The elevator led Brian and The White Crusader to the basement of the building, where the air felt stale and the lighting dim. Despite its unremarkable appearance, the space was unusually well-maintained. The concrete walls and rows of aging furniture giving it an sense of order. Stacks of old company contracts, dusty files, and discarded office supplies filled the room.
However, the well kept condition only deepened Brian's suspicion. The basement, while seemingly mundane, felt out of place. Why had the elevator been hidden behind stacks of boxes in the break room above? This storage area might have been far more important than it appeared at first glance. She studied the surroundings, her instincts telling her this was no ordinary storage space. Something was off, something was being concealed.
"If only Vaos were here with us," The White Crusader said. "He be able to assist us, but as it stands, we're on our own. From what I can observe, none of these objects appear to be concealing any hidden passages or mechanisms. The walls around us seem completely solid."
Brian's eyes narrowed as she continued, "Everything about this basement, from the elevator being hidden to the level of upkeep, feels too... intentional. It's almost as if it's been designed to keep us from discovering something." She glanced at The White Crusader briefly. She walked towards one of the walls, her fingers tracing the surface looking for any hidden switch, panel, or mechanism that could reveal what lay beyond the facade. "There's something here," she whispered, more to herself than to him, as she carefully examined every inch of the wall. "It's just a matter of finding it."
The White Crusader let out a deep sigh, his expression unreadable as he looked over the thick walls. "Stand back, Aurora Brian," he said calmly. "I'll take care of this. I'll destroy each of these walls one by one." Brian opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it, deciding against it. She knew his power was immense, and any objection would only delay what needed to be done. With a quiet nod, she stepped back, crossing her arms as she watched him prepare.
The White Crusader's body tensed as he charged his fist with spirit energy. His hand glowed briefly, the aura of pure energy swirling around his arm. He slammed his fist into the first wall, a thunderous sound echoing through the basement. The wall cracked across all over under the force of the blow, but it remained solid.
He stepped back briefly, observing the impact. "This wall is solid," he muttered. Without hesitation, he turned to the next wall, his muscles rippling with the immense power he had at his disposal. His fist charged again as he punched the second wall with even greater force. The result was the same: it didn't give way. The force of his strikes had left a series of cracks in the stone.
Brian watched intently, her eyes narrowed as she observed the walls. Despite the force of The White Crusader's powerful strikes, the walls refused to give way, remaining intact. "There's got to be something more to this," she thought, "Something... we're not seeing."
As The White Crusader drew back to deliver another blow, Brian's instincts kicked in. She stepped forward quickly, her gaze fixed on the first wall he had struck. Her eyes scanned every inch of it, searching for any clue, any sign of weakness. The corner of the wall where his first strike had landed caught her attention. There was something odd about it. The air around that spot seemed almost thicker. It wasn't immediately obvious, but Brian felt that something was wrong.
There was more to this than just solid stone. Without a second thought, she pointed to the spot as she spoke urgently, "There! Right there!" She locked eyes with The White Crusader. "Focus on that corner. It's different."
Without hesitation, The White Crusader adjusted his stance and redirected his powerful strike, his fist landing squarely on the corner of the wall. The wall shattered, sending chunks of rubble tumbling to the ground. Behind the debris, a hidden passageway was revealed.
"Would you look at that," The White Crusader muttered. "It seems there was something hidden here after all..." He stepped forward, clearing the rubble, revealing more of the passage. He looked down the dark corridor that lay ahead. It was narrow, and the walls seemed to pulse with a faint energy.
Brian stood nearby, her eyes fixed on the darkened path ahead, "I had a feeling," she said softly, stepping closer to the entrance. "It was too controlled to be just a basement."
"Our best course of action is to remain on standby and inform all officers that we've discovered the point of interest," Brian suggested as she glanced at the darkened passage.
The White Crusader let out a quiet sigh, clearly reluctant to hold back but after a brief pause, he nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving the passage ahead.
"You're right," he murmured. "We should proceed with caution. Better to alert the others and prepare for whatever lies beyond."
Brian quickly tapped her communication device, notifying the officers to keep their positions and requesting a unit of officers to come to the basement.
Edward sighed as he continued to work on the damaged portal. The portal had been recently destroyed. He looked up briefly at Forbidden Power and Forbidden Energy, who were helping him.
He worked to repair the fractured structure. In the back of his mind, he began to wonder if he would be able to finish before they were discovered? The White Crusader and Brian were closing in, and the thought of being exposed while the portal was still incomplete made him worried.
Edward glanced at Forbidden Power, whose fiery gaze seemed to pierce through him. Forbidden Energy stood a little further away, arms crossed, looking calm but calculating, as though he too was wondering their next moves.
"If we don't get this working soon, then this might be over," Edward muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for the others to hear. "And if we can't finish before they find us…"
"There's still time, Edward. We know how the energy alignment is, we just need to hurry." Forbidden Power said, his presence overwhelming, yet oddly reassuring.
Unknown to them, Edward had a backup plan, while he appeared focused on repairing the portal, his mind was already calculating his next move should things go awry. Deep within his mind, he had a plan to take the cosmic stone, and leave everything else behind.
If the portal failed or the authorities closed in too fast, he would abandon Alexander's project without hesitation. He knew the value of the cosmic stone, it held the potential to give himpower that even the Forbidden could not hope to challenge. He had seen the opportunity, and now, with each passing moment, his resolve to seize it grew stronger.
He carefully disguised his intentions, continuing to work on the portal with the same dedication he had always shown, but beneath that exterior, he was already planning his escape. The project with Alexander, the Forbidden, the portal—it was all secondary to the cosmic stone. And if the time came to make his move, Edward would be ready, steps ahead of everyone else.
Forbidden Wrath teleported into the pocket dimension as he flung Vaos to the ground with a force that echoed through the void.
"Looks like your friends have already discovered the entrance to the portal," he said. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm sure you won't be here for long. I'll return later to finish what you started." As he turned to teleport away, Vaos kicked him squarely across the face.
"If they've discovered the entrance, then it's clear what I must do," Vaos declared as he went into a fighting stance. "I will destroy your core and make sure that you don't interfere with them any longer."
Forbidden Wrath's were filled with rage, his facade body radiating an aura of raw power as he growled in response. "We Forbidden know only one thing, and that is battle! Prepare yourself!" With a roar that shook the air around them.
Back in the forest, Eve, Vulcan, and Bard continued their training. But something felt off to Bard, the surrounding area had become still. The sun, normally moving across the sky, was frozen in place. The clouds, usually drifting, hung motionless above them. Time itself seemed to have frozen, Bard's senses were on high alert now, every instinct telling him that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite place what it was.
Eve focused her energy, summoning a dark thundercloud above their heads. The crackle of electricity filled the air, and the rumbling thunder echoed through the stillness. But as her eyes scanned the sky, her confusion deepened, there was no sign of the storm she had created. The sky remained a clear blue with only a few small, harmless clouds.
"I would say this is strange," she murmured, "but there's only one person capable of this..." A realization settled in her mind. Only one being she knew could create illusions in this way.
Eve's eyes narrowed as she focused on the trees ahead, her fingers crackling with electric energy. She released a powerful lightning bolt and struck one of the towering trees in the distance, splitting it in two. Just as she prepared to unleash another bolt, a shadow seemed to shift, growing darker as it solidified into a figure.
Without warning, the figure leapt from the tree, landing in front of them.
"I'm not surprised you knew it was my powers, Anomaly," Forbidden Illusion said. "These aren't my orders, but that doesn't matter now. I think I'll kill you here and right now."
The ground around them began to distort, the world flickering in and out of focus, the very reality they stood in was bending to his will.
The illusion surrounding them dissipated, and the stillness of the forest returned to normal. The wind stirred, the sun's light shifted, and distant sounds of wildlife returned. Eve blinked, and felt the pulse of void energy flowing from the direction of the city.
"Huh, so they've already started searching the WWP building?" she murmured, glancing briefly at Forbidden Illusion.
Eve's voice was firm as she turned to them. "Vulcan, Bard, I need you both to head back to the city to help Brian, The White Crusader, and Vaos. I'll take care of Illusion myself," she ordered, her eyes locked onto Forbidden Illusion.
Vulcan hesitated, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword as he looked at Eve. "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be smarter if we faced him together? We'd be stronger as a team."
Eve gave him a reassuring look. "I'm sure," she replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. "This is personal—something I need to handle alone. Trust me on this."
Vulcan clenched his jaw, a part of him still reluctant to leave her behind. But after a long pause, he exhaled and nodded, knowing that Eve wasn't someone to be easily swayed. "Alright, if that's what you want... let's go, Bard."
With one last look over his shoulder, Vulcan and Bard ran back toward the city, leaving Eve to face Forbidden Illusion on her own.
Eve's hands crackled with electric energy, the sharp blue light casting shadows across her face as she gathered more power, each spark intensifying. She was ready to end this...