The hiss of decompression filled the chamber as the first stasis pod cracked open. Frost clung to the glass as steam vented from the edges, spilling into the dimly lit vault. The figure inside remained motionless for a long moment, their form encased in sleek black-and-gold armor that bore the unmistakable insignia of the Obsidian Vanguard.
Then, with a sharp inhale, their chest rose.
Elias felt every muscle in his body tense. His suit's sensors were going haywire, struggling to analyze the sudden shift in energy. The Vanguard Core inside him pulsed in response, recognizing something ancient and familiar in the presence of the figure awakening before them.
The soldier moved. Slowly at first, their fingers flexing, head tilting slightly as if testing the limits of their body. Then, with unsettling fluidity, they stepped out of the pod, heavy boots hitting the floor. Their helmeted gaze swept across the room, landing directly on Elias and his team.
Lira's daggers were already in her hands, her stance tense but measured. Ivy had an arrow nocked, though she hadn't drawn the string back just yet. Reinhardt, on the other hand, cracked his knuckles, a grin creeping onto his face.
"Well. This just got interesting."
The armored figure took another step forward, shoulders straightening as their voice—deep, measured, and far too composed for someone who had just woken from centuries of sleep—finally spoke.
"Identity yourself."
The room fell into silence. Dust hung in the air, undisturbed by time, waiting for a response.
Elias exhaled, his gauntlet humming softly. "I'm Elias Graham. And you are?"
The figure's helmet tilted slightly. "Elias Graham… that name is not recorded in the Vanguard database."
Marco muttered under his breath, "Yeah, that's because his file is under 'random dude from another world who won't stop breaking things.'"
Cecilia smirked but didn't lower her guard. "I'm more interested in who you are. You're not exactly a ghost, but you're definitely not supposed to be here."
The soldier regarded her for a long moment before removing their helmet.
The face beneath was sharp, chiseled, with a scar running down the right side of their jawline. Their hair was ashen silver, short and practical, and their eyes—piercing gold—studied each of them in turn, calculating.
"My name is Commander Varian Duskbane," the soldier said finally, voice steady. "I am a High Officer of the Obsidian Vanguard, last recorded active during the Final War." He paused, narrowing his gaze. "And now… I find myself awakened in a time where the Vanguard should no longer exist."
Reinhardt let out a low whistle. "Damn. We woke up a legend."
Lira crossed her arms. "Correction: we woke up someone who might want to kill us."
Varian's eyes flickered toward the war machines lining the room, then back to Elias. "Explain," he ordered. "What has happened to the Vanguard? How did you access this facility?"
Elias's mind raced. There was no easy way to sum up centuries of history, but there was also no point in lying.
"The Vanguard was destroyed," he said plainly. "The Academy wiped it out. Your people lost the war. And for centuries, the world has been under their rule."
Something dark flickered in Varian's expression, but he said nothing.
Elias continued, stepping forward. "But they failed to erase everything. Solmara still exists. The knowledge of the Vanguard still exists. And now…" He lifted his gauntlet, allowing a pulse of golden energy to radiate outward. "The Core still exists. It's with me now."
Varian stilled.
The moment he felt the Core's energy, his expression shifted. The carefully controlled neutrality cracked for the first time, and something resembling recognition flashed in his golden eyes.
"You hold the Core?"
Elias nodded. "It bonded with me when I activated Solmara."
Silence stretched between them before Varian exhaled, his posture shifting from rigid soldier to something more introspective. His voice, however, remained sharp. "If what you say is true… then the war is not over."
Ivy tensed. "No offense, but you just woke up five minutes ago. You might want to slow down before you declare another war."
Varian's eyes flicked to her, unamused. "The moment the Academy erased the Vanguard, they ensured the war would continue. You may have forgotten history, but I have not. The Academy was never meant to rule this world. They were meant to protect it. The moment they betrayed that purpose, they became the enemy."
Kierian finally spoke. "Then tell us what you know."
Varian studied them for a moment longer before turning toward the main console. He moved like a man who had never forgotten his purpose, despite the centuries he had been asleep. His fingers flew across the control panel, activating restricted files deep within the archive. The screens lit up, golden script unraveling like an ancient prophecy.
Elias's visor translated the data in real time, and what he saw made his breath catch.
It wasn't just battle records.
It was a list of classified Vanguard projects.
Weapons that had never been completed. Tactical operations that had been halted the day the Vanguard fell. And—most alarming of all—a record of every Primordial Lord's movements before the war ended.
Marco cursed. "You've gotta be kidding me. The Vanguard knew about everything."
Varian's expression was grim. "We did. And we were prepared to end the war before the Academy turned on us." He turned back to Elias. "If the Core chose you, then you are the only one left who can finish what we started."
Elias clenched his fists. He had expected resistance. He had expected the Academy to fight back. But this?
This was an entirely different war—one that had been waiting for someone to pick up where the Vanguard had left off.
Lira sighed. "So let me guess. We have one chance to stop the Academy from controlling the world, and we have to do it before they realize how much trouble we actually are."
Varian smirked for the first time. "You understand quickly."
Reinhardt cracked his knuckles. "Well, I was getting bored anyway."
Elias exhaled. The path was clear now. They had knowledge the Academy didn't. They had a soldier from the past who still carried the Vanguard's will.
And most importantly—they had the Core.
Whatever came next, there was no turning back.
Elias looked at his team. "Then let's make history."
Varian's eyes gleamed. "No."
He stepped forward, placing a hand on the console. The war machines lining the chamber activated, engines rumbling, eyes flickering to life.
"We reclaim history."