Imperial and Gray infiltrate a secret facility from different entrances, unknowingly converging in a hidden chamber filled with strange syringes. After a tense standoff, Imperial proves he's a CA agent from the Lunaris Empire, convincing Gray to work together—at least for now—to uncover the truth behind the experiments.
Imperial stepped cautiously through the dimly lit corridor of the underground facility, the fluorescent crystals embedded in the ceiling flickering now and then, barely keeping the place illuminated. The air was stale, thick with dust and the sharp scent of metal and chemicals. He glanced around the room filled with rows of mysterious sealed boxes, his expression uncertain.
"So tell me what you've found so far," Imperial said quietly, his voice echoing slightly off the metal walls.
Gray Welhawk, his partner on this mission, crouched near one of the boxes. "These boxes," he began, tapping the edge of the one closest to him, "they contain some sort of doses. I can't say for what purpose, though. Could be medical, experimental, or something else entirely."
Gray then pulled out a compact crystal camera, a refined magical artifact designed for covert missions like this. With a soft click and a flicker of blue light, he began capturing images of the box, its contents, and the surrounding room.
"I'm taking this with me," he added, carefully removing the vial from inside the box and slipping it into a padded compartment of his bag. Then he turned toward another nearby rack and repeated the process, documenting and collecting more samples.
"For now," he said, rising to his feet, "we should keep searching together. There's a lot more we need to uncover."
Imperial nodded, silently agreeing. Without further delay, the two moved from one room to another. The deeper they went into the facility, the more rooms they found—almost all of them filled with similar boxes, all meticulously stacked and labeled with cryptic codes and numbers.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a room different from the others. The air here felt colder. It had a darker atmosphere, and a strange tension hung over it like a storm waiting to break. Imperial pushed the door open, and their eyes landed on something unexpected.
Lined across the room were much larger boxes—crates big enough to hold a full-grown adult. Each had a label on the front, with markings like Subject 23, Subject 36, Subject 41, and so on. A large, faded sign above the entrance read: FAILED SUBJECTS.
Gray instinctively raised his camera again and began photographing everything. The boxes, the room, the labels—every piece of evidence counted.
Driven by a mix of curiosity and dread, Imperial stepped forward and opened one of the boxes.
What he saw made his breath hitch.
Inside was a human body—pale, lifeless, preserved in a strange semi-gel substance. The figure was barely recognizable, a mix of human and something... altered.
"Gray!" Imperial called sharply.
Gray approached and froze when he saw what Imperial had uncovered. Without a word, he snapped more photos.
"These boxes… they're filled with corpses," Gray muttered grimly. "I think we've just stumbled onto something much bigger."
Imperial knelt beside another box and examined its contents. "They're all dead. Some of them don't even look fully human anymore. What were they doing here?"
Gray's expression darkened. "Whatever it is, we have solid proof now. But let's keep pushing. There may be more to this place."
They moved deeper into the facility, descending another level of the stairwell. The corridor opened up into a vast chamber with reinforced glass windows. Peering through, they gasped.
Inside the massive lab-like room, capsule-like structures were arranged in a circular formation. Each capsule contained a human submerged in a glowing green liquid, their bodies seemingly asleep—or suspended.
"What... is going on here?" Imperial whispered, his eyes fixed on the surreal sight.
Gray raised his crystal camera again, snapping picture after picture. "We need to get inside. Maybe there's more information we can recover."
Imperial agreed, and the two prepared to enter the lab. But before they could move, they noticed a figure already inside.
A man wearing a white coat, with long black gloves and circular glasses, was tending to one of the capsules. In his hand was a glowing syringe filled with a dark, swirling substance.
Without hesitation, he injected the substance into the arm of the unconscious human inside the capsule.
The moment the liquid entered the capsule, the atmosphere changed.
The air outside the room thickened, almost pressing down on them like a heavy blanket.
Imperial narrowed his eyes. "That's magic energy."
Gray nodded, eyes wide with realization. "It's from the injection. Whatever he put in that person—it triggered a magical surge. A massive one."
Gray captured images of the scientist, the capsules, and the magic surge patterns now visible as faint arcs around the glass.
"This is enough evidence," he said, pulling out a communication crystal. He contacted his teammates, confirming the mission's success. "We've got the proof. Prepare for extraction."
Meanwhile, back at the command center, Ari and the others monitored the transmission. Seeing Imperial on the crystal reassured them, their earlier anxiety easing.
Gray turned to Imperial. "We're done here. Let's get out before they catch on."
Imperial nodded and followed Gray toward the exit. But just as they reached the main hall of the floor, two figures emerged from the stairwell.
One of them spoke with a calm but authoritative voice. "I didn't expect the Central Agency to find out this much. You've lived up to your reputation, Gray Welhawk."
Soldiers rushed in behind the two figures, weapons raised.
"Capture them," ordered the second figure, his voice sharp and cold. "Now."
"Yes, Captain!" the soldiers chorused.
Gray tensed. "They're captains," he warned Imperial. "This won't be easy. Be ready."
He drew two sleek, rune-inscribed guns—one in each hand. Imperial unsheathed his twin swords, lightning faintly crackling along the edge of the blades.
The second captain's eyes locked onto Imperial. Recognition dawned. Imperial Alden… what's he doing with Gray Welhawk?
The soldiers lunged forward. Gunfire erupted, mixed with the sharp clash of blades and bursts of elemental magic. Gray moved like a whirlwind, gunning down enemies with calculated precision. Imperial, swift and brutal, carved through enemies with controlled fury.
Within moments, the soldiers lay unconscious or defeated.
The captains stepped forward.
"Now," said one, "the real fight begins."
Imperial glanced at Gray. "Hey, if you want, I can handle them. You go. Get the evidence to your team. We can't afford to lose it."
Gray hesitated. Two captains stood in front of them, and Imperial was offering to take them both on.
But gray also know the importance of the evidence .
Gray nodded. "Alright. I'll trust you. Don't die."
Imperial smirked. "I won't."
Then, in one smooth motion, Imperial raised his hand.
"Lightning Magic: Lightning Vortex!"
A spiral of pure lightning erupted from the floor, engulfing the two captains in a storm of electrified energy. The vortex roared like a beast, its light blinding and its force shaking the foundation.
Gray didn't hesitate. He slipped through the chaos and sprinted toward the exit.
Behind him, the storm raged.
And in the heart of it, stood Imperial—lightning dancing across his armor, his eyes glowing with power, ready to face the storm head-on.