As they crawled through the ducts, faint whispers echoed through the ventilation system – the soft murmur of voices, distant and unintelligible. Ereia’s hand found Kairos’ shoulder, guiding herself through the darkness. Suddenly, the duct opened into a large chamber, and they dropped down into an empty server room. SeventhSight dropped down into the server room first, followed by Erebus, then Ereia, and Kairos last. The room was dimly lit, rows of humming servers lining the walls. A door at the far end had a sign:
“Authorized Personnel Only. Project Erebus-7 Access.”
Erebus stepped forward, eyes fixed on the door. Erebus pushed the door open slowly, revealing a corridor lined with glass windows into labs. SeventhSight slipped ahead, scouting. The first lab contained twisted experiments: bodies with mechanical limbs, some with flesh stretched over metal skulls. Ereia gasped. The next lab was empty except for Dr. Zhang, standing alone, staring at a Carrionborn in stasis. SeventhSight waved them forward.
Erebus stepped into the lab, his tall frame commanding attention. His piercing gaze locked onto Dr. Zhang, voice low and even. “Zhang, old friend… what secrets are you hiding here?” The lab was dimly lit, only a few workstations illuminated. The Carrionborn specimen floated in stasis behind Dr. Zhang, its twisted face a mix of horror and fascination. Dr. Zhang turned slowly, eyes widening in surprise behind his wire-rimmed glasses. Then he smiled nervously, hands slipping into his lab coat pockets.
“Erebus, I… expected you’d come eventually. We’ve made breakthroughs with the Carrionborn. Your… theories were correct – they’re not just mindless beasts.”
Ereia leaned against the door frame, eyes fixed intently on Dr. Zhang. SeventhSight stood beside her, arms crossed. Kairos lingered near the back, observing silently.
Dr. Zhang’s nervous smile faltered for a moment before he regained composure. “Yes, Erebus. Your theories about ancient civilizations summoning… beings from other realms. We’ve found evidence of one such entity: Oblivion. An ancient cult called the Order of the Veil still worships him today. They’re backed by Malakar’s Sons of Ishmael – a powerful terrorist organization.”Erebus leaned forward, intrigued despite himself. “What do you know of Oblivion?”
Dr. Zhang glanced around nervously before responding. “Legends say Oblivion devours worlds… and souls. The Order believes summoning him will grant ultimate power.” SeventhSight stepped forward, eyes blazing. “Where is this Order?” Dr. Zhang hesitated, glancing at Ereia briefly before answering. “We’re still searching. But we have a Carrionborn specimen – a creature twisted by Oblivion’s power. Would you like to see more?” Erebus nodded, and Dr. Zhang led them deeper into the lab. Suddenly, alarms blared – the stasis field around the Carrionborn collapsed.The creature lunged forward, biting Ereia’s arm. Kairos reacted instantly, his body glowing blue as he summoned Nexarion energy. He blasted the Carrionborn off Ereia, then pinned it to the ground with a blue energy shield. SeventhSight helped Ereia back, examining her wound. Erebus turned on Dr. Zhang.
Kairos’ blue energy shield held the Carrionborn down, its twisted body thrashing wildly. Erebus turned to Dr. Zhang, eyes blazing with fury. In an instant, Erebus pinned Dr. Zhang to the wall, gripping his collar tightly.
“Answers. Now. Was this a trap?”
Dr. Zhang’s eyes darted towards Ereia, then back to Erebus. He nodded slowly.
“Not you… your daughter. The Order needs her for the ritual. I tried to stop them, Erebus – I swear!” SeventhSight’s eyes narrowed. “What ritual?”
Dr. Zhang glanced at Ereia again, voice barely above whisper, “Oblivion’s summoning… requires a pure soul. They believe Ereia’s spirit can anchor him to our realm. Erebus’ grip tightened around Dr. Zhang’s collar, “Where is the ritual site? Tell me now, Zhang – or I’ll destroy everything you’ve worked for.”Dr. Zhang swallowed hard. “The ancient temple of Zha’thik… in Palawan, Philippines. The Sons of Ishmael escaped our custody here in Spratlys – they’re heading there now to join the Order of the Veil for the ritual. But Erebus, you must understand – I was coerced. My daughter, Sophia, they’re holding her hostage! The Chinese government is secretly backing the The Triad of the Veiled Dragons… they believe controlling Oblivion will give them leverage over the West – and the Order promised them that power. They’re also… taking people. From China and the Philippines. Kidnapping them for the project – altering their DNA to create more Carrionborn. Thousands are already missing.”
Ereia’s eyes widened in horror.
Erebus released Dr. Zhang, turning to SeventhSight, “Contact the President. Tell him we have a terrorist incident at the Spratly Islands – Sons of Ishmael escaped. We’re pursuing them to the Philippines… and we’ll need military backup there. Also, alert the Philippine president – their citizens are in danger.”
SeventhSight nodded. “He’s sending backup to Palawan. Philippine President is also alerted.” Erebus turned to Ereia, concern etched on his face. “Ereia, sit down – now. You’re pale. Kairos, kill that thing and meet us in the medical bay. SeventhSight, escort Dr. Zhang – I want answers from him. Ereia, lean on me.” Ereia nodded weakly, leaning against Erebus as he guided her towards the door. Dr. Zhang glanced back at the lab, then followed SeventhSight. Kairos killed the Carrionborn with a blast of blue energy, then sprinted towards the medical bay.
Erebus half-carried Ereia through the corridors, following signs to the medical bay. Dr. Zhang’s access card granted them entry. Inside, Kairos waited beside a stretcher, a syringe filled with serum in his hand.
“This is it – the slowing agent. Dr. Zhang said it might give us 24 hours before Ereia… transforms fully.”
Erebus laid Ereia down gently, taking her hand, “Administer it. Now. Then we get out of here – back to base, regroup, and head to Palawan before it’s too late.”
Kairos injected the serum into Ereia’s arm. She winced, then relaxed slightly. Dr. Zhang spoke up, “I’ll disable security cameras and alarms for your escape route. But please, save my daughter Sophia too…”
The airship lifted off smoothly, soaring into the night sky. Erebus watched the Spratly Islands fade into darkness, then turned to SeventhSight, “Alert our team in Manila – we need intel on Zha’thik temple and the Order’s plans. Kairos, how’s Ereia?” Kairos checked Ereia’s vitals on the monitor beside her. “Stable for now. The serum is working… but we need that antidote ASAP.” SeventhSight nodded, already typing on his comms device. “Incoming message from Manila base… they hacked into Philippine news feeds. Zha’thik temple is sealed off – ‘archaeological research’ according to the Order’s front company.”
Erebus’ eyes narrowed, “Prepare the team for battle. We move out at dawn – with or without the antidote. Zha’thik temple will be our battlefield. SeventhSight, inform the President and Philippine military – they need to be ready to contain Oblivion if we fail. Kairos, tend to Ereia… she’s our priority after stopping the ritual.”
The airship landed softly on the Manila base rooftop. Erebus stepped out, his eyes fixed on the horizon – towards Palawan.
The fate of millions rested on his shoulders.
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