They charged.
There wasn't time to think; only act.
Kia's pipe whistled through the air and cracked against the skull of the first creature that lunged at him. Bone gave way with a sickening crunch. The creature snarled, stumbled, and dropped, limbs twitching.
Jace was already at his side. His baton hummed with static as it carved through the air, catching another beast square in the throat. Sparks flew on impact, and the creature shrieked as it collapsed, clutching at its smoking neck.
But more were coming, snarling, crawling, eyes glowing like embers. Dozens of them spilled from the shadows, climbing over debris, surrounding the platform in a ring of claws and teeth.
Kia didn't flinch, but he wasn't looking at them, either.
His eyes were locked on Lucian, still strapped to the machine's cold frame, still unconscious, still too far away.
"Kia!" Jace's voice ripped through the noise, sharp with urgency. He deflected a clawed swipe with a twist of his wrist. "He's awake! We should get to him quickly!"
"and take him out of here!" Kia chipped in
"We've gotta split them up!"
Kia nodded. His heart thundered in his ears. Without another word, he dropped low, rolled beneath a pair of snapping jaws, and bolted to the left. A pack peeled off to chase him, drawn by the blur of motion and the roar in his throat.
Jace went right, leaping over twisted metal and shattered tiles, baton crashing down like thunder with each strike. Sparks exploded. Bones cracked. Every hit left another creature reeling.
"Come on, freaks!" Kia shouted, slamming a pipe into one's ribs so hard the thing yelped and flew into a wall. "You want a fight?! I'll give you a war!"
And still, Riven watched, calm, cold, silent. At the edge of the chaos, she stood like a statue, black coat whispering around her feet, eyes like starlit frost.
Then, Lucian stirred.
His fingers twitched.
His head lolled, then slowly lifted.
"Lucian!" Jace's voice cracked with relief.
Lucian's lashes fluttered, and he squinted through the haze. "…Jace?"
"I'm here," Jace said, breathless. "We came back. We're not leaving without you."
Lucian blinked slowly, mind catching up. "I thought… I told you to run back…"
"You did," Jace murmured, smiling. "So I did. But I brought help." he shrugged
Kia crashed into the frame seconds later, face streaked with sweat and dirt, knuckles bleeding.
"You seriously thought we'd let you handle all this alone?" he panted.
Lucian looked at them, both of them, and something shifted in his face. His lips parted, trembling, as he whispered, "You both came…"
"We always will," Kia said with no hesitation, no doubt.
Lucian's throat tightened. He turned away, swallowing hard. But his face wasn't broken.
It was full. Brimming.
He smiled. "I should've known…"
Jace crouched beside him and gripped the cables snaking into Lucian's neck and chest. "Let's get you out of here."
As he yanked at the first cable, Riven stepped forward.
Her voice was soft, but it cut like glass. "Touching. The bond between you three is strong. No wonder the system chose him."
Lucian narrowed his eyes. "Chose me for what?"
"To wake the city," Riven said. "That mark on your neck? It's not a tracker. It's a conduit. You're not just a person anymore. You're a connection."
Kia stepped forward without hesitation, standing between her and Lucian. "He's our connection."
Riven tilted her head slightly, considering him. "And what will you do when he changes? When the city pulls him apart… and builds him into something you no longer recognize?"
Jace didn't hesitate. "We'll be there. No matter what. Whatever happens, we go through it together."
Lucian looked between them, his brothers, his anchors, and found his voice. Quiet, but steady.
"Next time anyone's chasing me," he said, "I'm not running alone. We face it together. All of us."
Riven's lips curled. "Foolish. Brave. I wonder which will win."
Jace didn't answer. He yanked the final cable loose.
Lucian gasped, and the machine died.
Everything shuddered. The crystal lights flickered. The creatures shrieked in confusion. Even Riven's eyes widened, just a flicker, as the platform trembled beneath them.
Lucian sagged forward, and Kia caught him, holding him close.
Then, the roar came. Not fire. Not fury. Something deeper. Something ancient.
The ground split.
Crystals shattered.
The creatures screamed and scattered into the shadows.
But Riven didn't flinch.
She only stared at Lucian, voice low and filled with dark awe. "It's starting. The city… it's waking."
"We need to move!" Kia shouted, hauling Lucian's arm over his shoulders.
"Tunnel's collapsing!" Jace yelled back, already scanning for an exit.
Chunks of stone rained from the ceiling. The main path behind them crumbled into dust and flame. But just to the right, barely visible, a narrow shaft, half-blocked by debris.
"There!" Jace pointed, leading the way.
They ran, dodging falling rubble, leaping cracks. Flames kissed their backs. Lucian stumbled, but Kia never let go. Jace cleared the way, shoving aside metal and debris with wild, desperate swings.
The old path was gone, but this one held.
They squeezed.
Slipped.
Tumbled.
And then, they broke into sunlight. Blinding. Harsh. Real.
The sky opened above them like a promise. The air was sharp with wind and clean earth. They fell onto grass and stone, coughing, bleeding, gasping.
And laughing.
Lucian collapsed onto his back, staring up at the sky, dazed. "You both came for me…"
Kia leaned over him, breathing hard. "We always will."
Jace nudged his side, grinning like an idiot. "Try losing us again and see what happens."
Lucian laughed, really laughed, though it hurt. "No chance. Next time, we run together."
They all nodded.
Because somewhere deep below them, something had awakened.
And whatever came next, they'd face it together.