The creature loomed above, otherworldly and terrifying, its wings flapping as it shrieked in pain. It swooped closer to the ground, setting her senses on edge. Sections of the sky were being devoured by a creeping void, while large cracks spread across the ground, followed by a tremor that shook everything.

  Snapping back to focus, she activated her holo-map. Kie’s progress seemed slow, but Zod’s tag was closer. Remembering Saeda’s fate, Tee realized the others would have to converge on her—Saeda could barely stand. A sense of déjà vu chilled her.

  Tee clenched her jaw and braced to rise. Her foot bore only minor abrasions compared to her mangled hand, which she kept tightly clenched. She longed for someone to bandage it, but there was no one—Jack included. Frustration burned in her chest, but there was no time to dwell on him.

  A wave of weakness washed over Tee’s entire body as she forced each step toward Zod. She wove past column after column, staggering like a drunken traveler lost in a maze. Finally, she found him—lying on the ground, swords impaled through him.

  The creature saw them. It thrashed wildly in the air, its massive bulk hovering too close, forcing Tee to duck. Fear surged through her as it nearly slammed into her.

  As if coming back for another strike, the monster lunged toward them. Tee summoned a sword and, gathering all her strength, lashed it like a whip. In that moment, only the thought of god-like power filled her mind.

  Her sword ignited in blue flames, spinning through the air toward the creature. It pierced the monster’s mouth and exited the back. Green blood gushed out before the beast crashed to the ground, smashing through pillars and cracking the earth, finally stopping several feet short of her.

  She stared at her hand, still glowing with blue flames, which quickly turned to black ash and smoke. A flash of dark smoke from Lilith’s hand flickered in her mind. Startled, she flapped her hands, sending the residue away. Her heart pounded, but she couldn’t let anyone know. Panic twisted inside her.

  Turning to Zod, she saw his eyes flicker open—and then close again. Goodness, he seemed knocked out cold. Pulling the swords from him should be easy.

  “Aaaah!” he cried when she touched the hilt of one of Legion’s swords.

  “Tee?” Zod rasped, his voice strained, looking at her as if she were his savior. Then he frowned as she prepared to pull. “Wait!” he blurted.

  Tee ignored him, yanking sword after sword free. Tears streaked down his face, and she bit down, struggling not to cry out herself. When it was over, gratitude replaced the pain. There were no hard feelings.

  He raised a trembling hand, pointing weakly as he muttered, “Miko.”

  Tee gently shifted one of his arms over her shoulder, helping him to his feet. Together they began to walk. Zod summoned a sword, pressing the tip to the ground for support as he moved.

  The added weight of supporting Zod intensified the stabbing pain in Tee’s feet. Blood marked the ground with every step, a grim testament to their arduous journey forward. Yet she pressed on, determined to escape that place.

  Soon, they reached Miko, who lay in a position reminiscent of Tee’s earlier ordeal. But instead of a rising pillar at her back, three swords pierced each of her legs, anchoring her firmly to the ground. Tee gasped, the cold cruelty of the scene pressing on her chest, before dropping to her knees beside Zod.

  Zod crawled closer to Miko’s face and gently slapped her cheek. “Miko?”

  Tee steeled herself to remove one of the swords while Miko remained unconscious. Pushing to her feet, she approached a handle jutting from Miko’s leg. The moment her hand gripped it, Miko’s eyes snapped open—an unmistakable warning that she wouldn’t welcome the pain.

  Ignoring Zod, Miko locked her gaze on Tee, her widened eyes silently expressing rejection. Tee understood the urgency. They had to reach Saeda’s location to teleport her safely.

  “What is that?” Miko asked, glancing upward.

  Zod and Tee exchanged a glance, unsure whether she meant the colossal monster that no longer hovered above or the void swallowing everything around them.

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  Miko closed her eyes, silently acknowledging Tee. Tears streaked down her face, confirming their unspoken understanding.

  Tee gripped the handle firmly. “Keep your eyes on Zod,” she instructed.

  She stood as tall as her aching body would allow, summoning every ounce of strength to extract the swords with minimal harm. Thankfully, Legion’s blades weren’t jagged like the ones Tee had pulled from her own legs, making the process slightly more bearable.

  Their communication devices crackled with Kie’s voice. “Guys, Saeda’s not doing well.”

  Tee didn’t need the reminder of the devastating blow Lilith had dealt their comrade. She released the last sword from Miko, who stifled her sounds of pain, as if instinctively aware the Harbingers might still be near and silence was essential.

  With Miko’s arms draped over their shoulders, Tee and Zod began the grueling trek, supporting her weight. Miko’s legs remained motionless, forcing them to drag her along the ground toward Kie and Saeda. Numerous standing pillars obstructed their path, making the journey longer and far more arduous than they had anticipated.

  They reached a section where a massive crack split the ground—an impossible gap they had to cross. Summoning their strength, both Tee and Zod limped forward together, leaping across and crashing onto the other side, rolling in pain.

  Finally, they reached Kie, who cradled Saeda in his lap, her head resting beneath his chin. He held her upright, her legs stretched out in front, while blood stained her stomach—a sight that overwhelmed them all.

  Without looking up from Saeda’s half-open eyes, Kie said, “Her spine is completely shattered. There’s no way she can walk.”

  Saeda coughed, a trickle of blood staining her chin. With utmost care, Tee and Zod lowered Miko to her knees before collapsing to the ground themselves, exhausted.

  “We can leave now,” Tee declared, bringing her telecom to her mouth and pressing the button with her teeth. But nothing happened. Frustration flared. “What the hell are you guys waiting for?”

  “Did we fail again?” Zod asked, wincing as he held an arm across his aching chest.

  Kie said, “If the Harbingers have already left, then so do we.” He turned to Tee. “Scan for any traces of them.” The earth trembled beneath their feet, a stark reminder of the danger still lurking.

  Before Tee could respond, a sudden flash of blue light erupted from beneath her, making her instinctively clamp her mouth shut.

  “What was that?” she asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and concern.

  Kie shook Saeda, receiving no response. “She’s out cold.”

  Taking command, Kie reminded Tee, “Check this entire area—see if the Harbingers are still here.”

  Tee flinched at the seemingly impossible demand. How could he expect her to scour miles of terrain for signs of life with her pain? And in her current state, did he really expect her to keep fighting?

  Her mind raced, tempted to lie again—claiming no one was nearby to convince them to flee. But Kie’s intense, dark red gaze demanded an immediate answer.

  “That’s impossible,” she said, rubbing her right arm—a small gesture betraying the storm inside her. “I’m in too much pain to concentrate. I know it won’t work.”

  Zod, steadying himself against a column, faced her. “But didn’t it work before, when we encountered the Harbingers?” he asked. “Weren’t you in pain then?”

  Desperate to escape their peril, Tee turned to him and shouted, “I lied!”

  Zod blinked rapidly, stunned by the sudden confession. Disbelief echoed in his mind. Miko gasped, shocked by the revelation.

  Kie’s eyes narrowed. “You did what?” he asked, his tone sharp and precise.

  Tee rushed out her confession, words tumbling over each other. “My foresight didn’t work back then. I told you what you wanted to hear. I never saw the Harbingers—because I never searched for them in the first place!”

  They stared at her, brows furrowed, trying to process the unexpected truth. Zod turned away, shaking his head in disappointment. Miko’s eyes trembled as she locked onto Tee’s pallid face, a deep sense of betrayal washing over her.

  Kie averted his gaze from Tee and toward the spreading blackness consuming the surroundings. Everything was being devoured. He didn’t want to get caught in it. The Harbingers must have long since left.

  “It doesn’t matter. We should leave,” he said.

  “We failed again,” Zod muttered.

  Kie pressed both his and Saeda’s teleportation buttons while the others activated theirs. In unison, they vanished.

  Back at the mission base, the white floors reappeared. Tee felt dizzy and drowsy. The room spun, voices faded, and soon she saw a hovering stretcher bed carrying her away.

  Upon waking in the infirmary, the group began recounting what had happened. Zod, Saeda, Tee, Kie, and Miko were all alive, dressed in white trousers.

  “I remember something hitting the monster, causing blood to spray out,” Zod said. “Or maybe I was seeing things.”

  “You were seeing things,” Tee replied, unwilling to admit it had been her. She recalled the black smoke she had seen at her hand—the same dark energy like the Harbingers—but there was no one she could ask her questions.

  “Well, at least we have another chance to fail again,” Saeda said.

  Kie frowned, his irritation evident. As leader, he disliked pessimism, and Saeda had a knack for being both gloomy and draining. People like that drained his energy.