The first Purifier died before Kaelen’s boots touched stone.

  He dropped from the cavern ceiling in a burst of violet lightning, Lightning Tempest already screaming through the air. The blade carved cleanly through the Elite’s neck, electricity sealing the wound in a flash of ozone.

  “CONTACT!” someone shouted.

  Kaelen was already moving.

  A spear lunged for his ribs—Kaelen twisted, parried, and shoved lightning into the shaft. Metal shrieked. The Purifier convulsed, armor lights flickering as he collapsed.

  Two.

  A third rushed with twin vibro-knives. Kaelen vaulted over the slash, kicked off the man’s shoulder, and brought his blade down in a brutal arc.

  Three.

  The cavern fell quiet—except for the low, predatory hum of the Ni-Dampening Bomb.

  It drank the air itself. Kaelen could feel it pulling at his Ni, like something siphoning blood straight from his veins.

  His comm crackled.

  “—eastern wall breached!”

  Kaelen froze.

  That wasn’t supposed to happen.

  Static surged—then Lyra’s voice cut through, strained but controlled.

  “Kaelen, if you can hear me—Graviton’s line is collapsing. The shield is destabilizing.”

  Another voice broke in, panicked.

  “Spectre’s canyon force is pinned! Enemy tunneling units breached behind them—this was a feint!”

  Kaelen’s stomach dropped.

  I was right.

  Explosions thundered faintly through the stone beneath his feet. The city above was already bleeding.

  “Multiple civilian sectors compromised,” Lyra continued, breath quick. “We’re rerouting defenders but—”

  The transmission cut.

  The bomb pulsed.

  Then—

  Clap. Clap. Clap.

  Slow. Mocking.

  “Well reasoned,” a woman’s voice echoed through the cavern. “Too bad they didn’t listen.”

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  The remaining two Elites stepped aside.

  She emerged from the shadows.

  Her Exo-Armor was sleeker than the others, matte black etched with crimson Purifier sigils. A command cloak rested across her shoulders, perfectly still. Her helmet retracted, revealing sharp features and steel-gray eyes that assessed Kaelen like inventory.

  “Kaelen Volkov,” she said calmly. “Second son of Rizen. Elevated output. Poor discipline.”

  Kaelen tightened his grip. “Who are you?”

  She smiled faintly.

  “Commander Astra Virex,” she replied. “Green Zone Overseer.”

  The last two Elites attacked.

  Kaelen surged forward, lightning flaring as he cut one down in a spinning strike. The second fired point-blank—

  A disruption round.

  Agony detonated in Kaelen’s chest. His Ni spasmed violently as the blast hurled him across the cavern. He skidded through stone, armor smoking.

  Before he could rise—

  Astra was there.

  She moved like inevitability.

  Her fist slammed into Kaelen’s ribs.

  CRUNCH.

  Something broke. Kaelen flew, hit the wall hard, and collapsed to one knee, gasping.

  “Emotionally driven,” Astra said, circling him. “Predictable.”

  Kaelen roared and charged.

  He poured everything into the strike—lightning screaming, blood-energy surging red beneath his skin. His blade crashed into Astra’s forearm.

  It stopped.

  Her armor flared gold.

  Adaptive shielding.

  Astra headbutted him.

  Bone shattered. White exploded across Kaelen’s vision as he staggered back, barely registering the kick that sent him sprawling.

  She raised her vibro-mace, its hum deep and hungry.

  “You were never the threat,” Astra said coolly. “Your brother is.”

  The world warped.

  Gravity crushed inward.

  Astra was ripped off her feet and hurled across the cavern, armor screaming as invisible force slammed her into the far wall.

  Orion Volkov stepped forward, hand raised, eyes burning.

  “Get away from him.”

  Astra pushed herself upright slowly, armor recalibrating. She laughed under her breath.

  “The Anchor,” she said. “Good. I was hoping.”

  The cavern twisted as Orion moved. Gravity inverted, slammed, folded. Astra countered with thrusters, adapted, fired—

  Orion crushed the vector itself, smashing her into the ceiling and slamming her back down.

  The bomb pulsed.

  Faster.

  Lights flickered.

  Astra’s voice crackled over comms. “Bomb status.”

  “Charging,” came the reply.

  Astra smiled. “Proceed.”

  The city above went dark.

  The bomb screamed.

  Kaelen dragged himself upright, blood running down his face. “We can’t disarm it,” he gasped. “It’s a dampener. If Ni touches it—it detonates.”

  Orion looked at the bomb.

  Then at Kaelen.

  “Try to stop it,” Orion said sharply. “If you can’t—run.”

  Kaelen hesitated.

  Just for a heartbeat.

  Then he turned.

  He didn’t push Ni.

  He opened everything.

  Lightning tore through him first—wild, uncontrolled. Blood-energy followed, burning and violent. Then something darker bled through the cracks in his soul.

  The bomb shrieked.

  Its core fractured.

  “NO—” Astra shouted, breaking free and charging—

  Kaelen slammed his hands into the casing.

  The backlash hit like a god’s fist.

  The core shattered.

  BOOM.

  Kaelen was thrown backward like a broken doll.

  He hit the cavern wall with bone-breaking force.

  And went limp.

  “KAELEN!”

  Something inside Orion snapped.

  Gravity didn’t roar.

  It went silent.

  Astra turned just in time to see Orion vanish.

  He reappeared in front of her.

  Then behind her.

  Then everywhere.

  Her armor imploded layer by layer as gravity crushed, twisted, inverted. Bones shattered. Systems failed. Astra screamed once before the sound collapsed inward with her lungs.

  Orion didn’t stop.

  When he finished, there was nothing left but warped metal and red mist.

  The bomb lay in ruins.

  The city lived.

  Orion turned, heart hammering.

  Kaelen lay motionless.

  “No,” Orion whispered.

  He was there in an instant, lifting Kaelen’s broken body into his arms.

  “Hold on,” Orion said, voice shaking as he launched upward through collapsing stone. “Please. Hold on.”

  The Anchor fled the ruins—

  Carrying the brother who had been right all along.