The sun had barely begun to rise over the abandoned supply station, casting long shadows over the cold metal walls. The last remnants of their upgrades had been completed, weapons tuned, armor reinforced, and minds sharpened for what lay ahead. The air carried the scent of old machinery mixed with fresh determination.
Elias stood at the edge of the facility, adjusting the newly integrated plating on his gauntlet. The upgrades had synced seamlessly with the Vanguard Core, enhancing his reaction time, increasing his kinetic absorption, and reinforcing his thruster output. This wasn't just an improvement. This was evolution.
Reinhardt walked up beside him, cracking his knuckles. "I feel dangerously overpowered right now. Is this what it's like to be you?"
Elias smirked, flexing his fingers as golden energy flickered through his suit. "I don't know. Can you calculate the aerodynamics of your own punches in real time?"
Reinhardt thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Nah, I just hit things really hard."
Lira sauntered past, adjusting the sheath of her new daggers. "You two done flirting with your muscles? We've got a plan to make."
Marco was already at the facility's war console, pulling up a real-time map of the continent, their newly acquired intel marking enemy strongholds, supply routes, and military installations. The war was unfolding right in front of them, and this time, they had the advantage of knowledge.
Ivy scanned the map with sharp eyes. "We have two real choices. Strike fast while the Academy is still processing what happened, or disappear and let them choke on their own paranoia."
Kierian leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Vanishing isn't an option. The moment we sent that signal, we stopped being ghosts. The Academy knows we're real now. If we don't act, they'll control the narrative."
Cecilia tapped the hilt of her new phase-dagger, grinning. "So, we hit them before they figure out how to hit us?"
Elias turned to Marco. "What's the most strategic target?"
Marco adjusted his glasses, pulling up a new tactical readout. "Alright, our best bet? The Enclave Vault. It's an underground facility once controlled by the Obsidian Vanguard, hidden beneath an Academy research outpost. If the reports are right, it still contains encrypted data on the Academy's secret projects. Stuff even their high council might not know about."
Reinhardt grinned. "Oh, stealing their secrets? I like it."
Lira arched an eyebrow. "How fortified are we talking?"
Marco sighed. "Well, since it's under an Academy research site, pretty damn fortified. Expect barriers, anti-magic defenses, and a lot of security. But…" He flicked another file onto the screen. "If we infiltrate rather than attack head-on, we might be able to slip in, get what we need, and leave before anyone knows what hit them."
Cecilia smirked. "Stealth? Oh, I'm in."
Elias crossed his arms. "And if stealth fails?"
Kierian's sword gleamed as he shifted. "Then we finish it the loud way."
The plan was set. They would move by nightfall. Until then, preparations were made—disguises, infiltration routes, emergency exits.
Hours passed in tense focus. Lira sharpened her daggers, testing their kinetic charge against stone. Ivy modified her arrows with disruptor tips, capable of short-circuiting mana fields. Reinhardt fine-tuned his shock gauntlet, a piece of old Vanguard tech that doubled the force of his punches.
Elias adjusted his thruster calibration, syncing them with his new armor modifications. The Vanguard Core had been enhancing his suit with each use, fine-tuning his reaction speed, power output, and durability. He was no longer just an engineer in advanced armor.
He was becoming something else.
As dusk fell, the team moved out, leaving the supply station behind.
The Enclave Vault lay embedded beneath an Academy-controlled city, hidden under layers of bureaucracy and secrecy. Their approach would be silent, blending into the crowds until they reached the entrance hidden in one of the lower districts.
The city itself was eerily calm, its streets lined with Academy banners, its people moving with the weary routine of those under constant surveillance. It wasn't just a research city. It was a controlled state, where whispers carried as much weight as weapons.
Elias and the others moved carefully, blending into the flow of merchants and workers, their armor concealed beneath layered cloaks and urban gear.
Cecilia whispered under her breath. "I hate places like this. Too… clean."
Ivy scanned the rooftops. "It's the quiet you need to worry about."
Their destination was an unmarked access tunnel, buried beneath an old mechanical repair shop. A hidden path, forgotten even by the Academy itself.
Lira slipped inside first, clearing the way. Elias followed, his visor adjusting to the dim underground light. The walls were lined with old wiring and rusted machinery, remnants of a time before the Academy took control.
Marco pulled up a holo-map of the underground structure. "Alright, the Vault is beneath us, another three levels down. Security checkpoints are minimal at first, but once we reach the entrance, that's where it gets tricky."
Reinhardt flexed his fingers. "Guess that's my cue if things go south."
Lira smirked. "Let's try to avoid that for once."
They moved deeper, the path narrowing as it led toward a heavily reinforced blast door.
Elias placed his palm against the panel. The Vanguard Core inside him pulsed, scanning the lock. The system responded instantly, its old defenses recognizing the ancient authority he now carried. The locks clicked open, and the door hissed as it slid apart.
Beyond it lay something they hadn't expected.
The Vault wasn't just a data archive.
It was a preserved chamber, lined with sealed stasis pods, ancient weapon racks, and a command center that looked as if it had been abandoned in the middle of a war.
Marco's voice was barely a whisper. "This… this isn't just a vault. This was a Vanguard emergency bunker."
Cecilia stepped forward, brushing dust off an old console. "And I'm guessing we're not the first to find it."
Kierian scanned the room. "No signs of a fight. No bodies." His fingers tightened around his sword. "But someone's been here recently."
Ivy moved toward the stasis pods, wiping away the grime covering one of the glass panels. Her breath caught. "Guys…"
The pod's occupant was still inside. A Vanguard soldier, frozen in time, their armor pristine but their body unmoving. Not dead.
Suspended.
Elias's visor flickered with warnings. These weren't just preservation pods.
They were in the middle of activating.
The air grew heavier. The distant hum of machinery awoke, power surging through the chamber like a long-forgotten heartbeat.
Then the first pod unlocked.
A hiss of compressed air filled the room. The glass panel retracted. And then—
The soldier inside opened their eyes.