Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Ren leaned against the rock behind him. The closer the men placed the resonators, the more the rock hummed against his back, the Beast recognising the powerful, protected energy within.
As the last resonator was placed, the rock suddenly started to vibrate.
"Fall back!" Axton commanded as he immediately shielded Ren with his body, his eyes narrowing at the strange occurrence.
"I feel like we're about to face something mind-blowing," Kael whispered, standing beside Axton.
Suddenly, the air above them fractured. A blinding flash of light erupted from the flat expanse ahead, followed by a piercing, high-frequency sound that went beyond the audible range, hitting the Beast-bound creatures with punishing force.
The creatures shrieked, clutching their heads, their powerful forms buckling to the ground. The protective circle around Axton's men dissolved instantly as the sound attacked their nervous systems.
"It's a Hyper-Sonic Pulse!" Ren roared, dropping to one knee, forcing his Beast energy to shield himself and Axton. "He knew we were coming! He's targeting the Beast-bound!"
A voice, amplified and dripping with cold malice, echoed from a hidden speaker array.
"Well done, my clever son," General Conan announced. "You always did walk into the mouth of the trap with the best of intentions. That sonic frequency will only incapacitate the common animals. It does not affect Faction technology, nor will it harm my final project."
From the ground ahead, concealed blast doors opened, and a sleek, heavily armoured transport—much larger and more formidable than the one Ren disabled—rose from the sand. Flanking it were six automated Guardian Drones, their mounted plasma cannons whirring to life.
"Your little king is paralysed, Axton," Conan continued, his voice taunting. "My Beast-bound army is now on its knees. Now, Captain, you can step away and watch me claim my rightful power, or you can join your lover in the dust."
The General's voice shifted, a tone of arrogant reassurance seeping in. "And don't worry about targeting the transport, boys. I'm not in it. I'm safely miles away, watching this on a crystal-clear feed."
General Conan chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "However, I made certain that the transport is armed and fully automated, carrying more than enough hyper-sonic emitters to turn this desert into a graveyard should you attack. A final failsafe."
The six Guardian Drones moved, forming a protective V-formation around the sleek transport, their plasma cannons locking onto Axton and Ren. The General had used the threat of the army to lure them, and now he was using their loyalty to that army to keep them pinned.
Suddenly, a massive shockwave ripped through the sand. It wasn't the General's weapon; it was a detonation from beneath the armoured transport. The vehicle, along with the six drones, bucked violently before erupting in a silent, internal explosion of mangled metal and smoke. The General's hidden speaker array crackled, then went dead.
The impact was so severe that the giant rock, the true Origin Signal, slowly began to groan and roll out of its position like a heavy door on old hinges.
The ground where the rock had stood was now replaced by a gaping, circular blackness: a secret tunnel. The air from the tunnel was thick with an ancient, untainted energy that immediately neutralised the Hyper-Sonic Pulse.
The crippling sound vanished. The Beast-bound creatures released their painful shrieks and looked up, their golden eyes wide with dawning realisation.
Ren gasped, the paralysing sonic pain gone. He leapt to his feet, the full force of the Beast surging back. He looked down at the tunnel entrance, his face a mixture of awe and fierce determination. He volunteered instantly.
"That's the Source! I have to go down there. I can feel it calling the Beast," Ren declared, moving toward the edge of the pit.
Axton grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Absolutely not. It's a dark hole after a massive explosion. It's a trap, Ren! The General might be down there, or it could be a self-destruct mechanism!"
As they argued, a clear, synthesised, and utterly neutral voice echoed from the tunnel opening, seemingly projected from the depths below.
"ACCESS GRANTED. ONLY THE PURE HOST MAY ENTER. HOST RENAULT CASPIAN, PLEASE DESCEND."
The voice, calm and utterly inhuman, hung in the air. Everyone was shocked. The Source was not only communicating, but it knew Ren by name.
"It knows me," Ren whispered, gazing down into the darkness. "It's the Source, Axton. It needs me."
"Then I'm coming with you," Axton insisted, releasing Ren's arm and moving to the edge of the tunnel.
"ACCESS DENIED. ENTRY RESTRICTED TO UNINFECTED HOST ONLY," the synthetic voice repeated, firm and final. "ANYONE SHOWING SIGNS OF MUTATION OR EXTERNAL AUGMENTATION WILL BE NEUTRALIZED."
Axton froze. His healed-over markings, the barely contained silver energy of his own Beast... he was marked. He couldn't go.
Ren stepped forward, taking Axton's face in his hands. He looked into Axton's strained silver eyes, his own eyes burning with purpose.
"I'll be back," Ren vowed, his voice low and fervent. He pulled Axton into a deep, passionate kiss. It was rough, desperate, and overflowing with their shared history and future promise. Ren poured every ounce of his love into the kiss.
"Promise me, Ren," Axton choked out against his lips. "Promise me you'll return to me. Alive."
"I promise," Ren whispered, pulling away. "I have too much to come back for."
Dorian, ever practical, sprinted forward and handed Ren a high-powered, military-grade torch. "Take this, Ren. Don't be long."
Ren nodded, clipped the torch to his belt, and without a second glance back, he turned and lowered himself into the dark mouth of the tunnel, beginning his descent into the unknown Source of the Anomaly.
The silence that followed Ren's descent was heavier than any sonic pulse. It was the weight of a monumental risk, a promise given at the edge of the unknown.
Axton stood rigid at the lip of the tunnel, watching the beam of Ren's torch disappear into the blackness. The passion of their final kiss still lingered, a desperate anchor to reality.
He broke the stillness with sharp, military commands. "Rhys, take Kael. Get the long-range comms array working. I want the General's Faction locked down! He's watching this. He thinks he won, but he's exposed himself. Move!"
Rhys and Kael acknowledged the order and sprinted to the Arcturus vehicle to set up the necessary equipment.
Axton then turned to the remaining Faction soldiers and the Beast-bound army, which was slowly rising to its feet, recovering from the sonic attack.
"Dorian, Commander Reed, listen up! The Ren is securing the Source. This entire area is a target. You will defend this tunnel with your lives! No one—no one—gets near this entrance. The General's next move is coming, and it won't be subtle. Tide, secure the perimeter. Let the army know they are now the last line of defence."
As the Faction soldiers and the Beast-bound creatures began setting up a defensive perimeter around the newly revealed tunnel, Tide walked past Mira, who was furiously sketching in her notebook, trying to capture the sheer drama of the massive rock rolling away.
Tide paused behind her. "He'll be fine, my lady," he whispered, his voice soft.
Mira flinched, recognising his voice, but she didn't look up. "He'd better be. He made a promise," she muttered, still bristling from their earlier tiff.
Tide knew her anger stemmed from fear and feeling overlooked. He didn't rise to the bait. "Ren is the purest host. That voice... it called him. He is exactly where he needs to be. He'll return."
Mira finally paused her sketching. She took a deep breath, the lingering irritation fading under the weight of his gentle reassurance. She glanced up at him, her eyes softening slightly. "I know," she admitted with a reluctant nod. "But if he's not back by sunrise, I'm going down there myself."
Tide simply offered a small, understanding smile and moved off to secure his perimeter assignment. For now, the warden and the journalist had reached a quiet truce.
Down in the blackness, Ren walked along a long, dark, and narrow tunnel. The air was cool and damp, thick with the scent of ozone and ancient earth. His torch beam cut through the absolute darkness, revealing walls of polished, seamless black stone. The tunnel seemed to defy geological logic.
After what felt like an hour, the tunnel abruptly ended at a glowing white circular door. It was massive, made of a ceramic material that seemed to absorb the torchlight rather than reflect it.
The synthesised voice, clearer here and utterly devoid of emotion, addressed him.
"HOST RENAULT CASPIAN. IDENTITY VERIFICATION REQUIRED. PLACE PALM ON DOOR FOR BIOMETRIC UNLOCK."
Ren felt a surge of astonishment. Did the door use a fingerprint lock? He had expected a magical incantation or a complex Beast-key, not technology. He took a slow, steady breath. This was it.
He slowly placed his hand on the smooth, cool surface. The door scanned the print, then beeped in recognition.
"IDENTITY CONFIRMED. ACCESS GRANTED."
The white door silently slid open, revealing an explosion of light and colour that made Ren gasp.
He staggered back, his mind struggling to process the sight. He wasn't in a bunker or a laboratory. He was in a vast cavern filled with life. Cascading sunlight poured from an unseen opening high above. The cavern floor was a sprawling greenhouse—a secret garden full of vibrant, thriving plant life. He saw towering ferns, luminous mosses, and flowers he couldn't name, having forgotten the look and scent of unadulterated nature in the years since the Anomaly.
Ren had been so focused on the Source as a concept of power, he never imagined it would be a place of life.
"Hello, my son."
The voice was rough, familiar, and laced with a profound weariness. Ren froze, the torch dropping from his hand and clattering onto the rich, dark soil of the cavern floor.
He recognised the voice instantly. He had heard it in every memory, every stern command, every moment of quiet pride.
"Father?" Ren choked out, the word barely a whisper, echoing in the green silence.
Ren has found the Source—and the man he thought was dead.
What is the most urgent next question Ren will ask his father?