The ancient ruins stretched endlessly, their walls carved with symbols that had long since faded into obscurity. The deeper Crowne went, the more the architecture shifted—what had once been smooth metallic tunnels now twisted into something far older. Giant stone pillars, worn down by time, lined the passageways, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that flickered weakly, like a dying heartbeat. The air was thick, not just with dust but with an energy that pressed against the skin, pulsing with a presence that had been undisturbed for centuries.
He smirked, adjusting the comm in his ear. "Oi, Takashima, you still alive up there?"
Static crackled before Takashima's voice cut through. "Barely. Some of us don't get to skulk around in old ruins while a war rages overhead."
"Haha, lucky me," Crowne chuckled, stepping over a collapsed archway.
"I wouldn't say that," Takashima muttered.
Crowne rolled his eyes. "Well, how much farther?"
"You're almost there."
"Good, 'cause I'm getting sick of this place."
Takashima sighed. "You're approaching the lower vault. The energy readings are off the charts. Be careful."
"Yeah, yeah." Crowne pressed forward, but the deeper he went, the stranger everything felt. This wasn't just some old Martian ruin—something about it felt… alive.
Ahead, a massive metal door stood at the end of the corridor. It was heavily rusted, its once-smooth surface now jagged with time and corrosion.
"Well… this thing's seen better days," Crowne muttered.
Takashima's voice crackled in. "No one's been down there in over 300 years."
Crowne scoffed. "And here I was hoping for a welcome mat."
Without hesitation, he reeled back and kicked the door off its hinges. It groaned in protest before collapsing inward with a deafening crash.
"Was that necessary?" Takashima deadpanned.
"Of course," Crowne grinned, stepping through the ruined entrance. "Makes me feel cool."
Beyond the door, an eerie chamber stretched out before him. Unlike the rest of the ruins, this room was pristine—untouched by time. At its center, resting on an obsidian pedestal, was a bright green stone no larger than a baseball, pulsing like a living heart.
"There it is," Crowne breathed.
Takashima's voice sharpened. "Go grab it."
"One second."
"…What do you mean 'one second'?"
Crowne's smirk widened. "Something's down here."
"That's impossible. The vault was sealed—"
"It's a magic beast."
The air shifted.
Something moved in the shadows.
Crowne's eyes flicked to the shifting mass, barely visible in the dim light. He didn't need to see it fully—he could feel it. The weight of its presence, the primal energy thick in the air.
From the darkness, it lunged.
A massive serpent, its scales glistening like liquid obsidian, its fangs longer than Crowne's entire body.
"Wow! You're big and ugly!" Crowne laughed as he dodged. "So beautiful!!"
"Hurry up and kill it!" Takashima snapped.
The snake struck again, its mouth wide enough to swallow him whole—
And then it stopped.
Crowne had caught it with one hand.
A shudder ran through the beast's body. Its instincts screamed, its massive form coiling back in hesitation.
Crowne's grin stretched. His eyes gleamed in the dim light, the aura around him radiating something far worse than the creature itself.
"What's wrong?" Crowne cooed, tightening his grip. "The fun's just beginning."
The beast let out a low, guttural hiss—
And then Crowne moved.
Fangs shattered. Scales cracked. The serpent barely had time to react before Crowne's attacks tore through its body, his movements precise, brutal, merciless. The chamber filled with the sound of carnage, each strike more devastating than the last.
Takashima listened to the chaos on the comms, shaking his head. "He's having way too much fun."
It wasn't long before the beast's mutilated body lay still, blood pooling beneath it. Crowne stepped over the mess, shaking off the crimson splatters.
"Well, that's that," he sighed, dusting off his coat. "Yoink."
He reached for the stone.
The moment his fingers touched it, everything changed.
The pulsing energy vanished. The glowing runes that lined the chamber flickered—then died. The entire ruin, once brimming with ancient power, fell into complete silence.
Somewhere, far above, Aika shivered.
Kai noticed. "What's wrong?"
She clutched her staff tighter, eyes narrowing as an uneasy feeling crawled up her spine.
"Something doesn't feel right…" she whispered.
A cold breeze swept through the battlefield, carrying with it the sense of something shifting.
"…It's like something just changed—drastically."
The Mystic Forest… was dying almost instantly.
As the ancient power of Mars faded, the once-vibrant, untamed wilds withered away, their life force severed at the root. Trees that had stood for centuries shriveled into brittle husks, their glowing leaves flickering out like dying embers. The air, once rich with magic, now hung heavy with an eerie stillness.
Deep beneath the surface, Crowne made his way back up, grinning like he had just returned from a vacation.
"I'm back!" He struck a dramatic pose as he stepped onto solid ground.
Alaric barely looked up, sighing as he reached over and plucked the magic stone straight from Crowne's grip. "Thanks…"
"Rude," Crowne muttered, brushing the dust off his coat.
"Let's go," Alaric said, turning toward the transport.
The group moved quickly, making their way to Mercury's largest cargo ship, The Zenith, where the rest of the evacuation efforts were underway. The colossal vessel loomed over the docks, a masterpiece of engineering, its reinforced plating and state-of-the-art defenses glowing beneath the floodlights. It was their best chance at escape.
As soon as they entered the bridge, Takashima rushed forward, his expression tense.
"Hand it to me. Quickly."
Crowne raised a brow. "What's got you in a rush?"
Before Takashima could answer—
"ZARA BLITZ. THAT'S WHO!"
The entire bridge shook with Zara's voice as she tore into a group of engineers, gesturing wildly at the ship's internal systems.
"If even one calculation is off, Lionel will shred this ship to pieces! This needs to be PERFECT!"
Crowne smirked. "I see she's in a good mood."
Takashima rubbed his temples. "It's been a nightmare. If we don't get this working, she's about to bite my head off."
"I heard that!" Zara shouted from across the bridge.
Crowne grinned wider. "Kinda deserved, don't you think?"
Takashima groaned. "Just give it here."
Alaric handed over the stone without another word.
Takashima moved fast, pressing a button on the control panel to reveal a slot that had been meticulously designed to house the artifact. With careful precision, he placed the magic stone into the terminal.
A deep roar vibrated through the ship.
The entire vessel came alive.
Lights flared, energy surged through the systems, and the ship's core pulsed with newfound power.
Crowne let out a loud, gleeful laugh. "Now this is exciting!"
Takashima exhaled, his shoulders finally relaxing. "This is the last piece… now we can prepare."
He turned back to the group, his voice steady but firm. "All of you—gather the rest of the teachers. Make your way to the front lines."
Crowne didn't need to be told twice. "On it!"
Without hesitation, he spun on his heel and rushed out, knocking over two unfortunate soldiers in his way.
Takashima sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Idiot."
Alaric chuckled softly before looking Takashima in the eye.
"Well, Takashima…" He extended a hand.
Takashima hesitated for only a second before shaking it.
"Take care," Alaric said.
Takashima nodded. "May the Spirit be with you."