The chamber was vast enough to make even seasoned soldiers fall quiet.

  Rei paused at the threshold, his breath catching as he took in the sheer scale of the meeting hall. The ceiling arched impossibly high, ribbed with steel beams and embedded lights that shimmered like distant stars. Four colossal banners hung from those heights. each one bearing the crest of a WEO faction. The emblems seemed to pulse with their own significance.

  Dauntless. Astralis. Aegis. Skyborn.

  All gathered under one roof.

  Rows upon rows of seats curved around a central platform where a circular table, more an elevated ring. Waited for the overseers. Every seat beyond that circle was filled with soldiers, agents, outworlders, and specialists. It felt less like a meeting and more like the assembly of an entire nation preparing itself for war.

  Rei swallowed.

  The air vibrated with movement. Voices layered on top of one another as the factions mingled, reconnecting, arguing, comparing notes, or merely gawking at the sheer variety of species that filled the room.

  Humans sat shoulder-to-shoulder with the races of faraway worlds.

  A pair of Skyborne elves, their thin iridescent wings fluttering in agitation. Argued over seating assignments near the front. Their features were ethereal, sharp-cheeked with faint luminescent markings along their skin that caught the light like dew.

  To the left, drakonids leaned against reinforced chairs. Their scales glinted like polished armor, tails flicking behind them. They wore sleeveless uniforms that exposed muscled reptilian arms etched with glowing sigils. Their eyes, slitted and gleaming. Surveyed the room with predatory calm.

  Near the back, humanoid animal races from Auralis sat in tight clusters. Rei spotted a wolf-like woman laughing with a fox-eared man, both dressed in the sleek, fitted armor typical of Skyborn Legion scouts. Their movements carried a natural fluidity, as if their bodies were made to fight on instinct.

  And everywhere he looked, more and more outworlder races filled the chamber, each one stranger than the last. Yet somehow fitting perfectly within the organized chaos.

  Mostly Skyborn and Aegis recruits, Rei noticed. It made sense. Their abilities—flight, enhanced senses, resilience, made them natural fits for those factions’ territories.

  He let out a low breath.

  This world really is full of surprises.

  A familiar sharp elbow dug into his side.

  “Took you long enough,” someone teased. “Get lost on the way here? Again?”

  Lysander leaned back casually in his chair, legs crossed, one arm hooked lazily around the back of the seat beside him. His violet-streaked blonde hair shimmered under the ceiling lights. His rectangular glasses caught the reflection, making his purple eyes look brighter, almost amused.

  Rei shot him a look. “I didn’t get lost.”

  Lys raised a brow. “Uh-huh. So you just felt like showing up last?”

  “I wasn’t last—”

  “You were absolutely last.” Lys patted the empty seat beside him with exaggerated sympathy. “Sit, sit. We all missed you terribly.”

  Elisa shifted over so Rei could squeeze in. Daisy gave him a small wave. Stacy offered him a polite nod. Oliver already adjusting his notepad barely looked up, too focused on jotting down whatever pre-meeting observations he felt were important.

  Rei slumped into his chair with a sigh. “I hate all of you.”

  “You love us,” Zane shot back from two seats down.

  “Unfortunately,” Rei muttered.

  Elisa, who had never known the meaning of patience, immediately bounced in her chair, eyes sparkling. “Oliver, Oliver! look at all the outworlders! There’s so many different kinds here! I’ve never seen this many in one place before.”

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Oliver finally looked up, adjusting his glasses. “Understandable. Today’s one of the rare times all factions gather. And given the upcoming operation, recruitment from other worlds is at an all-time high.”

  Elisa leaned closer. “Okay, okay, but like. Who are those winged ones? Their wings are so pretty.”

  “Skyborne elves,” Oliver answered matter-of-factly. “From a world called Eldoria. Think of it as your typical fantasy realm. Magic forests, ancient kingdoms, elemental beasts, the whole package. Skyborne elves specialize in aerial combat and reconnaissance thanks to those wings. Very fast, very agile.”

  “Ooh,” Elisa whispered. “Pretty and deadly. I like it.”

  Rei blinked. “Are they born with wings or do they—”

  “Born,” Oliver said before Rei even finished.

  Stacy pointed discreetly toward the drakonids. “What about them?”

  “Also Eldoria,” Oliver replied. “Drakonids are reptilian humanoids with high natural defense and physical strength. Very resilient. They’re usually placed in Aegis or Dauntless because they fare extremely well on the front lines.”

  Elisa gasped suddenly. “And those wolf and fox ones?!”

  “Auralis,” Oliver continued like he’d been rehearsing this for weeks. “A world similar in technological advancement to ours, but mixed with fantasy races and hybrid species. Actually, Auralis is kind of like… if Pokémon and League of Legends had a baby.”

  Rei stared at him. “…What?”

  “It’s the most accurate description,” Oliver insisted, pushing up his glasses.

  Daisy snorted.

  Before Rei could ask more, the air suddenly shifted.

  A presence swept across the chamber. Clean, cutting, sharp as a blade unsheathed.

  Carmen had stood.

  Her silver hair, no longer pinned in its usual bun, fell loosely over her shoulders. She ran a hand through the strands, tucking them behind her ear with practiced elegance. Even that small motion demanded the attention of the room.

  “Quiet.”

  Her voice wasn’t loud.

  It didn’t need to be.

  The chamber fell silent instantly.

  Raphael, standing to her right, straightened and nodded once. “The meeting will now begin.”

  A soft hum filled the air as the holographic projectors activated around them. The central platform lit up in a ring of blue.

  Raphael stepped forward.

  “For the past month, our focus has remained on preparations for the upcoming raid on the Syndicate’s main research base, an operation that both Aiden’s and Elijah’s squads have been training extensively for.”

  Rei stiffened beside Lys.

  So this was it.

  Raphael’s expression hardened. “However, Dauntless has not been idle during this time. Our teams have located and cleared several additional hidden facilities, each connected to the primary complex. Inside, we discovered evidence of more illegal experiments. Some incomplete, others nearly operational.”

  A ripple of unease spread through the audience.

  Raphael’s voice dropped. “We also terminated multiple Apex prototypes.”

  Whispers erupted like a spark catching dry grass.

  Luther, a humanoid lion towering above everyone, mane braided with metallic bands. Lifted a heavy hand. His voice rumbled through the space.

  “What intel do we have regarding these new units? The Apex models encountered previously lacked the capabilities described in earlier files.”

  Raphael inhaled slowly.

  “The Apex units faced by Elijah’s squad, those few fully functional. Focused primarily on physical enhancements and augmentations. Modified human bodies weaponized for brute force.”

  He paused.

  “But the prototypes found in the newer bases possessed… additional traits.”

  Mae leaned forward sharply. Her visor reflected the table’s holographic glow. “Define ‘additional.’”

  Raphael hesitated.

  Then:

  “Four of the prototypes were given one or multiple graces.”

  The uproar was immediate.

  One of the Skyborn officers nearly stood from his seat. “Impossible!”

  A Dauntless captain swore loudly. “Humans can’t wield more than one grace!”

  “Let alone modified ones!”

  Mae’s fingers curled tightly over the edge of the table. Though the visor obscured her upper face, Rei could sense the fury radiating from her.

  “Those Apex units… were made from what? Whom?”

  Raphael’s jaw tightened. “After analyzing DNA samples, we confirmed that these prototypes were composed of multiple human and non-human bodies fused together. A grafted amalgamation, allowing for multiple grace pathways.”

  The disgust rolling through the room was tangible.

  “That’s monstrous,” someone whispered.

  “Abominable.”

  “An atrocity—”

  Luther bared his fangs. “Where is this base?”

  Raphael pressed a button.

  A massive hologram flickered to life above the central ring. The structure rotated slowly. Tall, angular, plated with reinforced alloy. Smaller projections appeared in front of each overseer. For Mae, the hologram shifted, creating a tactile 3D model she could trace with her hands.

  “The facility is located outside the Troylon Wall, in what used to be Santa Barbara, California.”

  A murmur swept through the room.

  Few dared venture beyond the Wall.

  Raphael continued. “The external defenses are heavily fortified. However, it is the interior that presents the greatest challenge. The building… moves.”

  Rei blinked. “Moves?”

  Oliver whispered back, “What does that even—”

  Raphael answered:

  “The internal structure is capable of shifting its layout. Entire wings rotate. Floors rearrange themselves. Rooms swap positions. The facility’s architecture functions similarly to a Rubik’s Cube.”

  Rei’s skin prickled.

  A living maze.

  “No known map has been able to track its changes,” Raphael said. “However—”

  Carmen crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “You said ‘possible.’ Not ‘impossible.’”

  A faint smirk crossed Raphael’s face. “Correct. After extensive study and repeated infiltration attempts”

  “And failures,” Carmen said without missing a beat.

  Raphael ignored her.

  “We developed an algorithm that can predict the shifting layout with approximately eighty-five percent accuracy.”

  Elisa let out a low whistle. “That’s… actually impressive.”

  Stacy murmured, “Still a fifteen percent chance to die horribly in a metal labyrinth.”

  “And you say that like it’s a small number,” Zane muttered.

  Mae stood abruptly, pushing her chair back. Her fingers brushed the holographic model, then slid it aside.

  “If the Apex prototypes possess multiple graces and remain operational, then every second we delay increases the risk. We should mobilize immediately.”

  Raphael shook his head. “A raid of this scale cannot be rushed. We must move personnel beyond the Wall, transport necessary equipment, and coordinate between all four factions. Precision takes time.”

  Carmen lifted her chin. “How much time?”

  Raphael glanced at her, then at the room.

  Finally, he spoke.

  “I am requesting authorization to utilize two of our Titan-class assets for this operation.”

  Silence.

  Dead, cold silence.

  Then—

  “The Hell’s Armada,” Raphael said, “and the Skyborn’s mobile fortress. The Liberator.”

  The chamber exploded.

  Shouts.

  Gasps.

  Arguments.

  Demands.

  Accusations.

  In seconds, the orderly factions dissolved into chaos.

  Rei’s heart pounded as the noise surged around him. Lys’ eyes widened behind his glasses. Daisy grabbed Oliver’s sleeve in alarm. Staff tried and failed to restore order as voices rose to deafening levels.

  Above them all, the overseers remained unmoving.

  Carmen.

  Raphael.

  Maelisa.

  Luther.

  Their gazes locked across the table like storm fronts preparing to collide.

  Rei exhaled slowly.

  This war wasn’t just coming.

  It was already here.

  And it would change everything.

  [End of Chapter]