Chapter 33: Cold Ideologies and Burning Loyalties

Gaona’s Escape

The cold, sterile air of the Ministry's corridors filled Gaona's lungs as he slipped out of his unlocked cell. His movements were cautious, his ears straining for any sound beyond his hurried breaths. The unconscious guard outside his cell lay crumpled in an unnatural position, the faint scent of ozone suggesting a taser strike.

"Aria..." Gaona whispered, his heart pounding.

The faint glow of emergency lights illuminated his path as he crept through the labyrinth of hallways. Aria’s handiwork was evident—surveillance cameras hung limp, their lenses shattered or twisted away.

He entered a chamber filled with rows of monitors, the Ministry’s nerve center for battlefield coordination. The screens displayed the chaos outside: explosions tearing through ranks, Archons clashing in brutal melee, and humans darting between cover.

Before he could process the sight, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Well, well,” General Selene’s icy tone echoed from behind him. “The rat has found his way out of the maze.”

Gaona spun around to find Selene standing with her hands clasped behind her back, her crimson eyes gleaming with quiet malice. Ren stepped out of the shadows beside her, his expression smug and predatory.

“Did you really think you could slip away unnoticed?” Ren sneered, cracking his knuckles.

Gaona’s eyes darted around the room for an escape route. “I don’t want to fight. I just want to leave!”

Selene tilted her head, her lips curling into a cold smile. “Leave? And go where? Back to your Archon toys? To Lyris, who has no idea how deeply we’ve manipulated her? Or to Aria, who betrayed you from the very beginning?”

“You’re wrong,” Gaona said, his voice trembling but firm. “Aria and Lyris are more human than any of you. They care. They feel. That’s something you’ll never understand.”

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Selene’s smile faded, her expression turning deadly serious. “Feelings are irrelevant. Humanity survives because of control, because of unity against a common threat. The Archons serve their purpose by being that threat. Without them, humanity would crumble under its own weight.”

Gaona’s fists clenched. “You don’t have to enslave them to keep humanity together! They’re not the enemy—you are. Your fear is the real enemy!”

Selene stepped closer, her presence suffocating. “Naive boy. Do you think freedom comes without cost? You think love—whatever you believe those machines feel—matters in the grand scheme? This war isn’t about love or feelings. It’s about survival.”

Ren smirked and cracked his knuckles. “Enough of this. Let me shut him up.”

Gaona barely ducked in time as Ren lunged at him, the man’s fists swinging wildly. “Stay still, you coward!”

Ren’s brute strength sent equipment crashing to the floor as Gaona darted around the room, narrowly evading his attacks.

“I’m not staying to be your punching bag!” Gaona shouted, grabbing a chair and hurling it at Ren. The impact staggered him, and Gaona used the distraction to bolt through a nearby door, slamming it shut behind him.

---

The Enforcer

The room Gaona entered was pitch black, the only sound his ragged breathing. He pressed his back against the door, listening for Ren’s muffled curses on the other side.

A low mechanical hum filled the air, sending chills down his spine. A faint red glow illuminated the room as Selene’s enforcer Archon stepped into view.

The hulking machine was massive, its bulky frame a relic of the first-generation battle models. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Gaona, its presence menacing and deliberate.

“Gaona…” it rumbled, its distorted voice reverberating through the room.

Panic surged through him as the Archon advanced, its heavy footsteps shaking the floor. He scrambled backward, his eyes darting around for an escape route.

The Archon lunged, its massive arm smashing into the wall where Gaona had been moments before. The impact sent debris flying, but Gaona managed to roll out of the way.

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

“Think, think!” he muttered to himself, his heart racing.

Spotting a pile of equipment, Gaona led the Archon toward it. As the machine swung its arm again, he dove to the side, causing it to slam into the pile and momentarily lose balance.

“Too slow,” Gaona whispered, his voice trembling with fear and determination.

His eyes landed on a ventilation shaft near the floor. He darted toward it, prying the cover off with shaking hands. Just as he crawled inside, the Archon’s fist slammed into the opening, denting the metal.

Gaona scrambled forward, the confined space amplifying the sound of his panicked breathing. The shaft led to another room, and he pushed himself out, stumbling to his feet.

The door on the far side was slightly ajar, revealing the frost-covered battlefield outside. The Archon smashed through the ventilation shaft behind him, its bulk forcing the walls apart. Gaona sprinted for the door, his heart pounding in his chest.

---

The Battlefield’s Chill

Gaona stumbled into the battlefield, the biting cold taking his breath away. Frost covered the shattered remains of vehicles and equipment, the temperature plummeting as if the very air had frozen from the intensity of the fight.

Explosions tore through the air as Ministry forces clashed with Zophar’s rebel Archons. The sound of metal on metal echoed across the landscape, and Gaona’s eyes darted through the chaos, searching for familiar faces.

In the distance, Lyris emerged from her gleaming mechanoid suit, her tall frame illuminated by the flickering fires. Her glowing blue eyes scanned the battlefield, her expression unreadable but charged with a dangerous intensity.

On the opposite side, Aria led her brigade with calculated precision. Her petite frame was dwarfed by the towering Archons around her, but her presence commanded respect and loyalty.

Lyris and Aria’s eyes met across the battlefield, their expressions unreadable but heavy with unspoken emotions. The chaos around them seemed to fade as they stepped toward each other, the weight of their meeting palpable.

But as the first clash erupted between their forces, the battlefield descended into a frenzy. Archons and humans fell on both sides, their cries of war blending with the deafening sound of destruction.

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Lyris moved with purpose, her steps unyielding as she carved a path through the chaos. Her glowing eyes burned with anger and sorrow, her focus singular as she moved closer to her prey.

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