Morning came too fast.
The mission had not waited for rest.
By sunrise, Ian and his squad were already standing on the surface of an overgrown forest planet. Towering trees stretched into the clouds, their roots twisting across the earth like giant claws. Mist hung between the trunks, and strange insects glowed faintly beneath thick patches of moss.
In the center of the forest was a hole.
Not a cave.
Not a crater.
A perfect circular opening carved straight into the planet's surface.
Ancient stairs spiraled downward into darkness.
Ian stood at the edge, black armor catching the faint green light of the forest. His katana rested across his back, and his eyes scanned the opening with quiet focus.
Blade, the 9th Great, leaned casually on his katana as if they were visiting a training hall instead of a ruin that could decide the fate of the capital.
Dreadwake, the 15th Great, rolled his shoulders beneath his armor, the faint smell of salt and steel following him like a ghost of the sea.
Ice King stood behind them, staring down the endless stairway with visible offense.
He grumbled, voice deep and regal.
"Does every ruin in this galaxy require a pilgrimage just to reach the front door? My knees were forged for snow, not stairs."
Dreadwake smirked behind his mask.
"Relax, old man. Back in your day, this was probably considered cardio."
Ice King turned slowly.
"If I throw you down these stairs, pirate, you may discover cardio firsthand."
Blade sighed, smooth and dry.
"You two going to argue about retirement homes the whole way down, or can we focus on the ancient demonic seal buried under our boots?"
Ian was already descending.
"Enough chatter," he said. "Stay sharp. These ruins were sealed for a reason."
That ended the jokes.
For now.
The squad followed him into the dark.
The staircase spiraled for what felt like miles.
With every step, the forest sounds above them faded until only the echo of their boots remained. The walls around them were smooth, polished, and covered in symbols too old for most modern scanners to translate.
Finally, the stairs opened into a chamber.
At its center stood a circular marble platform surrounded by stone pillars. It looked like an elevator, but no wires, gears, or engines were visible. Only carved runes circled the floor.
Ice King stepped forward.
A stone pressure plate clicked beneath his boot.
The entire platform trembled.
Blade looked down.
"You stepped on something."
Ice King lifted his chin.
"Obviously."
Dreadwake glanced over the edge as the platform began to lower.
"Could've been a trap."
Ice King folded his arms.
"Then it is a very polite trap. It is taking us exactly where we need to go."
Ian said nothing, but his hand moved closer to his katana.
The marble platform sank into the darkness.
Then the underground city appeared.
It was massive.
A whole civilization carved into a cavern so wide the ceiling vanished into shadow. Crystals jutted from the walls, glowing with soft blue light. That glow danced across marble streets, towering pillars, arched bridges, and ancient colonnades.
The city hummed faintly.
Not with electricity.
With something older.
Something alive.
Ice King stepped off the platform and examined one of the glowing crystals. His usual sarcasm faded, replaced by something deeper. Older.
"Hm," he murmured. "No wires. No circuits. This city's heartbeat is sorcery."
Blade glanced around with a smirk.
"You say that like you watched them build it. Remind me again — how old are you?"
Ice King chuckled.
"Old enough to know this place remembers things even you cannot imagine."
Dreadwake looked up at the crystal-lit ceiling.
"Pretty place. Shame it feels like it wants to bury us."
Ian's eyes narrowed.
"Because it might."
They moved into the city.
The locals noticed immediately.
People in pale robes and crystal-lined armor stopped in the streets as the STF squad passed. Some whispered. Others quickly looked away. No one smiled.
A city officer stepped forward, one hand near the curved blade at his waist.
He eyed Ian's armor, then Blade's katana, then Dreadwake's mask.
"You folks don't look like you're from around here."
Ian's voice was firm and direct.
"We're not. I need you to—"
Ice King raised one hand and cut in smoothly.
"—show us where your seal-maker lives. Preferably before I freeze for another two thousand years."
The officer blinked.
"May I ask why?"
Ian looked at him.
"No."
The officer swallowed whatever question had been forming in his throat.
"Very well," he said reluctantly. "Follow me."
Blade leaned closer to Dreadwake as they walked.
"You think Ian practices that stare in the mirror?"
Dreadwake whispered back, "No. Mirrors probably apologize first."
Ian did not turn around.
"I can hear you."
Blade smiled.
"Good. Keeps morale alive."
The officer led them through winding marble streets and under crystal-lit colonnades. The deeper they walked, the more Ian noticed the same thing.
People were watching them.
Not with curiosity.
With fear.
And every time the word "seal" was spoken, the locals lowered their heads.
Eventually, a tower came into view.
It rose above the city like a spear of emerald marble. At the top, a glowing glass sphere pulsed like a heartbeat, sending faint waves of light across the cavern roof.
The officer stopped in front of tall double doors.
"The sealwright lives here."
Then he stepped back as if he wanted nothing more to do with them.
Ian noticed.
But he did not question him yet.
The squad entered.
Inside, the tower was quiet.
Too quiet.
At the highest chamber, a man sat behind a polished stone desk, reading from an old text while overlooking the city through a crystal window.
He looked to be in his thirties, dressed in layered robes marked with fading arcane symbols. His hair was dark and neatly tied back. His expression was calm, intelligent, and tired.
He did not look surprised to see them.
Dreadwake stepped forward first.
"We need a seal split from its binding structure. Ancient demonic design. Three-node lock. City-level threat."
The man closed his book.
"I can do that."
Blade's eyes narrowed.
"That was easy."
The man looked at him.
"But first, I need you to do something for me."
Blade groaned.
"We do not have time to help with your witchcraft side quest."
The man's expression sharpened.
"Do you want the seal undone?"
Blade opened his mouth.
Ian cut him off.
"Blade. Quiet."
Blade clicked his tongue but stepped back.
Ian faced the man.
"What do you need?"
The man stood slowly.
"This city was built by giants. Ancient beings of stone, flesh, and sorcery. For generations, they protected us, raised our walls, carved our streets, and held up the bones of this cavern."
His eyes darkened.
"But one of them now wants to destroy the city. He claims the giants were never compensated for their labor. He says they are tired of helping us."
Ice King gave a dry smirk.
"Well… perhaps you should have paid the giant."
The man's jaw tightened.
Blade stepped forward, arms crossed.
"What's your name, anyway?"
The man sighed and brushed dust from his cloak.
"Ezir," he said. "I used to be a sealwright for the council… before they abandoned reason."
Dreadwake raised an eyebrow.
"Abandoned reason how?"
Ezir's voice became bitter.
"Our government refused to pay the giants. Not because they lacked wealth. Not because they lacked resources. Because of greed."
Dreadwake leaned against a pillar.
"So why not toss them a few gold bricks from your own pocket?"
Ian stared out the window at the city below.
"They don't want money."
Everyone turned toward him.
Ian's voice was quiet, but firm.
"They want freedom."
Ezir's eyes flickered.
Blade frowned.
"How would you know someone cursed them?"
Ian looked back at him.
"If they wanted to leave, they could. There are no gates big enough to stop creatures that built this place. Nothing is holding them here physically."
His gaze moved to Ezir.
"Which means something else is binding them."
Ice King's expression grew serious.
"Something ancient."
Ian nodded.
"Something deliberate."
For the first time, Ezir looked uncomfortable.
Ian stepped closer.
"Where can we find the giants?"
Ezir looked away.
"I do not know."
Blade scoffed.
"Convenient."
Ezir's voice hardened.
"The government sealed them away."
Ian studied him for a long moment.
Then he turned.
"We're done here for now."
Ice King glanced at Ian as they left the chamber.
"You do not believe him."
Ian kept walking.
"No."
They spent the next hour searching the city.
They questioned shopkeepers, officers, builders, elders, and anyone who looked old enough to remember the truth.
Every answer was the same.
"I don't know."
"I can't say."
"That is council business."
"Please leave it alone."
The more they asked, the worse it felt.
This city did not act like a place with a missing giant.
It acted like a place hiding a crime.
Ian and Ice King stopped in a crystal-lit alley while Blade and Dreadwake continued questioning locals nearby.
Ice King leaned closer to Ian and lowered his voice.
"You do not think it odd? Giants bound in chains, and the whole city acting like it is normal?"
Ian watched a group of civilians hurry away as soon as they noticed him looking.
"I've had my suspicions."
Ice King's eyes narrowed.
"About Ezir?"
Ian nodded.
"I think he's binding the giants."
"Why?"
"That's what I don't know."
Ice King looked toward the council hall in the distance.
"Then perhaps we should stop asking frightened citizens and ask the people who taught them to be frightened."
Ian gave a small nod.
"Agreed."
The council hall stood at the center of the city.
It was a vast circular structure crowned with towering marble pillars that loomed like silent guardians. Arcane symbols pulsed faintly along the walls, glowing beneath layers of dust and political pride.
Inside, the marble floor shimmered beneath their boots.
A grand statue stood in the center of the chamber.
It was Ezir.
Arms outstretched.
Face stoic.
As if casting a spell over the entire city.
Blade looked up at the statue.
"Well. That's not suspicious at all."
Dreadwake tilted his head.
"Either this city loves him, or he loves himself."
A councilor stepped forward, robes dragging behind him.
His face was pale.
His hands trembled.
"You need to leave," the councilor said sternly. "Sorcery has no place here anymore. What you are doing will unravel things best left alone."
Ian stepped closer.
"What things?"
The councilor's lips tightened.
"I cannot—"
His voice distorted.
Ian froze.
The councilor grabbed his throat.
Glowing runes appeared across his tongue, burning bright beneath his skin.
Ice King's eyes widened.
"A silence curse."
The councilor tried to speak again.
The runes flashed.
Then his head exploded in a burst of light and blood.
The sound echoed through the marble chamber.
For one heartbeat, no one moved.
Then Ian turned sharply.
"Ezir."
Blade's hand gripped his katana.
Dreadwake's pistols were already drawn.
Ice King's face went cold as winter.
Ian did not waste another second.
"Move!"
They sprinted from the council hall.
The city's eerie silence shattered beneath their boots.
When they reached Ezir's tower, Ian did not knock.
He kicked the double doors open hard enough to crack the emerald marble.
At the top of the spiral stairs, Ezir stood with his arms folded.
Calm as ever.
A faint smile touched his face.
"So," Ezir said, "the truth finally reached you."
Blade vanished.
A blur of motion shot up the stairs, katana flashing toward Ezir's throat.
But Ezir raised one hand and twisted his fingers.
The tower obeyed.
Walls rotated like clockwork gears. The floor folded. Gravity shifted violently.
The squad was thrown across the chamber like rag dolls.
Blade twisted midair and landed in a crouch.
Ian braced against a pillar and slid back only a few feet.
Ice King and Dreadwake were not as lucky.
They slammed into a crystal column hard enough to crack it.
Dreadwake groaned.
"I hate magic."
Ice King pushed himself upright with a glare.
"Magic hates poor posture."
Ian drew his katana and dashed forward.
His blade gleamed as he swung for Ezir.
Then it melted.
Not into fire.
Not into metal.
Into bubbles.
Harmless, floating bubbles that drifted away from his hands.
Ian staggered back.
"What the—"
Blade stared.
"Did your legendary sword just turn into bathwater?"
Ian's eyes narrowed.
"I noticed."
He lunged again, fist pulled back.
His strike passed straight through Ezir's body like smoke.
Ezir smiled.
"Greats. Always so certain power can solve everything."
Ice King rose behind him, eyes glowing blue.
"Enough games."
He raised both arms.
An arctic surge erupted through the room.
Frost spread across the walls and floor in seconds, swallowing the chamber in jagged ice. The spinning architecture slowed as gears froze in place.
Dreadwake pushed off the wall and grinned.
"Now this is my kind of floor."
He dropped low and slid across the ice at full speed.
"Let me show you how pirates play on ice!"
He slammed shoulder-first into Ezir's legs.
The sorcerer's projection flickered.
Then Ezir's real body stumbled and crashed to the ground.
"There!" Ian shouted.
Ice King moved immediately.
He sprinted forward, grabbed the arcane tome hanging from Ezir's belt, and ripped it free.
Ezir's eyes widened.
"No."
Ice King opened the book.
Symbols crawled across the pages like living insects. He read them once, then spoke in an ancient tongue that made the walls tremble.
The tome flashed.
Invisible chains cracked throughout the room.
Ezir screamed.
"You idiot!" His voice warped, layered with panic and fury. "Do you even know what you have done?!"
Ice King did not lower the book.
"You bound them."
Ezir laughed bitterly.
"That spell was not just a prison!"
The tower shook.
Cracks split the marble floor.
Ezir's eyes burned with terror.
"It was a lock. Break it… and the entire city collapses!"
Outside, the statue of Ezir in the council chamber began to fracture.
Ian turned to Ice King.
"What did he mean it was a lock?"
Ice King's face darkened.
"I think we are about to find out."
The city screamed.
Marble walls cracked open like eggshells. Crystal towers split down the middle. Streets rose and collapsed as something massive moved beneath them.
Then the giants emerged.
Hulking beings of stone and flesh pulled themselves from hidden chambers beneath the city. Runes covered their bodies, glowing with sorcery that had been suppressed for far too long. Their eyes burned with rage, confusion, and pain.
Every step shook the cavern.
Civilians ran in every direction.
Ian was already speaking into his comm.
"This is Ian. Full civilian evacuation. I want transports landing now. Medical teams and barrier units on standby."
The comm crackled. "Understood, 6th Great."
Ian turned to his squad.
"Ice King, create a path out. Get the people to safety."
Ice King lifted his staff.
"With pleasure."
Ian looked to Blade.
"Blade, with me."
Blade sighed.
"Why is it always me?"
Ian smirked.
"Because you're fast, and I don't trust you alone."
Blade grinned.
"Fair."
The first giant swung its massive arm down toward a fleeing crowd.
Ian moved.
He leaped into the path of the strike and crossed his arms. Kia energy flared around his armor as the impact drove him into the marble, cracking the street beneath his boots.
Blade shot up the giant's arm in a blur.
His katana flashed like lightning.
One slash.
Two.
Three.
The giant's rune-covered wrist split, and its arm crashed away from the civilians.
Ian pushed forward, moving with brutal precision. Every strike had purpose. Every dodge saved space. He did not fight like someone trying to prove strength.
He fought like someone calculating how many lives were behind him.
Blade climbed another giant's back, moving too fast for its huge hands to catch.
"Big guy!" Blade shouted. "You move like a statue!"
The giant swung at him.
Blade flipped over the strike and landed on its shoulder.
"No offense. You might actually be one."
He drove his katana into a glowing rune joint.
The giant roared.
Across the city, Ice King raised both hands toward the cavern ceiling.
"Let us open the roof, shall we?"
Frost exploded upward.
Crystals shattered. Ice spears punched through weakened stone, carving a glowing tunnel toward the surface. Cold wind rushed down into the city as a path opened above.
Civilians poured toward the exit.
A falling tower cracked loose overhead.
Ice King slammed his staff into the ground.
A massive wall of ice rose, catching the debris before it crushed the crowd.
"Move!" he shouted. "Unless you wish to become part of the architecture!"
Dreadwake slid along the frozen streets, dual pistols crackling with energy.
He fired round after round into the chest of an advancing giant, each blast striking the glowing runes across its torso.
The giant stumbled.
Dreadwake spun, skidding across the ice with a laugh.
"Come on then! I've fought sea monsters with better footwork!"
The battle stretched for hours.
The underground city became a storm of ice, shattered marble, flashing blades, and roaring giants.
But one by one, the giants fell.
Some collapsed from destroyed rune joints.
Some were restrained beneath Ice King's frozen barriers.
Others stopped fighting once the curse's influence weakened, their rage fading into confusion.
By the time Imperial transports arrived in full force, the worst had passed.
Galactic Empire troops flooded into the city.
Medics treated the injured.
Engineers stabilized broken structures.
Soldiers guided civilians to safety.
The city had survived.
Barely.
But the first seal node was broken.
And the cost had been far greater than expected.
Later, back at STF HQ, warmth replaced the underground cold.
The common room glowed with soft lights. The distant sounds of soldiers moving through the compound felt almost peaceful compared to the chaos they had left behind.
Blade collapsed onto a couch and kicked his boots up.
"Ice King."
Ice King sat nearby, sipping tea as if he had not just held up half a collapsing city.
"Yes?"
Blade pointed at him.
"How did you know how to undo that seal?"
Ice King took another calm sip.
"Well, two thousand years ago, they taught that in school. Basic spellwork, really."
Blade stared.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Wait — you're actually two thousand years old? I thought that was just your brand."
Dreadwake leaned back in his chair.
"I told you he was ancient."
Ice King's eyes narrowed.
"I am seasoned."
Blade grinned.
"You are a historical artifact with frost powers."
Ice King lifted one finger.
"Careful, boy. I have frozen younger men for less."
Ian stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the city lights outside HQ.
For once, he let the banter continue.
They had earned that much.
But his eyes drifted back to the mission file glowing on the table.
One seal was broken.
Two remained.
And somewhere beneath the capital, the bomb was still waiting.