The briefing room at Clareo HQ was dimly lit, the hum of the holoscreen casting faint shadows over the faces of Team Unknown.
They sat in silence, their black hooded cloaks draped over their shoulders, masks resting on the table in front of them. Dr. Lewis stood at the head of the room, his sharp gaze flicking between his tablet and the holoscreen behind him.
"You all did well with the bootcamp," Dr. Lewis began, his tone clipped. "The brass is… moderately pleased." He paused, adjusting his glasses. "But we're shelving those results for now. Something more pressing has come up."
The air in the room shifted, tension creeping into the silence. The map zoomed in on a region near Clareo's southern border, where a sector flashed red.
"Yesterday, we lost contact with Outpost Delta," Dr. Lewis continued. "This morning, a single survivor reached Checkpoint Sigma. His condition was critical, but before losing consciousness, he described an attack by Void-tainted beasts. Beasts unlike anything we've encountered."
The screen changed to grainy footage taken from the outpost's surveillance cameras. It showed the aftermath of the attack—shattered walls, claw marks gouged deep into steel barricades, and scorch marks that cut unnaturally clean lines through the terrain.
"Unlike anything we've encountered?" Ember leaned back in his chair, skepticism tinged in his voice. "I'm going to need more than a mangled outpost and a dying soldier's words, Doc."
"You will," Dr. Lewis replied curtly. He swiped at the tablet again, bringing up distorted images of the creatures responsible. Though obscured by mist and debris, their forms were unnervingly sleek and humanoid, Void energy coursing visibly through their veins.
"These Void-tainted aren't the mindless monsters you're used to," he said. "They're faster, smarter, and—if the survivor's testimony is to be believed—capable of coordination and strategy."
Bo frowned, his icy blue eyes narrowing. "That's not the Void's typical M.O. Someone's controlling them."
"Hades' Wrath," Ember said grimly, his voice steady.
Dr. Lewis nodded. "That's the prevailing theory. The brass wants answers, and you're going to get them. Your mission is recon: assess the threat, eliminate hostiles if necessary, and confirm whether Hades' Wrath is involved. Engage only when unavoidable."
Val's voice cut through the room, cold and unyielding. "If it's something new, we don't let it spread." His fiery red eyes glinted as they locked onto the screen.
Dr. Lewis studied him for a moment before nodding. "You deploy immediately. Prepare for anything."
As one, the team rose from their seats. With practiced precision, they secured their masks in place, activating them with a faint click near the jawline. Their HUDs flickered to life, and the live feed from their built-in cameras synced with HQ. Dr. Lewis glanced briefly at his screen, confirming the connection.
The teleportation was seamless—a ripple of darkness and Void energy that bent the air around them.
Team Unknown reappeared in formation at the outskirts of Outpost Delta. Smoke hung thick in the air, curling up from the smoldering ruins, while the acrid stench of burnt flesh and Void energy clung to the atmosphere. The faint hum of HQ's live feed buzzed through their Mind Link, but the scene before them demanded their full attention.
This place is a graveyard, Riggs muttered, his voice filtering clearly through the Mind Link as his gaze swept over the desolation.
Dr. Lewis's voice came through the Mind Link, sharp. Focus on gathering data. The outpost's energy readings are unstable. Be careful.
Ember raised a hand, his voice cutting sharply through the Mind Link. Fan out. Start from the perimeter. Report anything unusual.
The team moved with precision, each member spreading out in silence.
Bo moved to the collapsed walls that had once surrounded the outpost. His fingers brushed over the edges of a jagged hole, ice crystals forming faintly as his ability responded to the residual energy.
The breach wasn't clean. Multiple points of entry.
Fon crouched beside him, examining the surrounding debris. He picked up a twisted piece of metal, its edges seared unnaturally smooth.
Looks like they weren't just breaking in—they were testing something.
Testing what? Riggs asked, his voice filtering through as he scanned the perimeter. The wind kicked up faint trails of ash as he moved, revealing claw marks gouged deep into the ground.
Precision. Fon held up the fragment, turning it slightly to show the unnatural scorch marks. This isn't random Void damage. It's controlled. Intentional.
Further ahead, Ember knelt beside a pile of rubble, his sharp gaze fixed on a series of faint footprints leading toward the center of the outpost. The tracks were uneven, as if the creatures had shifted weight unnaturally during their movements.
These patterns… they're coordinated.
Ember's voice came through the Mind Link again, calm but firm. Stay sharp. We're not alone out here.
The team regrouped near what had once been the central command building.
It now lay in ruins, walls crumbled inward, and the faint remnants of a control panel flickered weakly amidst the debris. Ember approached cautiously, his flames illuminating the twisted remains of the structure.
Riggs whistled low as he surveyed the destruction.
Looks like they tore straight through this place. Whatever they wanted, they didn't leave much behind.
Dr. Lewis's voice filtered through the Mind Link, clinical as always. Extract any viable data. Even scraps might tell us what we're dealing with.
Val stepped forward, crouching beside what looked like a shattered data core. His gloved fingers hovered over the device, and for a brief moment, the HUD overlay on his mask scanned the residual energy.
Too damaged for a direct read, Val muttered. "But the energy signature matches what we saw at the facility months ago. This was Void-engineered.
Bo glanced around the crumbled building, his eyes narrowing.
If this place was Void-engineered, they weren't just attacking. They were wiping their tracks.
As the team spread out again, Riggs froze, his gaze locking onto a faint shimmer in the mist ahead. Movement. Ten o'clock.
The team fell silent, each member shifting into position with practiced precision. The faint sound of shifting rubble reached Val's ears, but as he turned toward the source, the mist thickened, obscuring his view.
Something's still here, Bo murmured, ice forming at his fingertips.
Fon crouched low, his hands brushing the ground. The faint rumble of his ability echoed as he sensed vibrations beneath the surface. They're circling us.
The tension thickened, the team's HUDs pinging faint signatures that flickered and disappeared almost instantly.
Ember's voice came through the Mind Link, sharp and decisive. Prepare for contact.
The attack came without warning.
A guttural roar split the air as a hulking creature burst from the shadows, its jagged, Void-tainted veins glowing faintly in the dim light. Its claws, impossibly sharp, caught the moonlight as it lunged at Val.
"Contact!" Val barked aloud, sidestepping the attack and countering with a burst of Void energy. The blast sent the creature staggering back—but not down.
Two more creatures emerged from the mist, their sleek forms darting forward with terrifying speed. Riggs deflected a strike with a sharp gust of wind, while Bo encased another's legs in ice, halting its advance.
These aren't like the others, Riggs growled, his Mind Link transmitting his words back to HQ. They're coordinated.
They're stalling, Ember observed, his calm voice cutting through the chaos as he shattered another Void creature with a well-timed blow.
For what? Fon snarled, unleashing a torrent of earthly spikes to a third creature. The beast dodged with unnatural agility, circling around for another strike.
Val's gaze locked onto a shadowy figure in the distance. It stood motionless atop a crumbled wall, its humanoid silhouette wreathed in faint Void energy.
The figure didn't move as Val's fiery gaze bore into it. Instead, it raised a hand, and the Void-tainted beasts fell back, retreating into the mist with eerie precision.
Hold, Ember commanded, his voice steady through the Mind Link.
The figure stepped forward, its features becoming clearer in the faint light. It was humanoid but grotesque, Void-tainted veins running jagged lines across its pale skin. Its eyes glowed a piercing white, exuding malice.
"Ah," it said, its voice a distorted rasp. "So, these are Clareo's finest. Team Unknown. How… quaint."
Ember's flames flared brighter. "You want to test that theory?"
The figure chuckled hollowly. "In time. But for now, consider this a greeting. When next we meet, your blood will stain the earth."
Before anyone could respond, the figure vanished into the mist, leaving behind only the faint hum of lingering Void energy.
Dr. Lewis's voice came through the Mind Link, Analysis in progress. The Void-tainted show signs of advanced engineering. We'll need more data, but this isn't random.
Val spoke without hesitation. They've got a leader. Faster, smarter, and coordinated—they're being shaped into something worse.
Dr. Lewis paused for a fraction of a second, processing the implications. Understood. Return for debrief immediately. HQ command will prepare for escalation.
Bo's voice followed, steady yet grim. Engineered Void-tainted means someone's preparing for another war with us.
Hades' Wrath, Fon added firmly.
Ember's fiery gaze lingered on the horizon. If they're escalating, we hit them harder.
Val's tone was colder than ever. "Not harder. Last."