Dawn and Gray uncover Dr. Halveris's diary, revealing twisted plans to create an army of enhanced beings and a hidden underground chamber.
Meanwhile, Ari and Tracey track corrupted magic in the forest and discover a buried stone entrance leading to a secret tunnel.
The tunnel leads west—back toward the village—raising questions about who built it and why it was hidden so deeply.
Inside, they sense over a hundred presences and find a vast underground facility, but a sudden sound leaves them face-to-face with a shocking discovery.
They saw a row of strange containment cells—each one made of reinforced metal and thick glass.
But these weren't ordinary holding units. Inside each cell floated a human, completely submerged in a pale blue liquid.
Bubbles rose slowly from tubes connected to their mouths and backs, creating a faint, rhythmic sound that echoed through the room.
The liquid shimmered faintly, casting an eerie glow across their still faces.
Ari and Tracey stood frozen in shock.
They moved closer, eyes wide. The outer glass was icy cold to the touch—smooth, polished, and unnaturally clear.
Each man inside remained suspended, eyes closed, bodies motionless, like they'd been captured and preserved mid-breath.
Ari (softly, uneasy): "This is just like what Imperial and Gray found in the Solaria Empire…"
She turned toward another cell, her voice tightening.
Ari: "But why is something like this hidden here? In the middle of a forest?"
She looked at Tracey, a grim realization dawning.
Ari: "Is there something the higher-ups don't want people to know?"
Tracey – now we have to check this place a more maybe we can find who is after this.
Ari (grimly): "But even then… I guess it didn't matter. Imperial and Gray revealed all this before—and it's still going on."
She glanced back at the containment cells.
Ari: "That means either the higher-ups know about this and turned a blind eye… or someone among them is running this whole operation in secret—keeping it hidden from everyone else."
They stepped out of the room, the eerie chill still clinging to their skin.
The hallway beyond was quiet.
Too quiet.
Not a single guard. Not a single sound.
They scanned the shadows… nothing.
Then they moved to the next room.
Tracey reached for the handle—
Click.
As the door creaked open—
BOOM!
A searing blast of fire shot toward them in an instant.
But Ari moved like lightning—drawing her blade with one swift motion.
CLANG!
She slashed through the incoming fire, cutting it clean mid-air. Sparks exploded across the room.
Inside stood a boy, no older than them, dressed in a black military coat with red trims. His eyes shimmered unnaturally—one glowing faint red, the other metallic silver.
He grinned with twisted amusement.
Boy: "You took so long in that room. I got bored waiting… hiding here like a rat."
He stepped forward, arms wide.
Boy: "But now that you're here, let's skip introductions. I was ordered to kill intruders anyway—might as well test these on you first."
He raised a small remote and pressed a red button.
Suddenly—
HISSSHHHHHH!!!
All the glass containment pods in the previous room hissed open, releasing clouds of gas and glowing mist.
The liquid inside drained rapidly, and one by one, the floating bodies collapsed to the floor… but they didn't stay down.
They rose.
Slowly.
Stiffly.
Eyes empty. Limbs twitching.
Each man was pale, unnaturally lean, marked by strange sigils glowing faintly on their skin. Their mouths hung open slightly, yet not a single one made a sound.
Ari's eyes widened.
Ari: "They're not awake… They're not themselves."
Boy (commanding): "Attack them, my Hollowborn."
The controlled men—all twenty of them—suddenly charged forward, expressionless and mechanical.
Ari didn't hesitate. She planted her foot, tightened her grip on her sword.
Ari (firm): "Light Magic: First Ray – Dawnpiercer!"
Her blade ignited with brilliant gold, and she slashed forward. A shining arc of golden light sliced through the air, racing toward the oncoming Hollowborn.
BOOM!
The golden slash struck them, exploding into a radiant blast—
But as the smoke cleared, the Hollowborn stood back up—barely scratched. Their skin had absorbed the hit unnaturally.
One lunged at Ari, swinging a jagged blade conjured from dark mist.
Tracey: "Ashenfang!"
Flames erupted as his bonded beast, Ashenfang, materialized with a roar.
Tracey: "Flame Blast!"
Ashenfang opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of blazing fire—FWOOOM!!
The blast struck a Hollowborn squarely in the chest, hurling him backward into one of the empty glass pods—shattering it.
But then—
Crack. Crack.
The man slowly stood up again. His chest bubbled and regenerated, as though rewinding damage.
Ari (shocked): "They're… regenerating!
The Hollowborn surrounded them—each one now activating strange abilities.
One conjured black flames.
Another raised blades of wind that sliced through metal.
A third summoned corrupted black water, swirling like oil.
More followed—each more twisted than the last.
There were twenty in total, and every one had a different enhancement.
Tracey: "Ashenfang—Flame Barrier!"
The beast roared and slammed its claws into the floor, conjuring a fiery shield that surrounded Ari, Tracey, and itself in a dome of searing heat.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Hollowborn attacked all at once—dark magic, corrupted elements, and physical blows slammed into the barrier like a storm.
Cracks spread across the flames—
And then—
CRASH!!!
The barrier shattered—the force blowing apart the walls. The entire room erupted in chaos, the stone walls crumbling under pressure.
Even the door behind them exploded, creating a massive hole through to the next chamber.
Debris flew everywhere. Sparks danced across the broken floor.
Tracey and Ari stood back to back, surrounded.
The Hollowborn were advancing again, their eyes soulless—ready for round two.
Ari (thinking, tense): How are they this powerful?
Her eyes darted from one Hollowborn to the next, each regenerating even after being struck.
There must be a way to deal with them… but what? I need to find it—fast.
Without wasting another second, she dashed forward, light magic coursing through her limbs.
In a rapid zig-zag motion, she weaved between the Hollowborn—her blade glowing brightly as she slashed at them one by one.
CLING! CLANG! SWISH!
Each strike landed cleanly—slashes across arms, legs, and torsos.
But it wasn't enough.
The Hollowborn stumbled… and then immediately began to regenerate. Flesh rewove. Cracks sealed. Magic pulses returned.
Tracey (gritting his teeth): "If cutting won't stop them—then let's burn them!"
Tracey: "Ashenfang—Flames Combustion!"
Ashenfang roared, its mane blazing, and released a powerful flame burst from its jaws.
WHOOSH!
The fire engulfed the Hollowborn, creating a massive wave of heat that lit up the entire chamber.
BOOM!!
The explosion shook the floor—embers and smoke filled the air. For a moment, it looked like they might be down.
But then—
Movement.
The Hollowborn started walking through the fire, their bodies charred… but still moving.
The strange boy smirked.
Boy: "Water types—cleanse them."
Instantly, several Hollowborn raised their hands—
Splash!
Dark water poured from their palms, dousing the flames. In mere seconds, the burned flesh regenerated once more.
Ari's eyes narrowed. Her chest heaved with rising urgency.
Ari (in her mind): They're being controlled. Their coordination… it's not natural.
That boy—he's the one controlling them. If we take him out, they'll stop.
She turned to Tracey.
Ari: "Can you hold them off? I have a plan—but I'll need time."
Tracey (nods, serious): "Yeah. I've got your back."
Ari didn't wait. She dashed forward—straight through the wave of Hollowborn—dodging their attacks by a hair.
Blades, magic blasts, claws—none of them stopped her momentum.
She broke through their formation and lunged at the controller—her blade glowing with searing light.
SLASH!
The boy didn't flinch.
He caught the blade mid-air with one bare hand, gripping it by the tip.
Boy (smirking): "You're strong. I can sense that."
Ari gritted her teeth and pushed forward with her full strength. The force began to drive him back—inch by inch.
But then—
He raised his other hand and struck her directly in the stomach with a brutal blast of force.
THUD!!
Ari was sent flying backward, crashing hard into a wall.
CRASH!
Before she could recover, the boy vanished in a blink of movement and appeared right in front of her again—mid-air.
Boy (coldly): "But I didn't say you were stronger than me."
WHAM!!
He punched her across the face with a devastating blow.
Her body flew backward again—smashing through one wall… then another… and another.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!
The walls shattered as she was hurled three rooms away, her body finally slamming into the farthest wall before collapsing onto the floor.
Dust filled the air. Rubble crumbled beside her.
Ari groaned, blood at the corner of her lip, her vision spinning—but she forced herself to rise.
Footsteps.
She heard him.
The boy was walking—slowly, deliberately—through the broken path of destruction he had left, heading straight for her.
She planted her hand on the floor, trembling—but determined.
Ari (to herself, through clenched teeth): "I'm not done yet…"