The abandoned metro tunnel was colder than Kael expected. Dust clung to every surface, and water dripped in slow, echoing intervals. Dim emergency lights blinked red against the curved ceiling, casting the trio in shifting shadows as they approached the terminal door.
[Citadel Protocol: Phase Two Initiated]
[Estimated Threat Level: B-Class+]
[Objective: Breach and Claim Citadel Two]
[Warning: Order Presence Detected]
Kael glanced at Aria, who adjusted her gloves without a word. Beside her, Rin tapped into a wrist console she'd custom-built, monitoring digital noise on the grid.
"The Order's already here," she said, voice low. "Encrypted comms bouncing off the eastern wall. They're waiting inside."
"Good," Kael said. "Let them wait."
Aria smirked. "You say that like you've got a plan."
"I do. It's called not dying."
She laughed once—sharp and dry—then pulled out a twin-blade baton from her belt. "Works for me."
Kael approached the massive door—rusted, but still operational—and pressed his palm against the ancient biometric panel.
[System Sync… Valid User Identified: Kael Riven]
[Citadel Access Granted – Lock Disengaged]
With a mechanical groan, the door slid open, revealing the first chamber of Citadel Two.
It was vast. Larger than the last. Where Citadel One had been a vault of knowledge, this one felt like a battlefield. Steel platforms crisscrossed above a dark chasm, and holo-drones hovered overhead, scanning movement. Strange statues stood like sentries, and between them—waiting in silence—were Order Agents.
Five of them.
Kael barely had time to react.
"They brought elite hunters," Rin muttered, activating her drone control rig. "Great."
One of the agents stepped forward. Clad in sleek black armor, a crimson visor covering his face. He raised a hand.
"Kael Riven," the voice boomed from a helmet speaker. "You've breached the legacy again. That's a violation punishable by erasure."
Kael stepped forward without flinching. "You brought five people to stop three."
"We brought five to kill two," the agent replied. "The girl with the data rig is ours. She was never cleared for reactivation."
Rin's eyes narrowed. "Let them try."
[System Combat Protocol: ENGAGED]
[Team Buffs Activated]
Chaos erupted.
Aria leapt into motion first, a blur of white hair and brutal precision. Her blades danced like lightning, clashing against the curved sabers of the Order enforcer. Sparks flew, and metal screamed.
Kael dashed toward the central terminal. If he could reach it and upload the override key, the Citadel would recognize his authority.
"Cover me!" he shouted.
Rin dropped to her knees behind a console, unleashing a swarm of micro-drones that darted like angry hornets toward the enemy agents. One screamed as his visor shattered, collapsing into the abyss below.
But the lead agent was different—he moved like a phantom, phasing in and out of physical space.
"Got a system glitcher!" Aria shouted. "He's hacking the environment!"
"Then we hack him back," Rin growled.
Kael reached the terminal and slammed the override key in.
[Citadel Control Node: ACTIVATED]
[Secondary Protocol Detected: Hidden Archive – Locked behind Biometric Firewall]
Before he could react, a voice echoed from the walls.
"Kael Riven. You've opened my prison."
A glowing blue figure emerged from the terminal—a holographic AI, female, cloaked in energy.
Rin blinked. "That's… not part of the Citadel code."
"No," Kael whispered. "That's a person."
The AI's eyes glowed as it scanned him. "You unlocked this Citadel. That makes you my new handler."
[New Candidate Discovered: CODE NAME – VEGA]
[Specialty: Tactical AI / Combat Simulations / Archive Defense Systems]
[Compatibility: 92%]
Aria cleared her throat. "We recruiting ghosts now?"
Kael grinned. "We're building a war machine. She fits."
VEGA's form shimmered. "Then allow me to assist. Activating Citadel defense."
With a wave of her hand, the entire chamber roared to life—turrets descended from the ceiling, the lights turned hostile red, and Order agents began to fall back.
The lead enforcer snarled. "This isn't over, Riven."
Kael stepped forward. "It's just starting."