The door hissed open, ahan and Lyra slipped inside, sing their surroundings. The short, dimly lit corridor ahead led to a metallic door at the end. A sturdy barrier that could only meahing: Xelthar's quarters y just beyond it.

  The silence was thick, almost oppressive, as if the very walls held their breath. Then, without warning, a faint hum began to build, resonating through the corridor. At first, it was soft, like the whirr of an engine far in the distance. But it grew louder, deeper, each vibration rolling into the , creating an uling thrum that pulsed through the floor and ihan's bones. He reized that hum, the unmistakable buzz of a high-powered deviing to life.

  Beside him, Lyra's expression shifted from focused determination to one of wary fusion. She paused mid-step, tilting her head as though trying to dis the source of the sound.

  "What is that?" she whispered, a rare note of uainty in her voice.

  Before Ethan could ahe hum ged, its pitch deepening, taking on a menag, rhythmic throb that seemed to press against them. The walls themselves seemed to quiver uhe strain, the air thiing with an invisible force.

  Then he felt it. A low, almost imperceptible pressure pushing against his mind, gnawing at the edges of his awareness. His senses dulled for a brief moment, his thoughts unfocused, but he quickly steadied himself, shaking off the strange sensation. It was as if his body, instinctively, resisted the pull of whatever was reag out to affect him.

  Beside him, Lyra was less fortunate. She staggered, one hand rising to clutch her head as though she'd been struck by an intense migraine. Her breaths turned shallow, bored, her face paling as she wobbled, barely keeping her bahen, without warning, blood trickled from her nose, dark against her skin.

  "Ethan…" Her voice was a broken whisper, tinged with desperation. "Something's… wrong…"

  He caught her as she swayed, his grip firm, trying to steady her. But her gaze was distant, her eyes gzed and unfocused, as if looking through him rather than at him. Her breaths came in short, staccato gasps, her body trembling as the relentless hum tis assault.

  "Lyra!" He shook her gently, his voice urgent. "Stay with me. Look at me!"

  The pulsing sound grew louder, a relentless beat that reverberated in his skull, pushing and pulling, g at his focus. He'd dealt with sonic ons before, but this was different, more insidious, more invasive. It wasn't just sound; it was something primal, something that reached directly into the mind, twisting perceptions and ing thought.

  Lyra let out a strangled gasp, her knees bug as she colpsed to the floor. "It's… in my head…" she stammered, the words thick with pain. Her fingers dug into the floor as if trying to anchor herself against the waves of pressure.

  Ethan's mind raced as he took in her symptoms: the fusion, the physical pain, the blood. He remembered the pattern from his AI's expnation. This was the effect of the mind-trolling alloy, but onized in a way he hadn't seen before. Xelthar had taken the alloy's properties, its ability to disrupt neural pathways, and amplified it into something monstrous, a on that could incapacitate ahin its reach.

  Yet, despite the overwhelming pressure, Etha… fine. He could feel the pull of the waves, the way they seemed to probe at his mind, but his body ushing back, resisting the alloy's influence. Whether by sheer will or some unknowance, he could fight through it.

  Lyra's hand shot up suddenly, gripping his arm with a surprising strength. Her eyes, though clouded with pain, held a fierce determination.

  "You… have to go," she gasped, the words barely audible over the pulsing noise. "He's… he's expeg us. Finish it, Ethan."

  He shook his head, unwilling to leave her in such a vulnerable state. "You're in no dition to-"

  "No!" she interrupted, her grip tightening, f him to focus on her. Her eyes met his, a flicker of defiance breaking through the pain. "If you don't stop him now, he'll… bring this on to every settlement, every outpost… You have to go. End this. I'll… I'll be fine."

  Ethaated, torween his duty and his instinct to protect his rade. They'd been through battles before, c each other's backs, surviving against impossible odds. Leaving her here, helpless, went against everything he believed in. But he knew she was right. Xelthar was the lyn. If he wasn't stopped, this on would bee an unimagihreat.

  He pced a steadying hand on her shoulder, log eyes with her. "Stay safe. I'll e back for you."

  Lyra managed a weak smile, her grip loosening. "Just… don't take too long, yeah?"

  Ethan rose, casting o, lingering g her before turning back toward the corridor. Each step felt heavier, the weight of her words pressing on him as he moved forward. The pulsing hum intensified with every stride, the vibration thrumming through his body as he drew closer to Xelthar's quarters.

  The corridor stretched ahead, lit only by the dim, flickering lights embedded in the walls. Shadows danced across the metallic surfaces, twisted and distorted by the strange energy that filled the air. Just before the end of the hall, he paused, steeling himself, feeling the buzz of adrenaline mingling with a deep, burning resolve. The door to Xelthar's quarters loomed in front of him, solid and imposing, a final barrier between him and the warlord who had turhis pound into a fortress of terror.

  He took a deep breath, feeling his focus sharpen, every nerve alive with anticipation. His grip tightened on his on, the familiar weight of it grounding him. Whatever awaited him oher side, he was ready.

  With one final gnce over his shoulder, ensuring Lyra was safely out of the path, he turned back to the door, his jaw set, his resolve unbreakable.

  And with a final, determiep, Ethan approached the door, brag himself for the frontation with Xelthar and the on that threateo pluire worlds into darkness.