The journey to Site Epsilon wasn't measured in miles, it was measured in tension.
Kael and Lira moved through winding subterranean paths that twisted like the veins of an ancient, dying god. The world above was chaos, but down here, time crawled. It felt like the tunnels themselves were watching, waiting to see if they'd survive the next step.
Lira kept glancing at Kael.
She didn't know what she expected. Anger? Cold calculation? Anything but silence. But Kael hadn't said a word since they left the Hollow. He moved like someone born from the dark fluid, quiet, dangerous.
She wanted to ask what he was thinking.
Instead, she asked, "Why Site Epsilon?"
Kael didn't stop walking. "Because if the Syndicate gets there, it's not just data they'll steal."
Lira jogged to keep up. "Then what?"
He finally looked at her. His voice was low. "A person."
Lira blinked. "Who?"
Kael hesitated, jaw tightening.
"She was like us. Strong. Brilliant. But broken… in ways most people never see. The Syndicate wanted to use her, so she vanished. Went underground. Epsilon was her ghost house."
Lira's breath caught. "Someone you knew?"
Kael didn't answer.
That told her everything.
They continued in silence until the tunnel widened into a dead end. At least, it looked like one. Kael placed a hand against the far wall, letting a faint hum of electricity spark from his fingertips.
Stone shimmered.
A hidden door slid open, revealing a sleek chamber pulsing with faint blue lights. A cold wind escaped from within.
Site Epsilon.
Inside the Ghost House
The chamber was cleaner than it had any right to be. Smooth walls, reinforced steel corridors, glass panels that flickered with old surveillance feeds—some of them showing the Hollow… from years ago.
Lira stepped forward. "How is it this advanced? This place looks like it was built yesterday."
Kael scanned the room. "She was a tech savant. While the rest of the world built weapons, she built sanctuaries."
Lira frowned. "Then why hide?"
"Because sanctuaries attract war."
They reached the core room—an oval chamber with a cylindrical glass tank at the center. Inside floated a girl. Or rather, what was left of one.
Lira gasped.
Her skin was cracked, like porcelain kissed by fire. Her hair drifted in silver strands, her body wrapped in circuits and faintly glowing wires. And yet… she was breathing. Barely.
Kael's voice was different now. Almost human.
"Sera."
Lira turned sharply. "She's alive?"
Kael nodded. "Kept in stasis. She was—she is—an anomaly. Her core didn't awaken the way ours did. It exploded. Nearly destroyed an entire facility. So she sealed herself off. Thought if she slept long enough, the world would forget her."
Lira stepped closer to the tank. "She's beautiful."
"She's dangerous," Kael said. "If the Syndicate gets her—"
"They'll turn her into a weapon."
Kael didn't have to say it. They both knew.
But before either could act, the lights flickered.
Then died.
Syndicate Ambush
The silence broke with a single hiss then a chorus of footsteps echoed down the steel corridors.
Kael tensed. "They're here."
Lira reached for her blade, fingers still trembling, but steadier than before. "How did they find us?"
"They didn't." Kael's eyes darkened. "They followed us."
Out of the shadows stepped a man in white armor trimmed with obsidian veins. His face was covered by a visor that pulsed red with every breath.
"Kael," the man greeted, voice like broken glass. "Still playing protector?"
Kael didn't flinch. "Still pretending you matter, Varn?"
The man chuckled. "Always the sharp tongue. But this time, I'm not here for you."
He pointed at the tank.
"I'm here for her."
Kael didn't move. "Then you're leaving in pieces."
Varn raised a hand. Behind him, Syndicate soldiers emerged—twelve, fully armed, aura-charged, and eager.
Kael's hands began to glow, electricity sparking at his fingertips.
Beside him, Lira's eyes shimmered like shattered mirrors.
Varn sneered. "Two against twelve?"
Kael smirked. "You should've brought more."
The Battle for Epsilon
The chamber exploded into chaos.
Kael moved like lightning—no, like rage. His fist collided with a soldier's chest, sending a shockwave through the room that shattered nearby consoles. Sparks flew. Smoke curled around their feet.
Lira blinked—vanished and reappeared behind a soldier mid-swing, slicing through his armor in one clean motion.
She was faster now. More focused.
Kael fought like a storm. Lira fought like a scalpel.
But Varn… Varn was something else.
He raised his palm, and darkness spilled forth—tendrils of shadow fused with fire, twisting and burning the air. Kael countered with a pulse of gravity, crushing the shadows, warping space around them.
The clash sent both of them flying back.
Lira took a hit to the ribs, but recovered fast, dragging herself to her feet. Her blade shimmered with refracted energy, light bending around it unnaturally.
She didn't hesitate.
She charged.
---
Sera Awakens
As the battle raged, the stasis tank began to crack.
Hairline fractures spread across the glass. Energy surged. Alarms blared.
Then—
The tank exploded.
A shockwave ripped through the chamber, throwing everyone off their feet. Smoke and mist flooded the room.
Kael coughed, shielding Lira.
And through the fog, a silhouette stepped out dripping with power, hair now glowing with threads of molten silver, eyes burning with unnatural fire.
Sera.
Alive.
Awake.
And very, very angry.
Her voice echoed, ethereal, fractured.
"Who dares... wake the storm?"