The Commander had scheduled another round of practical training for his cadets. That time, their mission was to eliminate a monster from across the Veil—a Leak. Leaks were spontaneous and rare, but whenever one appeared, the Commander made it clear that he would entrust the task to them.

  The team of young Sentinels suited up. They remembered their first encounter with a Leak during their training exam—a shadowy canine with metallic claws that could duplicate itself into four. It had wanted to eat them alive. Tee shivered at the thought. The memory still clawed at her nerves. What kind of creature would they face that time?

  “The location this time will not be the fog-drenched forest,” the Commander began, his tone calm yet carrying a steady weight. “Instead, you’ll be entering an abandoned Vergant village, untouched by human presence for centuries. Do not assume you’ll find only the Leak there. I’d tell you more, but as with your missions against the Harbingers, the Seal’s defenses make every encounter unpredictable. Where you end up, what challenges await—none can be certain. Consider this not merely a trial, but preparation for what lies beyond.”

  Zod’s eyes widened at the mention of another Vergant village, though disappointment followed. It was unoccupied. Before he could comment, the group was teleported away in a flash of light.

  They materialized inside a vast stone hall. The air was thick with age and moisture. “I read that most Vergant villages had their own specialization,” Zod said, his breath misting before him. “They were obsessed with knowledge, so it makes sense each one would focus on mastering a single field.”

  “Zod,” Tee muttered, glancing around. “Shut up.”

  He shot her a look but quickly realized that probably wasn’t the time to talk. His eyes lifted to the high, arched ceiling. Wide archways opened to the outside world, where faint light poured through the gaps.

  The walls were built of weathered brick, their surfaces blanketed in green moss. Beyond the arches, they could see winding rivers weaving beneath bridges, swallowed by overgrown vines. There was little color apart from the beige stone and deep green moss, though faint glimmers of gold peeked from statues—remnants of an ancient beauty buried by time.

  They stepped through one archway and out onto a bridge—and the sight before them stole their breath.

  A city of stone stretched into the horizon, vast and layered, bridges and dwellings stacked atop one another in dizzying heights that reached the clouds. Vines cascaded down the walls like emerald waterfalls. Below, the waters glowed with a luminous green, mirroring the ruins’ haunting grandeur. Every drop of falling water echoed, amplifying the silence of the lost world.

  Saeda removed one glove and brushed her fingers over a statue’s arm. No visions came. Not even faint echoes of the animals that had once passed here. Something was wrong. Ever since she’d gone to Primus, her foresight and aura-sensing abilities had vanished. Perhaps they were gone for good.

  “Tee, you know the drill,” Kie said, folding his arms. “Search for anything that may lead to the Leak. And no lies.” His sharp gaze pinned her.

  Tee let out a nervous chuckle. That time she didn’t sit on the damp ground. It was filthy. She remained standing, blinking once to activate her foreseeing vision. But before she could look far, tension rippled through the team. Every instinct screamed danger.

  “Do you feel that?” Kie asked, summoning two swords in a flash.

  Everyone nodded, summoning their own weapons.

  From beneath the bridge, something darted upward—a blur of black and silver. Two massive arms ended in claws, and a gaping mouth split open with a piercing shriek.

  The Sentinels leapt back just in time, careful not to tumble into the murky water below. Their swords flew in synchronized arcs. The creature’s head twisted aside, evading the first blows, but its long, serpentine body—like a ribbon of muscle and scales that shimmered like polished stone—was caught and slashed. It hissed and recoiled, pulling itself over the bridge’s edge before plunging back into the water with a heavy splash.

  The teens stared in shock at the sheer size of it.

  “Is it dead?” Zod asked cautiously.

  They peered over the bridge’s edge. Black liquid swirled in the green water below.

  “It’s bleeding. That’s good,” Tee said.

  Miko frowned.

  “So… are we going in?” Zod asked. “To finish it off?”

  Kie remained silent, thoughtful.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tee said, eyeing the moss-covered walls and the dark slush gathering at the water’s edge. “That stuff looks disgusting.”

  “I think Tee’s right,” Kie agreed, earning a surprised look from her. “The water is the monster’s element. Going in would only give it an advantage. We need to bring it to land.”

  Tee sighed. “Is this the part where we need bait again?”

  Before anyone could answer, the hairs on their necks stood on end. They turned just in time.

  The creature lunged from behind. Five swords slashed through the air and struck true that time, piercing deep into its body. The force drove it backward, crashing into the water below with a thunderous splash. Its long, black hair floated around its pale, corpse-like face, eerily still.

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  “Now that’s dead,” Tee said.

  “It attacked all five of us,” Saeda muttered. “It must’ve been starving. There’s nothing here but moss.”

  “Mermaid,” Miko said.

  Zod grimaced. “Mermaid? That thing looks like the Grim Reaper with skin on.”

  Kie conjured a sword and sent it spinning through the air. It whirled like a disk, slicing clean through the creature’s neck. The water erupted with black blood.

  “Now it’s dead,” Kie said firmly. He turned away. “We teleport now.”

  Everyone nodded. In a blink, the world dissolved.

  They reappeared before the Lieutenant and the Commander, both wearing grim expressions. Standing with them was Elder Caledor.

  “Cadets, brace yourselves,” Caledor announced. “The elders have detected another fragment of the Alpha Seal. Be ready to face the Harbingers in a few seconds.”

  Shock rippled through the group. Their minds scrambled to refocus, preparing both body and will for the battle ahead.

  The Commander’s voice cut through the tension. “Remember—your task is to eliminate the Harbingers so they never come into contact with the Omega Stone again. The Omega Stone remains always linked to one fragment, and it has been proven. Should the Harbingers reach it once more, the consequences could be catastrophic—the end of this world itself. Your mission is to prevent that at all costs.”

  “Remember,” Kie muttered under his breath, “the bird’s our first target.”

  The team nodded, forming a tight circle, back-to-back and weapons drawn. Seeing their disciplined formation, the Commander activated their teleportation. The ground glowed red beneath them, and the world shifted.

  The earth trembled.

  They were inside a massive dome, its distant walls tinted brown and carved with runes. Dozens of winged creatures circled a central point like a living tornado. No sign of the Harbingers—yet.

  Glowing drawings etched across the walls flared to life, birthing more creatures from the stone. The air filled with shrieks and the flapping of heavy wings.

  The Sentinels drew their swords and engaged, blades slicing through bodies that felt like rock before bursting into dust.

  Suddenly, lashes of fire erupted from within the tornado, shattering the formation of beasts. The explosion of heat sent shockwaves through the air. The teens coughed, eyes wide as waves of fire rolled toward them.

  They dove away, narrowly evading the inferno. The winged monsters caught in it disintegrated instantly, though more continued to crawl from the glowing murals. They looked like gargoyles come to life.

  That fire—there was no mistaking it. Lilith.

  As the dust cleared, she stepped forward, dark and slender, a long silver sword in hand.

  Far behind her, Sade levitated cross-legged, the black bird perched calmly on his shoulder. He seemed oblivious to the chaos, focused entirely on deactivating the Sealed Bond. A sphere of violet energy enclosed him as he worked. Above him, suspended in the air, floated the fragment—an orb of golden stone surrounded by glowing sigils.

  The five Sentinels stood their ground, two swords each, hearts pounding. They quickly realized they were surrounded—Lilith, Legion, and the bandaged one, Silva, closing in from all sides. It was three against five, yet none dared acknowledge the odds aloud.

  Then came the strike.

  A storm of fifty swords rained from above, slicing the air. The Sentinels barely dodged. Before their feet even touched the ground, a barrage of fire followed. They raised their swords to shield themselves, the heat searing their clothes. They landed hard, refusing to roll.

  Legion’s chain whip lashed through the air, metallic and deadly. Tee and Kie moved in sync, cutting through its arcs before it could reach them.

  The moment Kie’s boots touched the ground, he charged Lilith. His blade sliced for her head.

  Zod grabbed Miko’s hand, spun her once, and hurled her forward. She soared through the air toward the fragment. But before Zod could blink, Legion appeared in front of him, and their swords clashed in a burst of sparks.

  Lilith dodged Kie’s strike with impossible speed. His blade cut through nothing but air. Damn it.

  While airborne, Miko summoned a sword mid-flight and slammed it against the fragment, knocking it out of the sky. It struck the ground with a resounding crack.

  Zod was hurled backward by Legion’s strength, rolling across the floor. A massive blade cleaved into the ground where he’d just been. The impact pushed him into a deep trench and he gripped the edge to keep from falling into the void.

  Sade’s eyes snapped open when he felt the disturbance. He watched the mortal girl strike the fragment and vanish from his line of sight. Panic surged through him. He tightened his forcefield—but no energy blast from the fragment followed.

  Meanwhile, Saeda and Tee sprinted toward the fragment—only to be intercepted by Silva, the bandaged one. It spread its spiked arms wide, ready to slice them apart.

  Tee dashed ahead, holding her sword flat as a stepping stone. Saeda leapt onto it, and Tee propelled her into the air. Saeda flipped over Silva while Tee attacked head-on. From above, Saeda sent two spinning swords down toward its back.

  The bandaged one parried Tee’s frontal strike with brute strength but failed to notice the blades behind it. One sword pierced through its back and pinned it to the ground. Saeda and Tee seized the moment and slipped past toward the fragment.

  Across the battlefield, Kie went crashing across the floor after taking a hit from Lilith. His sword flew from his grip. Blood dripped from his nose as he looked up—her blade hovered inches from his face. He tried to move, but black ash solidified around his limbs, trapping him in place.

  Lilith raised her sword for the killing blow.

  Then Kie’s eyes glowed blue. Her blade struck his neck and shattered.

  Lilith recoiled, shielding herself from the flying shards. Kie stared at her, stunned. Then darkness gathered around him—gnashing teeth, deep growls. When the haze cleared, Lilith had vanished.

  She reappeared at a distance, standing before a colossal figure forming from the earth. The golden fragment hovered above the towering figure’s head. Around it, smaller, flopping creatures took shape.

  Lilith summoned a blazing sword, its fire spiraling into a massive whip. With a roar, she unleashed it, a wave of flame crashing into the giant. The explosion tore through the dome, scattering dust and rubble.

  The giant collapsed, but from the blast emerged smaller beasts—grotesque creatures that seized the fragment and fled toward a glowing opening.

  Tee and Saeda gave chase.

  Lilith moved to pursue—but a massive stone fist, formed from the fallen giant’s remains, struck her down with thunderous force.

  Tee saw it happen, a flicker of hope igniting in her chest. But doubt quickly followed. Something told her that wouldn’t be enough to end Lilith.

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