The leader of the squad didn’t move, his blue-lit visor tracking Bella as she stepped from behind the pillar.
He stood amidst the debris of the sanctuary foyer like a statue forged in hate, his weapon aimed with clinical indifference at her chest. The hum of the mercenaries' gear grew louder, a high-pitched whine that set Bella’s teeth on edge.
"You think you’re fighting for a family," the leader said, his voice synthesized and devoid of humanity, muffled by his tactical gear. "You are merely fighting for a relic that has already been discarded by history".
Bella didn't answer with words. She felt a strange, cold pressure building at the base of her skull—a sensation like ice melting into her blood. It was the lunar heritage she had ignored for years, finally answering the call of t
