The last bell of the day was a liberation anthem. Leo slammed his locker shut, the metal groan echoing down the empty hallway. He wasn't heading to the bus loop or the soccer field. He was on a mission.

“Left!” Leo hissed, hammering the A key. Ember leaped onto a rising column of fire. But Frost hesitated. The icy path crumbled. Crack. Frost shattered into a million pixels. The screen flashed red:

For the first time, Ember and Frost moved not as rivals—but as partners.

And then, something impossible happened.

She walked away, leaving Leo staring at the screen. He looked down at his own hands. For a year, he had been trying to beat the game with speed and force. But Mira was right. He had been playing like it was a war.

“Excuse me?” Leo said.