The door creaked open as Helaine pressed her palm against it, just enough for a sliver of light to spill into the dim hallway. It cast a faint glow across the floor, revealing dust particles floating lazily in the still air.
She slipped inside first, her steps light. Glancing back, she gave a small nod. "Come on."
Evryn followed closely behind. As he entered, the smell of old metal and dust hit him—and he immediately realized what kind of room they'd stepped into.
Behind them, Helaine gently shut the door, making sure it didn't make a sound.
Evryn straightened, stretching his legs as he looked around. The room was lined with weapon racks. Short and long blaster rifles rested on bipods, with more high-caliber weapons hanging from rails above. Most were older models, dulled with wear.
Helaine walked toward one of the racks, her fingers gliding across the surface of a rifle as she examined it closely.
Evryn watched in silence, unsure of what to say. Still, there was something weirdly satisfying about seeing her so focused.
"These are outdated," she said quietly, narrowing her eyes at the weapon. "Second-generation models."
"I didn't know you were into weapons," Evryn said, raising an eyebrow with a hint of sarcasm.
"I'm not," she replied flatly. She studied the rifle again. "But the people we've fought so far… they weren't using these."
That made Evryn pause. Now that she brought it up, he remembered the weapons the guards had earlier. They were sleeker, newer. Definitely not like these.
"What's the point of keeping old weapons like this around?" Helaine muttered, scanning the room with suspicion.
"Might be a false room," Evryn said, walking over to the wall and lightly tapping his knuckles against the wall.
Helaine glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it clearly. He wasn't used to talking things out—usually he just acted—but if he stayed quiet, she'd probably chew him out.
"It's a trick," he finally said. "Rooms like this are meant to throw people off. Make them think there's nothing worth finding."
He motioned to the racks. "They didn't even do a great job hiding it. If you hadn't pointed out the weapons were outdated, we might've overlooked the whole thing."
He turned to face her, his gaze more serious now. "Whatever they're actually guarding… it's not in plain sight."
"So where could the real room be?" Helaine glanced around the dim space.
"If I had to guess, it's somewhere in here," Evryn said. "Makes the most sense. Let's start looking."
They began combing through the room—checking weapons, running their hands along the walls, tapping at the floor and even glancing up at the ceiling, hoping for some clue to reveal itself.
Seconds turned to minutes. Then more minutes. Eventually, doubt started creeping into Evryn's mind, gnawing at his earlier confidence.
Helaine let out a sigh and crouched down, shoving a few weapons aside. She paused, clearly annoyed, and then stood up to glare at him.
"Are you even sure there is a secret room? We've been here for what feels like forever."
Truthfully, Evryn wasn't so sure anymore either. He opened his mouth to respond, trying to sound certain.
"I'm sure we just aren't—"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps.
They froze instantly, bodies tense. More footsteps followed. Then—muffled a voice.
The sounds were coming from behind the wall.
A soft beeping echoed through the room.
Helaine's eyes widened in alarm. She snapped her gaze to Evryn just as a faint hiss filled the air. A panel on the wall slid open.
Out stepped a man—short brown hair, partially armored, plates strapped to some parts of his body. He scoffed.
"My turn now," he muttered and stepped forward—then stopped.
His eyes narrowed at the weapons scattered slightly out of place.
His expression darkened.
He glanced around the room suspiciously.
Above him, Helaine and Evryn clung to the ceiling—her Aether web latched them there just in time.
But the man kept looking.
Bang!
"Hahaha!" A voice rang out from beyond the hallway.
The man immediately turned his head. "Those idiots," he muttered.
He stormed toward the door and slammed it behind him.
A moment of silence.
Then both Helaine and Evryn exhaled a deep breath of relief. Still stuck to the ceiling, they were way too close for comfort.
"Okay, you can get off me now."
"Eh?" Helaine blinked.
Then let go.
Evryn crashed onto the sandstone floor with a thud.
"Ough—" He let out a cough from the impact as Helaine landed gracefully beside him.
"What was that for?" he groaned.
"You were too heavy… and too close," she said, brushing herself off.
Evryn sat up with a grunt. "That could've gotten us caught. That was reckless."
"Doesn't matter." Helaine pointed at the hidden doorway. "We've got ourselves an entrance."
Helaine began walking toward the entrance the man had come from. "Hurry up," she said, glancing back at Evryn before disappearing inside.
Evryn scoffed, brushing himself off as he got to his feet and followed behind her.
Just as he stepped through the hidden door, he caught sight of a small panel embedded into the wall on the left side. So that's how it opened… he thought. No wonder we couldn't find it. Smart.
His eyes moved ahead to Helaine, who was already descending a narrow staircase. He followed without a word, boots echoing softly with each step.
At the bottom, they were met with a dimly lit hallway that stretched forward into shadow. The ceiling lights flickered faintly, barely illuminating the cracked walls and uneven floor. A strange chill lingered in the air, one that sent a subtle warning through Evryn's gut.
I've got a bad feeling about this…
He looked over at Helaine.
She was tense. Her posture was rigid, shoulders high, and her eyes were sharper than usual—focused, wary. Her tone matched her demeanor.
"Evryn… stay close."
Her voice was low, serious. Almost cold.
It caught him off guard. In all the time he'd known her, he had never heard her sound like that.
Whatever this place held… it wasn't going to be good.