Chapter 72 Descent into Darkness

The heavy blast door slammed shut behind them, severing the team from the flickering lights and familiar hum of the control center. Silence descended, broken only by the rhythmic whirring of their modified Aethel suits and the unsettling hiss of the residual energy clinging to the air of the Forbidden Sector. Elizabeth, ever the pragmatist, activated her headlamp, its beam cutting through the perpetual twilight that shrouded the desolate landscape. The team found themselves in a desolate wasteland, a stark contrast to the bustling city they had just left behind. Crumbling structures, their skeletal frames silhouetted against the sickly green glow of the pervasive Aethel energy, stretched as far as the eye could see. The air hung heavy with a metallic tang, a constant reminder of the city's past folly. Cyrus, his face grim, took the lead. Years of exile and countless nights spent scavenging in the city's abandoned districts had honed his senses. He moved with a practiced ease, his e