The cavern became a warzone of fire, light, and steel. Every strike shook the earth, every pulse from the glowing rivers dragged harder at Eris's essence.
"Move!" Mara shouted, slashing across another guardian's leg before darting away. "Don't stop swinging, just keep running!"
Jonas fired blindly as he backed toward a narrow fissure in the rock. His rifle lit up the cavern in bursts, buying them seconds at a time. "You're telling me not to stop swinging—easy for you, I've only got two hands!"
Selene wove sigils of light mid-stride, her staff carving glowing paths through the air that exploded in flares to slow the enemy. But each flare drained her. Sweat dripped from her brow, and her lips trembled with the strain.
Eris stumbled forward, the pull of the Heart threatening to drag him into the glowing rivers. Liora grabbed his arm and yanked him upright. "Focus, Eris! Not the voices, not the light—me! Look at me!"
For a heartbeat, he did. Her steady eyes cut through the chaos, anchoring him to the present. He nodded weakly, forcing his legs to move.
The guardians roared, their molten bodies shoving through the walls of light and plasma fire. The cavern shook as they advanced, each step sending cracks through the stone floor.
The group reached the fissure—a jagged tunnel sloping downward. Jonas ducked inside first, firing a final blast over his shoulder. "Go, go, go!"
Mara followed, blades flashing as she cut down the first guardian that tried to wedge itself into the gap. Its body burst into molten shards, but the force nearly took her with it. She rolled inside the fissure, panting.
Selene stumbled through next, dragging her staff like a crutch. "This path isn't safe, but it's better than being buried here!"
Liora and Eris came last, sprinting as the guardians' blades swept down inches from their backs. Liora shoved Eris through the fissure, then spun and loosed one final arrow. The shaft burst into silver fire, striking the lead guardian in the chest. It staggered back a step—just enough for her to duck inside.
The guardians' roars followed them, echoing into the tunnel like the fury of a hundred damned souls.
The fissure sloped steeply downward, the walls glowing faintly with veins of essence. Their boots skidded on loose stone as they half-ran, half-fell deeper into the unknown. Behind them, the cavern continued to rumble, as though the guardians were tearing the earth apart to reach them.
Finally, the tunnel opened into another chamber—smaller, but just as alien. At its center stood a massive arch of black stone, covered in glowing sigils. The air hummed around it, heavy with power.
Eris collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest. The pull was stronger here, so strong it felt like his very soul was being dragged out through his ribs.
Selene's eyes widened as she staggered toward the arch. "This… this isn't just a chamber. It's a gate."
Jonas groaned, reloading his rifle with shaking hands. "A gate to what?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"To the true Heart of Mars."
The ground trembled again. The guardians were coming.