The Dragon's Ascent

The utility vehicle, old and worn, drove slowly towards the Sleeping Dragon Mountains. The mountains looked rough and dark against the sky before the sun came up. A thin fog covered their tops, making them look strange. This was where Neo-Eclipse had their base, where they planned the Great Eclipse ritual. The car's engine made a low, steady sound, which was quickly lost in the huge, quiet desert. Dust rose behind them in a thick, reddish cloud, showing their trip into this empty, forbidden place.

Kiran sat straight, his face serious in the dim light from the dashboard. He held the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. He kept looking at the digital maps Echo had given them. His mind was busy, planning how to get inside the base, finding good spots for cover, and trying to guess where Dr. Koval might be. He could feel her nearby, a cold, careful feeling that matched his own strange power. Elena also looked out the window, watching the empty land with strong binoculars. A deep line of worry was on her forehead. "Just rocks and sand for miles," she whispered, her voice tight. "But the energy signals from my scanner are getting very strong. They are definitely building up power here. Huge, unstable changes."

The ground got worse the further they went. The road almost disappeared, becoming a risky path of loose rocks and broken, old stone. Kiran drove easily, which surprised Elena, even after all she had seen him do. Years of running and fighting in the city had made him good at adapting and finding ways to do things. He was used to tough places. His moves were quick and careful, even when driving. The air got colder, biting at their skin. It carried a slight, metal smell of the black sand that was everywhere in this lonely area. This smell was a constant reminder that the Veil between worlds was getting thinner. Kiran felt it too – a deep, humming feeling in his bones, like the old Foundation building, but wilder, older, almost alive. It was the strong feeling of real, wild magic, getting stronger with every mile they got closer to the mountains. He knew Dr. Koval was ahead, at the center of this dark humming. Her cold, planned betrayal when the Foundation fell, and how she appeared on the rooftop, bothered him deeply. He needed answers from her. He needed to know what truly happened to Liam. He knew it would not be easy. This whole empty land felt like a huge, cold trap, made to stop anyone but the most determined from entering. It was silently guarding the secrets of the Eclipse Codex.