HÉLIOS CENTRAL COMMAND
Perfection had a sound.
It was the low, constant hum of machines operating without error.
The precise rhythm of synchronized data streams.
The absence of hesitation.
The command chamber was circular, immaculate, bathed in cold white light. Screens curved along the walls, each one displaying layers of data—thermal maps, predictive models, satellite feeds, biometric probabilities.
At the center of it all stood the man in the long dark coat.
Hands clasped behind his back.
Posture straight.
Expression unreadable.
— Report, he said.
The room responded instantly.
— Sanctuary confirmed active.
— Structural classification: Ancient Luminæ construction.
— Energy signatures stable… but increasing.
The man turned slowly.
— Stable is irrelevant.
A secondary display ignited, projecting a rotating three-dimensional model of the city. Points of light appeared—red, blue, green, gray—interconnected by faint lines.
— They are gathering, he continued calmly.
An officer swallowed.
— Predictive analysis indicates a convergence probability of eighty-seven percent within fourteen days.
— And the Omega? the man asked.
A brief hesitation.
— Probability of catastrophic awakening is rising exponentially.
Silence followed.
Then the man smiled.
Not with joy.
Not with excitement.
With certainty.
— Then we accelerate.
— Phase Two authorization required, an officer stated.
— Granted.
The word echoed through the chamber like a verdict.
Commands flooded the system.
— Initiate psychological destabilization protocols.
— Activate indirect pressure units.
— Target civilian connections.
One of the younger analysts frowned.
— Sir… most of the targets are minors.
The man finally turned fully toward him.
His eyes were glacial.
— Weapons do not require age.
The screens shifted again.
Homes.
Schools.
Hospitals.
Lives.
— Light always surfaces under pressure, he said softly.
— And Void always follows.
— And if they resist? another voice asked.
The man's smile thinned.
— Then they confirm the prophecy.
---
THE SANCTUARY
Daniella woke up screaming.
Not her scream.
Her mother's.
She bolted upright, heart pounding violently, golden light erupting from her skin in uncontrolled waves. The chamber flooded with brightness, shadows recoiling instinctively.
— Kaël!
He was already there.
Darkness surged around her like a shield, dampening the flare before it could rupture the walls.
— They've started, she said, her voice breaking. I felt it. They're hurting people—my parents—
Her knees gave way.
Kaël caught her before she hit the floor.
— Breathe, he ordered softly.
She tried.
The sanctuary trembled.
Pyra burst into the chamber, fire spiraling tightly around her arm.
— Hélios units just raided three residential zones. Quiet extractions. No alerts.
Terra entered right behind her, fists clenched.
— Bastards.
Aeris landed near the entrance, wind still coiled around his shoulders.
— That wasn't random.
Nyx's voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere.
— No. It was bait.
Daniella lifted her head slowly.
— For me.
Silence confirmed it.
— This is Phase Two, Kaël said.
— They're not hunting us anymore.
— They're flushing us out, Pyra finished.
Daniella wiped the tears from her face. Her hands were shaking—but the light around them wasn't wild anymore.
It was sharp.
Focused.
— They want me to come out, she said quietly.
Kaël's grip tightened around her wrist.
— We don't rush into traps.
She met his gaze.
— No.
She stood up.
Light and shadow intertwined around her, no longer fighting—responding.
— We walk into them together.
The sanctuary reacted instantly.
Ancient symbols ignited across the walls, glowing brighter than ever before. The floor vibrated, mechanisms awakening deep beneath the stone.
Terra stepped forward.
— If we move, we move as one.
Aeris smirked.
— About time the ghosts stopped whispering.
Pyra's flames burned steady, controlled.
— Then we choose where the fire falls.
Nyx finally fully materialized, eyes gleaming.
— And what the world is allowed to see.
Kaël looked at Daniella.
Not as a weapon.
Not as a prophecy.
As a choice.
— Once we step outside, there's no going back.
She didn't hesitate.
— I know.
The sanctuary pulsed one final time—stronger, clearer—like a heart committing to its next beat.
Far above the city, HÉLIOS satellites shifted trajectory.
Alarms lit up across silent screens.
LYMEN PROTOCOL — PHASE TWO: ACTIVE
The war had left the shadows.
And the world was about to remember what it had tried to erase.