They stepped into the lightning. The roar was deafening, the smell of ozone thick enough to choke on. But as the bolts struck near them, they curved away, repelled by the shimmering field around Kaelen.
They emerged on the other side into a valley of perfect, unnatural calm. In the center sat the Prime Archive.
It wasn't a building. It was a massive, silver sphere suspended in the air by gravity-anchors. It looked like a fallen moon.
"We're here," Kaelen whispered.
But as the sphere's entrance ramp lowered, a familiar figure stepped out, surrounded by a legion of Silver Sentinels.
"Took you long enough," Silas said, holding a glowing device that pulsed in time with the Archive's heart. "I've already started the countdown."