The Vergants had once built barriers around their villages to keep out dark and malevolent forces. Tee had slipped past the first level only because it had weakened over time—and because of the raw strength of her darker side. But at the moment, her Ultramana ability worked against her, pacifying that darkness, leaving her too weak to cross the second level.

  Neither she nor her teammates had any idea of the trials that awaited once they disturbed the power source at the heart of it all.

  Instead of worrying about Varrak’s arrival, Tee’s mind lingered on something else—the thought of her teammates whispering about why she alone couldn’t breach the barrier. She needed to know their intentions.

  Settling down, she folded her legs to mirror the statue in front of her and closed her eyes, calling on her foresight. She wouldn’t be able to hear their voices, but Miko’s low speaking had taught her to lip-read well enough.

  Her vision soared upward, racing along the dark staircase until a faint glow appeared ahead. It spilled from a doorway that opened into a vast chamber lined with towering glass windows.

  At its center, suspended above the ground, hung the turquoise diamond—magnificent, radiant, scattering light from every facet.

  Miko was the first to arrive. She stopped at the threshold, her eyes wide with awe.

  “Why are you just standing there?” Kie asked as he entered the chamber, the others trailing behind. His gaze fixed on Miko’s back. “With your speed, you should’ve met us halfway up the stairs with that thing.”

  Miko stepped aside, giving him room to pass. “Are you sure we can just… take it?” she asked cautiously.

  Kie ignored the question. He strode forward, seized the massive diamond with both hands, and held it firm. Miko and Zod drifted closer, their eyes drawn helplessly to the gem’s dazzling glow.

  “Now,” Kie said with a smirk, “let’s get out of here.”

  Zod cleared his throat theatrically. “Don’t forget—we still need to deal with Varrak, so we can’t—”

  Kie cut him off with a weary sigh. “We’ve seen no trace of Varrak, and the stone’s still here. That means they haven’t arrived yet. Which gives us a chance to set a trap—with the diamond as bait.”

  Miko’s gaze remained locked on the jewel. “All that condensed Ether energy…” she murmured. “It could make dozens of earrings. My dad would pay a fortune for something like this.”

  Zod chuckled, though the sound rang hollow. “I’ll never understand why people wear these things as jewelry. It’s life energy—it should be used for the greater good, not decoration.”

  Miko ignored him, too mesmerized by the turquoise diamond to care. Kie, sharing Zod’s sentiment, was already eager to regroup with Tee and set their plan in motion. In their haste, they nearly left Saeda behind—until Zod noticed her lingering by one of the six evenly spaced concrete tubs in the chamber.

  She lifted her hand, palm full of glossy black stones, each about the size of a long eraser. “Are these diamonds too?” she asked.

  Alarmed, Zod rushed over and seized her wrist, causing the stones to spill from her grasp. “Are you out of your mind? Don’t touch things when you don’t know what they are.”

  He cast a scornful glance at the tub, overflowing with the strange, shiny objects. To him, they looked more like crystallized animal waste than anything valuable. But the sheer abundance unsettled him. Why would the Vergants keep so many?

  Saeda, unfazed, looked from the scattered stones to Zod’s grip on her wrist. Her expression remained indifferent. “I’m wearing gloves,” she said flatly.

  Zod hesitated, then released her and stepped back. “Even so, be careful.”

  Over his shoulder, Saeda spotted the others already heading for the exit. With a small huff, she hurried forward to catch up, Zod falling in step behind her.

  Although Tee couldn’t hear anything from her vantage point in the vast chamber, the sight of her teammates rushing down the stairs spurred her on. She pushed her vision past them, overtaking the group and effectively winning the race. Even if she wasn’t physically there, the small victory lifted her spirits—she needed something to cling to.

  As her vision snapped back, she caught a flicker of jet black beneath one of the bright orange archways at the base of the stairs. But when she looked again, it was gone. Her chest tightened, unease creeping in.

  “This statue is unbelievably lifelike,” a deep voice remarked suddenly. At the same time, something jabbed her right eye, forcing it open in shock.

  Tee screamed, clamping both eyes shut.

  “Oh freck—this statue just moved!” the voice shouted, now farther away.

  Reacting on instinct, Tee conjured a sword and raised it just in time to deflect a blast aimed at her face. Sparks lit up the air as she staggered back, pressing against the barrier.

  The black-clad figure before her crumpled, struck down by the reflected blast. But the sound of heavy footsteps echoed on the smooth floor, closing in fast.

  Varrak and his soldiers were already there, and she had failed to keep watch. Kie would be furious. Her heart hammered in her chest, her mind spinning as she registered the countless footsteps—about fifty soldiers, marching steadily toward her.

  She pushed herself to her feet and crouched low, staying beneath the height of the statues to avoid detection. Relief surged when she spotted a clear path winding through the figures, leading toward the hallway and the exit beyond.

  “There she is!”—“I see her!” voices shouted at the same time.

  A man clad in black stepped into the hallway’s light, wiping the smile from Tee’s face. “Crap!” she muttered, her feet skidding across the ground as she abruptly veered left, weaving through the chaotic tangle of statues.

  Behind her, the sound of impact erupted—plow, plow, plow. Explosions of ceramic shattered and crashed into objects, each strike drawing closer to the back of her neck. Shards stung her back, but with determination and agility, she vaulted over statues, moving in a frenzied, dangerous rhythm. Heavy objects toppled and collided with the ground in relentless pursuit, closing in fast.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The deafening pops of exploding statues rattled in Tee’s ears. With her back toward one of the five paths leading outside, she forced herself onto another, only to be slammed by a searing blast through her upper left shoulder, the force tearing through her body.

  “Aaah!” she screamed, agony ripping from her chest as two more blasts followed, striking perilously close to the same spot. She crumpled to the ground, her head colliding with the floor.

  The intense pain near her shoulder drowned out any thought of urgency, even as Varrak’s soldiers’ footsteps drew nearer. Gritting her teeth and clenching her legs, she fought through the torment that made her wish she could tear that section of her shoulder away.

  The chaos reached Kie and the others descending the stairs in a rush. Tee was alone, confronting an unknown threat. Without hesitation, clutching the massive diamond tightly to his chest, Kie swung his legs over the swirling railing and leapt into the central void.

  Miko zipped down the steps with blinding speed, leaving Saeda and Zod—less willing to risk such leaps—to sprint as fast as they could.

  A thunderous crash shook the room as millions of glass shards hit the floor, followed by a blinding flash of white light. Varrak’s soldiers, protected by their tinted helmets, remained unfazed, scanning the area for the disturbance’s source.

  Unbeknownst to them, the dark forces that had already infiltrated the city converged on that spot, severing the barrier from its energy source and causing it to shatter with bright light.

  Tee forced her eyes open, her vision skewed as she took in the chaos. The black helmets of the soldiers behind the frozen statues all turned in a direction that wasn’t hers, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. The searing pain beneath her left shoulder—three distinct hits forming a sharp triangle—burned fiercely but was bearable.

  Her gaze shifted to the white-helmeted figure advancing beyond the motionless soldiers and statues. There he stood. The man of the hour, clad in a shimmering white battle suit. Defeating him would be the ultimate triumph.

  A bitter smile tugged at Tee’s lips as she drew strength to push herself up. Each ragged breath stoked the fire in her wounds, but it paled beside her desire to prove herself. A Xeno-victim taking down the infamous Varrak—she could almost laugh at the thought.

  With a swift motion, Tee retrieved some painkiller patches, tore away the burnt fabric of her shirt to expose the damaged skin, and pressed the patches firmly against the raw flesh.

  Meanwhile, Miko reached the bottom of the stairs and hesitated. Her eyes widened in alarm as she realized she was surrounded by armed figures. The white battle suit-clad figure standing among them sent chills down her spine. Fear rooted her to the spot, almost causing the soldiers to overlook her presence.

  Kie’s feet slammed onto the ground, sending a tremor rippling through the area. Miko let out a startled shriek. The soldiers, lacking suction volts in their boots, staggered to maintain balance, while the massive statues rattled but held their ground.

  Cracks spidered across the floor beneath Kie, climbing up the cylindrical wall encasing the staircase. Zod and Saeda gripped the railing tightly, bracing against the tremor as it vibrated toward them. Peering over, they spotted Kie below.

  The soldiers recovered and fixed their attention on the two teenagers, their gaze sharp and unyielding. Tee’s stomach twisted. She lifted her head to see what was happening, then ducked quickly back down.

  Around twenty figures dressed in black, their helmets gleaming, stood before them. Each held a long weapon equipped with rectangular holographic screens that flared red, signaling the presence of the teenagers responsible for the recent deaths of some comrades. Without hesitation, the soldiers opened fire.

  Miko became a blur of black and red, darting across the room and leaving mini explosions in her wake, as it was impossible for the soldiers to land a direct hit.

  Kie conjured a sword in his free hand, skillfully deflecting blasts back at the attackers again and again, though even his skill could only do so much against the relentless barrage.

  Seizing an opening amidst the chaos, Tee crouched lower and crept toward Varrak, letting the noise mask her movement. She pressed herself behind a standing statue, her body fully concealed, and cautiously peeked around it.

  The statue marked the final barrier before a hazardous field of shattered ceramic fragments. Any misstep would reveal her, especially with her distinctive white hair making her easy to spot. Tee couldn’t help but wonder why the walls were painted bright orange indoors—why not white with random brown patches? It would have been perfect for camouflage.

  Meanwhile, Saeda and Zod summoned their own swords as they reached the bottom of the stairs, rushing to join Kie in deflecting the incoming blasts.

  Kie’s display of effortless skill, deflecting all his men’s attacks with a single hand, snapped Varrak out of his initial bewilderment. He struggled to comprehend how one person could move with such speed, precision, and superhuman strength.

  With a roar, Varrak shaped both hands into a massive laser weapon, aiming to overwhelm his opponents. Zod, Kie, and Saeda leapt aside just in time, narrowly avoiding the destructive beam as it tore through the walls, leaving a trail of ruin behind it.

  Tee’s eyes fell on a lifeless guard sprawled nearby, and an idea sparked. The black helmet faced her, the body seemingly still. Curving her back low, she crept forward, deciding to use the helmet as a disguise to get closer to Varrak.

  Adrenaline surged as the hand holding a weapon twitched, aiming a laser blast at her head. Tee jerked sideways just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack. Seizing the moment, she twisted the helmet, snapping the neck of the person beneath. The rifle fell from their grip, and the body convulsed once before going completely still.

  Staring down at the motionless figure, a mix of disbelief and anger surged through her. The person had been faking death, watching her the entire time, waiting for an opening. How audacious!

  Rage fueling her, Tee yanked the helmet off, revealing disheveled black hair. She deliberately avoided the face, not wanting another image to haunt her nightmares.

  Sliding the helmet over her own head, she was pleasantly surprised to find it air-conditioned—a small relief against the thought of sweat-soaked material pressing uncomfortably against her skin in such a confined space.

  Her stomach churned at the thought, but she pushed it aside, rising from her crawling position and inching closer to her target. The throbbing pain beneath her left shoulder persisted, but she ignored it, focusing solely on the task ahead.

  Varrak’s white battle suit remained unchanged behind the black-tinted face shield, revealing to Tee that it was a one-way tint. He seemed oblivious to her presence, focused entirely on unleashing his weapon on her teammates—and missing every shot. One section of the surrounding walls had already crumbled into rubble.

  Though many of Varrak’s soldiers appeared incapacitated, Tee didn’t assume they were dead. She kept their faces out of sight, minimizing the risk of being spotted as she readied herself to strike.

  Her heart pounded as she drew a deep, steadying breath, the air filling her lungs and energizing her. With a surge of determination, she sprang to her feet, muscles coiled like springs, and charged. Her sword gleamed with lethal precision, aimed at Varrak’s vulnerable back.

  Varrak reacted instantly, spreading his arms as each transformed into blazing laser weapons. A torrent of energy erupted toward the ceiling, causing it to shudder and collapse into the center of the room. Kie, Zod, and Saeda scrambled to avoid the falling debris.

  Amid the chaos, a brilliant light shot from Varrak’s outstretched hand, searing into Tee’s eyes. The glare felt like the world itself was against her. A curse slipped from her lips as the danger became painfully clear.

  Acting on instinct, she swung her blade to block the blast—but it shattered on impact. The force slammed her backward, her body stiff as stone until she collided with the unyielding wall. Steam rose from her, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. Pain flared in her shoulder, sharp and unrelenting, as she gritted her teeth against it.

  As the helmet was yanked from her head, Tee forced her eyes open, meeting her own reflection through the white-tinted face shield, barely an inch from her face. The sight was terrifying, yet she refused to blink, refusing to give an inch of weakness.

  A cold, unyielding hand gripped her chin, twisting her head from side to side. Varrak was dangerously close, the only small relief being that proximity gave her a chance to summon a blade—but her hands betrayed her, numb from the devastating blast. Helplessly, she stared as her weapon failed to materialize, the realization cutting deep.

  “Fascinating,” Varrak’s deep voice echoed from the two black sensors flanking his neck. His suit’s detectors didn’t register the Ether energy Vergants needed for sorcery—but Tee’s presence said otherwise.

  “What… are you?”