Grey and Lyra moved deeper into the dwarf tunnel.

  Old support beams lined the path.

  Occasionally, broken carts lay rusted against stone.

  Grey kept Lightning Channel dim.

  Storm Sense remained muted but not gone.

  There was pressure above.

  Movement.

  Multiple signatures now.

  Not just Kael.

  He didn't like that.

  "How many?" Lyra asked quietly.

  "At least four."

  She went still.

  "So he called reinforcement."

  "Looks like it."

  They reached a junction where three tunnels split in different directions.

  Lyra knelt and brushed dust aside.

  "Left leads toward mining shafts. Unstable. Middle reconnects to surface near the southern hills."

  "And right?"

  She hesitated.

  "Old mana conduit."

  Grey blinked.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "That sounds important."

  "It is. Dwarves used storm crystals to power underground rail systems centuries ago."

  Lightning.

  Crystals.

  Storm.

  Grey felt the resonance before she even finished speaking.

  Right tunnel.

  Definitely right tunnel.

  "You feel it too," she said.

  "Yes."

  "It could amplify you."

  "It could stabilize you."

  She didn't argue.

  They turned right.

  The tunnel gradually widened into a massive underground chamber.

  Crystalline formations jutted from walls and ceiling.

  Faint blue light pulsed within them.

  Grey stepped forward slowly.

  Storm Sense roared back to life.

  But this time—

  It wasn't external.

  It was harmonic.

  The crystals responded to him.

  Lightning flickered softly between them.

  Lyra stepped into the chamber.

  Her seal flared again—

  But not violently.

  Synchronizing.

  Grey extended his hand.

  A thin arc leapt from his fingers into the nearest crystal.

  It glowed brighter.

  Mana flowed back into him.

  Not draining.

  Cycling.

  His Mana Capacity ticked upward slightly.

  [Storm Environment Detected]Lightning Efficiency Increased by 20%

  He laughed quietly.

  "This is insane."

  Lyra stepped closer to one of the larger crystals.

  Her breathing steadied.

  "The seal is… quieter here."

  Grey looked at her.

  "We could use this place."

  "As a base?"

  "For now."

  She nodded slowly.

  But then—

  Storm Sense exploded violently.

  Above them.

  Multiple impact points.

  The sound of stone fracturing.

  They weren't trying to track.

  They were breaching.

  Grey's expression hardened.

  "How long?"

  "Minutes."

  Lightning flickered brighter between the crystals.

  Lyra drew her blade.

  Her eyes glowed faintly now.

  Not human.

  Not entirely.

  Grey stepped beside her.

  Mana surged through him in steady rhythm.

  Kael's voice echoed faintly through stone from somewhere above.

  "You cannot hide in storm forever."

  Grey smiled slightly.

  "Good thing I don't plan to."

  The ceiling cracked.

  Dust rained down.

  Three armored figures dropped into the far side of the chamber.

  Levels 21. 23. 24.

  And behind them—

  Kael.

  Level 28.

  Suppression Field ignited.

  But the crystals answered immediately.

  Lightning surged violently across the chamber.

  The field flickered.

  Grey felt the storm align with him.

  For the first time—

  He wasn't weaker.

  He was home.

  Lyra's seal flared fully.

  White lightning erupted along her blade.

  Kael's calm expression shifted.

  Just slightly.

  "Interesting," he murmured.

  Grey exhaled.

  "Okay," he said quietly.

  "Let's see what Stormbound really does."

  Lightning exploded across the chamber.

  And the underground war began.