Our footsteps echoed on the iron floor of the Level 1315 maintenance corridor. Outside the thick concrete walls, the wail of military sirens and the small pops of short-circuiting electrical transformers answered each other continuously, creating a tense soundscape.I led the way with my right hand on alert, near the back pocket of my jacket. Beside me, Cora walked with a steady rhythm, her eyes never leaving the datapad screen displaying the map of the route we were taking.However, beneath my vigilance, there was a much more personal emotional pull driving my steps.I felt impatient to see a part of my family again. Kael, Risha, and Vex were only a few blocks away from our current position. The image of Kael's terrified face as he hugged Spark, as well as Risha's stubborn yet fragile gaze, swirled clearly in my head. The desire to make sure they stood before me intact and unharmed would be a sedative for my guilt."The corridor ahead of us is clear of thermal scanners," Cora's voice

The world around me shrank into blurry lines flickering between shadow and light. My leg muscles screamed, tearing their fibers with every step, yet I continued to channel the Veil to push my body beyond its limits. Noctis Reach's damp night air slapped my face like an icy whip. I left Cora far behind, my mind consumed by panic and the static echo constantly buzzing in my left ear.Vex was hurt. Risha and Kael were in danger.I bounded up the stairs at the border of Level 1315, skipping four to five steps at a time. At the end of the narrow stairwell, a steel door stood blocking the way. The door had been welded shut. From behind that three-centimeter-thick steel, my hearing caught laughter distorted by a helmet vocoder, followed by the sound of Kael sobbing."I told you, Hunter," the unfamiliar man's deep voice echoed, muffled. "You just threw your life away for nothing. Now, get on your knees. Let me end your suffering, and I promise I'll deal with these kids quickly.""Go to hell,"

The rhythmic hum of the oxygen circulation fans in Hydroponics Sector 4 should have been a soothing lullaby. Kael and Risha had fallen fast asleep, their breathing mingling with the snores of Grox, who was sitting propped up against a wall. Vex closed her eyes on a mossy crate. But for me, this calm felt wrong.A subtle vibration traveled up through the soles of my boots. This vibration was different from the rhythm of the city's machines or the chaos of rioting citizens. These were footsteps.I turned to Cora. The administrator was staring at her datapad screen with furrowed brows. She caught my gaze and immediately turned her device's screen toward me."These aren't security authority patrols," Cora whispered, her voice nearly drowned out by the hum of the fans. "My sensors picked up six thermal signatures approaching from the main corridor. They are moving in a diamond formation. Their pace is perfectly synchronized. They aren't emitting any signals."I stood up slowly, drawing the

The journey down the maintenance shaft toward the deepest levels of Noctis Reach was a torment that tested both our physical endurance and our sanity. The air grew thinner, smelling of rusted metal mixed with ancient dampness. The temperature dropped drastically until every breath we took puffed out thin white vapor. The route Cora plotted guided us into the steel belly of the vertical city.We moved in tense silence. Grox walked in the middle, his two lower hands gripping the handles of the anti-gravity stretcher. The stretcher hummed softly, keeping Jax's body stable in his medical coma. The bags of coagulant and blood swayed gently in time with the Brakkar's steps. Behind him, Vex trudged with great effort, her face pale as she fought the pain of her broken ribs. Risha was at her side, offering her shoulder for support, while Kael walked flanking the other side with vigilance.The further we descended, the more the architecture around us began to change. Noctis Reach's industrial p

The plasma cannon tore through the air inside the hexagonal room, shooting like a comet toward the door.Time seemed to slow down, stretching every millisecond into agony. The panic and boiling anger in my chest nearly broke the dam of resonance I had been holding back. The glass floor beneath my feet shook violently, resonating with my heartbeat, ready to trigger a reaction that would destabilize the Veil Engine down below."No," I whispered to myself through tightly gritted teeth.Instead of unleashing a blast of raw energy, I focused the entire flow of Veil into my leg muscles and dashed to intercept the plasma's trajectory. At the last second, I swung the arcblade.BZZZT-BLAAAR!My sapphire blade cleaved the plasma ball Valerius fired. Instead of hitting the pillar where my family was hiding, the plasma ball split in two, exploding against the walls on the left and right sides of the door. The violent shockwave collapsed some of the stone and metal supports, creating a thick cloud