Lucas took control immediately, barking orders. "Kelvin, help hold the perimeter! Keep the teachers from trying anything reckless. If we fail, someone else needs to take over!"
Kelvin hesitated. "You better not fail."
Lucas turned back to Noah. "Two more students inside."
Noah nodded once. "We split."
They ran.
But while Lucas charged directly into the inferno, Noah didn't.
The moment he got close enough, he void-blinked.
One second he was sprinting toward the flames, the next he was gone, reappearing just inside the collapsing building. The heat was oppressive, the walls creaking under the strain of the fire. But Noah wasn't here to fight it.
Outside, students and teachers alike gasped.
Now they understood why Headmaster Owen and Commander Albright weren't here. The academy's strongest were spread thin, their forces stretched to the breaking point. The base soldiers wouldn't arrive in time. Even if they did, they weren't trained to handle this kind of disaster.
