Lyra turned away, she wasn't safe. Not yet. She needed to act quickly, before anyone came looking for him.
Lyra glanced at the man, whose lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground. Without hesitation, she crouched down and rifled through his pockets. She found his ID card and a pack of cigarettes
She then stripped the man of his clothes and put them on, adjusting the oversized fabric with a small burst of magic. The fit wasn't perfect, but it would do.
She turned her attention to the door, still locked. Beside it was a black panel that had caught her eye earlier. Holding up the man's ID card, she swiped it across the panel. The screen flickered to life and scanned the card. A robotic voice followed:
"Identity confirmed, staff member Nathan. Access granted."
With a mechanical hiss, the door slid open, and Lyra stepped out into the corridor. The facility was unfamiliar, but she had mapped out parts of it in her mind using her magic. She moved swiftly through the dimly lit halls, avoiding the few workers she encountered. Eventually, she found an elevator and pressed the button, waiting in tense silence.
When the doors opened with a soft "ding," two men stood inside, their eyes narrowing at the sight of her. Lyra stepped in without hesitation, positioning herself in front of them, then turned to face the elevator door. She slipped her hands into her pockets, adopting a nonchalant posture.
One of the men spoke, his tone suspicious. "Never seen you before."
"It's a big place," Lyra replied smoothly.
The second man wasn't convinced. "Still, one can never be too sure. Let's see your ID."
Lyra's voice dropped, cold and dangerous. "We could've done this the easy way."
Before they could react, Lyra struck. Her hands shot out, fingers pressing into the vital points of their necks with precise, magical force. The two men collapsed, unconscious, before they even knew what had happened.
The elevator continued its ascent. "Ding." The doors opened, and Lyra stepped out calmly, leaving the two unconscious bodies behind. She navigated the facility's corridors, relying on her magic to sense the layout and avoid detection. But just as she thought things were going too smoothly, alarms blared, and red lights began flashing, casting an eerie glow over the halls.
"Subject Number XXXX has escaped. All personnel are to search for her and detain her immediately."
The alarms blared around her, echoing off the walls of the underground facility. Red lights pulsed in rhythmic flashes, casting an eerie glow over the sterile, metallic hallways. Lyra's heart raced, but she wasn't panicking. Every fiber of her being was focused, sharp, and lethal.
She had already dispatched two guards in the elevator, their unconscious bodies left behind like discarded puppets. Now, her mind raced, calculating the best route of escape. Her mana still stretched outward, allowing her to sense the oncoming wave of guards moving through the facility. She couldn't afford to fight them all head-on. She needed to outthink them.
Dashing down the corridor, Lyra manipulated the flow of magic through her body, quickening her movements without exhausting too much mana. She could sense a squad closing in from behind, their footsteps echoing off the walls. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a thin illusion—a shimmering distortion in the air—that wrapped around her like a cloak, rendering her invisible to the naked eye.
The guards stormed past her, none the wiser.
Lyra grinned.