A week passed in a blur of strategy, surveillance, and silent anticipation.

The Magik Realm did not move blindly.

From the moment Grace and Rune revealed the existence of the hidden organization, the High Lord had mobilized everything at his disposal. Shadow scouts were dispatched across the Misty Mountains. Long-range sensing arrays were recalibrated. Even ancient detection spells that hadn't been used in centuries were awakened once more.

Every movement within the mountain range was monitored. Every fluctuation in energy was recorded.

And the conclusion was clear.

They were still there. The organization hadn't fled. If anything, they had grown more active.

Energy signatures captured over the past week revealed an increase in internal movement - transport channels opening and closing, weapon systems activating, containment zones pulsing with unstable power.

It was as if they had simply… continued. Unafraid and unbothered. As though Rune's intrusion into their base had meant nothing.

That alone told the High Lord everything he needed to know - their enemy was either arrogant... or dangerously confident. And he's about to tolerate neither.

And so, the decision was made to strike first.

- - -

The Misty Mountains loomed beneath a sky heavy with storm clouds. Its jagged peaks cut through the mist like blades, its slopes wrapped in dense, unnatural fog.

Even from a distance, the air felt wrong. It was charged with something that didn't belong.

Two hundred warriors stood assembled at the base of the range.

Each one clad in battle-forged armor, etched with runes that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Their weapons hummed with restrained power, while their formation lines were precise, silent, and disciplined.

At their front stood the High Lord. His presence alone seemed to steady the land beneath their feet.

Right behind him was Rune with his entire team.

The once-lost elite unit now stood restored, their expressions hardened by everything they had endured. There was no hesitation in their eyes. Only purpose.

They had unfinished business here. And tonight, they would end it.

Not far from the main formation, three figures stood apart - Grace, Davian, and Dr. Kian.

They watched in silence as the warriors prepared.

Davian crossed his arms while his gaze remained fixed on the mountains. "Still feels strange… letting someone else take the lead."

"This isn't our battlefield," Grace replied calmly.

Kian glanced at her. "That doesn't mean we stay idle."

"We won't," she said. "We just don't interfere unless necessary."

That had been the agreement - Grace would search for Carter Thown and retrieve the book. And once she had what she needed, she would hand him over.

Everything else… belonged to the Magik Realm.

"Movement confirmed," one of the scouts reported, kneeling before the High Lord. "Multiple energy clusters detected beneath the third ridge. Activity levels remain consistent with previous scans."

"They haven't noticed us?" another squad leader asked.

"Not yet."

The High Lord's gaze lifted toward the towering peaks. "Good," he said before a slow breath left him. Then she added, "It's time to move."

The advance was silent.

Two hundred warriors spread across the terrain like shadows, their movements synchronized with near-perfect precision. High Lord's cloaking spell layered over them, bending light and distorting presence.

Even the ground beneath their feet seemed to accept them.

Rune led the forward unit. His senses were sharp and his every instinct alert.

The closer they got, the heavier the air became.

"There," Rune whispered, pointing toward a jagged cliff face.

At first glance, it looked nothing abnormal but just a stone. But because of his previous sneak visit, he knew there was a hidden entrance there.

"There's a barrier," another squad's leader murmured. "And it's layered. I can detect at least three different signatures."

Rune's lips pressed into a thin line.

"Of course it is."

He stepped forward and ordered his warriors, "Hold position."

The team stilled instantly.

Closing his eyes briefly, he extended his senses, brushing against the barrier without triggering it. Threads of magic revealed themselves - intricate, complex, interwoven.

Detection.

Illusion.

Annihilation.

"Trap-linked," he said. "Break one wrong, the whole mountain knows we are here." A faint smirk touched his lips as he added, "Good thing we are not amateurs."

Behind him, his team readied themselves. Each one moved into position without needing further instruction.

"On my mark," Rune said softly.

Three.

Two.

One-

And they moved.

Magic surged. But it was controlled, precise.

One member dismantled the illusion layer, unraveling it thread by thread. Another intercepted the detection array, looping its feedback into a harmless cycle. Rune himself stepped into the core of the barrier, severing its anchor points with surgical precision.

The structure collapsed silently and the entrance revealed itself. It was a dark opening carved into the mountain's heart.

Rune exhaled as he announced, "The path's clear."

The signal was sent. And within seconds, the rest of the warriors advanced.

Inside, the mountain was alive.

Corridors stretched deep underground, lit by artificial energy sources that pulsed faintly along the walls. The architecture was unnatural, like a fusion of technology and magic, cold and efficient.

There was no guard in sight, no systems detecting an intrusion. They were already inside the base and yet no alarms had went off.

"They really didn't expect retaliation," one of Rune's teammates muttered.

"Doesn't matter," Rune replied. "We are here now. But don't let this abnormal silence make you put your guard down."

Further in, the traps began.

There were pressure triggers hidden beneath the floor, runic glyphs embedded in the walls, energy beams waiting to be activated at the slightest disturbance.

Rune raised a hand.

"Slow."

The formation adjusted instantly. Their each step became calculated, measured, deliberate.

A warrior ahead disarmed a glyph before it could activate. Another redirected a trigger mechanism. While a third absorbed a stray energy pulse before it could alert the system.

They moved like a single entity - flawless, efficient, and deadly.

"Why this feels so... unusual?" Dr. Kian asked as he watched Rune and his team progressing forward through the projection screen 2025 had opened for them.

Grace's voice was calm as she responded, "Seems like they knew we were coming."