Chapter 226: The Core Breach
Location: Underground Transit Tunnel – Tavara City
Beneath the surface of Tavara's bustling capital, a forgotten network of transit tunnels weaved through the city's underbelly. Abandoned decades ago, the tunnels had become the perfect hiding place for secrets. And at the center of it—buried beneath layers of lies and reinforced steel—was the Core Facility.
Damien crouched near a rusted control panel, flashlight strapped to his shoulder. Beside him, Nora tapped a code into a cracked keypad. Sparks flew. The hidden door hissed open, revealing a long, metallic corridor with flickering lights and the scent of old electricity.
"Still no motion sensors tripped," Aria whispered through the comms. "But I'm picking up an unusual energy pulse coming from thirty meters ahead. This isn't just a facility—it's a power source."
"Copy that," Damien responded. "Eyes sharp. No mistakes."
They moved silently—Damien, Nora, Aria, Cyrus, and their elite recon unit. Every footstep was calculated. Every breath measured.
As they reached a reinforced bulkhead, Nora stopped. "This is it. The Core. If Seraphina moved the shard here, it's being stabilized by the reactor."
Cyrus stepped forward, planting charges along the panel. "Give me sixty seconds."
Suddenly, lights in the tunnel went dead.
Silence.
Then a robotic voice echoed through hidden speakers. "Unauthorized presence detected. Initiating lockdown."
Red lights bathed the tunnel in warning.
"Aria!" Damien snapped.
"I'm on it! They've reprogrammed the mainframe. This place isn't just guarded—it's alive."
The bulkhead hissed, then opened—not due to Cyrus' explosives, but from within.
Six figures stood on the other side. Black tactical suits. Identical visors. Moving with inhuman precision.
"Drones," Nora whispered. "Human shells, AI-controlled. Seraphina's elite."
They moved fast—too fast. Within seconds, gunfire lit the corridor.
Cyrus threw himself to the side, returning fire. Damien charged headfirst, dodging a drone's blade swipe and bringing it down with three precise shots to the chest. Aria ducked behind a terminal, fingers flying across her wristpad as she hacked the internal system mid-battle.
"Shut them down!" Nora shouted, disabling another drone with a thrown shock disc.
"One more second—got it!" Aria yelled.
A pulse surged through the corridor. The remaining drones spasmed and collapsed.
Damien turned to the now accessible room ahead. Inside, on a pedestal surrounded by a rotating energy field, hovered the shard. Bright. Pulsing. Calling.
He stepped forward and reached out. The moment his fingers brushed it, a jolt ran through his spine. Images flashed—Seraphina. The Vault. The third shard… already located in a distant mountain base.
"It's real," he whispered. "She's close."
Nora touched his arm. "Then we beat her to it. We end this."
But as they turned to leave, Aria froze.
"We've got a bigger problem. Seraphina knows we're here. And… she's sending someone."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Who?"
Aria's screen showed a blurry silhouette.
Cyrus narrowed his eyes. "That's not Seraphina."
"No," Aria said grimly. "It's someone worse. The one they call The Architect."