"Attention all civilians: remain in your quarters. Do not panic. This is a controlled situation," Lyla's voice boomed over the base's intercom, though the slight tremor in the floor suggested otherwise.
In the armory, Jane was already fully suited in her tactical gear, her expression grim. Annie rushed into the room, her arms full of specialized equipment. A soldier followed closely behind, carrying a long, ornate scabbard.
"Give it to her," Annie commanded, pointing at Lyla.
The guard handed the sword to the Commander. As Lyla's hand closed around the hilt and she began to draw the blade, Annie let out a sharp cry.
"No! Stop!"
Annie lunged forward, grabbing Lyra's wrist. "Jezz, Lyra! Do you want to kill yourself before the fight even starts?" She shoved a heavy, reinforced glove toward her sister. "Wear the glove first. Always the glove."
Lyla blinked, a rare moment of sheepishness crossing her face. "Right. I forgot."
Annie took the glove back for a moment, clicking open a small compartment in the wrist. She carefully slotted five glowing pills into the mechanism before handing it back. The glove was thick, made of a material that looked both metallic and organic, designed to withstand immense pressure.
"See that button on the side?" Annie pointed to a small, recessed switch. "Press it, and a pill will be dispensed. The compartment seals automatically. Take one only when you're ready."
Lyla looked at the five slots. "I thought you said three was the limit."
"Three is the *safe* limit," Annie corrected, her voice dropping. "In an emergency, you can take up to five. But if you go beyond that, you have to stop using the sword. Put it back in the sheath immediately."
"Why?" Lyla asked, her brow furrowing.
"Because each pill floods your system with demonic energy from the 11th Commander," Annie explained, her eyes wide with the weight of her own creation. "The sword carries that same energy. The sheath I built is the only thing concealing it, keeping the aura from leaking out. If you use both the pills and the sword at maximum capacity, the combined pressure will liquefy your internal organs. You can have the strength, or you can have the blade—not both."
Lyla gripped the hilt of the sheathed sword. "I have more questions, but they'll have to wait until we get back."
*THUD.*
The vibration was louder this time, shaking dust from the ceiling.
Annie turned to Jane, handing her a similar, though slightly less complex, set of gear. "Your sword works on the same principle as Lyla's. And take these." She pressed two translucent blue pills into Jane's hand. "Spiritual energy stabilizers. Your glove isn't as advanced as the Commander's, so just keep these in your pocket."
Jane pocketed the pills. "How long do they last?"
"Lyla, yours will give you fifteen minutes of peak output," Annie said. "Jane, yours are tuned for twenty. After that, the energy will start to backflow."
Lyla adjusted her collar. "No more time. Let's go."
As they turned to leave, Annie's voice caught. "Please... both of you. Be careful."
Lyla offered a small, confident smile before leading the way out. A squad of armed soldiers fell in behind them. As they reached the corridor, Leo stepped out from the shadows.
"Let me join you," he said, his voice steady.
Lyla didn't even slow down. "We don't have time for an argument. I don't care if you come or not, just don't get in the way. Suit yourself."
Jane paused as she passed Leo, leaning in to whisper fiercely, "Don't you dare use that power. Not here. Not yet."
Leo just smirked, a silent challenge in his eyes, and followed them toward the garage.
The group piled into a fleet of armored SUVs. Leo sat in the back of one with a group of grim-faced soldiers, while Jane and Lyra took the lead vehicle. The massive overhead doors of the garage groaned open, revealing a steep, reinforced metal ramp leading to the surface.
"So the entire base is underground," Leo muttered as the SUV roared up the ramp.
As they crested the top and reached the surface, the vehicles skidded to a halt. Leo stepped out, taking a deep breath of the cool air. "I actually missed this," he whispered.
"We're not here to breathe the fresh air, kid," a soldier grumbled, checking his rifle.
Leo looked at him awkwardly, then turned his gaze forward. His breath hitched.
Standing in the middle of the desolate landscape was a figure. It wasn't a towering monster; it was roughly the size of a human bodybuilder, but it radiated a pressure that made the air feel heavy.
*That is a High-Rank Beast,* Nova's voice echoed in Leo's mind, sharp and alert.
*I thought he'd be bigger,* Leo thought, his eyes narrowing. *He looks... dangerous.*
Lyla and Jane stepped out of their vehicle. Lyla picked up a tactical megaphone, her voice amplified across the clearing. "I don't know if you understand our language, but state your business. Why are you attacking this base?"
The figure tilted its head, a slow, predatory grin spreading across its face. "I understand you perfectly, human. I came to cull the 'strong' ones among you. Or so I was told."
Jane's eyes widened. "He speaks?" she whispered to Lyla. "And his voice... it's like he's standing right next to us."
The figure's smile widened. "Bow down now, and I might consider a quick death. It's more mercy than you deserve."
Lyla stepped forward, her hand resting on her sword. "So you're a Beast. My first time seeing one in the flesh." She scanned the horizon. "You came all this way alone? You think you can take an entire base by yourself?"
The figure laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "From the Specters to the Origins, we Beasts fight solo. We don't need an army. And besides..." He paused, his eyes gleaming with malice. "A Harbinger is already on his way."
"Harbinger?" Lyla repeated, her grip tightening.
"How fascinating," the Beast mocked. "You don't even know what a Harbinger is. Your ignorance is almost tragic."
"We don't care about your titles," Lyla snapped. "Give us a name to put on your grave."
"Wilder," the Beast replied.
Lyla started to step forward, but Jane placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back. "Let me handle this one, Lyla."
Leo, watching from the SUV, felt a cold knot of fear in his stomach. *Has she lost her mind?* he thought, his hand twitching toward his own hidden power.
Jane reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the blue pills. "Lyla... start the timer."
The moment Jane swallowed the pill, Lyra clicked the stopwatch on her wrist.
A sudden, violent surge of blue aura erupted from Jane. Her hair shimmered, turning a brilliant, electric blue, and her pupils glowed with the same ethereal light. She picked up the megaphone, her voice now carrying a strange, resonant power.
"I'll be your opponent, Wilder."
Wilder's grin turned feral. "My pleasure."
To be continued.....