The helicopter finally descended through the dark clouds over a vast stretch of fortified terrain. Frontier HQ loomed in the distance—a heavily defended military citadel ringed by automated turrets, magic-sealed gates, and elite guards at every perimeter checkpoint. Towering spires of arcane energy pulsed from the heart of the compound, casting eerie glows against the night sky.
Pilot (over comms):
"This is Angel-03. Requesting permission to land. Passenger clearance: Commander Cooper, Agent Vincent, and Celestial Operative Elysia."
A short pause crackled through the comms before a voice replied, calm and authoritative.
HQ Control:
"Clearance confirmed. Pad 2A is open. Welcome home, Commander."
The gates to HQ opened in a mechanical symphony of gears and light, revealing a massive inner compound bustling with movement. Engineers, mages, warriors, and soldiers.
The helicopter touched down on Pad 2A. As the doors opened, the cold air of the high-altitude base rushed inside. Vincent stepped out first, stretching and rolling his shoulders with a grunt.
Elysia stepped out last, her divine aura causing nearby personnel to hesitate, bow slightly, or simply stare in awe. She ignored the stares, her focus set ahead.
Commander Cooper:
"Move. We're going straight to High Command."
They moved through checkpoint after checkpoint—biometric scans, magical sigil verifications, blood ID rituals, and psychological quickscans. Each gate more secure than the last.
At one checkpoint, a female guard looked up from her terminal, clearly rattled.
Guard:
"Sir… this angel… she's cleared beyond even Tier-V access. Who… who is she?"
Cooper:
"The one who may save all our asses."
(Vincent scoffed but said nothing. As they entered the inner sanctum of HQ, massive war tables and crystal maps displayed real-time data of global conflict. Red lights blinked over fallen towns. Blue and gold markers slowly pushed back enemy lines.)
(The heavy steel doors hissed shut behind them as Commander Cooper, Vincent, and Elysia stepped into the War Council Chamber. A massive, circular room of obsidian and steel, with glowing runes pulsing along the walls. At the center stood a holographic table projecting a 3D map of the world — zones marked in red, blue, and gold to represent enemy, frontier, and celestial-occupied territories.)
(Around the table stood the high-ranking elite of the Frontier: war generals, arcane commanders, intelligence officers, and cyber-strategists. The air buzzed with tension and whispers as eyes turned to the arriving trio.)
General Varga (grizzled veteran, war scars across face):
"You're late."
Commander Cooper:
"We were rerouted after securing the eastern front. Vincent has intel... and Elysia, as requested by the Celestials, is here to support what comes next."
Vincent (stepping forward):
"The beastman commander didn't give a location... but he made it clear. Their so-called 'Shadow Emperor' isn't the real threat anymore."
(He tossed a bloodied beastman insignia on the table.)
Vincent:
"He said something's coming. Some king… a force that even the Shadow Empire fears. He called it… 'the true war'."
"Then we need to strike before it awakens. What's the status on enemy strongholds?"
Cyber Strategist:
"Sector 12 through 16—reclaimed. Orcish lines are collapsing. Vampire enclaves have gone silent. But... dark elf scouts have been retreating into unknown zones—coordinates that don't exist on any of our maps."
Commander Cooper:
"Ghost zones. We've seen this pattern before… in the early days of the Shadowfall."
(Elysia stepped forward, placing her hand over the map. A new symbol emerged — glowing silver and celestial in nature.)
Elysia:
"This is where it will begin. The ancient star path intersects this region. A slumbering force buried in the roots of reality itself. The beastman called it a king. I call it a calamity."
SFX: (alarms begin blaring)
PA Voice: "BREACH! BREACH! ALL UNITS TO COMBAT POSITIONS! SHADOW EMPIRE FORCES DETECTED INSIDE PERIMETER!"
(The ground trembled—then erupted. Explosions tore through the south wing. Shadow magic laced with fire and blood turned steel to ash as dark elf saboteurs, beastmen berserkers, and vampiric strike squads swarmed through underground tunnels and cloaked dropships.)
Commander Cooper (drawing his greatsword):
"How the hell did they get this close without setting off the perimeter shields?!"
Elysia (wings flaring, eyes glowing gold):
"They've masked their presence with forbidden sorcery. A blood pact older than time itself… this was no ordinary assault. This was an execution plan."
(Vincent grabs an assault rifle, shoving ammo into the chamber. He kicks open the door, firing as a vampire charges down the hallway, its claws coated in black fire. The bullet tears through its head. It explodes in a mess of burning ash.)
Soldiers unloading magazines, screaming as beastmen rip through barricades.
Warriors engaging in brutal martial combat — a fire-wielding knight is cleaved in half by a blood golem's mace.
Elysia lifts into the air, drawing a celestial spear of light, hurling it like a comet. It pierces an oncoming orc commander, vaporizing him in a blaze of divine energy.
Vincent stabs a vampire through the neck, then slams its head into the wall, exploding it with a shotgun blast.
Cooper leads a charge through the burning west hall, slicing down three dark elves in one sweep, his blade humming with vengeance.
---
Bridge Control Room – Falling to Enemy Hands
(A group of saboteurs manages to overtake the command center, slaughtering the techs inside. The HQ systems go haywire — turrets shut down, internal comms scramble.)
Vincent (over radio):
"They're trying to cut us off from the inside! We need to retake the bridge or we're screwed!"
Elysia (over comms):
"If we lose this fortress, the war effort collapses. No reinforcements, no air support, no dimensional gates."
Meanwhile… A Shadowy Figure Watches
Mysterious Voice:
"Phase one… complete."
Explosions rip through the northern walls of the Frontier Headquarters. Shrapnel and smoke burst into the air as alarms scream throughout the base. Sirens wail and red lights spin violently, bathing the corridors in blood-colored hues.
Command Center – Collapsing
Commander Cooper grabs a rifle, barking orders.
Commander Cooper:
"Get that perimeter locked! Push them back to the breach!"
Suddenly, a Shadow Empire brute smashes through the steel-plated wall, cleaving a soldier in half with a jagged axe. Blood splashes across the control panel. Cooper fires three rounds into its chest, then finishes with a bayonet jab to the throat.
In the chaos, Vincent cuts his way through a pack of Shadow assassins. His blades whirl in savage arcs, slicing tendons, breaking ribs, carving bodies. He screams, blood-covered:
Vincent:
"You want war?! I'LL GIVE YOU WAR!"
Elysia hovers above the battlefield, eyes glowing white with divine fury. Her wings spread wide as she sends a beam of holy light through a squad of vampires. They burn mid-air, howling as their bodies disintegrate into ash.
Meanwhile...
In the hidden sublevel beneath HQ, sealed behind biometric locks and cloaked from all detection, a covert vault begins to hum. The Sky Blade, a legendary artifact of celestial wind and forgotten storms, reacts to the Shadow Empire's intrusion.
A trio of elite Shadow operatives—face-masked, wielding cursed weapons—descend through the ventilation shafts. Silently they murder three guards and override the seals.
The moment they touch the blade, the air shifts. A violent wind tears through the vault, severing two of the operatives' limbs. One is shredded into ribbons by invisible gusts. The survivor grabs the hilt—bleeding and laughing.
Survivor Operative (muttering):
"For the Emperor."
Outside – Bloodbath
Soldiers scream as beasts and dark elves rush them. Magic collides with gunfire. One warrior rips the heart out of a wounded man before being shot through the skull by a sniper. A dark elf archer sends flaming arrows into a medical tent—screams of burning wounded fill the air.
A blizzard of gunfire rains down as the 3rd Battalion fights tooth and nail. Martial artists clash with werewolf berserkers. Bones break. Swords shatter. Limbs fly. The snow around HQ turns red.
Back at the Vault…
The object is gone.
The last Shadow operative disappears into the wind, using a teleportation sigil carved into his flesh. He vanishes just as Vincent, Cooper, and Elysia reach the empty chamber—bodies of the guards strewn around like broken dolls.
Commander Cooper (furious):
"What the hell was in this vault…?"
Vincent (narrowing eyes):
"You knew about this, didn't you? This wasn't just an assault…"
Elysia: It is one of the eight blades called Sky, And they just stole it."
Commander Cooper (quietly):
"You knew…"
Elysia stands still, arms crossed, not even trying to defend herself.
Commander Cooper (snaps, louder):
"You knew that blade was here. You knew what they were after. And you said nothing."
Elysia (calmly):
"Yes."
Vincent's eyes dart between the two of them. His grip tightens on his bloodied sword.
Commander Cooper:
"You were supposed to be our ally."
Elysia:
"I am. But let's not pretend anyone here is honest. Your high command hid that blade from your own people. From the world. From me. So yes… I came here for it too. I had orders."
Commander Cooper (stepping forward):
"From who?"
Elysia:
"The Celestial Court. They believe the Eight Blades shouldn't exist in the hands of mortals."
Commander Cooper (growling):
"You were gonna steal it… weren't you?"
Elysia doesn't answer. That's answer enough.
Commander Cooper:
"You self-righteous—!"
BAM!
His fist slams across her jaw, knocking her to the floor.
Vincent flinches but doesn't move.
Elysia (wiping her mouth, slowly standing):
"Feel better?"
Commander Cooper (seething):
"No. Because now we've lost the Sky Blade to the enemy, and you were too busy playing spy."
Elysia:
"Then we better get it back."
Commander Cooper glares at Elysia one last time, then storms out of the vault. Vincent follows. Elysia remains behind for a moment, rubbing her cheek, eyes distant.
Elysia (whispering to herself):
"I wasn't the only one who wanted that blade… but I am the only one who knows what happens now that it's in their hands."
The war council chamber buzzes with tension. Commander Cooper, Vincent, and several generals sit around a circular table, each face hardened by battle and betrayal. Elysia stands before them, her white wings folded behind her, a bruised cheek where Cooper hit her. A cold silence fills the room.
General Harkon:
"One of the Eight Blades is gone. Stolen. From our stronghold. And now we find out she—" he points at Elysia "—knew it was here all along."
General Arden:
"And didn't warn us. Didn't even try to protect it."
Elysia (calmly):
"I was ordered to retrieve it quietly before it fell into the wrong hands. I failed. I won't deny that."
Vincent (sharply):
"You didn't fail—you gambled and got caught. There's a difference."
"Tell them what the Sky Blade does besides what we already know. Tell them what we're up against now."
Elysia glances around the table. Then she begins.
Elysia:
" Everyone here already know what Sky Blade does. Look what nobody else knows that It become stronger with each soul it devours alongside the user, including the memories and powers of it victims."
General Harkon (disbelieving):
"And now it's in the hands of the Shadow Empire?"
Elysia:
"No. Not just them. It's in the hands of Ghost."
General Arden:
"If that blade feeds on souls, every battle from now on gives it more power. We can't just fight them head-on anymore."
Vincent:
"Then we hit the source. We go after this Ghost. Kill the head and the body dies."
Elysia looks up, quietly.
Elysia:
"You won't reach him without me."
Commander Cooper (coldly):
"I still don't trust you."
Elysia:
"And I'm still your best chance."
The air is heavy with tension and Bloodied maps lay on the war table, covered in new markings and smears of ash. Commander Cooper slams his hand down hard on the table.
"Alright—enough, besides the name, Who the hell is Ghost?"
The room falls into dead silence.
Vincent looks to the others—General Arden, General Harkon, and Elysia. No one speaks. No one moves. Cooper's eyes narrow.
Commander Cooper (growling):
"Don't tell me none of you know."
General Arden (shaking his head):
"We don't. There are no files. No photos. Not even a codename until now. This was the first confirmed sighting, if we can even call it that."
General Harkon:
"We don't know his rank, his affiliation, even what species he is. He's a ghost in every sense of the word. If he's working with the Shadow Empire, they've kept him buried deeper than anything we've encountered before."
Vincent leans forward, a vein twitching in his neck.
Vincent:
"Let me get this straight—HQ got attacked. We lost one of the most dangerous weapons in existence. And we don't even know who took it?!"
Elysia (quietly):
"Even the Celestials had never heard about him."
Commander Cooper:
"Then from now on... he's priority one."
He looks around the room, eyes burning with fury and resolve.
Commander Cooper:
"I want his name. His face. His blood type. I want to know what he eats, when he sleeps, and where he bleeds. Because the next time he shows up..."
He slams his fist on the table again, cracking it slightly.
Commander Cooper:
"...we kill him."