The world plunged into darkness.
Ethan barely had time to brace before he hit the ground hard, his body rolling against damp stone. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he ignored it, pushing himself up.
The others landed one by one—Noah with a grunt, Valerie with a controlled roll, Olivia gasping as she caught herself.
Blaze landed gracefully, his claws scraping against the floor. Shadow followed, her sleek body twisting midair before she landed beside him.
Above them, the glowing horrors loomed at the pit's edge. But they didn't follow.
The figures writhed, shifting in and out of form, their voices a chorus of whispers.
"Not yet."
Then—they disappeared.
Ethan exhaled, tension flooding out of his chest. "Everyone okay?"
Noah groaned. "Define okay."
Valerie scanned the surroundings. "Where the hell are we now?"
Ethan turned, his eyes adjusting to the dim glow of bioluminescent moss clinging to the walls.
They were in a massive underground chamber, its ceiling lost in the shadows above. Ruined structures lined the cavern—ancient buildings, crumbling but unmistakably artificial.
It wasn't just a cave.
It was a city.
The Forgotten City
"Okay," Noah breathed, staring up at the towering ruins. "So… who built this?"
Ethan stepped forward, running his hand along the nearest wall. The stone was smooth, unnatural—like it had been shaped, not carved.
Olivia knelt beside a broken pillar. "These symbols… they're the same as the ones in the tunnel."
Valerie frowned. "But that tunnel looked like it was part of the lab. This place… this is older."
Blaze sniffed the air, ears flicking back. He didn't like this place.
Shadow's fur bristled, her golden eyes darting toward the deeper darkness ahead.
Ethan followed her gaze.
A staircase. Leading down.
He didn't like it.
But they had no choice.
"The lab is connected to this place for a reason," Ethan said. "And if we want answers… we go deeper."
Noah sighed. "I hate when you say things like that."
Valerie took the lead. "Let's move."
They descended.
Echoes of the Past
The deeper they went, the colder it got.
The moss light faded, replaced by something else—a faint hum, like dormant machinery.
Then they saw it.
At the bottom of the stairs, an open doorway led into something massive.
A chamber lined with rows of glass tanks.
Most were shattered, their contents long gone.
But some still held figures.
Ethan's stomach twisted.
The things inside weren't human.
They were half-formed, bodies frozen in a state of mutation.
Noah took a slow step back. "Okay. I vote we set this whole place on fire."
Olivia stared at the central platform, where a massive console flickered weakly with power.
Valerie moved toward it. "This could have answers."
Ethan hesitated. Something about this place felt… wrong.
Like something was watching them.
Then—a voice crackled to life.
A recorded message.
Distorted, ancient.
"Project Ascension. Phase Three initiated."
The tanks hissed.
And behind them—something moved.