Sergei Malenkov was the first to react. He raised two fingers to the internal communicator and spoke in a dry tone.
Perimeter compromised at multiple points. They are not entering through a single route.
Anton Volodin was already activating portable seals, embedding them into the ground with fast, precise movements.
Heavy movement confirmed to the north.
Irina Kovalchuk closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, they glowed with a bluish hue.
I can see them. Forty-seven heat signatures entering through the hangar area.
Sophie spoke immediately, without raising her voice, but with a tone full of certainty.
I think they are the same ones who attacked us in Canada.
The Claimoor began advancing from multiple flanks.
Among them, human figures dressed in black moved at high speed. Magical weaponry, active visors, their faces covered.
Mikhail made a brief hand signal.
We moved.
The exterior was a wide field, covered in compacted snow. There were no tall structures, only open terrain and distant lights marking the base perimeter. The wind cut into the skin, and the cold seeped through even the reinforced clothing. For us, it was not a major issue, but Sophie was not compatible with ice magic; in fact, she was not a magic user.
Open formation, he ordered. Do not let them surround us.
Two units of fifteen men each formed in front of us.
Sergei fired first.
His shots struck with absolute precision. One Claimoor fell before it could react, pierced through the center of the torso.
Anton positioned himself to my left, activating mobile barriers that moved with us, absorbing direct impacts.
Do not separate, he said without looking at me.
Irina extended both hands. The ground in front of us vibrated slightly, altered by a magical field that slowed the enemy's advance.
Eleonor moved forward without hesitation.
Her shield deployed on her left arm, and her spear traced a perfect arc. Two Claimoor were pierced with clean, efficient movements.
I tried to keep up with her pace.
The ice responded.
But the cost was immediate.
A deep stab of pain pierced my chest and spread to my back. I felt the Mark react, not with force, but with warning.
Forty percent.
That was the limit.
Forcing it again would not be a tactical error.
It would be suicide.
I took a step back, breathing with difficulty.
Noah, Eleonor said without turning. Are you okay?
I nodded.
One of the attackers charged straight at me. He fired his weapon. I tried to move, but my body did not respond.
Before I could react, Sergei stepped in.
A single shot.
The body fell without making a sound.
More units deploying.
One of the enemies raised his arm and emitted a signal. Three Claimoor changed direction at the same time.
Mikhail advanced.
The mark on his forearm glowed, and the tiger materialized with a restrained roar. The impact was brutal. Snow and energy surged upward as it collided with the creatures. Two were torn apart.
Anton immobilized one with a seal, and in the same instant, Irina disintegrated it with a direct discharge.
I felt my pulse spiraling out of control.
Not from fear.
From limitation.
Every attempt to use magic was like pushing against a wall that no longer yielded.
Eleonor moved close enough for me to hear her over the noise of the fight.
Do not cross that line, she said. Not this time.
I believed her.
One enemy managed to break through the cover and aimed directly at her.
I did not think.
I did not force power.
I moved.
I blocked the attack with a minimal blade of ice, just enough to deflect the impact. The recoil threw me into the snow.
The pain was immediate.
But I remained conscious.
Sergei and Anton closed the gap and eliminated the attacker within seconds.
That was unnecessary, Anton said.
But it worked, I replied, gasping.
The fight continued for several more minutes.
There was no final blow and no clear victory.
It was attrition.
Constant pressure.
Until, one by one, they began to withdraw.
They did not flee.
They regrouped.
The field was left covered with energy scars, motionless bodies, and silence.
Mikhail slowly deactivated his mark.
They have seen what they wanted to see, he said.
Sophie lowered her arm, still watching the monitor.
I cannot believe this. I just received confirmation, she added. The base in Warsaw has fallen.
No one spoke.
I looked at my hands.
The trembling had not stopped.
The relic was silent now, as if it had marked its limit with absolute clarity.
That was when I understood something I did not want to accept.
It was not a matter of power.
It was a matter of endurance.
And I was still not ready.