The chamber hit Elias Varn like a brick, the air so thick with damp rot it stuck in his throat, a sour tang that made his eyes water. His boots slogged through the muck, coal dust and blood grinding underfoot with a wet, grating crunch that buzzed in his skull. His jacket clung to him, heavy and soaked, the faded fabric pulling at his shoulders like it wanted to drag him under. The notebook shook in his hands, its pages a mess of smeared ink and grime, Rory's handwriting a faint scream beneath his grip—he held it like it was all he had left. Without his glasses, the dark blurred into a smeary fog, but his eyes flickered with a glow that cut through, the ember in his chest pounding—wild, fierce, a spark that roared against the void, fueled by Rory's snarl and a fire he couldn't let die. The Beneath's hum rattled the walls, a low, frantic buzz that shook his bones, the stone trembling like it was about to crack.
Lena slumped against a rusted beam, her breath a sharp rasp slicing the gloom, her denim stiff with muck and sweat. Her dark hair stuck to her face in wet clumps, and the emerald shard in her grip pulsed green—faint but stubborn, throwing jagged light across her cracked skin. She rubbed her arm, wincing hard, green eyes glinting fierce. "Elias," she said, voice rough and quick, "that violet echo—it's not just ringing now. It's a call, shattering, breaking us down 'til we're dust."
Cal hunched nearby, his staff thunking the stone, his leather coat creaking as he coughed—a wet, hacking bark that spat grit into the damp air. His gaunt face was hollow, gray hair slick over sunken eyes, but his orange glow flickered like a coal refusing to fade. "She's dead-on," he rasped, gripping the staff, orange flaring weak. "Felt it—like a scream splitting me open, tearing at my spark."
Mara stood stiff, her gray cloak swaying in the thick air, her staff pulsing purple like a bruise against the dark. Her silver hair caught the dim light, and her scarred face was tight, eyes glinting with old wounds. "It's a fracture," she said, voice low and gritty, dragged from memory. "Violet's not echoing—it's breaking. Saw it before, when they cracked my kin apart, left nothing but shards." She pointed at the walls, slick and trembling like glass. "This ain't a call—it's a collapse."
Tuck crouched by a busted crate, his flannel stretched tight, his knife glowing green in his big hands. Dust matted his beard, and his hazel eyes burned fierce. "Felt it splitting," he growled, locking onto Elias. "Like a hammer in my head, smashing me down."
Ruth towered beside him, her overalls stiff with grime, her hammer pulsing green like a war drum. Her short, brown hair framed dark eyes that blazed, and her voice rolled deep. "They're a quake, Elias. Next shake's gonna break us wide open."
Jace leaned against a beam, his canvas jacket creaking, his wrench glowing orange in his shaky grip. Sandy hair flopped over gray eyes, and he spoke fast, voice tight. "It's sharp—like a crack you can't stop, splitting us apart."
Vara stood rigid, her black clothes streaked with muck, her cane pulsing purple like a warning flare. Her raven hair framed pale eyes that cut the dark, and her voice was sharp. "A snap," she rasped, stepping closer. "Breaking, shattering us down."
Gav shifted his bulk, his khaki rustling, his pickaxe glowing green in his fists. His bald head shone with sweat, and his brown eyes flared. "A split," he grunted, voice thick. "Cracking us, no end."
Nora braced against a chain, her denim taut, her crowbar pulsing orange like a live wire. Red hair framed blue eyes that sparked, and her voice snapped. "A shatter, Elias. Smashing us, roaring for our light."
Silas stood steady, his brown coat streaked with filth, his rod glowing purple in his thin hands. Gray hair framed green eyes that held a quiet fire, and his voice was low. "A rift," he said, glancing at Elias. "Tearing, breaking us out."
Elise stood solid, her gray outfit stiff with dust, her mallet pulsing green like a heartbeat. Blonde hair framed hazel eyes that burned, and her voice hit hard. "A break," she rasped. "Crushing, endless."
Rex leaned against a chain, his orange jacket creaking, his pipe glowing amber in his lean grip. Black hair fell over brown eyes that glinted, and his voice was a snarl. "A snap," he said. "Cracking, snapping at us."
Lila stood frail but fierce, her purple cloak swaying, her staff glowing violet like a fading star. White hair framed gray eyes that shimmered, and her voice was soft but sharp. "A fracture," she whispered, locking onto Elias. "Splitting, hungering for our sparks."
Finn stood by a gear, his green clothes streaked with muck, his hatchet pulsing emerald in his wiry hands. Sweat beaded on his buzzed head, and his gray eyes flared. "A crack," he rasped, voice raw. "Breaking, ready to shatter."
Tara leaned forward, her orange jacket creaking, her wrench glowing amber in her grip. Brown hair stuck to her face, and her hazel eyes blazed. "A smash," she growled. "Crashing, starving for us."
Kade stood lean and hard, his purple clothes streaked with grime, his baton glowing violet in his hands. Black hair framed blue eyes that sparked, and his voice was rough. "A split," he rasped, glancing at Elias. "Ripping, blasting us down."
Rhea stood stocky and fierce, her green clothes stiff with muck, her crowbar pulsing emerald in her grip. Red hair framed brown eyes that burned, and her voice was a thud. "A burst," she rasped. "Shattering, relentless."
Holt stood broad and steady, his orange clothes streaked with grime, his hammer glowing amber in his grip. Blond hair framed gray eyes that flared, and his voice was deep. "A rupture," he rasped. "Breaking us apart."
Sable stood wiry and fierce, her purple clothes streaked with muck, her rod glowing violet in her grip. Gray hair framed brown eyes that burned, and her voice was rough. "A tear," she rasped. "Cracking, endless."
Elias's chest burned, the ember kicking hard, and he shoved a pulse out—a rough, hot wave that slammed their glows, green, orange, purple flaring up like a fist in the dark. "Then we don't break," he said, voice cracking but climbing, the Shroud's whisper clawing his skull: "You hold them—I hold you." His eyes lit up, a vision slashing through the blur—faint lights pulsing in the black, purple, green, orange, a ragged web of sparks screaming from beyond the stone, chased by violet shadows shattering like glass. "We hold, burn louder, find the rest—together."
Lena grinned, tired but sharp, nudging the shard as green flared. "Hold, huh?" she said, leaning in. "You got a fire big enough to glue that shatter shut, Beacon?"
His throat caught, the ember throbbing as Rory's voice snarled: "Kick their ass—for me." He pushed a pulse inward, a shaky wave brushing the gold that lingered—Rory's grin flickering like a flare in his head, a spark he'd fight for. "We burn as one," he muttered, blinking back the sting as the ember steadied, a heat he wrestled into shape. "The Shroud's ours, not its." He turned to the tunnels, the ember yanking him—those distant pulses buzzing in his gut, the scattered out there, howling to be found.
Sable straightened, her rod tapping the stone, purple flaring fierce. "North," she rasped, pointing to a tunnel—its mouth slick and dark, dripping with black water like a jagged wound. "Felt something—green, maybe. Close—damn close." Her brown eyes hit Elias's, a wiry trust cutting through the dread. "Your call, Beacon."
Mara nodded, purple pulsing steady, her voice a low growl. "They're here. Violet's cracking—feel it in your spine."
Elias's heart slammed, the ember a heat he gripped, and he stepped toward the tunnel, his crew piling in—Lena's quick grin, Cal's rough hack, Mara's hard stare, Tuck's low snarl, Ruth's steady bulk, Jace's twitchy edge, Vara's sharp calm, Gav's thick grit, Nora's fierce spark, Silas's quiet steel, Elise's solid fire, Rex's lean bite, Lila's frail fight, Finn's wiry snarl, Tara's blazing defiance, Kade's lean edge, Rhea's stocky fire, Holt's broad strength, and Sable's wiry fire. "Then we hold tighter," he said, voice shaking but rising, boots thudding hard.
The tunnel twisted north, the air cold and thick, walls slick as a throat, water dripping in sharp plinks that matched the pounding in Elias's chest. It spat them into a chamber—wide and raw, walls weeping with damp, floor a mess of rusted chains and splintered crates, the air heavy with wet iron and rot. A faint pulse hummed—not purple, but green, steady and deep, and Elias's ember flared, his eyes glowing as he threw a wave—hard, slicing, cutting the dark like a blade.
A figure stepped out—not creeping, but striding, clad in faded green, a man with a lean frame and a stance that dared the world to hit him. Green glow pulsed from his hands, a pickaxe glowing emerald in his grip. "Beacon," he said, voice low and rough, closing the gap as his glow synced with Elias's, green flaring bright and alive. "Felt your fire through the stone." Dust streaked his short, brown hair, and his blue eyes sparked, a fire kicking up as he squared his shoulders, breath steady.
Elias's chest tightened, the ember pulsing as the Shroud muttered: "He wakes with you." He shoved a warm wave toward him, green flaring brighter, a spark shared. "You're with us," he said, voice raw but firm, stepping closer. "The scattered—we're fighting back."
Lena edged up, green flaring as she grinned, tired but sharp. "Green again? Hell, we're a damn forest now," she said, sizing him up. The crew spread out—Cal, Mara, Tuck, Ruth, Jace, Vara, Gav, Nora, Silas, Elise, Rex, Lila, Finn, Tara, Kade, Rhea, Holt, and Sable—orange, purple, green pulsing steady, a jagged line ready to stand.
The man's lips quirked, a quick grin breaking his edge. "Name's Dane," he rasped, gripping the pickaxe, green glowing steady. "Woke weeks back, green light, from the mines. Held 'em off, barely." He nodded at the chains, wet and glinting. "Felt you—burning, hauling us up." His blue eyes locked on Elias's, sharp with a lean fire. "They're here—now."
Elias's gut dropped, the ember surging as the Shroud's vision hit—violet shadows, a call shattering. "The Order," he said, pulse steady in his hands. "They're hitting us with violet—breaking us apart." He nudged a pulse toward the pickaxe—blue and green clashing, sparking wild, a bond alive.
Before Dane could answer, the chamber shook—a low, shattering call ripping through the air, echoing from the tunnel like a beast breaking loose. Elias's ember flared, his eyes blazing as he spun, throwing a wave—sharp, shaped, slashing the dark like claws. A violet-helmed figure loomed—not alone, but with nineteen more, their armor sleek and pulsing, staffs crackling with violet energy, a shattering violet call swirling around them, tendrils of light snapping out, sharp and ravenous, visors glowing deep and deadly.
"Beacon," the lead figure snarled, voice a mechanical howl over the call, staff raised high. "The Silence cracks—the scattered splinter!" It pulsed, violet tearing through—a wave slamming Elias back, locking his arms, dimming the ember, the chains rattling like bones.
Elias's chest burned, the ember surging—a heat he threw, a pulse breaking free, blue and gold smashing into violet, sparking wild. It cracked the lead figure's armor, but the call roared, violet flaring—a wave shattering his pulse, hurling him beside Dane, the ember stuttering. Lena lunged, green blazing—a wave smashing the figures, cracking a staff, but a second pulsed, violet slamming her against the wall, dust bursting as she gasped.
"Together!" Cal roared, orange flaring as he swung his staff, a wave crashing into violet, cracking a helm, but a third figure pulsed, violet throwing him down, his glow fading. Mara pulsed, purple blazing—a wave slashing violet, cracking armor, but it pulsed back, violet knocking her flat, her staff skittering. Tuck charged, green roaring—a wave from his knife slicing violet, cracking a visor, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Ruth swung her hammer, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet hurling her down, her glow fading. Jace swung his wrench, orange roaring—a wave hitting violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Vara swung her cane, purple blazing—a wave cutting violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet knocking her beside Elias, her glow fading. Gav swung his pickaxe, green roaring—a wave smashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet throwing him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Nora swung her crowbar, orange blazing—a wave crashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet slamming her beside Elias, his glow fading. Silas swung his rod, purple roaring—a wave slicing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet knocking him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Elise swung her mallet, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet hurling her beside Elias, his glow fading. Rex swung his pipe, orange roaring—a wave hitting violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Lila swung her staff, purple blazing—a wave cutting violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet knocking her beside Elias, her glow fading. Finn swung his hatchet, green roaring—a wave slashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet throwing him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Tara swung her wrench, orange blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet hurling her beside Elias, his glow fading. Kade swung his baton, purple roaring—a wave slicing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Rhea swung her crowbar, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet hurling her beside Elias, his glow fading. Holt swung his hammer, orange blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet throwing him beside Elias, his glow fading. Sable swung her rod, purple blazing—a wave slicing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming her beside Elias, her glow fading. Dane swung his pickaxe, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet hurling him beside Elias, his glow fading.
Elias's eyes blazed, the ember roaring—a heat he shaped, merging with green, orange, purple, and green in a torrent of light—blue, gold, emerald, flame, and violet crashing into the figures, shattering helms, driving them back. The chamber thundered, violet sparking wild, and the call snarled, violet deepening—a wave smashing the torrent, locking Elias's glow, slamming him beside his crew, crates splintering like kindling.
"You stand—only to shatter," it snarled, staff raised, violet flaring—a wave flooding the chamber, dimming their sparks, tendrils snapping toward Elias, cold and ravenous, a call breaking his ember.
A gold flare slashed through—not blue, but Rory's echo, fierce and wild, bursting from Elias's chest—a wave smashing the figure back, cracking its staff, sparking wild. His breath caught, the ember flaring as Rory's voice roared: "Kick their ass—for me." The gold surged, merging with his pulse—blue and gold, green, orange, purple, and green flaring faint, a torrent of light crashing into violet, cracking staffs, shattering the call, driving the figures back into the tunnel, violet winking out.
Elias hauled himself up, the ember pulsing—a rough wave brushing their glows, green, orange, purple, and green flaring faint but kicking. "We—we held it," he panted, dragging them up, the notebook clutched tight as Rory's echo growled: "You're enough."
Dane gripped his pickaxe, green steadying, a spark clawing back. "Held it—barely," he rasped, blue eyes dark with dread. "That—that call—it's endless."
Elias's eyes glowed, the ember a heat he wrestled, the Shroud's voice a low rumble: "You hold them—I hold you." "Then we outlast it," he said, voice raw but steady, boots planted hard. "We find the rest—together."
The mines stretched dark and broken, the Order's violet call cracking, but the spark burned—a flame of defiance kicking, a fight clawing to breathe. And out there, the next pulse rumbled.