The scorching air pressed down on them as they approached the facility. Every step felt heavier, sweat trickling down their bodies as the towering gates loomed ahead. Two guards appeared, guns raised, eyes narrowing as they sized up the intruders.
"Who are you?" one demanded, his voice slicing through the heat like a blade.
Yura swallowed hard, his face glistening with sweat. "We… we are men of Morgan. Here to inspect."
The guard's grip on his rifle tightened, his stance rigid. "I didn't hear you," he said, voice low and dangerous. The tension thickened—each heartbeat seemed to echo across the courtyard. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Ryuki's fingers clenched around her sword hilt, knuckles white. Every instinct screamed danger.
The guard's eyes narrowed further. "Speak."
Yura raised his arms, trembling, sweat dripping down his temples. "I… I am here to inspect by the order of Sir Morgan."
A slow, chilling chuckle came from the guard. "Good."
With a metallic shing, the massive gates creaked open, revealing the facility's interior. Lights glinted off polished steel, massive machines hummed in the distance, and shadows stretched long across the corridor. Ryuki exhaled a quiet sigh, finally relaxing her grip on her sword, though the tension in the air still lingered.
The guard stepped aside, a grin spreading across his face. "Go inside."
The trio moved forward, swallowed by the ominous glow of the facility, the heat outside already fading into the sterile, cold light of the unknown.