The heavy iron doors of the fortress lay in ruined pieces on the ground. Sergeant Miller stood in the dirt, breathing hard. He pointed his heavy machine gun up at the dark, open sky of the cavern. The air was thick with the smell of burning sulfur and old blood. "Commander," Miller yelled over the howling wind. "The ground is clear, but look up! The sky is moving!"Commander Oliver stood perfectly still. He looked up. His cold gray human eye and his burning red alien eye scanned the high darkness. The dark clouds were not just smoke. They were alive. Thousands of flying Wraithborn monsters swarmed in the upper atmosphere. They were Shadow-Bats and giant, rotting Wyverns. They shrieked with high, terrible voices. They were preparing to dive bomb the ground and tear Miller to pieces. Oliver looked at the dull, gray stone sword in his left hand. It was the corrupted Sword of Radiance. The holy light inside it was asleep. To wake it up, Oliver had to force his dark, alien magic into t

Far away from the dark mirror maze where Captain Iris fought for her life, the true apocalypse was screaming. Commander Oliver stood on the broken glass bridge at the Gate of Dawn. Behind him was the massive, towering ring of golden fire that protected the core worlds of humanity. In front of him was an endless, pitch-black void. And out of that void, the end of the universe was coming. The Wraithborn Reaper floated in the dark sky. The faceless, hooded god-killer held its massive scythe made of dead, crushed stars. Behind the Reaper, an ocean of millions of monsters poured out of the shadows. There were giant Stone Golems, invisible Phase-Hunters, and flying Wyverns. They roared with one single, terrifying voice. They wanted to break the golden gate and eat the Earth. Oliver did not step back. He stood alone at the front of the bridge. Behind him, Sergeant Miller and a small group of surviving mutant rebels held their plasma rifles and bone swords. They were shaking. "Commander

Captain Iris stared at the glowing computer screen in the dark, freezing tunnel. The rescue signal from Commander Oliver’s dead father blinked in the deep abyss. She looked down at the pure, warm Source Shard in her hand. It was the only thing that could save Oliver’s life. Iris made the hardest choice of her life. She turned to the young hacker. "Billy," Iris commanded. Her voice was strong and firm. She pushed the glowing crystal into his dirty hands. "Take the Shard. Find an old repulsor-skiff in the mirror maze. Fly back up the Great Shaft to the surface. Save the Commander.""What about you?!" Billy panicked, holding the warm crystal tight. "You and Vega cannot go down into the Void alone!""We have to find his father," Iris said. She drew her plasma pistol. General Vega and the giant mutant Rax stood closely behind her. "Oliver gave up his entire soul for us. We are going to find his family. Now, go!" Billy did not argue. He turned and ran as fast as he could toward the hidd

Captain Iris watched young Billy run away into the dark tunnel. Billy held the small, broken piece of the crystal. He was running to the surface to save Commander Oliver. Iris turned around. She faced the pure white marble pedestal. Resting on top of the stone was the true Source Shard. It was a massive, glowing crystal. It was shaped like a perfect star. It glowed with warm, beautiful white light. It was the ancient heart of the Void-Reaches. "We need the main Shard," Iris said softly. She held her broken left arm tight against her chest. "If we do not bring this back, the Overlord will find it." General Vega stood behind her, aiming her heavy sniper rifle at the dark shadows. The giant mutant, Rax, held his massive bone sword. "Take it, Captain," Rax rumbled. "But be ready. This place is made of evil magic. It will not let you take its heart without a fight." Iris took a deep breath. She stepped forward. She reached out her good right hand. Her fingers touched the glowing whit

The cold glass bridge was hard against Commander Oliver’s back. His body was completely numb. His human gray eye stared helplessly at the ceiling. His red Wraithborn eye was fading into absolute darkness. His heart gave one final, weak thump in his chest. Then, it stopped beating entirely.He was dying. He could not lift a single finger.But his mind remained awake for one last second. He watched the monster wearing his father's face. The monster stood right behind Captain Iris. It raised a thick, swirling black chain, ready to snap her neck.Oliver needed to warn her. He refused to let her die. He gathered every ounce of his fading willpower. He ignored the cold emptiness creeping into his brain. He focused everything on his human left hand.His fingers lay flat against the smooth glass floor. With a massive, agonizing effort, he dragged his steel combat knife across the ground.The sharp noise echoed loudly on the quiet bridge.Captain Iris spun around instantly. She saw the smiling