The Prototype

Chapter 26

Five minutes.

The countdown on their watches flashed, the seconds ticking away like a relentless drumbeat in their ears. Each one felt like a death sentence, a reminder that they were racing against time. The storm above them raged on, the dark energy swirling violently around Maia, feeding off her fury. It had been building for so long that it seemed almost unstoppable.

But they had one shot left.

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he steadied himself, breath shallow, every fiber of his being focused on the task at hand. He had to make this work—he had to. The weight of their entire mission, the survival of everything they'd fought for, hinged on these last few minutes.

Beside him, Solace, Rowan, and Nathan were ready, each of them bearing their own scars from this battle, but determined to finish what they'd started. Solace's eyes were sharp with resolve, her expression hard, and though there was still a lingering sorrow in her gaze, she was more focused now than she had ever been.

Rowan, who had barely recovered from Maia's earlier attack, stood tall, gripping his levitation device tightly. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by a deadly seriousness. He'd been knocked down, but like the others, he was ready to keep fighting.

Nathan hovered slightly above the ground, his dark eyes locked on Maia, calculating, waiting for the right moment to strike. He was their strategist, the one who kept them grounded when everything else seemed to spiral out of control.

Maia was still reeling from Ethan's blast, but she wasn't defeated. Her anger, her desperation, her loss—they all fueled the storm that continued to churn violently above her, the swirling vortex intensifying with each passing second. She was on the edge, close to breaking, but not yet. And the closer they got to that critical point, the stronger the storm became.

"She's not going to make it easy for us," Rowan muttered, his voice strained. He glanced at Ethan. "You've got the prototype pieces. What now?"

Ethan looked down at the fragments in his hands. They were glowing faintly, the energy pulsing with a steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat. He could feel it—the raw potential of the technology, the power they'd unleashed. It was their only hope now. But he couldn't do it alone. They needed to act in unison, using their combined strength to break through Maia's defenses.

"We attack together," Ethan said, his voice firm. "We have to make her unstable. Hit her from every angle. Rowan, you take the sky. Nathan, keep her distracted. Solace, stay close to me. We'll use the prototype's energy to disrupt her flow."

Solace nodded, though her hands trembled slightly. She hadn't fought like this before—not with the stakes so high. But there was no turning back now.

The storm above Maia surged with renewed energy, dark clouds gathering, lightning striking the ground around them. Her figure was silhouetted against the chaos, her eyes glowing with unnatural light. Her lips curled into a cruel smile, and she raised her hands high, summoning the energy to strike them down.

"You think you can stop me now?" Maia's voice echoed, carrying on the wind. "You can't. You're too weak."

Ethan stepped forward, his gaze locked on hers. "Yeah and so are you. But we don't need to stop you, Maia. We just need to break the cycle. You're not invincible. You can't hide behind this rage forever."

Her eyes flashed with fury, and with a scream, she released a burst of dark energy, sending a shockwave through the ground. The force was so powerful that it sent Ethan and the others stumbling back, their footing slipping. The earth cracked beneath them, as though the very ground was rebelling against Maia's power.

But they didn't falter.

Ethan focused on the prototype pieces in his hands, channeling every ounce of his energy into them. The glowing fragments seemed to respond to him, their light brightening as he stepped forward once more, his heart pounding with the weight of his words.

"Solace!" he called, his voice rising above the storm. "Now!"

Solace closed her eyes, focusing on the energy that pulsed around her. She felt it—the deep, primal force that connected her to the storm, to Maia's power. She reached out, letting the surge of energy flow through her, steadying herself as the world around her seemed to shake.

Ethan held up the prototype, directing the energy at Maia. The fragments hummed, glowing brighter, sending a steady pulse of light into the swirling chaos above them. The light clashed with Maia's dark storm, cutting through the storm like a blade.

Maia screamed in frustration, her body trembling as the energy from the prototype pressed against her. She fought back, sending another wave of dark power in retaliation, but it wasn't enough to stop the combined force of the four of them.

"Rowan!" Ethan shouted, his voice strained. "Now! Keep her off balance!"

Without a second's hesitation, Rowan launched himself into the air, his levitation device humming as he shot toward Maia. His movements were quick, precise—distracting her, keeping her off guard. He darted through the storm, his aim true as he fired blasts of concentrated energy toward her.

But Maia was not easily swayed. She twisted her body midair, summoning another wave of energy to block Rowan's attack, knocking him back with a shockwave. The sky crackled with power, the wind howling as the storm grew more volatile.

Nathan, ever the tactician, kept his distance, watching carefully for the right opening. His levitation device buzzed softly as he hovered, waiting for Maia to make her next move. "This isn't going to be enough," he muttered under his breath. "We need to get closer. Hit her where it hurts."

Just before Maia's power got out of hand, Ethan then realized what he needed to do. To stop the natural disasters and the prototypes power once and for all. He had to destroy the core of where the energy and power pulsated.

Right within Maia.

It didn't take long before he levitated up into the air, grilling tightly onto the dagger the prototype's pieces formed, aiming it right into her chest to continue to try and drain every ounce of bad with the good he had determined to save her, and the world.

Ethan clenched his fists, pushing the power of the prototype harder. "We're running out of time. The clock's ticking."

The storm above them intensified, the air thickening with the weight of Maia's fury. The seconds were slipping away. Four minutes. Three. Each passing moment felt like a lifetime, and yet they had no choice but to keep pushing forward.

Ethan reached out with his mind, connecting with Solace. "We can do this. Together."

Solace's voice was steady as she responded. "I know. We just have to believe."

The prototype's energy surged, crackling in their hands, as they focused everything they had into one final push. Ethan, Solace, Rowan, and Nathan—all four of them together—fought against the storm that Maia had become.

And just as the countdown reached the final minute, a massive crack of thunder ripped through the air, and the prototype's energy flared bright enough to blind them all.

It was now or never.