"Is everyone okay?" Malachi asked, struggling to catch his breath, his hands resting on his legs.

"Yeah, I had a feeling," I said. "Would it be a good idea for us to begin moving?"

"No question about it," one of the guards said. "We need to act quickly before they begin firing at the building!"

We quickly hurried through the metallic corridor and entered a room. The lights were off, yet we could hear the faint sounds of gunfire outside. Upon switching on the lights, it became apparent that we had entered the wrong room.

"Alright, let's descend," one of the guards suggested. We sprinted down the steps, and let me tell you, there were a ton of them, and before long, we stumbled upon a dimly lit corridor lined with metallic doors.

"What is this spot?" I asked.

"Entrance towards the Armonk," the gatekeeper replied. "Now keep it moving."

We quickly made our way down the corridor and eventually arrived at a grand room adorned with a lengthy table and chairs. We swiftly made our way towards the door located on the shorter side of the table, approximately twenty feet ahead of us. With a leap, we passed through the door, and the gatekeeper promptly closed it behind us. It was another corridor with a neutral, reflective floor and walls that gleamed brightly, catching my attention. However, the corridor was sloping downwards, and before long we reached a room with two dimly lit doors, one on each side of the wall.

"Alright, what's our plan in this current situation?" I inquired, scanning each door cautiously before a sinister voice spoke from behind us.

We all turned and felt a surge of fear as Demetrius Rocke stood behind us, surrounded by agents who seemed like bodyguards.

You gotta be kidding me.

The bodyguards were dressed in a highly protective armor carrier and pants with impressive storage capacity.

"You can't really do anything," he said, with a remarkably unenthusiastic chuckle. "That's not possible."

Swiftly, the guards retrieved their rifles and shouted projectiles, but then he swiftly readied his wand and unleashed two bolts of lightning at them both, causing them to collapse lifeless onto the ground.

"How... how could you possibly do that?" Nikki asked, struggling to find her words. "Have you adapted to a different ability or something similar?"

"No, I never did, really," he said with a lighthearted chuckle this time. "Appreciation for the observation though. However, agents — eliminate them."

The agents approached us with urgency, while Malachi and September swiftly moved in their direction.

Malachi attempted a swift swing, but the agent skillfully evaded it and delivered a punch to Malachi's face.

September tried to perform a daring stunt by attempting to magically transport behind the agent, but unfortunately, he quickly reacted and used his wand to stop her, causing her to fail.

"Do you want to stay here and die? Move!" Malachi shouted. I observed them with a sense of despair, as they readied themselves to hastily make their way towards the dimly lit door on the left. Swiftly we dispersed, Mr. Drails and Tisiah making their escape towards the right door, while Nikki and I headed to the left.

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We hurriedly leapt through and forcefully closed the door, feeling a mix of fear and surprise. I was completely overwhelmed by the recent events that unfolded before me. I felt a wave of surprise and confusion wash over me as I looked at Nikki, who seemed to be in the same situation as I was.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded, but her actions told a different story. She clutched her chest, her eyes welling up with tears.

When I gazed ahead, I found myself considerably more perplexed, in fact — enthralled.

The room had a lackluster atmosphere, with only one light attempting to illuminate a junction where two paths diverged: one to the left and one to the right.

"What is this place?" Nikki contemplated, as we slowly inched forward, keeping an eye out for any signs of progress.

We glanced around, and one of them indicated a door while the other pointed to another hallway. "Which way?" I inquired with her, yet I only received fragmented responses. She was definitely scared.

"I, I suppose the hallway," she said, after making time to unwind.

We moved to one side and continued walking through the corridor, which was noticeably longer than the first. We were led down the corridor, first turning right, then left, and then left again, before finally turning right. The corridor had a strong metallic smell that intensified as we walked further into the lobby. We seemed to be stuck in one spot. "What is this?" I whispered to myself, as the sound of fast footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Nikki swiftly retrieved her wand, and I followed suit, staying by her side, ready to take action. Suddenly, an unexpected individual appeared before us, causing Nikki to swiftly produce a dart and shoot it at him. He let out a startled cry. Regardless, his voice sounded remarkably similar, incredibly similar.

"Greg?" I inquired, as the person looked in my direction, and I could see a faint smile due to the dim lighting.

"What are you doing here?!" he shouted, sprinting towards us.

"Are you alright?" I inquired, concerned.

"Yes, I am. But it seems like you haven't addressed my question. What brings you here?"

"What brings you here?!"

"My dad sent me because he thought I should meet someone remarkable, and that I might be able to assist in some way."

"So, you're saying you're one of us, a spy mage?" Nikki inquired, her voice filled with a burst of excitement."

"Indeed, in the FMA, the Field Mage Organization," Greg said. "Moreover, what about you?"

"The YMPA," I stated. "So does your father have a military background or something similar?"

"Indeed, based on my speculation, you're probably the exceptional person he was referring to," Greg said, dismissing the question.

"What do you mean by me being an exceptional person? That didn't help with answering my question," I muttered. Greg anxiously muttered and furrowed his brow, as if he had something on his mind.

I found myself a bit apprehensive to hear what he intended to say next.

"Alright, listen up — there are two things I want to discuss with you, mainly because I believe that was the main purpose of this conversation."

"What?" I whispered in confusion.

"Just listen, okay?" he argued. "Firstly, Mr. Drails happens to be your father."

"What?!" Nikki screeched, turning her head abruptly towards me. "How can you possibly not be amazed by this?"

"I already knew," I stated. "I just didn't feel it was necessary to inform you. Didn't really change anything."

"Dad had already revealed the secret," he said. But such a subtle word had caught me off guard.

Dad — dad?!

"What do you mean by 'Dad?" I inquired with him, and he chuckled.

"I'm your sibling Connor," Greg said, and suddenly the two of us - me and Nikki - were completely shocked by this unexpected revelation. "You - you are my..." I hesitated.

Once more, the words hit me with such force that I stumbled against the wall, desperately trying to catch my breath. But the sheer astonishment was overwhelming my already fragile mental state.

"Yes, I am aware of the planes. I assume you are somehow involved in this?" Greg asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah, somehow or another the TSA is already inside the building itself," Nikki said. Greg was completely taken aback.

"The TSA?" he asked, his voice filled with frustration, as he paced back and forth in a state of stress. "They're gonna take the Armonk."

"Oh, so you're familiar with this?" I asked.

"The FMA primarily works closely with the military, which grants us access to certain information."

"So what's our next move?" I asked. "We were separated from our group just a few moments ago. We are determined to locate them.

"Hopefully they're still alive," Greg said, his voice filled with concern. "I believe the planes were not necessary."

"What are you trying to say?" Nikki asked, eagerly awaiting the response.

"It's possible that the plane attack was simply a distraction," Greg remarked.