COVELENT: XenoTrait

Rain fell in thin silver lines across broken concrete.

Felix stood at the entrance of the marked location Markus had left behind—an abandoned industrial complex swallowed by rust and darkness. The structure rose like a dead giant, its windows shattered, metal ribs exposed to the night sky.

Every instinct in him screamed one word.

Trap.

He stepped forward anyway.

"I don’t have a choice," he muttered. "Abel’s inside."

The heavy doors creaked open at his touch.

Inside, dim lights flickered on one by one, as if the building itself had noticed his arrival.

Footsteps echoed.

Felix exhaled slowly.

"...Let’s get this over with."

A figure stepped from the shadows.

Then another.

Then five more.

Operatives surrounded him in a loose circle, weapons raised but hesitation clear in their posture.

They knew who he was.

One rushed first.

Felix didn’t move—until the last second.

A faint cracking sound spread across his body.

Dark scales surfaced along his arms and neck, overlapping like living armor. His fingers lengthened, nails sharpening into curved claws. When he looked up again, his pupils had narrowed into faint golden slits.

The attacker swung.

Felix vanished.

To the others, he became nothing more than a blur.

A single strike to the stomach dropped the man instantly, breath gone before he understood what happened.

Felix moved through them like flowing water, precise, efficient, final.

Within seconds, bodies lay scattered across the floor. Alive, but finished.

He didn’t stop.

More footsteps echoed ahead.

Dozens this time.

They emerged from corridors, stairways, and upper walkways, surrounding him completely.

Felix sighed.

"...You really brought everyone."

They attacked together.

Felix crouched slightly—then snapped his head sideways.

His long dark hair whipped through the air.

From that motion, tiny glowing needle-like projectiles burst outward, scattering in every direction like sparks carried by wind.

They passed through the attackers silently.

One by one, bodies froze.

Muscles locked.

Weapons clattered to the ground as the entire group collapsed into paralysis.

Felix straightened and walked forward through the motionless crowd.

Only their eyes followed him.

The deeper he went, the colder the air became.

More enemies came.

More fell.

Each fight faster than the last.

Claws flashed. Scales deflected blows. His teeth bared slightly in irritation as another wave tried to slow him down.

They’re not trying to win, Felix realized.

They’re stalling.

"...You’re buying time," he whispered.

His expression hardened.

"Which means Abel is still alive."

He moved faster.

A faint sound reached him.

Weak. Uneven.

Breathing.

Felix stopped at a half-open steel door.

Inside, dim light revealed a figure strapped to a chair.

"...Abel."

He rushed forward.

Abel’s head hung low, his body trembling faintly. Shimmering crystalline growths spread across patches of his skin like frost consuming him.

Felix’s expression darkened.

"They infected you..."

He pulled a small case from his coat—the prototype serum.

"Stay with me," he murmured.

The needle slid into Abel’s arm.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the crystalline spread slowed... stabilizing instead of consuming.

Felix exhaled quietly.

"Good. Hold on."

A slow clap echoed behind him.

Felix turned.

Markus sat calmly at the far end of the room, legs crossed, as if watching a performance.

"I’ve been waiting," Markus said.

Felix stepped forward, scales beginning to form along his collarbone.

"You used him."

"And you came," Markus replied. "Exactly as predicted."

Silence.

Then—

The ground shattered beneath them as both launched forward.

Felix struck first.

A claw aimed for Markus’s throat.

Markus reacted instantly, crushing a cluster of small black marbles in his hand. Diamond surged outward, forming a blade mid-motion.

Claw met diamond.

Shockwaves blasted dust across the chamber.

Felix pressed forward, overwhelming force driving Markus backward across the floor.

"...Still relying on brute strength," Markus observed calmly.

Felix attacked again.

Faster.

Three strikes.

Four.

Five.

Each powerful enough to dent steel.

Markus blocked and redirected, his diamond blade intercepting every blow with precision.

Felix narrowed his eyes.

He avoids direct clashes... relies on precision.

A goon rushed Felix from behind.

Before Felix could react, Markus grabbed the man’s shoulder.

Light surged beneath the man’s skin.

Crystalline fractures spread like lightning trapped under flesh.

In seconds, the man became diamond.

Markus compressed the body inward.

It reshaped violently.

Moments later, a flawless diamond spear rested in his hand.

Felix’s eyes sharpened.

"So that’s your ability."

Markus smiled faintly.

"I convert living matter. Carbon becomes structure. Structure becomes whatever I decide."

He lunged.

The spear cut through the air with terrifying sharpness.

Felix dodged.

Too sharp to block safely.

He shifted tactics instantly.

Faster movement. Cleaner angles.

He weaved through every strike, attacking only openings.

A punch to the ribs.

A claw across the shoulder.

A knee to the torso.

Markus staggered—but adapted.

Another operative rushed in.

Markus grabbed him.

Diamond spread again.

This time, the body reshaped into a massive shield fused to his arm.

Felix’s next strike slammed into it with explosive force.

The floor cracked beneath Markus—but the shield held.

"Adaptability," Markus said.

He reshaped more fragments into twin diamond blades.

Felix exhaled slowly.

His transformation deepened. Scales thickened across his torso. His teeth sharpened.

Then—

He spat.

A small, dark projectile struck Markus’s shoulder armor.

At first, nothing.

Then smoke.

The diamond began to corrode, dark veins spreading outward.

"...Acid," Markus noted.

Felix smirked faintly.

"Not just acid."

Markus’s movements slowed slightly.

That was enough.

Felix rushed in.

This time, faster than before.

They clashed again—speed and precision colliding violently.

Markus adapted, grabbing two operatives mid-run.

Diamond surged.

One reshaped into a curved blade.

The other into a reinforced gauntlet.

Shards broke off and launched like bullets.

Three weapon styles. Seamless rotation.

Offense. Defense. Range.

Felix dodged continuously, movements fluid and animalistic.

Concrete shattered with every missed strike.

He slipped inside Markus’s guard.

A punch.

An elbow.

Claws tearing through armor.

Markus retaliated with precise cuts, slicing shallow lines across Felix’s scales.

Strength versus technique.

Then Felix changed rhythm.

Low.

Markus reacted too late.

Felix’s claw slammed into Markus’s leg.

The bone snapped.

For the first time, Markus screamed.

Felix didn’t hesitate.

He drove forward, smashing Markus into the wall.

Concrete exploded outward.

Dust filled the air.

Felix stood over him, breathing heavily.

Markus forced himself upright, leaning slightly.

"...Impressive."

He crushed another set of marbles.

Diamond surged wildly, forming a massive blade.

They charged at each other again

"Power against perfection." Markus thought.

The impact split the floor between them.

Then—

Stillness.

Both stood, breathing hard.

Neither able to continue.

Markus laughed quietly.

"...Recon completed."

Felix frowned.

"What?"

Markus straightened despite the injury.

"Now I know exactly how strong you are."

Rotor blades thundered overhead.

A helicopter descended through the broken ceiling.

A ladder dropped beside Markus.

"The next time we meet," he said, gripping it, "it won’t be so easy."

Felix lunged—

Too late.

Markus ascended as wind tore through the chamber.

"Until next time, Felix."

The helicopter vanished into the night.

Silence returned.

Felix stood still for a moment.

Then his transformation collapsed.

He turned and ran back to Abel.

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