Kael dove into the vent shaft, the metal scorching hot from the shard's energy. He crawled fast, the space barely wide enough for his shoulders. Behind him, muffled shouts and pounding boots echoed.
The shard pulsed in his grip, guiding him through the dark twists. Every vibration was a direction, every hum a warning. He didn't know how—but it wanted him alive.
The shaft split in two. Left or right. Kael hesitated—then the Resonance rippled faintly to the left, like a whisper in his blood. He obeyed.
A crash thundered behind him. The shaft's metal groaned—Guards were forcing their way in. Kael gritted his teeth and pushed harder, skin scraping raw, lungs burning.
Suddenly, the vent burst open into a maintenance chamber. He fell hard, landing on steel grates. Red warning lights spun, alarms wailing. No time. He ran.
---
Far below, in the rebel tunnels, Mira stirred. Pain lanced through her ribs, but she pushed up, refusing to stay down.
"Kael…" she whispered, the name a promise.
Daren's voice carried through the cavern. "Scouts report heavy movement topside. The Accord is shifting resources. They've taken someone important." His jaw tightened. "It has to be him."
The rebels exchanged uneasy looks. Mira's hand clenched into a fist. "Then we don't wait. We find him. Whatever it takes."
Her voice cut sharper than her wounds. Even in silence, the Resonance seemed to answer her.
---
Kael tore through a narrow corridor, shards of broken pipes hissing steam around him. His body screamed with exhaustion, but the shard held him upright. Every step echoed like a drumbeat of survival.
Behind him, Guards thundered closer. Their weapons sparked against walls, slicing through shadows.
Kael skidded around a corner—and froze.
Ahead, the corridor ended in a massive drop: an open chasm carved into the heart of the facility. The only way across was a rusted bridge, half-collapsed, swaying in the alarm's red light.
His breath caught. One misstep meant death. But staying meant capture.
The Resonance surged inside him, not with words but with conviction.
Leap.
Kael ran.