video collided with a food fight.
Zazm froze at the threshold, his eye twitching slightly.
Jennie walked in behind him and gasped—not in disgust, but admiration.
"Woah… this place is huge," she said, looking around the spacious loft with wide eyes. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in light, and the high ceilings gave it a modern yet extravagant vibe. "I didn't know you lived in a movie set."
Zazm didn't respond. He was still staring at the aftermath of an unsupervised Catalyst hangout
He bent down, picked up a crushed can of cola, and turned to her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry for the mess," he said casually—before brutally crushing the can with one hand.
Jennie blinked. "You okay?"
Veins were visibly popping along his forehead, his jaw clenched tight behind that forced grin. "Yeah. Totally fine."
She raised an eyebrow. "That can would disagree."
Zazm dropped the mangled can into a trash bag without a word and clapped the dust off his hands. "Anyway."
Jennie looked around again, stepping carefully over a pile of wrappers. "So… where are the other Catalysts?"
Zazm's face returned to calm, and he held up his marked hand. "We'll find them in a second."
Jennie turned toward him just as his pupils dissolved, the black in his eyes spreading out like ink until his sclera turned jet black, swirling faintly with the shape of the same mark etched into his skin. Thin veins crawled near the edges as if even his body struggled to handle the transformation.
Jennie's breath hitched. "Zazm—your eyes. Are you okay?"
He didn't flinch. "Yeah. This is normal."
"That looks… not normal."
Zazm gave a quiet chuckle as threads began to flicker around him, visible only to him, weaving through space like cosmic strands of silk. "It's a special vision I developed—lets me see and trace the space-time fabric. The threads that connect everything. It's the only way I can bend space without frying my own brain."
"Looking into these threads at an extremely deep level with normal eyes would've burned them out eventually,"
Zazm said while slowly walking through the room, eyes scanning the air. "So I created a… fail-safe. This version of my eyes isolates the overload and boosts focus. I call it Nexus gaze."
Jennie blinked, half-impressed. "That… sounds really cool. You're good at naming things."
Zazm froze mid-step, threads still hovering around him as he turned his head slowly toward her with a deadpan expression.
She tilted her head, slightly awkward. "...What?"
Zazm let out a slow breath and muttered, "A rock could name better than me."
"What?"
"That name?" he said, gesturing vaguely to his eyes. "I stole it from a kids' show trailer. It was playing on a billboard.
Jennie stared.
He shrugged. "Some ninja space robot shouted 'Activate Nexus Vision!' and I thought it sounded kind of sick, so…"
Jennie covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "No way…"
Zazm smirked, eyes still black. "Hey, just because it came from a cartoon doesn't mean it's not badass."
"That's fair."
He finally turned fully toward her, the black threads still stretching across the room like veins of light. "Anyway. Nexus Vision lets me trace threads in the space-time fabric. It's how I track people, open portals, see beyond normal reality. It's also why I needed to upgrade my eyes in the first place—looking at this stuff with regular ones is a guaranteed trip to permanent blindness."
Jennie watched him with a mixture of fascination and concern. "And you just… invented it?"
He nodded. "Had to. There's no instruction manual for bending reality."
Zazm stood still, eyes shimmering with the dark energy of Nexus Vision, the black sclera shining faintly. Threads of space gently floated around him like silk strands caught in a breeze. He narrowed his gaze, watching the flow of reality like a conductor watching music notes come to life.
"There," he muttered, pointing ahead.
Jennie leaned in a little. "Where are they?"
Zazm tilted his head slightly, a small smirk forming on his lips. "They're at a place I know very well."
Jennie blinked, confused. "That… didn't answer the question."
Zazm chuckled and raised his hand. The threads swirled, bending the air before them until a glowing portal opened up—swirling violet and deep blue with faint sparks of golden light. He stepped toward it.
"Come on," he said. "You'll see."
Jennie gave a slight huff, but followed. As they stepped through, the world around them shifted. On the other side of the portal, they emerged onto cracked stone steps surrounded by tall, unkempt trees. Nature had reclaimed much of the space. Broken bricks, shattered windows, and rusted gears lay scattered across the moss-covered ground.
Jennie's eyes scanned the surroundings. "What is this place?"
Zazm took a deep breath, his eyes softening with a strange mix of nostalgia and loss. "This used to be an old clocktower. It got shut down a few decades ago because the mountain route leading up to it was considered too dangerous. No one ever came back here after that… so we made it our training spot."
Jennie slowly stepped forward, taking in the silence and the abandoned beauty of the place. "It's kind of eerie. But… cool."
Zazm nodded, but his expression soon shifted as he looked around more carefully. His brows furrowed.
"I can't see them," Jennie said.
"Yeah," Zazm replied. "Their threads vanished somewhere around here. They're definitely here—but not in this visible space."
Jennie glanced at him. "What does that mean?"
Zazm's eyes glowed faintly darker. "It means they probably made a separate space for training. A pocket dimension or something close to it."
Jennie blinked, eyes wide. "Wait, what?! That's amazing! But—how would we get inside it?"
Zazm turned his head toward her with a confident smirk, brushing a few strands of his hair back. "You're forgetting something important."
"Hm?"
"As long as it's a space..." he said, holding his marked hand out and watching as threads started swirling again, "I can control it. And if I can control it—I can go inside of it."
Jennie stared at him, half in awe, half in anticipation. "That's cheating, you know."
Zazm grinned. "Nah. That's just playing the game better."
The threads pulsed, reacting to the thin, almost undetectable ripples in the area. Zazm focused, locking onto the point of distortion. And then, with a swift gesture, the air in front of them cracked like glass, slowly peeling open to reveal a hidden entrance—an opening to whatever realm the other Catalysts had created.
He turned to Jennie, smirking.
"Ready to meet the weirdos?"
She took a breath, nodded, and stepped in with him.
---
Inside the secluded realm, shadows danced along the walls of a vast rocky canyon-like space, where three Catalysts were deep in training. The air shimmered faintly with elemental energy—fire, wind, earth—all colliding and twisting under control and chaos alike.
Jahanox sat on his shadow-formed throne, arms crossed, his dark cloak billowing slightly though there was no wind. His eyes remained sharp, observant, but a rare glint of approval touched his usually cold demeanor.
A row of floating targets suddenly shot toward Kiyomasa like missiles.
Without hesitation, Kiyomasa launched himself into the air, twisting in a high arc using a burst of wind beneath his feet. His body moved like water in motion, fluid and controlled.
Mid-air, he did a full backflip. As he landed, he slammed both hands onto the ground. In an instant, jagged earth spikes erupted upward in a line, shredding the targets into fragments.
But more came—rushing in fast. Kiyomasa ducked, slid under one, pivoted, and caught another in his hand. With a calm breath, he ignited it in a sudden flare of orange and red flames until it crumbled into ashes.
Then, spinning on one foot, he unleashed a spiraling blaze around him—his body turning like a tornado, fire whipping out and incinerating the last of the dummies.
Up on his seat, Jahanox smirked, a rare look of pride curling at the corner of his lips.
Caspian, leaning casually nearby with his arms behind his head, gave a slow clap. "This kid's a damn monster," he said with a half-grin, his silver eyes gleaming.
Jahanox nodded, not looking away. "He is. And you've improved too."
Caspian raised a brow, pretending to look shocked. "Is that a compliment from the mighty Jahanox? What's next—snow in hell?"
Jahanox chuckled—quiet, but real. "Then make good use of it. They don't come often."
Kiyomasa jogged over, panting slightly but with a proud smile, wiping sweat from his brow. His cheeks were flushed from the exertion, but his eyes were full of joy.
"Did you see that?!" he beamed, and Jahanox actually clapped once for him, a sign of high praise in his own silent way.
"You're getting sharper," Jahanox said. "Better control. More instinct."
Kiyomasa's grin widened. "Thanks! That means a lot coming from you!"
Without waiting another moment, Caspian hopped down from the throne, cracking his knuckles.
"Alright, alright—showtime," he said with a confident smirk. "Let the pretty boy demonstrate how it's really done."
He walked toward the center of the training field, wind beginning to swirl lightly around him, his coat fluttering with dramatic flair.
"Don't blink," he added. "You might miss the masterpiece."
Jahanox leaned back in his seat, his voice low. "Show us, Caspian. Impress me."
Caspian stepped into the middle of the field, cracking his neck as the wind coiled around him like a lazy serpent. Unlike Kiyomasa's precise and focused energy, Caspian's aura was wild—half-confidence, half-chaos.
He raised a single hand, and several targets materialized from the edge of the realm—spinning, darting, unpredictable.
"Let's dance," he smirked.
With a sharp motion, Caspian thrust both arms forward and the wind exploded outward, launching him into the air. His body twirled as he spun like a cyclone, using wind bursts to push himself off invisible platforms mid-air. He kicked one target mid-flip, then used a gust to blast another into the rocky wall, where it shattered in pieces.
As he landed with a slide, he slapped a palm against the ground, and cracks spread like lightning bolts. A jagged chunk of earth shot upward, flinging him skyward once more. From above, he aimed both arms down—his fingers flickering with raw wind energy.
He fired a focused burst.
The stream of wind tore through two more targets, but the third swerved—Caspian missed.
"Tch—cocky again," he muttered to himself.
The missed target zipped toward him, and just before it hit, Caspian ignited his flames—coating his arms with flickering fire. He swiped in a wide arc, sending a wave of fire through the air that scorched the final dummy into smoke.
He landed, stumbling slightly on impact, brushing dust from his sleeves. His coat was singed at the edge, but he still looked satisfied.
Not bad," he said to no one in particular, brushing his silver bangs back.
Jahanox watched silently, arms still crossed.
"You're not as refined as Kiyomasa," he said. "But you've got raw power… and control is slowly following."
Caspian raised an eyebrow, smirking. "So I'm the messy genius of the group. Got it."
Kiyomasa clapped excitedly. "That was awesome! The wind blast part—crazy good!"
Caspian shot him a wink. "Of course it was. I aim to impress."
He turned to Jahanox with mock seriousness. "So, professor, how's my grade?"
Jahanox responded with a rare, amused tone. "B+. You missed a shot."
"Harsh," Caspian grinned. "But fair."
The three of them stood together, energy simmering in the air, each one burning with a different fire—but united in purpose.
Back in the shadows, Zazm stood silent, arms crossed, his eyes glowing faintly with focused intent. A slight grin tugged at the edge of his lips.
"They've improved," he murmured.
Beside him, the air shifted faintly—like breath brushing against still leaves. A whisper of awe echoed softly.
"Amazing…"
No one heard it but Zazm. He smirked knowing she hasn't even seen the full potential of her own and she's just surprised at this much.
On the other side, Kiyomasa saw a huge peice of rock stuck in the ground Caspian has shattered.
Suddenly, Kiyomasa picked up the chunk of shattered rock with a gust of wind and flung it aside—only, his aim skewed slightly. The rock, heavy and spinning, thundered toward the shadows where Zazm stood.
There was no time to shout. The massive boulder rushed closer. Jennie looked with her eyes wide open, she didn't even had time to react and she couldn't even shout.
Then—stillness.
Inches away from impact, the rock froze mid-air, halted as if caught in the hands of time itself.
Caspian blinked. "...Okay. That's new."
Jahanox tilted his head. "He's here."
Both started toward the spot—until a figure stepped from the shadows.
Zazm, he stood in the darkness all alone.He walked forward casually, hands in his pockets, not a single hair out of place. The frozen rock hovered behind him, unmoving.
He locked eyes with Kiyomasa. "You know, Kiyo… launching boulders at people you haven't seen in weeks? Not the warmest welcome."
Kiyomasa's face went red. "I—I didn't know you were there!"
Caspian crossed his arms. "That's what you get for being flashy."
With a wave of Zazm's hand, the suspended rock shattered into dust and drifted harmlessly to the ground.
Zazm smirked. "Miss me?"
"Depends," Caspian replied. "You bring food?"
Zazm rolled his eyes, turning away slightly. "No, but I brought something better."
Only then did the faint shimmer behind him shift—and Jennie appeared.
She blinked into visibility, looking stunned, lips slightly parted. Her eyes darted between the Catalysts, still trying to process the intense display she'd just witnessed.
Kiyomasa jolted. "Wha—Where did you come from!?"
Caspian raised a brow. "We're doing magic tricks now?"
Zazm grinned. "Everyone, meet Jennie."
Jahanox narrowed his eyes. "She was here the whole time, wasn't she?"
Zazm smirked and asked, "How did you know?"
Jahanox smiled and shrugged, "you're standing in my space, ofcourse I would know."
Zazm nodded once. "She's a Catalyst too. And she's got a knack for staying unseen."
Jennie gave a small, awkward wave. "Hi…"
The three Catalysts stared at her for a beat.
Then Kiyomasa broke the silence with a big, friendly smile. "Welcome!"
Caspian smirked. "Guess the team just got more interesting."
Jahanox said nothing. But the slight nod he gave was more than enough.
Zazm looked over at Jennie. "Not bad for your first entrance."
She smiled faintly. "I didn't know if I should be amazed or terrified."
Zazm chuckled. "That's the usual reaction."
As the dust settled and Jennie took in her surroundings, the other three Catalysts began to approach her, curious yet welcoming.
Kiyomasa was the first to speak, his voice warm and a little excited. "So, uh, what's your power? That was crazy—you were just… invisible the whole time?"
Jennie nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, that's what Zazm told me at least. I'm still getting used to it."
Kiyomasa gave a thumbs up. "That's awesome! We could totally use someone stealthy."
Caspian, hands in his pockets, circled around her once with a smirk. "I'll admit, that was impressive. Didn't even sense you were there." He paused, his smirk widening. "Though I bet you were eavesdropping on my brilliant moves."
He blinked. "Ouch."
Before he could recover, Caspian suddenly turned to Zazm with a narrowed gaze. "Hold on—Jahanox said no one can enter this space unless we allow it. So how did you get in here so easily?"
Jahanox chuckled, the sound low and a little amused as he tilted his head toward Zazm. "Because that bitch can control space."
Zazm lifted his brows, pretending to be offended. "Language, Nox. We can't have her thinking you're a total asshole just yet."
Jahanox crossed his arms, "Ofcourse you have to pull me into everything."
Caspian spoke, "But still wasn't this your space?" His eyebrows raised as he thought he was hiding something.
Jahanox shrugged with the hint of a smirk. "What? It's true. This place is a space—and space is his domain. He's got the same level of control over it that I do, maybe even more, depending on how he bends it."
Caspian let out a breath. "Tch. Of course. Should've guessed Mister Time-and-Space over here would cheat the system."
Zazm flashed a toothy grin. "It's not cheating if the rules don't apply."
Kiyomasa laughed, nudging Jennie. "You'll get used to this. Every day with them is chaos."
Jennie glanced between the three of them, slowly letting the tension ease from her shoulders. "Yeah… I'mstarting to see that."
Zazm glanced at her with a proud glint in his eye. "Welcome to the mess."
The air had settled and laughter bounced between the Catalysts. They were finally relaxing, Jennie included, when a low voice sliced through the banter like a cold wind.
Zazm slowly lifted his head from the shadows, only his sharp eyes visible at first—dark and unreadable. Then came the words, calm but chilling:
"…What happened to my house?"
All three froze. Like literally froze. Jahanox, Caspian, and Kiyomasa turned their heads slowly toward him like deer caught in a gravitational collapse.
Caspian blinked once. "Oh no…"
Jahanox didn't blink at all.
Kiyomasa, bless his naive soul, quietly tiptoed to a corner, leaned into it, and simply said, "I accept my fate."
Zazm stepped forward just enough for the light to hit his expression. There was a twitch in his brow, a smile too wide to be calm.
Jennie took a silent step back, already sensing this was about to go south.
Caspian raised a hand. "Now, look, Zazm, it's not entirely our fault—there were snacks involved, emotions ran high—"
"We were training!" Jahanox added, "The mess was... tactical."
Zazm didn't speak. He just... twitched. His hand slowly rose into the air.
And suddenly, all three of them—Caspian mid-excuse, Jahanox mid-lie, and Kiyomasa mid-prayer—froze in place.
Literally.
Kiyomasa's eyes darted around. "W-what the hell is this?! I can't move!"
Jahanox, voice calm but strained: "He's freezing us in time. We're locked."
Caspian, eyes wide in panic: "That's cheating! This is unfair! If it's a fight, we deserve a chance! You can't just freeze people like that!"
Zazm cracked his neck slowly, his smile now wide enough to be mildly terrifying. A single finger lifted—crack—echoing through the space like a death knell.
He took a breath, then whispered with a twisted grin:
"This isn't a fight…"
He paused, letting the silence stretch.
"…It's a massacre I'm about to commit."
Jennie quickly came in between them, "Wait wait, can't you forgive them? Just once?" Her voice soft and slow.
"Yeah, just one chance." Caspian spoke trying to break free while Kiyomasa silently hung in the air.
"Jennie look, someone has to clean the house," Zazm spoke his voice low yet menacing.
"So, you're just gonna make them clean nothing more right?" She asked her voice low and full of consideration.
Zazm smiled and nodded, "Okay I trust you." Jennie said as she left the way.
To her tha smile looked like a soft pleasent smile but to other's that was a smile of predator.
"This guy's terrifying," Jennie muttered to herself.
She stood there knowing that her life did a complete 360 in just a day but something about all this looked fun that she wasn't going to miss on.
And Zazm? He started walking toward his frozen victims like a cartoon villain who very much enjoyed cleaning his house.
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