Chapter 5: Awakening
The air in the chamber shifted. The metallic scent of the core mingled with something else—an electric charge that prickled along Quinn's skin. The red pulse from the core grew brighter, and the enforcers—cold, machine-like figures—began to move toward them with silent, terrifying precision.
Quinn's pulse hammered in his ears. He glanced at Lazarus, whose eyes darted toward the approaching enforcers. The older man was calm, but there was a flicker of urgency in his gaze. He gripped the small device he had used to break into the core, his other hand reaching for something inside his jacket.
Quinn's fingers tightened on the journal he still clutched. The pages hummed against his skin, just as they had back in the alley, but now the sensation was stronger, more insistent. He felt something stir deep inside him, a strange connection to the journal, to the core itself, as though invisible threads were weaving through him.
"Quinn!" Lazarus barked, snapping him back to reality. "We need to move! Now!"
Quinn barely registered his words. His focus was on the journal in his hands, which now seemed to glow faintly, pulsing in rhythm with the core. The pages felt hot, almost alive, and for the first time, Quinn noticed symbols—strange, glowing runes—beginning to appear on them.
"What the—"
The enforcers were closing in. One of them raised its arm, and a sharp, metallic appendage emerged, glowing with a bright blue energy. In that moment, time seemed to slow.
Quinn felt a surge of energy rise within him, a force unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His heart raced, and his mind screamed at him to run, but something deeper held him rooted in place. The journal in his hands flared brightly, and as the enforcer lunged, he thrust his hand out instinctively, palm open.
A flash of light erupted from his hand.
It wasn't just light—it was power. Raw, pulsing energy that crackled through the air and slammed into the enforcer with the force of a tidal wave. The mechanical figure was sent hurtling backward, its metal body crashing into the far wall with a sickening crunch.
Quinn stood there, panting, his hand still raised, fingers trembling as the last traces of energy fizzled out in the air. The room seemed to hold its breath, the echoes of the impact fading into the dark corners of the chamber.
Lazarus stared at him, eyes wide. "What… what did you just do?"
Quinn's mouth went dry. He looked down at his hand, then at the journal, which was now glowing brightly with the same runes that had appeared before. "I… I don't know."
There was no time for questions. The other enforcers were still advancing, their glowing eyes locked onto Quinn and Lazarus, undeterred by their fallen comrade.
Lazarus grabbed Quinn's arm, snapping him out of his daze. "We need to move, now! Whatever that was—do it again if you can!"
Quinn nodded, though his mind was spinning. He didn't understand what had just happened, but he could feel that power still thrumming beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed again.
They moved quickly, dodging between the scattered cables and machinery that filled the chamber. One of the enforcers lunged at them, its arms transforming into deadly blades. Quinn barely had time to think before he reacted, raising his hand again and feeling that strange, electric energy surge through him.
Another burst of light shot from his palm, but this time it was less controlled, wilder. The energy collided with the enforcer, but only sent it stumbling back, its metal frame sparking. Quinn gritted his teeth, trying to focus, but the power was slipping through his grasp, unpredictable and chaotic.
"Come on, Quinn!" Lazarus shouted, pulling him forward as more enforcers closed in.
They reached the base of the core, the massive structure pulsing with an ominous red light. Lazarus pulled out the device from his jacket and began furiously tapping at it. "I need to access the core's mainframe to shut it down, but I'll need time!"
Quinn looked around, panic setting in. "Time? We don't have time!"
The enforcers were closing in fast. Quinn could see their glowing eyes in the darkness, hear the mechanical whirr of their movements. He had to buy Lazarus time, but how?
The journal pulsed again in his hand, and as Quinn glanced down at it, the runes on the pages seemed to rearrange themselves, forming a new pattern. Without fully understanding what he was doing, Quinn placed his free hand over the page and muttered the first word that came to his mind.
"Incendia."
The air around him shifted, and suddenly a ring of fire erupted from the ground, encircling him and Lazarus. The flames roared to life, bright and fierce, keeping the enforcers at bay for the moment. Quinn stared in disbelief, his heart racing.
Lazarus looked up from the device, his face illuminated by the flickering firelight. "I don't know what you're tapping into, but keep it up!"
Quinn nodded, though he had no idea what he was doing. The power that flowed through him was wild, ancient, and terrifying. It was as if the journal had unlocked something deep within him, something that had been dormant all his life.
But the enforcers weren't deterred for long. One of them stepped through the flames, its metal body glowing red-hot but undamaged. It raised its blade-like arm, preparing to strike.
Quinn raised both hands this time, focusing all his will into one thought: Stop.
The air around him seemed to vibrate, and suddenly the enforcer froze mid-strike. Its body convulsed as if trapped in an invisible force field, its limbs twitching but unable to move forward.
Quinn's head swam with the effort, and he could feel the strain on his mind, but he held on, keeping the enforcer at bay.
"Hurry!" he shouted at Lazarus, sweat beading on his forehead. "I can't hold them much longer!"
Lazarus's fingers flew across the device, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Almost there… just a few more seconds…"
The remaining enforcers were closing in, and Quinn could feel his grip on the power slipping. The flames around them began to flicker, and the frozen enforcer started to move again, its joints creaking as it broke free of whatever force had been holding it back.
Finally, with a triumphant beep, the device in Lazarus's hand lit up. "Got it!"
The core's red light flickered, and a low hum filled the chamber. The enforcers paused, their glowing eyes dimming as the system's defenses began to falter.
Quinn collapsed to his knees, the energy draining out of him as quickly as it had come. The flames around them flickered out, and the enforcers, now motionless, stood like statues in the dark chamber.
Lazarus helped him to his feet, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You did it, Quinn. We did it."
Quinn nodded weakly, his vision swimming. "But what… what did I just do?"
Lazarus smiled faintly. "Looks like you've awakened something the system couldn't control. We might need that power more than ever. The core's defenses are down, but we're not finished yet. Now, we find the heart."
Quinn swallowed hard, feeling the journal pulse in his hands once more. The battle was far from over.