The Path of Time ★ [3] ✔ (EDITING)

The Time Vault

⏳ --

"Goddammit!" I slammed my shield into the door. "Open, goddammit!" Vibrations rippled through my arms as my shield hit the door again and again. And the stone would not open like it had before.

I'd heard screams. I'd power being used and the destruction of constructs. And I needed to get up there. I needed to get up there now.

"Captain!"

My attention snapped to someone racing up the stairs to meet me. I frowned. "Astra?"

"Where's Andromeda?"

"Through there. She closed this goddamn door on me." I stuck the stone again. "It won't open!" I pushed against it feebly with all my strength. Wait... "What are you doing here?"

"We could see the explosions from the Dead Valley. I slipped away to come here. Gilliam holds the field for now, but Eon must fall for this battle to end."

"Is everyone okay?"

Astra swallowed. "There have been casualties. But none of your team mates have fallen." She pushed past me to approach the closed door. "You have not been able to open it because it needs a Walker touch to do so."

I watched Astra place a hand on the same spot as Andi had, and the door glowed a deep forest green. The gears and cogs in the doors groaned as the locks began to click open.

When it did open, the first thing I felt was extreme heat. And then an explosion blasted through the near open the door, pulling it completely off its hinges. The pure power of it threw me off my feet. Astra flew backwards and hit the staircase and slid over the side of it. I reached out and clasped her hand before the ground raced up to meet and made her a heap of broken bones. She gasped when I grabbed her, her body hanging in the balance.

"You should really invest in staircase railings," I grumbled as I pulled her back onto the staircase.

"I will keep that in mind," she growled as she pushed herself onto the surface.

I turned to the now blasted off door. "What the hell was that?"

"Andromeda." Just saying her name made both of us charge up the steps to the Tower's peak.