The sirens continued to echo throughout the core facility.
Wiiiiinnn...
Wiiiiinnn...
Wiiiiinnn...
Red lights flashed without pause.
Long shadows moved across ancient metal walls.
The already tense atmosphere shifted into something far worse.
Confusion.
Because no one had expected this turn of events.
Not even Cassian.
Not even Lucien.
And the fact that both men looked genuinely shocked made the situation feel all the more worrying.
The glowing ancient writing still hovered in the air.
PROTOCOL ZENITH ACTIVATED
Unchanging.
Unfading.
As if the facility's systems wanted to make sure everyone understood the message.
Aurelia stared at the words.
Then turned to Lucien.
"What does it mean?"
Silence fell.
Lucien didn't answer right away.
His face looked far more serious than before.
As if he was facing something even more dangerous than Hollow Dawn itself.
Finally he let out a breath.
