"Is that the last of them?" Santiago gasped, his voice cracking through the thick haze of dust.Aisyah didn't answer immediately. She stepped over a crumpled piece of metal that used to be a security drone, her eyes darting toward the ruined doorway of her laboratory. "Yeah. The rest of them scrambled back into the tunnels the moment they saw what you did to their leader. But don't move yet.""I don't think I can," Santiago muttered. He tried to take a step, but his knees buckled. He slid down against the side of a heavy metal workbench, his breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts. "My legs. Aisyah, it feels like someone is pouring liquid iron straight down my shins.""The self-optimization process," Aisyah said, dropping her tablet onto the desk and rushing to his side. She knelt beside him, her hands hovering over his knees. "I told you, the degenerate core didn't just upgrade you. It's rewriting your entire lower skeletal structure. Look at the skin."Santiago looked down. Through

"Aisyah, get back!" Santiago yelled, his voice cracking as he grabbed her shoulder and shoved her toward the edge of the chamber. "Get behind those support columns, right now!""I'm going, I'm going!" Aisyah screamed, stumbling backward, her boots kicking up clouds of ancient dust. "Santiago, look at the energy readings on that thing! It's pulling power directly from the vault's main grid!""Yeah, I can see that!" Santiago grunted. He planted his feet, feeling the violet light in his shins flare to a sudden, blinding intensity. "System! Talk to me! What am I looking at here?"A sharp, metallic chime rang inside his head, followed by a stream of glowing text that scrolled across his vision:[ALERT: SYSTEM SENTINEL LEVEL 09 DETECTED][Warning: Target possesses high-density crystalline plating. Physical attacks below kinetic threshold: Ineffective.][Recommendation: Evade combat and locate manual power terminal.]"Evade combat?" Santiago

The golden light in Santiago's eyes slowly dimmed, the brilliant violet sparks receding back into his pupils like embers in a dying fire. He slumped forward against the dashboard of the parked van, his hands slowly releasing their crushing grip on the cracked plastic."Santiago!" Aisyah grabbed his shoulder, shaking him hard. "Are you with me? Say something, damn it!""I’m... I’m here," Santiago muttered, his voice a dry, rattling whisper. "I’m back.""What did you see?" she asked, her voice trembling as she checked her tablet. "The scanner was going off the charts. Your brain activity looked like a lightning storm.""I saw a city," he said, turning to look at her in the dim dashboard light. "It wasn't like this place. No neon, no rust. Just endless sand and towering columns of gold. And there was someone standing on a high terrace, looking down at a forge.""The master?" Aisyah whispered, her eyes wide. "Ptah?""I think so," Santiago said, touching his temple. "But it wasn't a god. I

"We need to move, now," Aisyah said, her voice shaking as she kicked a piece of shattered glass out of her way. "The Syndicate won't just let a squad disappear. They’ll have back-ups already on the way."Santiago looked down at his left hand, slowly curling it into a tight, solid fist. "I’m ready. What do we do with the mercenaries?""We drag them to the secondary shaft," Aisyah said, gesturing toward the dark hallway. "It’s a direct drop into the lower city drainage system. Nobody checks that sector anymore. It’s too toxic.""I’ll handle it," Santiago said. He reached down, grabbing the collar of the lead soldier’s heavy combat suit. With a single, effortless tug, he lifted the two-hundred-pound man off the ground as if he were a bag of laundry. "God, they really do feel light.""Don’t get used to it," Aisyah warned, shining her flashlight ahead of them. "Your brain is still adjusting to the lack of resistance. I

The hum of the generator in the abandoned subway station was a low, gnawing frequency that seemed to vibrate directly against Santiago’s teeth. He sat on the edge of the cot, watching Aisyah pace the length of the platform. She was surrounded by blueprints and half-finished circuit boards, her hair a wild, tangled mess, but her eyes held a manic, razor-sharp focus."I need more," Aisyah muttered, clutching a tablet as she circled the crates of Divine Clay. "The density of these canisters is impressive, but for a full-body weave? It’s not enough. We’re going to run dry before we even reach your torso."Santiago stood up, his movements fluid and unnervingly quiet. He walked toward her, his boots making only the slightest scuff against the tiled floor. "Where are we supposed to find more? Vane’s place is burned, and the Syndicate has already locked down the entire canal district.""We don't need the clay in its raw form anymore," she said, finally stopping to look at him. "We need high-i