Adrian flexed his fingers—power buzzed like soda bubbles under his skin.He couldn't help it: a tiny bounce.
Clunk!
Head hit ceiling, metal yelped.He landed, blinking, then laughed through the soreness—bright, as if he'd just discovered he could fly.
Damian's heart did an involuntary somersault. Oh, he's a kid.
Caleb snorted. "Watch the ceiling, kid. We're not digging our way out from the top."
"Damn, that was fast." Ethan let out a low whistle, a grin tugging at his mouth."Awakening usually takes hours—you just bounced and dented metal."He shook his head, tone shifting into something warmer, almost brotherly."Stick with us. With that conversion rate, you might even outrank the boss one day."
Adrian nodded, smile softening into something quieter, more real.A strand of silver hair fell across his eye, and he didn't bother to push it away.For that moment, his face was just… young. Unburdened. Light."Thanks," he said.
Marcus slowed until he matched Adrian's pace."When we get back," he said, not looking over, voice low and steady, "you'll train with me. We'll find what kind of fighter you are."
Damian followed a few steps behind, silent.Maybe it was a good thing Adrian had become a Warrior.At least the Pure Land was safe in this lifetime.
They kept walking, still talking in low voices.Their boots struck the floor in rhythm, echoing through the long corridor.The lights overhead flickered faintly, following their pace.
Noah rested limply on Marcus's back. His eyes were half open, gaze distant, the world passing by like static.He wasn't listening to their words.Somewhere beyond them, something else was whispering—a faint sound that only he could hear.
The corridor ended at two tall silver doors, sealed tight and marked with faded codes.Adrian stopped.His chest tightened.
From behind the left door came a pressure he couldn't name—cold, heavy, alive.It felt like something vast and patient was waiting there,something that could swallow them all in a single breath.
Noah lifted his head slightly. His eyes focused on nothing."I hear it," he said softly.
"A voice. It's warm… gentle… like a mother calling her child. Left. It's on the left. We need to go left."
Marcus pressed his palm to the control pad.The doors slid open with a hiss.
Blackness waited inside.No light. No sound.The air felt thick—like the mouth of something huge, open and waiting to devour them whole.
"Bet the Ashbournes are eating mutant steak off gold plates right now," Caleb muttered and followed.
He had no idea how close he was.
And behind them, in the corridor they had left behind, the tanks began to stir.One by one, the eyes inside the glass snapped open—gray, gold, slit, human—all watching the team disappear into the dark.