"Where’s Ella?" Kai shouted, his eyes darting around furiously, his fear and urgency written all over his face.Ella came running toward him, concern evident on her face. “Is everything alright?”“William is going to attack! Any minute now, the immortals will come through from everywhere. We need to get you all to safety!” Kai's shout drew everyone’s attention, and panic started to ripple through the crowd.“But we haven’t finished working on the weapons!” Amelia said, her voice trembling.“Haven’t you prepared at least one?” Kai's voice was now filled with fear.“We have,” Amelia replied, finally delivering some good news. “As Zaria demanded, we first prepared a sword, then as many arrows as we could, knowing there might be shooters in your army!”Kai breathed a sigh of relief. “Gather everything you hold dear and everything important for your survival!” he shouted to the crowd.The residents moved quickly, gathering their belongings as the noises grew louder. Suddenly, a loud crash

When the preparations were complete, the area was a chaotic yet strategic landscape of cover points and firepower. We could only hope it would be enough.Turning back, we regrouped with Jennifer. Before leaving, I issued one final command. "Head to the last battleground," I instructed, my voice firm. "It's an open field—no buildings, no unnecessary cover. You'll be safer there, William wouldn't suspect you all being there."With that, we moved out, hearts steeled for the battles ahead, every step taking us closer to whatever end awaited us.When I reached the hidden city, Jennifer stood behind the machinery, even though she was very brave, I could still see a hint of fear in her eyes. “We have the machines ready,” she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. I glanced at the massive machine standing before us. The machine was an impressive feat of engineering—a bulky, metallic structure with a series of thrusters and stabilizers extending from its base.It looked li

If they succeeded in destroying it, the island would surely fall down. I grabbed my weapon and sprinted toward the edge of the island, under where the thruster was, firing at the drones as I ran.“Enzo, Veronica, cover me!” I shouted.Together, we fought off the drones, defending the thruster with everything we had.The air was heavy with the smell of burning metal and the sound of explosions.But we held our ground, refusing to let the drones succeed.As the last of the drones were destroyed, the sky began to clear. The flying lab slowed down above us, and it slowly got back and then disappeared.Relief washed over us but we knew this was just the beginning. William’s lab was still a threat, and we had to find a way to bring it down before it could cause any more destruction.The battle for survival was far from over.Finally, the readings indicated that we had achieved a stable speed. The islands were still falling but at a much slower rate. The catastrophic collapse had been preven

The small space had a single window, old and rusted shut. With some effort, Kai managed to force it open, the metal creaking in protest. He helped Ella through first, watching as she climbed out into the dim light outside. Then, he followed swiftly behind her, landing lightly on his feet, clutching his daggers in both hands.They crouched low, hidden by the crumbling walls of the church as they observed their surroundings. This area wasn’t as high from the ground as the one they had come through in the cabin. It might work to their advantage, giving them a chance to escape undetected.Kai turned to Ella, a determined look crossing his face. "I have an idea," he said, lowering his voice. "But I need you to stay here."Ella’s face contorted with worry. "No, I’m coming with you," she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper.For a moment, they stood at odds, the weight of the situation bearing down on them both. After a tense minute of arguing, Ella finally agreed, nodding reluctantly.

I dropped everything I was doing and bolted after her, my heart racing. Something had to be wrong. Jennifer was tough, not the type to panic easily. I followed her down the winding path to the bunker, the cool, damp air filling my lungs. As we reached the entrance, a crowd of people had gathered, making a path for me to pass through.“Zaria!” A familiar voice rang out. My dad. He stood there, cleaned up and looking far better than the last time I’d seen him, though his face was still covered with worry. “Thank goodness you’re alright,” he said, pulling me into a quick embrace before stepping aside to let Jennifer lead me deeper inside.“This way,” Jennifer urged, her voice low as she guided me toward a dimly lit corner of the bunker. She stopped in front of a large, rusted wheel embedded in the circular wall—a giant mechanism that looked like it belonged to an old bank vault.“I don’t think Veronica knows anything about this,” Jennifer whispered, her gaze fixed on the wheel. “But it’s