The elevator doors slid open, revealing two guards standing at attention, their eyes narrowing when they saw Holten and Nolven. Without a word, they lunged forward, their hands reaching for weapons strapped to their sides. It was clear that they were trained for this kind of situation—trained to stop intruders, and they had every intention of doing so.
Holten's instincts kicked in. He was faster than the guards anticipated. He ducked low, sweeping his leg across the floor and knocking one guard off balance, sending him crashing into the wall. Nolven followed up with a brutal punch to the other guard's stomach, making him stagger backward. But these guards weren't ordinary opponents—they recovered quickly, and before Holten and Nolven could land another blow, they were surrounded.
The lights flickered. A hum, low and foreboding, filled the room.
"Don't resist," the first guard grunted, tightening his grip on his baton.
But Holten wasn't listening. A strange, powerful energy surged within him. The crystal—the one he'd never fully understood—had started pulsing again, its warmth filling his veins. It wasn't just power; it was something else, something wild. The surge of electricity coursed through him, making his body vibrate with an uncontainable force.
Without warning, a surge of raw electricity burst from Holten's body, slamming into the guards. Their screams were drowned out by the crackling of lightning that filled the air. The guards convulsed as bolts of electricity coursed through their bodies, frying their circuits and frying their senses until they collapsed, lifeless.
Nolven stood frozen, eyes wide, staring at Holten as he continued to pulse with energy. Holten's body was surrounded by an eerie glow. He could feel the power rising, surging like a storm waiting to break free.
"What... what is happening to you?" Nolven whispered, backing away as the electricity continued to surge from Holten.
Holten barely heard him. The crystal's power was consuming him, transforming him into something otherworldly. His skin crackled with electric energy, his eyes glowing with the intense light of a creature far beyond human.
His body now felt like a living weapon—a force of nature. The ground beneath his feet vibrated as electricity arced from his fingertips, tearing apart nearby devices. Every camera in the building shorted out, every light went out with a snap, leaving them in an eerie silence, broken only by the crackling hum of Holten's power.
"Stay back!" Holten shouted to Nolven, but his voice was lost amidst the roar of power that enveloped him. His movements were now frantic, a blur of speed as he dashed forward, his body leaving a trail of electricity behind him.
With a burst of force, Holten charged through the hallways, taking down anyone who stood in his way. Security personnel scrambled, but Holten was faster. His lightning speed, combined with the deadly power coursing through him, made him unstoppable. He dodged laser grids, weaving between them with unnatural agility, while his electrical bursts fried every device in his path—alarms, locks, cameras, and communication systems were reduced to mere husks of their former selves.
Nolven ran behind, struggling to keep up, his eyes locked on Holten. He could feel the static in the air, the raw energy crackling as if the world itself was about to shatter.
At last, they reached the inner chamber. The room was smaller than Holten had imagined, yet the book lay in the center on a pedestal, glowing softly, its cover a rich, ancient hue. The title was unmistakable: *Echoes of the Forgotten Cities*.
Holten's heart skipped a beat. This was it. This was the book they had risked everything for.
The portal.
Holten's fingers trembled as he opened the book. The air around him thickened, crackling with an unseen force, and a glowing vortex began to form in front of him. A swirling mass of light and energy twisted, pulling everything towards it.
"What is this?!" Nolven shouted, but it was too late.
Holten, now fully consumed by the crystal's power, stepped forward. His body crackled with electricity as he leaped into the portal, vanishing from the room in a flash of blinding light.
The world around him shifted, distorting. The ground beneath his feet changed. Holten's vision cleared, and he found himself standing in the familiar hallway of his home, back where he had started. The sudden change felt almost surreal—had it all been a dream? He touched his chest, feeling the fading remnants of the electric power that had coursed through him moments before.
Meanwhile, Nolven was nowhere to be seen. Holten had no idea where he had gone, but the confusion in his mind mirrored the silence of the room. He glanced around, taking in the stillness of his house, as though nothing had ever happened.
Then the piercing sound of an alarm rang out. It was 6:00 AM.
Holten's eyes snapped open. The time on the clock confirmed it—he was back to where he began, as if nothing had ever happened.
Except, something inside him had changed. The events, the other world, the book—it felt too real. Too vivid to ignore.
But where was Nolven?
As the alarm continued to ring, Holten sat up in his bed, his heart pounding in his chest. The echoes of *Echoes of the Forgotten Cities* rang in his ears.
Was this just the beginning?
Time, it seemed, would tell.
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This version fleshes out the action, giving the scenes more depth, while also introducing a sense of mystery that leaves room for future developments. Let me know if you'd like to adjust or expand anything further!