The air inside the fortress grew heavier with each passing second, thick with the tension of what was about to come. Serena could feel the weight of the Lumen Corvus in her pack, a constant reminder of what was at stake. The Seekers weren't just after the artifact—they were after something far more dangerous, something that could rip apart the very fabric of reality if they succeeded in their plan.
Serena scanned the inner chamber of the fortress. The stone walls offered some protection, but not enough. They had only a handful of places to take cover, and the narrow windows provided little more than slivers of light that made the room feel even more claustrophobic.
"We need to prepare," Serena said, her voice steady despite the storm of fear brewing inside her. "They'll find another way in. We don't have much time."
Rebecca nodded, already checking her weapon. "We'll make it count."
Adrian stood near one of the narrow windows, his expression unreadable. His usual air of arrogance was gone, replaced by something more serious—focused. "They're regrouping outside. I can hear them moving. They'll come through the other tunnels or breach the walls. We can't afford to wait."
Alex wiped sweat from his brow, his hands trembling slightly as he reloaded his gun. "We've bought ourselves a few minutes, maybe more. But they're not giving up. We need to be ready."
Elena, pacing nervously in the corner, paused and looked at Serena. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. "Serena… if they get to the Lumen Corvus, if they open that door, what happens? What exactly are we stopping them from doing?"
Serena hesitated. She had been asking herself that same question, but now, with the battle upon them, she had to face the truth. "I don't know," she admitted. "But whatever it is, it's something we can't let happen. They believe the artifact will open a gateway to another world, a world they think they can control. But we don't know what's on the other side. It could be chaos—something worse than anything we've ever seen."
Elena's expression darkened, and she nodded slowly. "Then we stop them. Whatever it takes."
Serena took a deep breath, steadying herself. She could feel the pressure mounting, the walls closing in around them, but she refused to let it overwhelm her. They had fought too hard to give up now.
"Everyone, take your positions," Serena ordered, her voice firm. "Rebecca, Alex—you're with me. We'll hold the front. Adrian, take the tunnels. If they breach from below, we can't let them get through."
Adrian gave her a quick nod before slipping into the shadows of the tunnel entrance, disappearing from sight. Serena watched him go, knowing that, for all his faults, Adrian was their best chance of holding the line in the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the fortress.
Rebecca crouched behind one of the stone pillars, her weapon ready, while Alex took cover near the doorway. Serena positioned herself in the center of the room, her eyes fixed on the main entrance. The Seekers would come soon, and when they did, they would have to face everything she and her team had left to give.
The silence that followed was deafening. Time seemed to slow, each second stretching into an eternity as they waited for the inevitable. Serena's heart pounded in her chest, her pulse loud in her ears. She could feel the sweat on her skin, the tension in her muscles, but she refused to show any sign of fear.
Then, a sound—a low rumble, almost imperceptible at first, but growing louder by the second. It was coming from the walls, the floor, the very air around them.
"They're coming," Rebecca muttered, her grip tightening on her gun.
The stone walls began to tremble, and cracks formed in the ceiling above. Dust fell from the cracks as the fortress shook with the force of something massive moving beneath them. Serena knew what was happening—the Seekers were breaching from below.
"Adrian," Serena called into her earpiece, her voice tense. "They're in the tunnels. Can you hold them?"
There was a pause, then Adrian's voice crackled through the earpiece, laced with urgency. "They're moving faster than I expected. I'll hold them off as long as I can, but they're not coming through alone. Something else is with them."
Serena's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"
Adrian's voice was strained. "I don't know, but it's not human. It's… I can feel it, Serena. It's like the air is bending around them. Whatever they're trying to bring through, it's starting to leak into our world."
Serena's heart pounded. This was worse than she had thought. The Seekers were already tearing at the veil between worlds, and whatever they were summoning was beginning to bleed through.
"Hold them off, Adrian," Serena said, her voice firm. "We can't let them reach the artifact."
Before Adrian could respond, the main door to the chamber burst open with a deafening crash. Serena spun around, her weapon raised, and saw the first wave of Seekers flood into the room, their dark robes swirling around them like shadows.
"Now!" Serena shouted, opening fire.
The chamber erupted into chaos. Gunfire filled the air as Serena, Rebecca, and Alex fought to hold the Seekers back. The dark-robed figures moved with eerie precision, their silent advance unrelenting. Serena's bullets tore through the first few, but more kept coming, their faces obscured by their hoods, their movements impossibly coordinated.
Serena ducked behind a pillar as the Seekers returned fire, bullets ricocheting off the stone walls. She reloaded quickly, her mind racing. They were outnumbered, and the Seekers were pushing forward with terrifying speed. If they broke through, there would be no stopping them.
"Elena!" Serena shouted, glancing toward the corner where Elena had taken cover. "Get ready to fall back!"
Elena nodded, her hands shaking as she clutched the small pistol Serena had given her. She wasn't a fighter, but Serena had to trust that Elena would be able to hold her own when the time came.
Serena fired again, taking down another Seeker as they advanced into the room. But for every one that fell, two more took their place. It was as if they were endless, their numbers growing with each passing second.
The fortress shook again, this time more violently, as the floor beneath them cracked and splintered. The Seekers' power was growing—whatever force they were summoning was getting closer.
"We're losing ground!" Alex shouted over the gunfire, his voice strained. "We can't hold them much longer!"
Serena gritted her teeth, her mind racing. She had to think, had to find a way to stop them. The Lumen Corvus was still in her pack, the key to everything. But if the Seekers got their hands on it, it would be over.
Then, in the chaos, Serena remembered something Elena had said. The Lumen Corvus wasn't just a key—it was a weapon. A weapon that could destroy as well as unlock.
"Elena!" Serena called, her voice sharp. "The Lumen Corvus! We can use it! How do we activate it?"
Elena's eyes widened, and she hesitated for a moment before nodding. "There's a phrase—a command. It's in the old texts. I… I think I remember it."
"Then do it!" Serena shouted. "We're out of time!"
Elena moved toward her, her hands trembling as she reached into Serena's pack and pulled out the obsidian-black orb. The chamber shook again, dust falling from the ceiling as the Seekers closed in, their dark eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Elena," Serena said, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Say the words. Now."
Elena took a deep breath, her voice barely audible over the roar of the battle. Then, she spoke the words.
And the world began to change.