The night was cold and silent—too silent.
Ethan crouched behind a collapsed wall of stone, his eyes fixed on the glow in the distance. The Reclaimer fortress pulsed with unnatural energy, its towers clawing at the sky like jagged blades. The closer they got, the heavier the air felt.
Alina was silent, her face pale and her fists clenched. She'd barely spoken since Aurora was taken. Her pain had turned to fire. A mother's fury.
"She's in there," Alina whispered. "I can feel her."
Kai reached for her hand, his voice steady. "We get her back. No matter what."
The team—Ethan, Elena, Alina, and Kai—moved like shadows, bypassing traps and scanning guards. They had one goal: get in, grab Aurora, get out.
Inside the fortress, the Reclaimers were preparing a ritual.
Aurora lay on a stone altar, surrounded by glowing symbols and whispers of prophecy. She didn't cry. Her eyes glowed faintly with the same eerie shimmer from the crystals. She was awake… aware.
They reached the inner chamber just as the ceremony began.
"NOW!" Ethan barked.
Smoke grenades exploded. Lights cut out. Chaos ignited.
Elena took out two guards with a dagger and a glare that could burn. Kai sprinted for the altar, covering Alina as she raced to her daughter.
Aurora's tiny hand reached up—recognizing her mother. The moment Alina touched her, a surge of light erupted from the altar. The ground trembled. Walls cracked.
"She's reacting to your touch," Kai shouted. "You're the trigger, Alina!"
But the Reclaimer leader stood firm in the chaos, eyes glowing. "You don't understand… the prophecy—she's ours! She belongs to the new world!"
Alina held Aurora tight, stepping back. "No. She's mine. And you'll never touch her again."
Elena launched a final blast from her custom rifle, hitting the chamber's support beam.
"RUN!" Ethan yelled as the fortress began to collapse around them.
They barely escaped, smoke and fire chasing their heels. Behind them, the Reclaimer's sanctuary crumbled into ash.
Alina clutched Aurora against her chest, sobbing and laughing all at once.
"She's safe," she whispered. "She's safe…"
But in her heart, she knew this wasn't over.
The Reclaimers would come again.
And Aurora's power… had only just begun to awaken.