The underground base was alive with preparation.
Maps were spread across battered tables, weapon crates thrown open, and engineers worked furiously to patch up damaged drones and armor suits.
The countdown to their mission had begun — and failure wasn't an option.
Kai leaned over the holographic display, studying the Spire's blueprints.
Tall, ominous, and pulsing with strange energy, the Core Spire dominated the center of the ruins like a giant steel heart.
"Security's tight," Riven said, tapping key points. "Automated turrets here, patrol drones here, and two Titan-Class guards at the gates."
Lune whistled low. "Fun party."
Kai grimaced. "What's the plan?"
Riven gave a tight smile.
"We split into three teams. Distraction squads hit the perimeter. Our main team — you, me, Lune, and Eira — breaches through the maintenance shaft here."
He pointed to a small, almost invisible tunnel near the Spire's base.
Eira stood silently, arms crossed, scanning the plans with laser focus.
"I can disable the internal defenses," she said. "But only if I get direct access to the Spire's central core."
"Meaning," Lune said, smirking, "we fight our way in, hold the place while Eira plays hacker."
Kai nodded.
Straightforward. Brutal. Dangerous.
"Sounds about right," he said.
Riven clapped him on the shoulder.
"You're adapting fast, rookie."
Kai managed a small grin, but inside, nerves churned.
He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't born for this war.
But he chose to be part of it — and that had to count for something.
The march toward the Spire was a blur of tension.
Their small team moved through the wreckage, using the ruins as cover.
Above them, the sky boiled with dark clouds, occasionally crackling with unnatural lightning.
The air near the Spire buzzed — like a storm waiting to break.
They reached the maintenance tunnel — a narrow shaft half-collapsed by debris.
Riven and Lune took point, clearing the way, while Kai followed close behind, Eira bringing up the rear.
Inside, the tunnel stank of oil and decay.
Flickering lights illuminated rusted metal walls covered in strange symbols — old warnings from a world long dead.
Halfway through, Eira paused.
Her body stiffened.
Kai noticed first.
"Eira?" he whispered.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she placed a hand against the wall.
For a moment, the metal seemed to breathe — reacting to her touch.
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"I remember this place," she said, her voice low. "I was… built here."
Kai's heart twisted.
Before he could speak, alarms suddenly screamed through the tunnel.
Red lights blazed to life.
Metal shutters slammed down behind them, trapping them inside.
A mechanical voice droned overhead:
"Intruder Alert. Engage and Terminate."
From hidden compartments in the walls, mechanical sentries unfolded — spidery things armed with lasers and blades.
Riven swore violently. "AMBUSH!"
Kai didn't hesitate.
He drew his blade, energy crackling to life, and charged forward.
Beside him, Lune fired off precise bursts, dropping two sentries before they could fully deploy.
Eira unleashed her arm-blades, slicing through a drone in a flash of silver and blue.
The tunnel became a whirlwind of violence.
Kai ducked, weaved, slashed — trusting the instincts his System fed him.
Trusting the bond between him and his team.
They fought not just to survive — but to reach the heart of the Spire.
Where the real battle waited.