The plane descended onto the runway at Anadyr without incident. The landing was clean and precise. Once it came to a stop, the surroundings remained silent, with the wind sweeping across the tarmac.
I looked outside through the window. The landscape was covered in compacted snow and low, utilitarian structures. There was no unnecessary movement. Everything seemed calculated, contained.
Sophia stood up and took her coat. I remained seated for a few more seconds, my left hand resting on my wrist. The relic was still there, present, silent.
When the hatch opened, the cold air rushed in immediately. As we disembarked, it became clear that the airport did not operate like a civilian one. Everyone seemed to know exactly what to do and where to go.
A few meters from the runway, a man was waiting for us. He wore no formal uniform or visible insignia. Eleonor stepped forward and called him grandfather.
Mikhail greeted her with a brief embrace. Then he greeted Sophia and finally looked at me, his gaze firm and analytical.
He said it would be better to move on and that this was not the best place to talk.
The vehicle took us through the city. Clear streets, direct lighting, low buildings. Everything conveyed a sense of absolute control.
Mikhail explained that they had a family base there and that, according to reports, they had been attacked by the Claimoors at the same time in different locations.
Sophia listened attentively.
Mikhail went on to say that three weeks earlier, an elite squad had attempted to infiltrate the Vayegi mansion and that they believed they were looking for clues about where Nathasha was being kept.
Mikhail looked at me closely and said that this indicated they were not looking only for information.
The vehicle arrived at the base. Access was completely controlled. Upon entering, the security checks were exhaustive, meticulous, almost invasive.
In a simple meeting room, Mikhail leaned on the table and got straight to the point. He said we had not come all that way just for security.
Eleonor asked him to state the reason, then.
Mikhail said that we had come in search of the second guardian.
Sophia crossed her arms and said she needed to make a call. Mikhail replied that she would have a secure line.
Sophia left and returned minutes later. She confirmed that the ones who had tried to kidnap me in Canada were the same ones being reported there.
Eleonor looked at her grandfather and said she would have liked that, after ten years of not seeing them, it had not been under those circumstances.
Her words lingered in the room. No one responded immediately. I watched Mikhail. He did not avert his gaze from her. There was no surprise in his expression, only a contained calm, as if he had long since assumed that this reunion would not take place under favorable conditions.
Before he could say anything, a deep sound rippled through the base.
It was not an explosion.
It was a profound, constant vibration that traveled through the walls like a slow wave.
The ceiling lights flickered once.
Then, all at once, they turned red.
A heavy alarm began to echo throughout the facility.
Sophia reacted instantly and announced that it was a magical alarm. Claimoors.
Mikhail was already on his feet. He ordered the internal seals activated because the perimeter had been compromised.
The floor trembled slightly.
A second vibration shook the building.
Sophia reported that it was not just one, but several.
The air in the room changed. It grew colder, denser.
A dark fissure opened in one of the side walls.
Then another.
And another.
From them, familiar figures began to emerge.
Claimoors.
Three at first. Then five.
Mikhail ordered formation.
Eleonor advanced without hesitation. In a single movement, she activated her shield on her left arm and her magic began to concentrate in her relic.
I stepped forward as well.
The first Claimoor attacked.
I raised my hand instinctively. Ice responded immediately. The impact pierced the creature's torso and froze it before it could react. The body shattered when it hit the floor.
I blinked.
The second Claimoor lunged at me.
I twisted my body, formed a blade of ice, and blocked the attack from its tentacles. I felt the impact travel up my arm to my shoulder. I held my ground. I pushed back hard and counterattacked with a direct blast that pierced its head.
The third was stopped by Eleonor.
She advanced two steps and drove her energy spear into the ground. The air around her vibrated. Fire and ice mixed, forming a complex circle beneath her feet.
She ordered us to fall back.
I obeyed.
Eleonor closed her eyes.
The circle glowed with intense golden light.
From its center, a figure emerged.
A wolf.
It was not made of ice or fire. It was a manifestation of pure, golden energy.
The wolf let out a howl that made the entire base vibrate.
Then it moved.
It did not attack with brute force, but with absolute precision. Each leap was a lethal strike. Each bite, a controlled disintegration.
In seconds, three Claimoors were destroyed.
Sophia fired from the rear, covering the flanks.
She reported that two more were entering through the east wing.
Mikhail walked calmly toward the center of the room.
I watched him out of the corner of my eye and felt a shiver coming from the relic.
On his left forearm, a mark began to glow.
The shape became clear: a Siberian tiger, powerful in form, completely white.
He ordered us to stay back.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly as he advanced.
A Claimoor charged straight at him.
Mikhail did not dodge.
A white tiger materialized in front of him. With a single motion, it tore the creature apart.
Another Claimoor tried to flank him.
The tiger turned, struck, and the creature vanished in a contained burst of energy.
The battle ended as quickly as it had begun.
The fissures closed one by one.
The alarms stopped.
Silence returned to the base.
Three figures approached from the main corridor. Two men and a woman, all dressed in dark tactical gear.
Mikhail explained that they worked for his niece and had kept that base operational for years.
Their names were Sergei Malenkov, in charge of perimeter security; Anton Volodin, responsible for internal operations; and Irina Kovalchuk, intelligence and magical support.
Eleonor observed them carefully and remarked that they had arrived just in time.
Mikhail turned to everyone and said that we needed to hurry, that they were approaching.
I clenched my fist slowly.
The relic was still active. Too active.
We have no time to lose.
I took a deep breath.
I thought that, this time, I had been able to fight with more ease.
From a room in a distant place, Valerius watched the battle through a magical device. The image was stable, clear.
Well then, I expected no less from the Sevianko.
That girl could be a problem for me.