The stairs spiraled downward without end.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
—
Beneath the Command Base, there existed levels even the automatons did not patrol.
Dark halls, twisted corridors, doors sealed by ancient glyphs.
The Forgotten Core.
A name whispered only in the oldest records of the League.
A place meant to stay sealed... forever.
—
Kael led the group, the torchlight flickering against walls covered in indecipherable symbols.
Each symbol seemed to pulse as they passed.
— These markings... — Elizabeth whispered. — They aren't just writing.
— They're warnings, — Nikita finished. — Warnings we are ignoring.
—
The air grew heavier.
Time twisted even further.
Sometimes, they caught glimpses of themselves — delayed echoes walking a few steps behind.
Helena touched a wall and shivered violently, feeling a presence pass through her.
— We're being watched, — she whispered.
Kael nodded.
He felt it too.
—
At the bottom of the staircase, they entered a vast circular chamber.
At its center, wrapped in golden chains and floating glyphs, there was a second artifact.
Unlike the previous sphere.
This was a mirror — framed in black, pulsing as if made of living flesh.
And before it, three figures began to materialize.
Blurry faces.
Slow movements.
Voices that were broken whispers in the air:
> "Stone. Mist. Echo. Choose."
Kael stepped forward.
He felt deep in his blood that this choice would have no return.
He drew a slow breath.
— Whatever it is... we face it together.
The witches lined up beside him.
And the mirror... opened.