Silas unclipped the metal handle from his belt. He pressed the button. A brilliant, glowing emerald-green sword of pure Life Magic sprang to life. The beautiful green light illuminated the dark factory. The crowd of civilians gasped in awe at the beautiful magic. "We do not have much time to celebrate," Silas warned them gently, turning off the sword. He looked extremely serious. "General Rauth has connected his heart to the dead god. The Deep Ones are waking up. We need a safe place to plan our final attack." "We have a safe place," Ayo said proudly, stepping forward. Ayo turned to the massive crowd of thousands of armed citizens standing in the street. "Listen to me!" Ayo yelled loudly. "This steel factory is now the home of the Vanguard! This is our fortress! We will protect it with our lives!" The crowd roared in agreement. Instantly, the people went to work. They were incredibly organized. They dragged heavy, abandoned cars across the streets, creating massive, thick barr

"When that giant worm burst through the floor, I tracked its magical radio signal," Jin explained rapidly. Her dark eyes were wide with worry. "The worm did not come from Chicago. It came from right here in Milwaukee. It came from the Noble Tier." "The Noble Tier?" Kade asked, scratching his scarred head. "What is that?" "It is the richest, most elite district in the entire city," Claire answered. Her brilliant tactical mind knew the city perfectly. "It is located in the very center of Milwaukee. It is filled with elegant, shimmering glass skyscrapers, expensive mansions, and private corporate banks. The people who live there are the descendants of ancient, divine clans. They are billionaires." "Exactly," Jin nodded her head. "And they have completely joined the Iron Order. My computer shows a massive, glowing web of purple magic covering the entire Noble Tier district. General Rauth has a chief tactician hiding in there. His name is Lord Corvus." "Lord Corvus," Silas whispered. H

Landon drove his fist forward. His fist glowed with bright white Kinetic Echo magic. BAM! Landon punched the glass monster squarely in the chest. The magical impact shattered the monster into a million tiny pieces of broken glass. The monster fell to the floor like a broken window. "One down," Landon growled, standing up. But the victory did not last. Three more glass mirrors shifted. Three more Mirror-Demons stepped out into the maze. They raised their sharp glass blades and hissed. "I can make a thousand of them, Landon," Corvus laughed. "You will punch until your hands bleed, and then you will die of exhaustion." Landon dodged a swinging glass blade. He kicked a monster in the leg, shattering its knee. He punched another one in the face. But Corvus was right. As soon as Landon destroyed one monster, another one simply stepped out of a mirror to replace it. It was an endless, impossible fight. Landon’s broken rib burned with pain. His breathing grew heavy. He was trapped.

The boiling, liquid glass pulled them down. Landon Hale sank deeper and deeper into the magical quicksand in the center of the Noble Tier plaza. The beautiful, elegant glass skyscrapers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, slowly disappeared from his view. The giant, terrifying eye of General Kade Rauth stared down at them from the dark, snowy sky. The eye was made of pure, toxic purple magic. It looked at the Vanguard team with absolute, god-like hatred. "I will not let you go!" Landon roared. He held onto Claire Arden’s small hand with all of his massive strength. The thick, magical liquid burned his skin. It felt like thick, heavy mud, but it was incredibly hot. It sucked them down past their waists, then past their chests. "Landon! It is pulling too hard!" Claire cried out. Her beautiful face was covered in panic. She squeezed his thick fingers. "I cannot hold on!" "Do not let go!" Landon yelled. But the toxic magic was too strong. A sudden, violent swirl of dark purple energy ripped t

The wooden bookshelves were burned to ashes. The computer screens were smashed. The ceiling had collapsed. Thick, black smoke filled the air. "Landon! Jin! Kade!" Claire screamed at the top of her lungs. She limped forward on her twisted ankle. Claire stopped dead in her tracks. She covered her mouth in pure, absolute horror. Lying on the dirty concrete floor were the bodies of her team. Jin lay perfectly still next to her smashed laptop. Sera was curled up near the stairs. Kade’s scarred face was covered in blood. Marcus and Navarro were motionless under a pile of heavy rocks. Juno’s red medical bag was torn to pieces. They were all dead. "No... no, no, no," Claire wept. She fell to her knees in the dirt. Tears streamed down her beautiful, dirty face. She crawled frantically over to Kade. She grabbed his shoulder. "Kade! Wake up! Please!" Kade did not move. This was Claire’s deepest, most terrifying core struggle. She was the tactical commander of the Vanguard. She was the b