Magic was rare. Task Force 141 had long since learned to adapt, but this was different.

They didn’t know who these combatants were. They didn’t know their names. They only knew that one was overwhelming the other—and wasn’t even trying.

Price felt the battlefield in ways others couldn’t. His ability wasn’t commanding—it was anchoring. Reality bent, but it never swallowed him. He was unshakable, steady. If something broke the laws of the world, he would not break with it.

Ghost saw the flow of battle before it happened. His heightened awareness mapped out enemy movements, reading intent like an open book. The stronger fighter’s attacks were deliberate, never reckless. They weren’t just fighting—they were measuring their opponent’s limits.

Soap pressed his fingers to the ground. Magic left traces—energy rippling beneath the soil. His ability let him feel those traces. The weaker combatant was frenzied, magic crashing wildly. The stronger one? Controlled. Amused, even.

Roach inhaled, feeling the unnatural chill settle in his lungs. His ability tuned him into the battlefield’s temperature, the air itself whispering of power shifts. The weaker fighter’s magic pulsed unpredictably. The stronger one’s magic? Like breathing—effortless.

Krueger narrowed his eyes, vision twisting beyond the normal spectrum. Darkness folded in ways unseen, bending at the stronger fighter’s whim. They weren’t using their full power. They were waiting to see if their opponent would figure that out.

Gaz clenched his fists, static cracking along his fingertips, reacting to the sheer force of magic in the air. "They’re baiting them," he muttered. "Playing with them."

Farah listened to the wind, the battlefield’s pulse. Magic disrupted balance, sent invisible tremors through the air. The stronger fighter’s power was precise. They knew exactly how much force to use. They could end this at any moment.

And then—

The air changed.

The trees whispered.

The battlefield collapsed.

Gone.

Task Force 141 stood in the middle of a fight that had vanished before their eyes.

Something had happened.

Something they weren’t prepared for.