The explosion shattered the stillness of the ravine, the deafening roar drowning out all other sounds as a fiery shockwave tore through the air. Serena hit the ground hard, the force of the blast throwing her back against the rocks. Her ears rang, and for a moment, she was disoriented, the world around her spinning. Dust and debris rained down, and the acrid smell of smoke filled her lungs.
Gasping for breath, Serena forced herself to sit up, her vision blurred from the impact. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head as the chaos settled into a thick, suffocating silence. Her body ached from the blast, and her hands shook as she checked herself for injuries. Miraculously, she was mostly unharmed, though her shoulder throbbed where she had slammed into the rock.
"Rebecca?" she called out hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was no answer.
Panic surged through her chest as she scrambled to her feet, searching the ravine for any sign of her team. The smoke was thick, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of her. Shadows shifted in the haze, but Serena couldn't tell if they were people or debris.
"Rebecca!" she shouted again, her voice cracking with urgency.
A faint cough came from behind a pile of rubble, and Serena's heart leaped. She stumbled toward the sound, her legs unsteady beneath her, and found Rebecca slumped against a rock, blood trickling down her forehead. She was conscious but dazed, her face pale from the impact.
"Are you okay?" Serena asked, crouching down beside her.
Rebecca blinked, her eyes struggling to focus. "I'm… I think so. Just a little banged up."
Serena let out a shaky breath, relief washing over her. "Good. Can you stand?"
Rebecca nodded weakly and, with Serena's help, managed to get to her feet. She winced as she moved, but she was alive. That was all that mattered for now.
"We need to find the others," Serena said, her voice still shaking from the aftermath of the explosion. "The blast… it took out most of the mercenaries, but it might have trapped Adrian and Alex."
Rebecca nodded, though she was still clearly in pain. "I'll be fine. Let's go."
Together, they moved through the smoke-filled ravine, carefully stepping over the debris. The ground was scorched, and fragments of rock and metal littered the area. It was a scene of devastation, the remnants of their ambush gone horribly wrong.
Serena's mind raced as she tried to piece together what had happened. The mercenary had been carrying a detonator—one he must have triggered as a final act of defiance. It had been a suicide mission, meant to take them all down with him.
"Adrian! Alex!" Serena called out, her voice raw from the dust and smoke.
A groan came from the other side of the ravine, and Serena rushed toward it, her heart pounding in her chest. She found Alex lying on the ground, his arm covering his face, his body half-buried under a pile of rubble. His clothes were torn, and his face was smeared with dirt, but he was alive.
"Alex!" Serena dropped to her knees beside him, pulling at the debris that had partially trapped him. "Are you hurt?"
Alex grimaced, his voice strained. "I'm okay. Just… stuck."
Rebecca joined them, her expression filled with concern as she helped Serena lift the rocks off Alex. With some effort, they managed to free him, and he sat up, rubbing his bruised arm.
"I'll be fine," he muttered, though his movements were slow and pained.
Serena's relief was short-lived. Adrian was still missing.
"Where's Adrian?" she asked, scanning the ravine again.
Alex winced, trying to stand. "He was on the other side when the blast hit. I haven't seen him since."
Serena's heart clenched. Adrian was infuriating, arrogant, and always playing some kind of game, but they couldn't leave him behind—not when the enemy could still be lurking nearby.
"Stay here," Serena said to Rebecca and Alex. "I'll find him."
She didn't wait for an argument. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, Serena moved deeper into the ravine, her eyes scanning the wreckage for any sign of Adrian. The air was still thick with dust, making it hard to see, but she refused to give up.
After what felt like an eternity, she spotted a dark figure slumped against the rocks near the edge of the ravine. Her heart lurched as she recognized the familiar outline of Adrian's jacket.
"Adrian!" Serena rushed to his side, dropping to her knees beside him. His face was bloodied, a deep gash running across his forehead, but his chest was rising and falling steadily.
"Come on," she muttered, shaking him gently. "Wake up."
Adrian let out a groan, his eyelids fluttering open as he blinked groggily at her. For once, his usual smirk was absent, replaced by a grimace of pain.
"Serena…" he muttered, his voice rough. "You're… still in one piece. Good."
Serena rolled her eyes, despite the tension of the moment. "I could say the same about you. Can you stand?"
Adrian grimaced as he tried to sit up, wincing from the effort. "Barely. That blast was… something else."
Serena helped him to his feet, supporting his weight as he leaned heavily against her. He was banged up, but nothing seemed to be broken.
"We need to get out of here," Serena said, glancing nervously at the wreckage around them. "There could be more of them. We're sitting ducks if they decide to send reinforcements."
Adrian nodded, though his movements were sluggish. "Agreed. But let's not rush into anything without a plan."
They made their way back to Rebecca and Alex, who were waiting near the edge of the ravine. Both of them looked battered, but determined. Elena had found a safer spot in the shadows, keeping a low profile as always.
Serena scanned the area one last time, her gut telling her that the danger wasn't over yet. Whoever had sent the mercenaries wouldn't stop until they had the Lumen Corvus. They had been lucky this time, but that luck wouldn't hold forever.
"We need to disappear for a while," Serena said, her voice firm. "We've bought ourselves some time, but the moment they realize their team failed, they'll send more. We need to find a safe place to regroup, figure out who these people are, and how to stop them."
Adrian, still leaning against a rock, gave her a sharp look. "There's a safehouse not far from here. It's off the grid—no one will be able to find us."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't mention this before because…?"
Adrian's smirk returned, faint but present. "Because, Serena, it's my backup plan. And now's the time to use it."
Serena shook her head but didn't argue. They needed a place to rest, heal, and come up with a strategy before their enemies closed in again.
"Fine," she said. "Lead the way."
As the group prepared to leave the ravine, Serena couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. The Lumen Corvus was more than just a treasure—it was a weapon, and every faction with power knew it.
And they weren't going to stop until they had it in their hands.
The storm was far from over.