Chapter 29: War Rises

Chapter 29: War Rises

Silvia's POV

The facility was collapsing around them.

Heat and smoke filled the air, the screams of prisoners and warriors alike mingling with the monstrous howls rising from below. The ground trembled as another rift split through the floor, widening the gap between them and the exit. Silvia's pulse pounded in her ears as she assessed the chaos.

The monsters weren't just invading. They were ascending, clawing their way into the human world, emerging from deep within the earth like they had been waiting for this moment.

The commander's smirk never wavered. He stood among the madness as if he were welcoming it.

"Do you see now?" he called over the deafening destruction. "This world belongs to them. You are simply trespassers."

Silvia gritted her teeth. "Then I guess we're going to be the worst houseguests you've ever had."

She thrust her hands forward, unleashing a torrent of fire aimed directly at him. But just like before, he absorbed it, his dark magic twisting her flames into nothingness.

Dragon swore under his breath, stepping beside her. "Alright, I vote we hit him with something he can't just eat."

Before Silvia could respond, one of the massive creatures lunged at them.

Claws flashed. Teeth snapped.

Dragon grabbed Silvia and twisted, pulling her just out of reach as the monster's razor-sharp claws ripped through the air where she had stood.

He shoved her behind him, daggers gleaming as he lunged forward, slicing across the beast's throat. The creature let out a horrific screech, but it didn't die—it just got angrier.

"Oh, come on," Dragon muttered, dodging as the beast swiped at him again.

Silvia's magic surged in response. Enough of this.

She slammed her palms to the ground, channeling heat deep into the stone beneath them. The floor beneath the monster exploded, sending a pillar of molten rock erupting upward. The creature shrieked, its body engulfed in flame, before it crumbled into ash.

Dragon wiped soot from his cheek. "Damn. Remind me never to piss you off."

"Too late," Silvia quipped, but there was no humor in her voice.

They were running out of time.

Tarren's POV

Tarren had never seen monsters like these before.

He had fought creatures in the wastelands—beasts with fangs and claws, mindless things that attacked on instinct. These were different. They moved with purpose, with coordination.

And that scared the hell out of him.

"We're getting overwhelmed!" one of his men shouted. "We need to retreat!"

Tarren gritted his teeth. Retreating meant leaving the facility in ruins. It meant leaving people behind.

But staying meant dying.

His grip tightened around his rifle as he turned toward Silvia and Dragon, watching as they held their ground against both the monsters and the commander.

They couldn't hold much longer.

"Fall back to the upper levels!" he barked. "We regroup outside!"

The fighters scrambled to obey, dragging injured prisoners with them. Silvia met Tarren's gaze for a split second before nodding. She understood. This battle wasn't ending here.

It was just beginning.

Silvia's POV

The weight of leadership pressed heavily on Silvia's shoulders. Every life here depended on her making the right calls, and the terrifying truth was—she didn't have all the answers.

As much as she wanted to stand her ground and fight, the monsters had changed the battlefield. The commander wasn't just a human opponent—he was something far worse.

Silvia turned toward the escaping prisoners, watching as they struggled through the rubble. "We need to cover them! Tarren, take the lead!"

Tarren hesitated but nodded. "Don't take too long."

Silvia turned back toward the commander, her fingers burning with fire. "We're not done yet."

The commander laughed. "How entertaining. Do you think you can still stop this? You've already lost."

Silvia narrowed her eyes. "Not today."

She launched herself forward, summoning a wall of fire that separated them from the exit just as Dragon leaped in to strike.

The commander twisted out of the way, too fast, but Dragon was faster this time. His dagger found flesh, slicing across the commander's side. A dark, inky substance oozed from the wound, evaporating into smoke before it could hit the ground.

The commander staggered, his smirk faltering for the first time. "Interesting."

Dragon grinned. "Oh, I have plenty more where that came from."

Silvia could feel the energy shifting. The commander was powerful, but he wasn't invincible.

They had a chance.

Escape and the Beginning of War

The creatures swarmed from the pits below, screeching in an almost organized frenzy. This wasn't random destruction—it was a takeover.

Silvia grabbed Dragon's wrist. "We need to go. Now."

He didn't argue this time. Together, they ran, dodging debris and diving through the collapsing structure.

The last thing Silvia saw before reaching the exit was the commander, standing among the fire and ruin, his cold gaze locked on her.

"You can't run forever," he called after them. "This war has already begun."

Silvia ignored him, bursting through the wreckage and into the open air where the others were waiting.

Tarren helped pull her up as the structure finally gave way, collapsing in a fiery explosion that shook the ground beneath them.

Dragon groaned, brushing dust from his coat. "Well, that went well."

Silvia shot him a glare, though her exhaustion betrayed her. "Shut up."

Tarren exhaled. "That wasn't just a skirmish. That was an invasion."

Silvia looked out at the horizon, where distant fires burned and the night sky was no longer empty.

Dark figures moved in the distance.

The monsters weren't stopping here. They were spreading. Everywhere.

Silvia clenched her fists. "Then we fight back."

This wasn't just about Ravenspire anymore.

This was war.