Night came down on Yongsan Garrison. It was, like a really delicate peace. The darkness made everything feel still and quiet like nobody was going to break the silence. Yongsan Garrison was wrapped in this night. It felt kind of fragile like it could all fall apart at any moment.
The floodlights made the whole compound look like islands of yellow light. The light was so strong that it made edges around everything. There were shadows between the tents and the barricades. It was, in these shadows that people whispered to each other. They whispered a lot because they did not know what was going to happen. It was January. It was very cold. The cold air was sharp and dry. It carried all the sounds of the city. The city was not quiet. You could hear guns being fired from away. You could hear sirens. There were also a lot of people talking quietly. They were talking because they were not sure if they were safe. The floodlights and the city. The people talking all made it feel like safety was not going to last. The city was still alive. It was not going to be quiet.
Ethan Cross was by himself in the room that was given to him. He was standing there alone, in his quarters the room that Ethan Cross was supposed to stay in.
The prefab module was not much bigger than a shipping container. It had a cot in it. There was also a desk.. A footlocker with fresh paint, on it that said something.
MAJOR — AWAKENER DIVISION
The title felt heavier than any weapon. It was like carrying a load on my shoulders this title that I had been given. The title was a lot to handle it was a responsibility. The title felt heavier, than any weapon that I could think of.
The man sat on the floor with his legs crossed, the falchion laid across his knees. The edge of the falchion caught the light from the lamp and the runes that were carved into the steel of the falchion were glowing slightly because the falchion was reacting to the power that was now flowing through the mans body and the falchion seemed to be connected to this power.
Not roaring.
Not raging.
Contained.
The Aura Sense was around him like it was a part of him like a second skin that covered him completely. The Aura Sense felt really close it was, like his skin the Aura Sense was unfolding around him.
Marcus was really tired. He finally fell asleep on the cot. His body was surrounded by a blue color that showed he had a lot of power inside him. This power was not being used now but it could be soon.
Across the hall Lena was giving off a color that was not as strong, as Marcus. Her color was moving up and down. It was clear that she was scared but she was also very determined.
Outside the walls of the module the garrison was really different. The module had its story but the garrison outside had a different one.
The clusters of auras were burning way hot. They were really too jagged. The auras just seemed to be burning out of control. The clusters of auras were not smooth all.
Red-edged. Unstable.
Marked.
Ethan let out a breath of air. He was breathing out slowly. Ethan was taking his time to exhale.
The cult had not followed them into Yongsan.
The thing they were waiting for had arrived before they did.
A knock cut through the silence.
Three sharp raps.
Major Cross, Colonel Park wants to see you now. He needs you to go there immediately. Colonel Park is waiting for Major Cross.
The TOC was really busy with a lot of things going on at the time. The maps on the wall were changing all the time to show what was happening now. You could see a lot of markers popping up all over Seoul it was like something was spreading fast. The officers were talking to each other in bursts trying to be heard over the sound of many radios talking at the same time. The TOC was filled with the sound of the officers talking about the markers, on the maps of Seoul.
Colonel Park Ji-Hoon was standing in the middle of the room with his arms folded behind his back.
The man said "we have a problem" away. Somebody got into our place without being seen. At three Awakeners are missing from the list tonight. We looked at how people were moving it seems like someone is helping them get inside the area.
The eyes shifted.
Some officers looked over at Ethan without realizing they were doing it. They just of glanced toward Ethan.
The man just did not pay attention to it. He completely ignored it.
Park continued there is more to this situation. A new rift has opened up underneath the base. It is affecting the old access tunnels that were built during World War II. We have sealed off the surface access points. The internal pressure from the rift is still building up inside the base. The old access tunnels are part of the problem. The new rift is making things worse, for the base.
Someone said that there is a dungeon, under our feet.
"Yes " Park said. "Cult symbols are already showing up inside the place I mean cult symbols are really inside now."
It got really quiet. The silence fell.
Park turned to Ethan. He told Ethan that Ethan should lead the people who are going to clear the area.
Not a request.
Ethan nodded one time. "My team is going to stay the same " he. Then he added "My team stays intact."
Park said "Granted". You will have a platoon that will support you.
The descent into the undercroft felt like I was stepping back in time. It was like the undercroft was taking me to an era. The undercroft had this feeling to it. When I went down into the undercroft I felt like I was going back, to the past. The undercroft was really old. It felt that way.
The air was really cold. It felt heavy. There was dust over the place it covered everything. The old concrete was wet and damp. At the center of the tunnels the rift was beating strong. It was like a cut in the world that was leaking a greenish smoke that smelled like old metal and graves that had been there for a long time. The rift was still pulsing it was, like a wound that would not heal the rift was really doing that.
The bones moved around inside of it. The bones were. The bones were moving within it.
Skeletons are putting themselves together from bones that are lying around. You can hear the joints clicking as they fit into place. It is like they are getting dressed in ghostly armor. Now they have swords in their bony hands. The swords are all rusty. The skeletons are holding on to them really tight.
Ethan told everyone to stay in line. "Hold formation " he said in a voice. Ethan wanted the people, with him to keep their positions.
The first wave really hit us hard. The first wave was so strong that it hit hard. We got hit by the wave and it was really tough. The first wave hit hard. It was a big deal.
Gunfire hit the ribs. It was very painful but it did not stop the skeletons from moving forward. One of the skeletons jumped over a wall that was meant to block their way and its knife cut through a soldiers helmet like it was nothing. A soldier fell to the ground. Started screaming because the wound was getting colder and colder and this cold was spreading to the rest of his body, which is what happens when the skeletons, from the Gunfire and the skeletons attack. The skeletons kept coming. The Gunfire was still a big problem.
Ethan moved to a place. The thing is Ethan really moved. I am talking about Ethan. He is the one who moved.
Not charging—stabilizing.
He hit his targets with precision the sonicator gauntlet making a humming noise as it broke skulls and joints. The vibrations from the sonicator gauntlet went through the bodies. They fell apart until they were just lifeless piles on the ground. When he killed someone he felt a little bit of energy come into him. This energy was not too much. It did not hurt him. The sonicator gauntlet was very powerful. It helped him a lot. With the sonicator gauntlet he was able to kill his targets and get some energy from them. The energy from the sonicator gauntlet was good, for him. It made him stronger.
Useful.
Marcus was there with him swinging his maul up and down in big swings hitting really hard every time. Lena kept watch from a distance shooting bolts and shotgun blasts at anyone who tried to get close, to them taking them down before they could even get near.
They advanced meter by meter.
Then the atmosphere, around me changed the aura shifted.
Ethan felt something was, off before he actually saw what it was. Ethan saw it. Then he knew what Ethan was feeling.
Human presences ahead.
Corrupted.
He said "contact is marked" to warn us.
Three people came out of the dark their tattoos shining a little under their ripped clothes. One of them picked up bones from the ground and used them to hurt two soldiers before anyone could do anything to stop them. The soldiers were stuck with these bones. It happened so fast that nobody had time to react to what the figures were doing with the bone-lances.
The sun rises because of sacrifice she said in a voice. Your resistance, to the sun only makes the sun stronger. The sun keeps on rising.
Ethan did something about it of just talking. He took action. Did what needed to be done. Ethan showed that he is a person who gets things done by answering with action.
He completely turned her power around while she was using it taking the energy back to where it came from. Her scream stopped suddenly because a bad and deadly force was eating away at her from the inside out. The necrotic force was destroying her. The energy was going back, to its source, which was the thing that was hurting her.
The others fell moments later one, to Marcuss maul and the last one fell to Lenas aim.
The dungeon really fought back. It was like the dungeon was fighting back against me. I mean the dungeon itself was putting up a fight. The dungeon fought back with all its might.
The skeletons were coming back together. The rift was beating stronger now. It was like the rift was pounding in my ears getting louder and louder. The skeletons. They were standing again. The rift pulsed harder.
At its core waited the Black Knight.
Obsidian armor. A massive blade. Balefire eyes burning beneath a sealed helm.
It did not rush.
The thing moved forward. It advanced.
The duel was brutal.
The knight hit hard like a big machine that breaks down walls and each time he hit the stone would crack. Ethan had to dodge fast and he only just made it the space, between him and the knights sword was so small you could measure it in the time it takes for your heart to beat. The thing that was helping Ethan, the siphon was also breaking the knights machine taking it piece by piece so it would not be able to work properly.
Mistakes were. That is when the pain started. The pain followed the mistakes.
There was blood. Then I felt pain. The blood and the pain were really scary. I saw the blood. It hurt a lot because of the pain, from the blood.
Discipline really won out in the end. It was a fight but discipline came out on top. The thing that helped the most was discipline.
The knight fell to the ground. That is when the rift started to close in on itself. It made a sound that was of like when they put a big stone over a grave you know, when it is all sealed up and shut tight.
Then there was silence.
Breathing.
Then cheers—muted, exhausted, disbelieving.
Ethan straightened up slowly.
The power felt really strong this time. It was heavier. It felt more dangerous. The power was not, like before it was stronger. The power was a lot more scary.
Not a gift.
A burden.
His Aura Sense suddenly became really strong.
Something went back through the garrison that was above.
Alive.
Watching.
Parks voice was really shaky on the radio. He said "You did a job. Park wants you to come back now. Park has guys, inside the command area."
Ethan took a cloth. Wiped his blade clean. He made sure the blade was really clean. The blade was something Ethan used a lot so he wanted to take care of it. Ethan wiped his blade clean again to get rid of any spots he might have missed.
The cult had finally shown its face to everyone. The cult was now out, in the open. People could see the cult for what it was. The cult was not hiding anymore.
Now it is going to bleed.
Ethan finally got it as he went up towards the surface that was all lit up. The truth was really clear to Ethan, for the time:
The monsters outside were simple.
The war inside the walls—
That would decide everything.