"Now, the real war begins."
Elias's words hung in the air like a prophecy.
A split second later, the Sanctuary trembled. Red lights flashed violently across the walls, and the metallic wail of sirens tore through the silence. From the vents, a white, acrid gas began to pour, burning their throats and eyes.
"What the hell is that?" Luca coughed, covering his mouth.
Elias rushed to the nearest terminal, fingers flying across the keyboard. The screen flickered, then displayed one pulsing line of text: PROTOCOL ZERO – SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVE.
"Damn it!" Elias shouted. "They're erasing everything. Including us!"
Clara spun around to Adrian, who was holding Aurora tightly against his chest.
"It's a sedative gas, we have to move!"
But before anyone could react, the haze thickened. Clara instinctively closed her eyes, feeling the rhythm of the Sanctuary merge with her own heartbeat.
Fear turned into pure energy. Her hands began to glow with a pulsing light.
A surge of blue enveloped them.
When Clara opened her eyes again, a transparent dome surrounded them. The gas swirled outside, unable to get through.
Elias stared at her in disbelief.
"You… you created a shield!"
Clara gasped for air. "It's the same one I used that night with Adrian. But now, it's stronger."
Luca steadied himself, coughing. "We'd better move. I don't think it'll last forever."
They darted down the corridors. The air pulsed, alarms screeching in fragmented bursts. Time slipped away like sand.
When they reached the central chamber, they froze.
Before them stood a colossal column of amber light, surrounded by rotating metallic rings.
"That's the main core," Elias muttered. "But there's no way to stop it. No shutdown command. It's programmed to self-destruct no matter what."
Clara's breath trembled as she pulled Aurora closer.
"There has to be a way…"
Adrian turned to Elias, jaw clenched. "How much time do we have?"
"Five minutes. Maybe less."
Silence fell.
Clara looked down at her daughter's blue eyes, the same eyes as Adrian's.
She stroked the child's cheek, whispering softly,
"I wish I could stop time… just for a moment."
And then, it happened. A flash of white light.
Then, complete stillness.
The gas froze midair. The blinking lights stopped. Even the dust particles hung motionless in front of them.
Only Clara, Adrian, Aurora, Elias, and Luca could move inside the shimmering dome.
Elias gaped at them, speechless.
"The three of you together… you have limitless power. And this, this was never part of the Sanctuary's plan."
Aurora clung to her mother, trembling.
"Mamma… what's happening?"
Clara held her tight. "I'm just keeping us safe, my love."
Luca glanced at the timer suspended in midair.
"We can't leave yet. There might be other survivors in the capsules. We have to check."
Elias shook his head. "That's suicide. If her control breaks, we'll all die."
Clara lifted her chin. "I can handle it."
"No, you don't understand!" Elias snapped. "Freezing time takes enormous energy. Aurora's sharing the burden, and she can't hold it. She's just a child!"
Adrian looked at Aurora, her small body trembling, lips pale, eyes fluttering shut.
"Clara, stop! You're draining her life force!"
Tears streamed down Clara's face.
"I can't stop. If I do, we all explode."
She kneeled, brushing Aurora's hair from her forehead.
Then slowly, she let go of her daughter's hand.
Aurora went limp in Adrian's arms.
Clara closed her eyes, drawing all the power into herself.
Her veins glowed faintly beneath her skin; blood began to drip from her nose.
"Clara!" Adrian shouted, moving toward her.
She pushed him back, her voice cracking but resolute.
"Only I can do this. If something happens to me, you have to stay with her, with our daughter."
Luca and Elias exchanged a look.
"Let's find the survivors!" Elias barked.
They ran through the chamber, weaving between shattered capsules and flickering lights.
Most were empty, or worse, but at the far end, Luca found five still intact.
Inside, men and women lay motionless but breathing.
"Clara! We found five of them!" Luca shouted.
She nodded faintly, her face streaked with blood.
"Get them out. Go!"
"And you?" Adrian yelled.
"I'll be right behind you."
Elias looked at her and knew she was lying.
He stepped closer, his tone low but firm.
"Do as she says. I'll stay."
"No… " Clara began, but he grabbed her hand.
A blinding light surged between them. Adrian suddenly understood.
Elias was taking the power into himself.
"Go!" Elias roared, veins bulging as he strained to contain the energy. "Take them and run!"
Adrian lifted Clara and Aurora, running through the corridor.
Luca followed with the survivors. The moment they cleared the tunnel, a massive wave of heat hit their backs.
They turned just in time to see it.
The Sanctuary erupted in a storm of fire and light.
The ground shook. The sky turned crimson.
Adrian held Clara and Aurora close as a shockwave rippled through the forest.
Luca lowered his gaze, tears burning down his face.
Adrian whispered hoarsely,
"Elias…"
Clara, trembling, closed her eyes.
"You saved us."
And then, silence.
Only the wind moved through the trees, carrying the ashes of what had been.
But in their hearts, one truth remained unshaken: Elias's sacrifice wasn't the end.
It was the beginning of the final war.