Chapter 331: Underground Facility
Steel boots clanked against steel floors.
Kaiden walked in silence, letting his steps echo against the sterile walls of the underground facility he was escorted to. Harsh white lights buzzed overhead, strip-lining the corridors in an endless procession of illumination that gave no warmth. The air was unnervingly cold, scrubbed clean of even the faintest scent of life.
On either side, armed guards marched in perfect rhythm with helmets hiding their faces and weapons at the ready. A serious lack of firearms could mean only one thing: these were not soldiers of old age, but awakened combatants. However, they were an extremely disciplined bunch, not the chaotic ones often found in guilds.
No, these ones have been serving their countries even before the mana apocalypse hit Earth. Every move of theirs spoke of rigid protocol, the kind that left no room for jokes, comfort, or humanity.
Guards are trusted with the protection of something very important.
Normally, Kaiden would have been looking around curiously, eager to analyze the technology and other curiosities present. And there was plenty to marvel at. Seamless alloy plating in the walls, flickering holographic interfaces that updated in real time, cameras swiveling to track him at every turn. Transparent panels revealed hidden rooms: mechanical limbs suspended in fluid tanks, arcane batteries, holograms snapping through simulations of battlefields he didn’t recognize. It was the kind of cutting-edge place he would have admired on any other day.
But not today.
Not with the weight of why he was here pressing down on his chest.
Kaiden’s expression stayed hard, his eyes never straying. The light in them was restrained, his usual spark of curiosity muted into coldness.
The only one walking with him was Rae.