Jack roared as he charged forward, slamming through three disciples with brute strength. His hardened arms acted like battering rams, clearing a brief path.
Emilia flickered in and out of mist, blinding pockets of enemies and striking key implants to disrupt their formation.
Ichiro covered the rear, deflecting synchronized strikes while forcing openings for Lenny to slip through.
Henry stayed at the core, striking fast and precise—every move protecting the others, every step calculated to keep their retreat path open.
Then the disciples shifted tactics.
They stopped attacking one by one. Instead, they began linking their implants, glowing brighter as they moved in perfect circles, forming a living barrier that pushed the group back toward the center of the chamber.
Lenny cursed under his breath.
Lenny: "…They're closing the exits!"
Henry's gaze flicked between the disciples and the distant passage.
Henry: "No choice—we break through now. Jack!"
Jack grinned, sparks dancing off his hardened scales, and violent wind dances around his fists.
Jack: "Got it!"
With a burst of power, Jack slammed into the barrier formation, breaking three disciples apart just long enough to create an opening.
As they broke through, Henry caught a glimpse of the sealed black crate on the central pedestal.
It was vibrating now. Slowly, faint gravitational distortions began to ripple outward from it, distorting the air.
And for a split second… he felt it.
A presence—heavy, oppressive, watching.
"MOVE!" Henry ordered sharply.
The group sprinted toward the side passage.
The disciples followed—silent, relentless, flooding after them like a tidal wave of black and gold.
They slipped into the narrow corridor, Jack slamming a metal door shut behind them, buying precious seconds.
But even as they ran deeper, the faint gravitational hum from the crate echoed in Henry's mind.
The corridor twisted downward into the dark. The air grew even heavier, the halo markings glowing brighter.
Emilia glanced back, her voice tense.
Emilia: "They're still coming."
Henry didn't look back.
Henry: "Then we keep moving. We're not done here yet."
Ronnie sat at the holo-table, monitoring the team's tracker feed. For the past few minutes, the data had been steady… until now.
A sudden spike appeared on his secondary sensors.
The gravitational readings from the tunnels began fluctuating violently—like a suppressed tremor beneath the city.
Ronnie's eyes narrowed.
Ronnie (quietly): "…Damn it. They went way too deep!"
Elara, still by the window, glanced over.
Elara: "… What's happening?"
Ronnie didn't answer right away. His hand hovered over the emergency comm, debating whether to call Henry's group.
But he didn't.
Instead, he stared at the readings.
He thought of Henry's group—outsiders walking blind into a darkness they couldn't fully understand.
Elara finally spoke, her voice soft but cutting through the silence.
Elara: "You're afraid for them. But you won't stop them."
Ronnie's gaze didn't move from the monitor.
Ronnie: "They need to see it for themselves. To know what we're really up against. I can't protect them from the truth."
He clenched his fist.
Elara didn't reply. She just turned her gaze back to the neon skyline, her expression unreadable.
Henry's group finally slowed, the narrow corridor opening into a smaller, hidden chamber.
This one wasn't a shrine. It was… different.
The walls were lined with strange equipment, a mix of advanced tech and organic-looking structures. Broken containment pods lay scattered, some cracked open, revealing faint traces of human-shaped imprints inside.
Lenny crouched by one of the pods, scanning it with his handheld device.
Lenny (quietly): "…These are modified stasis units. But they're… It's like they weren't just holding people—they were changing them."
Emilia inspected a nearby table covered in surgical tools and fragmented metallic halos, similar to the implants the disciples wore.
Emilia: "This is where they make them. The disciples. They're not volunteers—they're rebuilt."
Ichiro's fists tightened.
Ichiro: "…They're turning people into… what? Weapons? Or worse?"
Henry stood silently, scanning the chamber with sharp eyes.
Then he saw it.
On the far wall, partially hidden under a torn cloth, was a symbol he recognized.
It wasn't the Black Halo's mark.
It was the Soul Reaper insignia—subtle, faintly carved, but unmistakable.
Henry's gaze hardened instantly.
Henry: "…The Soul Reapers were here."
Jack frowned, stepping closer.
Jack: "So the Black Halo really is tied to them…"
Emilia's eyes narrowed.
Emilia: "Or at least they're working toward the same goal."
Lenny hacked into a still-active terminal. The screen flickered to life, displaying fragmented data logs.
One file stood out. Its title: Ascendant Protocol – Phase Veil
Lenny read quickly, his expression darkening.
Lenny: "…They're not just modifying people. They're preparing… something bigger. A gravitational field large enough to distort an entire district."
Henry's gaze sharpened.
Henry: "Zorath Veil."
Suddenly, the faint hum of footsteps echoed again.
Jack instinctively drew his blade.
Jack: "They're coming. Again."
Henry scanned the room for exits.
Henry: "We can't get pinned here. We move deeper. Now."
As they turned to leave, a faint gravitational ripple pulsed through the chamber. The equipment rattled, the air grew heavier—like something distant but approaching.
Emilia's voice was calm but tense.
Emilia: "… Something else is awake down here."
Henry's jaw tightened.
Henry: "Then we're running out of time."
The group moved quickly through the narrow corridor, their footsteps echoing faintly. The further they descended, the heavier the air became—like an invisible weight pressing down on them.
Henry slowed, raising a hand.
Henry: "Wait."
Everyone froze.
Ahead, the corridor opened into another circular chamber.
And in the center of it stood something different.
It wasn't a disciple.
It was taller, easily two heads above Jack, and its body was encased in a half-finished suit of metallic plating fused with flesh.
Its back had fragmented halo rings embedded deep into its spine, glowing faintly with unstable energy. Its face was covered by a smooth black mask with a single vertical slit of dim golden light.
It didn't move—yet.
But the room told the story. Broken restraints. Scattered medical tools. Dried blood smeared on the floor.
Emilia's eyes narrowed.
Emilia: "…They were experimenting on it. But it didn't stay contained."
Ichiro tightened his grip on his blade.
Ichiro: "What is it?"
Lenny scanned it, his device flickering with unstable readings.
Lenny: "…It's… human. Or it was. But it's giving off faint gravitational distortions. Like it's leaking some of Zorath's energy."
Henry's jaw tightened.
Henry: "A Guardian. A prototype."