The Vault's exit rumbled open, revealing a night sky bathed in the eerie glow of distant moons. A cold wind rushed in, carrying the scent of untouched air—fresh, untainted by battle, by war, by the Academy's presence.
Elias stepped forward, his boots crunching against the metal platform as his eyes adjusted to the vast landscape before them. They had emerged onto a high plateau, far from the Academy's domain, deep within a forgotten region of the world.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, Elias felt truly free.
Lira stood beside him, arms crossed. "Okay. We're alive, we have control of the Vault, and we didn't die horribly in an ancient death trap. I'd call that a win."
Marco, still scrolling through his datapad, exhaled. "Yeah, except for the part where the entire world is about to go crazy."
Elias turned. "What do you mean?"
Marco tapped his screen, pulling up intercepted Academy transmissions. "The second we accessed the Vault, the Academy's systems registered it. They know something happened. And judging by these signals?" He let out a dry chuckle. "They're panicking."
Reinhardt cracked his knuckles. "Let them panic."
Cecilia smirked. "It means we hit a nerve."
Elias's mind was already racing. If the Academy knew about the Vault's activation, then they would move. Fast. It wouldn't take long for them to mobilize their forces, send scouts, and then an entire army if necessary.
And then there was the bigger problem.
"The Forgotten," Elias muttered.
Varian, standing slightly apart from the group, nodded slowly. "The knowledge of their existence was erased from history. But if what Aetheris said is true… then we are the only ones who know what's coming."
Ivy adjusted her bow, watching the horizon. "Which means we don't just have to fight the Academy." She turned to Elias. "We have to prepare the world for a war it doesn't even know exists."
Lira let out a short laugh. "No pressure, right?"
Elias's HUD flickered with warnings—his suit was still low on energy, the wear from the previous battle evident. He needed to refuel, upgrade, and reinforce. He had Project Genesis now, but it was unfinished. The war armor he was using now? Barely a prototype.
He exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Then we have work to do."
Marco frowned. "We need a base. A real one."
Cecilia nodded. "The Vault's still operational, but it's not a fortress—not yet. We need time to reinforce it, build defenses, and start manufacturing whatever we can salvage from Project Genesis."
Elias turned to Marco. "Can you use the Vault's systems to create new weapons? Armor?"
Marco thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. It'll take time, but if we tap into the designs Aetheris left behind, we can start manufacturing advanced tech. The real problem?" He sighed. "Resources. We need materials, energy cores, fuel."
Reinhardt grinned. "Sounds like we're going on a raiding trip."
Ivy's expression darkened. "That also makes us a target. If we start moving too soon, the Academy will track us."
Varian stepped forward. "Then we must act carefully. Every move from now on must serve a purpose."
Elias exhaled. He already knew what came next. They needed to gather allies, build their forces, and create the first real resistance against the Academy's rule.
And then, they had to prepare for something far worse.
"Then we start now," he said.
Lira smirked. "You've got a plan, don't you?"
Elias adjusted his gauntlet, the blueprint schematics of new war armor designs flashing across his HUD.
"First, we upgrade," he said. "Then we take the fight to them."
The world was about to change.
And this time, he was the one rewriting history.