There was an unnerving silence on that side.

  Luca scrutinized his surroundings as he walked, keeping both ears sharp for any environmental noise—which was nonexistent. He still wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not.

  An intersection appeared at the end of the corridor, both sides identical. He chose left, grimacing at the sound of his footsteps against the metallic floor. As he moved forward, the sterile air began to change. It grew colder, drier. A faint coppery tang clung to the back of his throat.

  If the tunnels had been oppressive, this place felt… consuming. A quietness that threatened to swallow him whole.

  He wanted to leave even more than when he had been in the mines, whispers echoing in his ears.

  Luca frowned, pushing those useless thoughts aside, and focused on the small details he could glean from the walls. Amidst the flickering red veins, there were thin coppery-silver wires that faded and then reappeared. From time to time, symbols would appear on the wall—disappearing like mirages after a split second.

  Minutes passed without him finding anything more than corridors. Until it branched suddenly, opening into a larger chamber with black panels instead of the ‘normal’ white ones and a circular yellow panel on both sides. Luca paused at the threshold, absentmindedly making sure he still had the capsule in his hands.

  The room was strange. Vast, with a ceiling lost in shadow. But the feeling it gave him was like stepping into a tomb in the middle of the night. Not that he had experience with that, of course. But—it was like that. He really didn’t like being there.

  He walked to one of the sides and observed the yellow panel. There was a faint row of symbols, faintly etched on the edges. Luca recognized the ‘mini-sun’ one and the spiral one. Thinking about it, he pressed the last one. Immediately, an orange glow flickered across the panel before the space next to it faded as if it had never been there, revealing a new room.

  It was filled with machinery—or what looked like it. Towers of silvery metal rose from the floor, and strange-shaped devices between them were connected through the same ‘wires’ he had seen on the walls. Glowing green lines, similar to the marks in the tunnels, crossed through all and each of those things. Same with the red veins.

  Stepping inside, he grimaced. The air here was thicker. It felt charged with an energy that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. A low hum seemed to vibrate through the floor and into his body. He was sure it was something he had felt before. But where?

  As he took a look around, seeking some clue of the Energy Core, a sound froze him in place—a sharp, skittering noise. He was sure it wasn’t a rat. Turning slowly, his heart pounding quicker than he would have liked, he saw… nothing. Not to his right, not to his left. The room seemed empty.

  Yet the sound came again, closer this time.

  Luca moved quickly and ducked behind one of the looming machines, sticking to the wall. There was pressure in the air, trying to press him down. He breathed slowly, eyes darting around from his hiding position. The skittering grew louder, accompanied by a low, hoarse sound that sent a chill down his spine. He didn’t dare peek out. He didn’t need to. He could feel it—whatever it was—moving closer. Like a malicious ghost creeping over him.

  He kept quiet. And didn’t move. Even when the temptation to flee seemed to overwhelm him.

  Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sound stopped. The pressure lifted, and the room fell silent once more. Luca waited, counting the seconds, before finally risking a glance.

  The chamber was empty. Whatever had been there was gone. Just like that.

  Slowly letting out the air he had been holding in, Luca knew he couldn’t stay here. Fuck. Where was the Energy Core? He needed to take the picture and get the security mechanism to pull him out of there. And quick.

  Skirting the edge of the room, he tried to keep to the shadows. His eyes didn’t stop for a second. He scanned and scrutinized. And when he was already beginning to think that maybe this wasn't the place, something at the far end, partially obscured by a device, caught his attention. He couldn’t explain it. He simply… knew it was the one.

  It was like a square metal bathtub, with four thick rolls of wire connected to it from the sides. A blue orb ‘floated’ in the middle, amidst a dark reddish liquid. The smell on that side, even from a couple of meters away, was intensely coppery. A ‘red vein’ seemed to be feeding it.

  Luca approached cautiously, not really wanting to think about what that liquid was. When he was close enough, he pressed the badge on his arm.

  Great. It was really that thing.

  With minutes still left, he glanced at the rest of the machinery surrounding it. There was an unassuming empty space at its left, with a small yellow panel. He didn’t recognize the symbol there—half of a circle, attached to a full circle, with a t sticking out of it.

  Luca pressed the panel.

  With a low, mechanical whirring, and a soft click, the panel slid open, revealing a narrow passage.

  Luca hesitated, his instincts fighting with his curiosity. The passage was lined with the same glowing green lines as the mines. It seemed to lead deeper into the nave.

  Pushing aside any thoughts that might jinx it, Luca stepped inside—and of course, the panel slid shut behind him with a soft hiss. The passage was narrower than it had looked from outside, so he was forced to brush his shoulders against the walls. At least the coppery smell was fainter, almost completely faded here. Instead, another smell dominated the air.

  The passage opened suddenly into another room, smaller than the last but no less strange. At the center of the room was something new—a large, cylindrical device, its surface transparent and filled with a swirling, crystalline substance. Small round glowing yellow orbs were floating in an empty transparent device next to it.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Ah. The Processing Center. Or whatever it was called where the Energy Cores were grown.

  Luca approached the device, curious, and then snapped a picture. As he did, a new message appeared in front of him:

  He stared at it for a moment, his mind racing. Energy Technology. That had not been in the books. Like the ‘hidden pieces’. What the fuck.

  It was a shame that an incomplete mission didn’t give him a single point.

  As Luca wondered if he could find the other two pieces before he was dragged out, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He frowned and glanced in the direction of its origin. It was behind the main device. His mind raced as he looked around, before he ducked behind a machine in the corner.

  The footsteps grew louder, accompanied by a low hum that made his blood run cold.

  It was as if his stomach dropped and cold spread through his body. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t even think about running away.

  The presence grew heavier, suffocating.

  It was close. Too close.

  Luca—

  Luca couldn’t breathe.

  Then, a scream tore through the air—sharp, piercing, and unmistakably human. For a terrible second, as the presence wavered, Luca wondered if it had been him—but as the sound repeated, he realized it came from somewhere far from there.

  And then, for a moment, there was only silence.

  Slowly, very slowly, the presence receded. The pressure dissipated.

  Luca gasped, desperate for air. His body almost collapsed due to the wave of relief that hit him. Supporting himself against the device, he closed his eyes briefly and listened. Only for a few seconds. The instant he was almost sure there was really nothing more there, he emerged from his hiding spot and made a beeline for the corridor he had come from.

  It was, almost coincidentally, the opposite direction from where the scream had come. The last thing he needed was to run into whatever had caused it—or worse, whatever had been drawn to it.

  As he came into the passage, he noticed something was different. The space now had a turn, the glowing green lines disappearing from his eyes to reappear a meter later. He moved quickly, trying to reach the end in a straight line. But there was no exit there.

  Well. It seemed like he had no other option than to take the turn.

  After pressing the yellow panel he had found at the end of that passage, he reached another room. This one was smaller but had different devices lining the walls. Their shapes changed—their size, their color. But the thick white tube that crossed through them stayed the same. It was marked with a mini-sun, like the device at the corner, and like the top of the tunnels in the mines.

  Luca approached cautiously, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. When he was certain it was safe, he raised his bracelet and pressed the button, capturing an image of the machine. As the picture registered, messages appeared in front of him:

  Look at that. Two out of three. He was getting closer, but he still had no idea what the final piece would be—or where to find it. He also didn’t know how much time he had left. But it had to be less than ten minutes, right? Sure, that is, if Nadeene had given him the right amount of time. He wouldn’t blame her if she gave them less to add some pressure.

  As he glanced around, he heard a different noise. Footsteps, yes, but multiple ones. And heavier than he had been hearing around that place.

  The noise was coming from the other corner of where he was standing. However, he saw no yellow panel.

  Which ended up not mattering as the wall slid open and four figures burst into the room. Familiar people. They were breathing heavily, their faces pale and streaked with sweat and grime. Nagato’s usual smirk was gone, replaced by a look of sheer desperation, while Nadeene’s sharp eyes darted around the room, scanning for threats. Liona and Ladon looked equally shaken, their movements frantic as they stumbled inside.

  “Luca!” Nadeene hissed, her voice low but urgent. “We need to move. Now.”

  From behind them, a loud skittering noise followed.

  No need to tell me twice.

  Gesturing for them to follow, he led them to the corridor he had just come from and then to the Incubation Chamber. As they ran toward it, Luca felt a weight wash over him—and heard a scream that let him know he wasn’t the only one.

  “Fuck, man!” Nagato cursed.

  “Help me!” Ladon screamed. When Luca glanced behind, he saw the man had clutched onto Nagato as if he were his own walking stick, and the position of his own feet —uh. Luca didn't like the conclusion he came.

  “Ladon,” Nadeene hissed, and clutching his arm, dragged him forward.

  Liona watched them with wide eyes. "Don't fall behind!"

  As they managed to reach the chamber, Luca went straight to the yellow panel and slid it open. Ladon was the first one to throw himself across it. It turned out to be another corridor, and Luca ushered the rest of them inside, his heart pounding as he glanced back the way they’d come. The sound was growing louder—closer.

  The door slid shut behind them with a final, echoing clang, cutting off the noise.

  They walked quickly through it and took the first room they found. It was a giant chamber with similar machinery to the one found in the Energy Room, providing them enough cover to recover their breath.

  “Fuck,” Nagato muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. “I thought we were done for.”

  “Uh…” Ladon hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry about earlier, man. My legs just gave out on me like jelly.”

  Nagato let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, real helpful.”

  Liona exhaled slowly, rubbing her temples. “We need to find the Energy Core. How much time do we have left?”

  “Fifteen minutes,” Nadeene replied flatly, glancing at her watch.

  Nagato groaned, leaning against the wall. “We’re so screwed.”

  Luca glanced around. This place was really familiar. Then he smiled.

  “Perhaps not,” he said, and pointed to the corner.

  The Energy Core device was there.