Secluded Starlight outpost
Burnham Park, Chicago
Terra, Earth Solar System
Neutral free Zones
January 15th 2019
Moments earlier
The Order outpost collapsed within ten seconds of the earthquake. The earth swallowed most of the building, leaving nothing but smoke and the acrid smell of ash rising to the sky. Emily could feel death's presence all around them. The sensation was suffocating, but she was adept at blocking it out. They had been this close to dying—again, for her. If Leon hadn't used his Rapid Step skill, they never would have escaped in time. She was fast, but her speed was nothing compared to someone from the House of Leo. The building was gone, but that was the least of the two warriors' concerns as the ground beneath them rumbled. A quake reverberated through the air, and the Odyllic itself trembled. A pulse of energy shot down from the sky and crashed upon them. Leon and Emily felt space expand, the structure of reality twisting and warping as a tremendous amount of energy was released. And then, the light was gone. They stood unharmed, though Leon had felt the force responsible for it."Spatial force," he muttered. How in the hell was enough Spatial Force energy created to cover an entire city? That question lingered in Leon's mind, eclipsing the trap magic that had nearly killed them moments earlier. Something larger was happening.
"Someone must have cast a spell," Emily said.
"On that scale? Then that person must be a King Realm," Leon replied. Emily could sense his frustration as he kicked the ground, sending chunks of debris and grass flying with his strength. "What the hell is going on with this planet?"
"Unfortunately, I think your hunch might be right this time," Emily said. She understood why Leon was angry, but whatever was going on, their task was to investigate. "We should head out…"
Her words were cut off by a sudden flash of light. Both of them looked up, straining their eyes against the brilliance. Above them, a ship hovered in the sky, its glow unmistakable. Emily recognized the vessel as belonging to the organization known as Golden Dawn. Beyond the light, silhouetted by the open door of the ship, stood a figure waiting for them.
"Emanu," Leon said with a smile. The girl's lips curled into a grin at the sound of her name. She had pale skin, red hair tied in a ponytail, and glowing orange armor protecting her body. The chest of the armor bore the symbol of the Golden Dawn. Behind her stood her fellow Guardians, dressed in identical outfits.
The Hidden World was a vast and mysterious realm, filled with countless unknown forces beyond the hidden cities within it. The Grey wasn't enough to protect the mundane worlds and their inhabitants from such threats. That was where the Golden Dawn came in. Just as Starlight protected the Federation from Abominations, the Golden Dawn defended the mundane world from mystical threats originating both within and beyond outer space. As an Offworlder, Emily fit the criteria for Golden Dawn's scrutiny, but her association with the Yesh Institute had cleared her to remain in Terra. Still, her gaze drifted to the hole where a Starlight facility once stood. What would the Golden Dawn do if they discovered this? Probably not much. The Golden Dawn couldn't afford to pick a fight with Starlight—an intergalactic organization wielding far more power than they could muster—especially when they had their problems to manage. Emily turned her attention back to the ship as it descended slowly toward the ground. Emanu leaped gracefully from the ship, followed by the other Guardians. Her eyes briefly lingered on the hole behind them before settling on Leon.
"There's been a situation," Emanu said, her voice steady but laced with urgency."Does this have anything to do with the Rumbling?" Leon asked, his tone cautious but probing.
"One of the Yesh Institute buildings has been hit," Emanu replied. Emily, standing quietly nearby, was already familiar with the Yesh Institute. It served as a front for the Golden Dawn in the mundane world, disguised as a prestigious organization conducting cutting-edge research in medicine and biotechnology. Its reputation in the mundane world was sterling, but she knew its true purpose ran much deeper.
"So, you want us to help with it?" Leon pressed, crossing his arms.
"Trust me, both things are connected," Emanu said firmly. "Get in."
****
The transport vessel hummed quietly as it cut through the skyline of metropolitan Chicago. Leon expanded his internal senses, letting them flow outward to observe the city. The streets below were eerily deserted, buildings standing like silent sentinels in the suffocating emptiness. The purple light that had swept through the area had taken everything—people, movement, life itself. Despite the stillness, Leon could still feel the trembling pulse of the Odyllic force, though its intensity had waned since earlier. He glanced over at Emanu. She stood near the front of the craft, speaking softly but decisively to her subordinates. Her expression was grim, her sharp eyes betraying the weight of responsibility she carried."What's Golden Dawn planning to do about this?" Leon asked, breaking the silence. Emanu turned to him, her face set in a hard line that spoke volumes.
"My mom's handling the Echo Fields," Emanu said after a pause.
"Echo Fields?" Emily echoed, intrigued. She had read about them but never encountered one herself. Echo Fields were natural phenomena—pocket spaces formed from concentrated Spatial Force energy. These zones replicated echoes of specific locations within the space-time continuum. They were treacherous yet invaluable for cultivation and ascension, a double-edged sword for anyone who dared to enter them. Though Emily had never experienced one, the sudden proliferation of these fields on Earth felt like a harbinger of something ominous.
"Right now, we have to focus on the breach," Emanu said, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. The breach in question was located in the South Loop of Chicago. Their craft hovered above a sixteen-story skyscraper that pulsed with dark, infernal energy. Emily could feel the suffocating weight of death emanating from the building, a stark contrast to Leon's perception. He couldn't feel the death directly, but his experience told him the signs of a massacre were unmistakable. The building's absence from the protective Grey confirmed what Leon suspected—this was a public-facing facility of the Yesh Institute, operating openly in the mundane world. From the hangar of the cloaked hovercraft, Leon and Emily peered down at the structure. It looked as if it might crumble under the oppressive force surrounding it.
"I take it the breach is inside?" Leon asked, his sharp eyes narrowing as he turned toward Emanu.
She stood behind them, giving last-minute instructions to her team before addressing Leon's question with a nod.
"One of our analysts was stationed here," Emanu explained. "She was monitoring a potential target when we lost contact with her. A breach was detected shortly afterward by one of our branch offices."
"A potential target?" Emily asked, her curiosity piqued. Emanu nodded.
"Someone who fits the criteria for Od sensitivity. If confirmed, they'd be eligible for recruitment as one of our Guardians." She said. Leon's jaw tightened. Whatever had happened in that building, it was clear the stakes were higher than they had anticipated. And with Golden Dawn's interest in the breach, this mission was bound to grow even more complicated.
"What could have caused a Breach?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Shouldn't a facility like this be protected from such things?"
"There are security enchantments in place," Emanu replied, her tone sharp and measured. "At least there should be. But someone either disabled them or bypassed them entirely. Whoever did this is directly responsible for the Breach. And judging by the readings, they released massive amounts of Infernal energy."
"Then we go in and take a look," Leon said decisively. Without hesitation, he leaped from the hangar. Emily sighed, resigned to his impulsiveness, and activated her Enhancement skill, Skywalk. Her movements were fluid as she glided through the air in a controlled descent, the faint glow of mana trailing behind her. By the time she landed on the roof, Leon had already summoned a light blade and was halfway through cutting a hole into it.
"You do know there's an actual entrance right there," Emanu's voice interrupted as she landed beside Emily. Like Emily, she had used Skywalk, flanked by her agents who followed her with precision.
"This is way more fun," Leon replied, a grin tugging at his lips. Emanu sighed, clearly unimpressed. She reached to her waist and withdrew a compact rod that pulsed faintly with red runes. With a soft hum, the rod extended into a sleek silver spear, its blade gleaming with a sharp brilliance. Emily couldn't help but stare, though she made an effort to mask her awe. The weapon was undeniably a legendary-grade artifact, the kind only a select few possessed—and with Emanu's lineage, it wasn't surprising. Leon turned to Emily, his playful grin fading into a more serious expression.
"You're the scout, so technically, you should go in first..." he paused, "...but I'm going in. You can follow behind me." The tone in his voice left no room for argument. Despite her frustration at being underestimated, Emily said nothing. She could sense the lingering guilt Leon carried after her recent brush with death. He wasn't going to take any chances—not this time. Emily followed closely behind Leon as they descended into the building, landing in a dimly lit corridor. The air was heavy with a suffocating stillness. Leon's Internal senses flared, scanning their surroundings as they advanced. Though Emily's mastery of Internal sense manipulation far surpassed his, Leon's abilities were still effective enough to guide them. They followed Leon's lead through the corridor and stopped at an elevator. While Emily and Leon stepped inside, Emanu and her agents opted for the stairs. Their plan was simple: regroup on the fourth floor, where the surge of dark energy was concentrated.
When the elevator doors slid open, Leon summoned a radiant golden sword, its light casting long shadows against the dim walls. Emily, meanwhile, pulled off her gloves, revealing bare hands glowing faintly with raw energy. Her weapons were gone—lost in the chaos of her last battle—leaving her reliant on her abilities. The hallway stretched ahead of them, silent except for their cautious footsteps. As they neared the office, the stench hit them—a rancid mix of sulfur and rotting eggs. Emily's stomach turned at the familiar smell.
"Abominations," she muttered under her breath. The foul odor was their unmistakable signature, a nauseating reminder of their Infernal origins. Emily hesitated at the door. Her senses prickled. There was something—or someone—else here. A faint trace of a presence lingered, one she couldn't fully grasp. Her eyes caught a bloodstained footprint leading back toward the elevator. Whatever it was, it had already been here—and left. She pushed the thought aside as they stepped into the office. The scene inside was utter chaos. Broken furniture lay scattered across the floor, books were torn from shelves, and shards of glass glinted in the faint light. The air crackled with residual mana, telling the story of a fierce battle. Emily crouched, running her fingers over the remnants of energy in the room. The mana here was foreign, twisted. One signature was tainted with Infernal essence, but the other... the other was something entirely different. She couldn't place it. By the desk, a body lay crumpled on the floor. Blood pooled beneath it, still fresh enough to cling to the air with a coppery tang. The sight didn't faze them; death was a constant companion in their line of work. Leon knelt beside the body, carefully examining it. The woman's eyes had been seared out, leaving blackened sockets, but the burn marks weren't what had killed her.
"This wasn't an Abomination," Leon said, his voice low.
Emily stayed silent, her gaze drifting across the room. The blood on the floor and the clash of energies left behind told a story, but the pieces didn't add up. Something else had happened here, something she couldn't quite grasp. The door creaked open, and Emanu entered. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, taking in the destruction with a grim calm. When her gaze landed on the corpse, her composure faltered. Her eyes widened in recognition, and for the first time, her calm exterior cracked.
"No..." she whispered, her voice trembling as she rushed toward the body.
"Dr. Dingle!" she called out, her voice trembling with shock, rage, and fear as she checked the body. Emily's brow furrowed at the intensity of her reaction.
"You know her?" Emily asked. Emanu turned to them, nodding, her eyes closing as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She picked up a file from the floor and began going through it.
"Okay, can you start explaining things to us?" Leon pressed, his patience thinning as Emanu continued rifling through the cabinet. "How does this connect to the Echo field?"
Emanu paused, then sighed. "I suppose since you're interim instructors, it's only fair to tell you."
Leon and Emily exchanged a glance. They were both interim instructors at Yesh Academy, a facility run by Golden Dawn that trained Od-sensitive humans in the mystical arts. After their exile from the Federation, they had been taken in by the Yesh family, a powerful and influential group with ties to both the Federation and the Neutral Free Zone. The family had given them a place and a job to keep them occupied. The Yesh family's partner also happened to be the High Guardian of Terra, so it made sense for Golden Dawn to bring Leon and Emily along for something as sensitive as this.
"Dr. Dingle was one of our analysts," Emanu explained.
"Yes, we know that," Emily replied, her gaze still on the body.
"Her job was to monitor a 1-0-9," Emanu continued, her voice tight. "A 1-0-9 is an entity or object shrouded in mystery, something completely unknown. She was assigned to determine if the 1-0-9 was fit for service..."
"So, she was stationed here as a therapist?" Leon asked, still scanning the room, his eyes darting over every detail. Meanwhile, Emily closed her eyes, activating her internal sight to search for any anomalies.
"Dr. Dingle was indeed a therapist," Emanu confirmed. "But she was also one of us."
Leon looked at the marks on the victim's wrist. "There are slash marks here," he said, examining her arm closely. "This was done by a blade, not a claw."
"If an Abomination didn't kill her, then what did?" Leon asked. "Can you sense anything else? Anything off—?"
"Ssshh." Emily placed a finger to her lips, her concentration deepening. Her internal senses reached out, sweeping through the entire building. There was nothing—no living presence, save for them and the agents from Golden Dawn. Suddenly, Emily froze, her senses locking onto something. The distant screams began, sending a chill through the room.
"My men," Emanu said, her voice cold and clipped, though the urgency beneath it was impossible to miss.
Leon reacted first, a blur of movement as he bolted out of the office, his jaw set with unspoken determination. Emily and Emanu followed on his heels, the air between them charged with unspoken tension. The elevator ride was brief, but the silence was suffocating. Emily's senses screamed at her, the gnawing unease in her gut coiling tighter with each passing second. She gripped the railing, her breath uneven. That presence—whatever it was—felt wrong. Like a sickly, oily film coating her very soul. Not long ago, she and Leon had battled an Erlking in the city's sewers, and that encounter had nearly killed her. She had scars to prove it, both visible and unseen. The idea of facing something worse left her stomach churning. The elevator dinged, its cheerful tone at odds with the oppressive dread that enveloped them. Leon surged forward, taking point, his movements sharp and purposeful. Emily forced herself to follow, though every nerve in her body screamed for her to turn and run.
As they neared the basement, the sound of mana blasters ripped through the air—sharp, violent bursts that echoed off the steel-lined walls. The faint flicker of lights painted the corridor in a strobe of chaos. Screams followed, raw and filled with agony. The group rounded the corner into the boiler room, and Emily's breath hitched. The scene before them was pure carnage. Agents were firing their mana cannons desperately, their beams of light slicing through the dim haze. But their enemies—a horde of monstrous, reptilian creatures—weren't going down easily. Their pale, scaly hides glistened with a sickly sheen, their elongated, fang-filled mouths snapping hungrily as they lunged. The air reeked of burnt ozone and iron, and the faint hum of machinery faltered under the chaos. Emanu didn't hesitate. Her spear ignited with an angry, crimson glow as she charged into the fray. With a swift thrust, she skewered three abominations in one motion, the weapon's arc slicing cleanly through their twisted forms. A spray of black ichor hit the floor, sizzling like acid. She spun her spear with precision, the glowing tip leaving streaks of light as it cleaved through another row of creatures.
Leon was a force of nature beside her, his golden blade an extension of his will. Each swing was calculated, cutting through scales and flesh with terrifying efficiency. His strikes left behind arcs of shimmering energy, his mastery of the weapon apparent in the brutal grace of his movements. Emily hung back, her lack of weaponry forcing her to rely on her mana. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she focused, drawing power from the swirling darkness within her. The air around her grew cold as her magic coalesced.
[Darkness Creation: Nebula Arrows]
Shadowy projectiles materialized before her, each one pulsating with raw, volatile energy. With a flick of her wrist, the arrows launched, their shrieking sound slicing through the cacophony of battle. They struck their targets with deadly precision, embedding themselves in the creatures' skulls and detonating in bursts of dark energy.
"Where the hell did they come from?" Leon barked, his voice tight as he bisected another abomination. His movements were relentless, each wide sweep of his sword cutting down several foes at once.
"The Breach," Emanu spat, her spear carving a path through the writhing mass. "Whatever came out of it infected the people in this building. Turned them."
Emily's stomach churned at the thought. These weren't just monsters—they'd once been human. Their hollow, glowing eyes and twisted forms told a story of agony, of lives consumed by the infernal taint of the Breach. The creatures they were cutting down weren't victims any more; they were mindless horrors, vessels of chaos. One of the abominations lunged at Emanu, its gaping maw snapping inches from her face. Before it could strike, Emily loosed another Nebula Arrow, the dark projectile tearing through its skull and leaving behind a ragged hole. The beast faltered, giving Leon just enough time to drive his sword through its chest. The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek before crumbling into ash, leaving behind a faintly glowing shard. The remaining abominations paused, their heads snapping toward Emily and her companions. Their grotesque faces twisted into expressions of hesitation and… something else.
"Must… leave," one growled, its voice guttural and fragmented. The speaker—a massive, crimson-streaked ape-like creature clad in jagged armor—stepped forward, its yellow eyes fixed on Emily. "Have no business with Paladin… the girl… nee.e..d to re…trieve her."
Leon stiffened, his grip tightening on his sword. "You can talk?"
The creature hissed in response, then unleashed a guttural roar. The sound reverberated through the room, rattling the pipes and machines. The other abominations responded immediately, retreating as one into the shadows. Leon's jaw clenched. Emily didn't need to hear his words to know what he was about to do.
"Find that breach," he ordered, his voice hard. "I'm going after them."
"Leon, wait—!" Emily called, but it was too late. He vanished in a blur of golden light, his Flash movement leaving her no chance to stop him.
Emanu stepped beside her, her expression unreadable as she wiped blood from her face. A loose strand of hair clung to her temple, damp and sticky with ichor.
"Let him go," she said, her tone firm. "We have bigger problems." Emily ground her teeth, frustration and fear warring within her. She knew Emanu was right. The breach—its presence still pulsing below them—was the real threat. Even if the abominations had fled, the residue of the breach's energy was enough to spread its corruption further. Emanu pulled out a small device, its screen flickering as it tracked the source of the infernal energy.
"Massive readings below us," she said grimly.
"That's where it is," Emily replied. She knelt, pressing a hand to the floor. Her palm glowed with a faint blue light, the bones within briefly visible as the ground beneath them began to disintegrate. A wide hole opened, revealing a dark, ominous passageway.
"Was that a spell?" Emanu asked, her brow raised.
"Yes," Emily said curtly. The edge in her voice silenced any further questions. Emanu shrugged, stepping into the hole without hesitation. Her Luminent Stone blazed to life, its beam cutting through the thick darkness as she landed gracefully below. Emily followed, landing with less poise and wrinkling her nose at the stench. The sewers. Great. She gripped the mana cannon she'd scavenged from one of the fallen agents, her fingers tightening around the cold metal. Three agents remained behind them, their faces pale and grim. The others… hadn't made it.
"Another sewer? Seriously?" Emily muttered, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "What's with you Terrans and your obsession with sewers?"
"What? They don't have sanitary systems where you're from?" Emanu shot back, her voice laced with slight mockery. Emily huffed, trying to suppress her irritation. She'd only lived on two planets: Olympia, her homeworld, and Agartha, where she'd studied. Neither relied on something as primitive as sewerage. Their advanced technology disposed of waste directly, eliminating the need for these foul-smelling labyrinths. She shuddered, forcing the thought from her mind as they trudged deeper into the dank, suffocating darkness. The device Emanu carried began emitting erratic screeches, its screen flickering. She smacked it against her palm, muttering curses under her breath. It worked briefly, then fritzed out again. Emily's eyes narrowed as a sharp, oppressive energy pressed against her senses, growing stronger with every step.
"We're close," Emily murmured, her voice tight. Then, pairs of glowing red eyes pierced the gloom ahead.
"Hold it!" Emily barked, raising her blaster. The creatures emerged—a pack of grotesque Lizard Abominations, their twisted forms warped by infernal energy. Their dripping jaws quivered with hunger, their snarls reverberating through the confined space.
Emily didn't wait. With a precision born of endless battles, she fired, her movements a blur of speed and accuracy. Bolts of energy tore through the abominations, but more surged forward. Beside her, Emanu spun her spear in deadly arcs, each thrust and slice lethal. Her nimble frame moved like a dancer, carving through the tide of creatures with grace and brutality. The agents behind them unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, but the swarm seemed endless.
"Where's the breach?" Emanu shouted over the chaos. Emily blasted another group, her weapon's energy reserves dwindling. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Damn. She was running out of options. When a lizard lunged for her, she smashed the butt of her blaster into its skull, then tossed the weapon aside. If she was going to survive, she needed to switch tactics. She expanded her Odic force, drawing on her reservoir of mana. Her hands moved in a blur of intricate signs, her voice barely audible as she chanted under her breath. The air shimmered with power as jagged spikes of ice erupted from the ground, impaling a dozen creatures at once. Flames roared to life in her left palm, illuminating the sewer in an orange glow. The heat clashed against the damp cold, filling the air with steam and the stench of charred flesh. Through the chaos, Emily's sharp gaze caught a faint flicker of black and purple light beyond the monsters—a jagged tear in the fabric of reality. The breach.
"I've found it!" she yelled.
"Then close it!" Emanu barked back, her spear glowing with fiery energy. The weapon radiated power, petals of golden light blooming from its edge before slicing through a swarm of abominations like a scythe through wheat. Emily nodded, releasing her fireball. It streaked forward, obliterating a cluster of monsters. Coating herself in mana, she dashed through the scorched remains, her movements inhumanly fast. A lizard clawed at her, but she parried with an ice dagger, its edge shimmering with frost. She slashed and stabbed with ruthless efficiency, carving a path through the horde. These weren't fighters. They were fodder. But their sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm. Emily's mind shifted, her thoughts becoming cold and calculating. Emotion drained from her face as she locked away the gnawing presence within her—a dark, primal force clawing at the edges of her consciousness. Not now. Not here. Her moves became mechanical, each strike precise, each step deliberate. The sewer echoed with the wet crunch of flesh and bone as she pushed forward. Blood splattered her face and hands, black ichor dripping from her blades. Finally, she reached the breach. The air around it buzzed with energy, the tear oozing a malevolent aura. Whoever had caused it hadn't bothered to mask their work. This wasn't a breach; it was a warning.
Emily planted her hands near the tear, summoning every ounce of mana she had left. The strain was immediate—her body trembled, and her vision blurred. She chanted softly, her voice steady despite the sweat streaming down her face. She had to seal it before—
A guttural roar erupted behind her. Emily's heart jolted as a Lizard Abomination lunged, its maw wide. She braced for impact, but a crimson spear tore through its head, pinning it to the ground with a wet thud. Emanu appeared, blood and guts staining her armor. Her eyes burned with fierce determination.
"Keep going. I'll hold them off." Emily couldn't sense the agents anymore. It was just the two of them now. Emanu moved like a dancer in the dark, her spear slicing through the air with deadly precision. The weapon flashed yellow with every swing, leaving behind glowing trails that etched the air as if marking her dominion. Heads flew in arcs, their decapitated bodies collapsing before they even hit the ground. She spun on her heel, thrusting her spear forward with such force that it impaled three lizard abominations in one strike. Wherever she stepped, carnage followed—a relentless tide of destruction that made the monsters seem like nothing more than pests under her blade. Her strikes were so fluid, so precise, that it seemed as though she had rehearsed this massacre a thousand times. The Odyllic trembled in response, a primal reaction to the chaos. The surface of the water rippled violently, mirroring the vibrations of the energy swirling around them. Emily, standing at the heart of the storm, glowed with an ethereal blue aura. Her hands moved in intricate patterns, weaving arcane signs that pulsed with intention. Power radiated from her like waves, building to an overwhelming crescendo.
"Get down!" Emily's voice cut through the fray like a sharp blade. Emanu didn't hesitate. She dropped to the ground, crouching low and raising her arms to shield her head. Even as she moved, she could feel the surge of energy building behind her. It was immense, the kind of force that could obliterate everything in its path. The air around her grew heavy, the vibrations turning into an oppressive hum that shook her very bones. And then, it came—a silent explosion of power. The entire sewer lit up in an instant, blinding light sweeping through the darkness. Emanu felt the presence of the abominations vanish in an instant, their lives extinguished like fleeting sparks crushed beneath an unstoppable force. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the rapid thudding of her own heartbeat.
"You can get up," Emily said, her voice now softer, almost drained.
Emanu lifted her head cautiously, the glowing trails of her spear art still faintly visible in the air around her. She turned to see Emily slumped against the wall, her back pressed against the slick, damp surface. Her chest rose and fell heavily, exhaustion etched into every line of her face. Those alien orange eyes, so brilliant and fierce during the battle, were now dulled as if the light within them had flickered out. Emanu rose slowly, her spear still gripped tightly in her hand. Her gaze lingered on Emily for a moment, taking in the aftermath of her power. Despite her own lethal efficiency in the fight, Emanu couldn't help but marvel at the sheer force Emily had unleashed. Together, they had turned the tide, but the cost was clear.