Once the guards were gone, she darted in the opposite direction, heading toward the facility's core. The map she had created with her mana led her toward a large, heavily fortified room. It was a weapons storage area—a place where they kept potent magical artifacts. If she could get her hands on something there, her chances of escaping would skyrocket.
She reached the storage room and scanned Nathan's stolen ID once more. The door slid open with a hiss. Inside, the room was dimly lit, the walls lined with glass cases holding various weapons and magical items. Her eyes settled on a particularly menacing object—a black, metallic gauntlet covered in runes. She could feel the power radiating from it.
Lyra grabbed the gauntlet and slipped it onto her right hand. The moment it touched her skin, a surge of energy pulsed through her. She clenched her fist, feeling the magic in the gauntlet resonate with her own, amplifying her strength. A smile played on her lips.
With renewed confidence, she continued toward the exit. But she wasn't safe yet.
As Lyra approached the main elevator leading out of the underground facility, she could hear the sounds of guards barking orders. They had finally realized something was wrong. A large contingent stood by the elevator, their weapons drawn, waiting for her.
She wasn't going to fight them all. Not directly.
She crouched behind a corner, extending her mana once again. She sensed the guards' positions, their tension, their fear. Then, with a sharp flick of her wrist, she sent a pulse of magic into the lights above. The hallway plunged into darkness.
The guards shouted in confusion.
Lyra moved swiftly, darting from shadow to shadow. With the gauntlet's power enhancing her movements, she was faster than ever. One guard stood too close to her hiding spot, and with a swift, silent strike, she snapped his neck, lowering him gently to the ground.
The others had no idea she was there.
She moved toward the control panel beside the elevator and pressed her stolen ID against it. The elevator doors slid open silently, and she slipped inside.
She pressed the button for the surface, the doors closing just as the lights flickered back on.
The elevator ride was agonizingly slow. Lyra's heart pounded in her chest, her thoughts racing. She knew she was far from safe. The surface facility would be crawling with guards, and once she made it out, she'd need to disappear completely.
The elevator dinged, the doors opening to reveal a wide, open chamber. Sunlight streamed in through large windows, but Lyra's eyes were locked on the guards who were waiting for her at the top.
She was done hiding.
Lyra stepped out, her gauntlet glowing with dark energy as she faced the squad of guards. They shouted for her to stand down, weapons trained on her. But she didn't stop. With a single, smooth movement, she extended her hand toward the guards, and the gauntlet pulsed with raw, destructive power. A shockwave of dark magic erupted from her palm, sending the entire squad flying backward like ragdolls.
They hit the ground hard, unconscious or worse.
Lyra's earlier fear of being detected for using magic now felt utterly misplaced. The more she moved through the facility, the clearer it became—no one was watching her that closely, she cursed herself for not realizing sooner. She could have been using her full power all along, but her caution had shackled her when she could have unleashed her true potential from the start.
The wizards in the facility remained oblivious, hidden deep underground in their sealed chambers, consumed by their arcane experiments. Whatever dark rituals or twisted magic they were performing kept them isolated from the chaos unfolding above. Their detachment worked in Lyra's favor; their ignorance gave her the time she needed.
Lyra managed to escape.