Elias barely had time to breathe before Marco's voice came through the comms again, this time laced with urgency.
"I need everyone back at the command console right now. We have a situation. A massive, potentially world-ending situation."
Lira groaned, rubbing her temple. "We just fought a walking black hole and now there's something worse? What, did the Academy decide to nuke us from orbit?"
Ivy flicked an arrow between her fingers. "Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised at this point."
Varian had remained silent, his golden eyes still locked on the spot where Arvane had vanished. Something about the battle still bothered him. He turned sharply to Elias, his voice clipped. "We should listen. If the Academy has escalated their response, we cannot afford delay."
Elias exhaled sharply, his suit still running at minimal power after the last fight. His gauntlet flickered as it cycled emergency reserves—he had overused the Vanguard Core again. He needed to be smarter with it, not just stronger.
They moved quickly, stepping over the wreckage of broken constructs and fallen enemies as they reached the command center deep within the facility. The room was alive with information, holo-screens displaying maps, encrypted messages, and energy readings that made Marco's face pale.
"Alright," Marco started, pushing his glasses up, "I need you to understand how colossally screwed we are right now."
Reinhardt crossed his arms. "You always say that."
"This time, I mean it."
With a wave of his hand, Marco pulled up a large-scale map of the continent, several red markers pulsing along key locations. But the largest wasn't even near the Academy's strongholds.
It was coming from the Ruined Depths.
Cecilia's brow furrowed. "That's… the middle of nowhere. What's happening?"
Marco zoomed in, and suddenly, the readings made sense.
The ruins weren't just glowing with magical energy. They were reactivating.
And not just a small outpost or abandoned fortress—something massive was stirring.
Elias leaned in, his heart pounding. "That's… not an Academy site."
"Nope," Marco confirmed grimly. "That's older. Possibly even older than the Vanguard itself."
Varian's expression darkened. "Impossible. The Ruined Depths were deemed uninhabitable long before the war."
Marco turned, his voice deadly serious. "Yeah, well, someone forgot to tell them, because I'm picking up an energy signature we've never seen before. And guess what? The Academy is already moving toward it."
The room fell into silence.
Kierian was the first to speak. "If the Academy wants it, then it's something dangerous."
Lira crossed her arms. "So let me guess—we have to get there first."
Marco sighed. "I mean, we could just ignore it, let the Academy dig up whatever horrifying ancient weapon they're about to unleash on the world…" He paused. "But considering our luck, we'd be the first ones they test it on."
Elias ran a hand through his hair. He hated how right Marco was.
The war had always been about the Academy's control over history, their rewriting of truth, their erasure of the Vanguard's legacy. But now, something older than both factions had awakened.
And Arvane had left them alive just before this.
Ivy exhaled. "Alright, assuming we do go—what's the plan? The Depths aren't exactly welcoming."
Varian turned toward Elias. "There may still be old Vanguard archives on the Depths. We will need to access them before the Academy does."
Cecilia smirked. "So, another ruined base dive? I hope this one doesn't have another ancient warlord waiting for us."
Reinhardt shrugged. "I dunno, I think we could use another Varian."
Varian gave him a sharp look. "I would prefer not to find out."
Elias shook his head. "We're not walking in blind. Marco, I need every bit of intel we can get—maps, old records, any clues about what we might be dealing with."
Marco nodded. "I'll see what I can pull from the facility's long-range scanners. But we don't have a lot of time. If we're going, we move now."
Elias turned to the others. "We're heading out. Gear up. If the Academy is after whatever's down there, we need to beat them to it."
Lira grinned, flipping her dagger. "Finally, an adventure with less gravity-warping nonsense."
Reinhardt cracked his knuckles. "No promises."
They moved quickly, gathering supplies, upgrading their weapons where they could. Elias recharged his Vanguard Core, making adjustments to his suit's power routing, ensuring he wouldn't burn out as quickly in the next fight.
Before they departed, Varian stopped him.
"This war is growing beyond what I anticipated," he said quietly. "You are beginning to rewrite history, Elias."
Elias met his gaze. "History was written by the Academy. I'm just giving it a new author."
Varian smirked slightly, but there was something deeper in his gaze—not just approval, but concern.
"Be careful what you uncover," he warned. "Some truths should never be revived."
Elias exhaled, gripping his gauntlet. "We'll find out soon enough."
They left the facility behind, heading toward the unknown depths of history itself.
And whatever was waiting for them was already awake.