Liny, Sebastian, V, Captain Jack, Sam, and the others arrived at the Thai secret base in a stolen military truck. They had managed to infiltrate the base by posing as a delivery team, using fake IDs and uniforms that Sam had hacked and forged. They had also brought along some weapons and explosives that they had hidden in the truck.
"Okay, everyone, listen up," Captain Jack said as they parked the truck near the main building of the base. "This is it. This is where they're holding Alice and possibly Liny's mom and brother. We have to get them out of there and stop those two bastards from opening another gate to the Nether Realm."
He looked at his team with a serious expression.
"We're going to split into two groups. Liny, Seb, and V, you go with Sam. He'll lead you to the detention area where Alice and Liny's family might be held. He's hacked into their security system and knows the layout of the building. If they are indeed there, you rescue them and meet us back here."
He turned to Margareth, Ellis, and Miles.
"You three come with me. We're going to plant the explosives around the base and create a diversion. We'll blow this place up once everyone is out."
He checked his watch.
"We have 15 minutes before they activate the satellite dish and open the gate. We have to move fast and quiet. Are you ready?"
They nodded and grabbed their weapons.
"Let's do this," Liny said.
They got out of the truck and split into two teams. Liny, Seb, V, and Sam entered the building through a side door that Sam had unlocked with his hacking skills. They made their way through the corridors, avoiding the guards and cameras as much as possible.
They reached a large metal door that had a sign that read "Subject 13".
"This is it," Sam whispered. "This is where they keep Alice. let's hope she is still there."
He hacked into the door's security system and opened it. Inside, they saw a glass chamber that contained a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was hooked up to various wires and tubes that monitored her vital signs. She looked pale and weak.
"Alice!" Sebastian exclaimed, running towards the chamber.
He pressed a button on the side of the chamber that released Alice from her restraints. He opened the chamber door and hugged Alice tightly.
"Alice, Alice, I'm so glad you're alive," he said, tears in his eyes.
Alice hugged him back weakly. She looked at him with confusion and fear in her eyes.
"Seb... who are you?" she asked.
Sebastian's face fell. He realized that Alice had lost her memory due to the experiments they had done on her.
"Alice... it's me. It's Sebastian. Your friend. Don't you remember me?" he asked softly.
Alice shook her head slowly. She looked at Liny and V, who were standing behind Seb.
"Who are they?" she asked.
"They're our friends too. They're here to help us," Sebastian said.
He took Alice's hand and led her out of the chamber. He looked at Liny, Sam, and V with a pleading expression.
"Please tell me you found Liny's mom and brother," he said.
Liny nodded. She had used her power to sense their presence in another room nearby. She had also sensed another familiar presence that made her blood run cold.
"Yes, they're here. But so is Master Sovan and General Prayut," she said.
Master Sovan was the man who kidnapped Liny when she was a child and tortured her for years. He was also the man who had opened the Nether Realm gate in Lakewood and unleashed a horde of monsters into the world. He was their enemy.
"Where are they?" Sebastian asked.
"They're in the control room. Master Sovan is trying to open another gate here," Liny said.
"We have to stop him," V said.
They ran towards the control room, where they saw Master Sovan and General Prayut sitting in front of a large screen that showed a map of Lakewood. A bunch of Lab coats were typing furiously on a keyboard that controlled a satellite dish on top of the building.
"Hello, my little experiments," Master Sovan said, turning around and smiling wickedly at them.
He recognized Liny as his former subject who had betrayed him and Sebastian as the man she was supposed to kill. He also recognized Alice as his latest subject who had shown remarkable abilities.
"I see you've come to join me for my grand finale," he said.
He pressed a button on his keyboard that activated the satellite dish. A beam of energy shot out from the dish towards Lakewood.
"What are you doing?" Liny asked angrily.
"I'm opening another gate to the Nether Realm in Lakewood. A bigger one than before. One that will unleash an army of monsters that will destroy everything in their path," Master Sovan said gleefully.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Sebastian asked incredulously.
"Because I can. Because I want to see what happens when two worlds collide. Because I want to create chaos and anarchy. Because I want to be a god," Master Sovan said maniacally.
He laughed as he watched the screen show a large portal opening in Lakewood. He saw monsters of all shapes and sizes pouring out of it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said.
"No, it's not. It's horrible," Alice said suddenly.
She looked at Master Sovan with disgust and anger in her eyes. She remembered who he was. He was the man who had kidnapped her and experimented on her. He was the man who had erased her memory and taken away her life.
She felt a surge of power in her body. She realized that she had the ability to manipulate energy. She raised her hand and pointed it at Master Sovan.
"Stop it. Stop it now," she said.
She unleashed a blast of energy that hit Master Sovan in the chest. He flew back and hit the wall behind him. He dropped his magic stick and gasped for air.
Alice looked at the screen and saw that the portal was still open. She raised her hand again and pointed it at the satellite dish.
"Close it. Close it now," she said.
She sent another blast of energy that hit the satellite dish and destroyed it. She saw the portal close and disappear.
She collapsed on the floor, exhausted from using her power. Sebastian ran to her and lifted her up.
"Alice, are you okay?" he asked.
Alice nodded weakly. She looked at him with a smile.
"Seb... I remember you. I remember everything," she said.
Sebastian smiled back and hugged her tightly.
"I'm so happy, Alice. I'm so happy you're back," he said.
Liny and V watched them with relief and joy. They also saw Liny's mother and brother emerge from another room, where they had been freed by Captain Jack, Margareth, Ellis, and Miles. They ran to Liny and hugged her.
"Liny, Liny, we're so glad you're alive," they said.
Liny hugged them back and cried tears of happiness.
"Mom, brother, I missed you so much," she said.
They looked at each other with love and gratitude. They had finally reunited after years of separation.
They heard a loud explosion outside. They realized that Captain Jack, Margareth, Ellis, and Miles had detonated the explosives they had planted around the base. They had created a diversion that allowed them to escape from the base with their truck.
They also heard sirens and helicopters approaching. They realized that the authorities had been alerted to their presence.
"We have to go," V said.
They nodded and followed him to the exit. They saw Captain Jack, Margareth, Ellis, and Miles waiting for them in the truck.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Captain Jack said.
They got into the truck and drove away from the base. They saw flames and smoke rising from the base behind them.
They cheered and celebrated their victory. They had rescued Alice and Liny's family. They had stopped Master Sovan and General Prayut from opening another gate to the Nether Realm in Lakewood. They had saved the Town.
But their celebration was short-lived.
They heard a loud roar from the sky. They looked up and saw a huge dragon flying over them. It had scales of black and red, horns of gold, and eyes of fire. It breathed out a stream of flames that set the base on fire.
They realized that it was one of the monsters that had escaped from the Nether Realm when Master Sovan opened the first gate in Lakewood. It had been hiding in the mountains, waiting for its chance to strike.
It had sensed the energy from the satellite dish and had followed it to the base. It had seen the explosion and had decided to take advantage of the chaos.
It had come to destroy them all.
Alice and her friends stared at the dragon in horror. They realized that they had no weapons or powers that could match it. They realized that they were doomed.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The dragon landed on the ground in front of them. It lowered its head and looked at Alice with curiosity and recognition.
It spoke to her in a deep and ancient voice that only she could understand.
"Hello, my daughter," it said.
Alice gasped. She recognized the voice. It was the voice that she had heard in her dreams, in her visions, in her mind.
It was the voice of her biological father.
She felt a surge of emotions. She felt shock, confusion, disbelief, and denial.
She shook her head. She refused to believe it.
"No," she said. "No, you're not my father. You're a monster. You're a liar."
The dragon smiled. It showed its sharp teeth. It looked amused.
"Oh, but I am your father, Alice," it said. "And you are my daughter. You have my blood, my power, my legacy."
The dragon spoke to her in a deep and ancient voice that only she could understand.
"Liny, I am your father," it said.
Liny gasped. She felt shock, confusion, disbelief, and denial.
"No, you're not my father. You're a monster. You're a liar," she said.
The dragon smiled. It showed its sharp teeth. It looked amused.
"Oh, but I am your father, Liny. And you are my daughter. You have my blood, my power, my legacy," it said.
"What are you talking about? What blood? What power? What legacy?" she asked.
"We are the descendants of the Angkorians, Alice. The ancient civilization that ruled this land before the Khmer Empire. The civilization that had the power to manipulate energy, the power that you and I share," it said.
"But we are not like the other Angkorians, Alice. We are from a different branch. A branch that chose to use our power for evil instead of good. A branch that sought to unlock the secrets of the Nether Realm and claim it as our own," it said.
"The Nether Realm? What is that?" she asked.
Her father told her more.
"The Nether Realm is the dark and dangerous world that lies beyond the veil of reality, Alice. The world where the monsters come from. The world where I come from," he said.
"What do you mean? How did you get there?" she asked.
He revealed his story.
"I discovered the existence of the Nether Realm thousands of years ago, Alice. I devoted my life to finding a way to open it and enter it. I used my power and the energy from the Nether Realm to transform myself into a dragon. I became the king of the monsters and the lord of the darkness," he said.
Alice felt angry, betrayed, hurt, and scared.
She looked at him with hatred. She spat at him.
"You're not my father. You're a monster. You're a murderer," she said.
He ignored her words, so it continued to speak.
"But I was lonely, Alice. I needed a partner to rule with me. I needed someone who shared my blood and my power. I needed someone like you," he said.
"Someone like me? What do you mean?" she asked.
"I was behind everything that happened to you and your friends, Alice. " He confessed his plan. "I was behind Sabastian's disappearance, behind Master Sovan's kidnapping, behind the gate's opening," it said.
"Why? Why did you do that?" she asked.
"I did it all to lure you to me, Alice. To test you, to prepare you, to make you ready for your destiny," it said.
"My destiny? What destiny?" she asked.
The man finally declared his intention.
"You are my heir, Alice. My princess. My queen. You are destined to rule the Nether Realm with me," it said.
Alice felt overwhelmed by his words. She felt angry, betrayed, hurt, and scared.
She looked at him with hatred. She spat at him.
"You're not my father," she said. "You're a monster. You're a murderer."
She looked at Sebastian, who was standing next to her. Sebastian was holding Alice's hand tightly. He was shaking with fear.
Sebastian looked at Alice with concern. He spoke to her softly.
"Alice, don't listen to him," he said. "He's lying to you. He's trying to manipulate you."
He looked at the dragon with defiance. Sebastian spoke to him boldly.
"You're not her father," He said. "You're nothing but a beast."
The dragon snarled at Sebastian. It looked angry.
"Silence, boy," it said. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
It looked at Alice again. It ignored Sabstain.
"Alice, don't let this human fool you," it said. "Even though, he possesses the same blood as ours, doesn't mean he know you as I do."
It offered her his claw and asked her to join him.
"Come with me, daughter," it said. "I can show you things you've never seen before."
"I can give you everything you've ever wanted."
"I can make you happy."
Alice looked at his claw. She felt tempted.
She looked at Seb and her other friends. She felt conflicted.
She looked at her father. She felt curious.
She hesitated for a moment.
She then made her choice.
She took his claw and smiled.
"Yes, father," she said.
The dragon smiled back. It lifted her up and flew away with her.
Sebastian and the others can do nothing but watched them go. He felt shocked, heartbroken, and betrayed.
He screamed Alice's name. He cried. But, they were already far gone.
The End.