[Memory: 0.00082% recovered ]
[Memory: 0.00621% recovered ]
[Memory: 0.00999% recovered ]
The runes were not constant or immediately after each other, he could discern they were shown after a fairly large period of time, however time had become such a strange variable, unkept, ununderstood by him, and if considered maybe unimportant. He wasn't conscious, he couldn't be, but there was a slight awareness that plagued his slumber, it was like a faint attempt at realization, but only that, never more.
He could still think, and that proved to him he was alive. When he did think though, it was in contemplation of if that was enough to ascertain he was truly in a state of existing, in defilement of what he wanted to believe. Then he saw a flash, he had not seen anything but the perfect black of his own unconsciousness in a long time, yet somehow the insistent flash of red continued to burrow through eyelids he imagined were sealed shut.
Following, he heard sounds, breaking the silence of his own mind was the constant blaring of what sounded like an alarm. Slowly, Lucian began to peel open his eyes, and he saw the distorted figures of people standing, and he began to feel a floating sensation. He then realized he was in a liquid-filled pod of sorts, and he watched as the green liquid began to drain out of the pod. The moment it went under his neck, he lost the ability to breathe, losing consciousness once more.
— — —
Lucian woke up, his eyes cracking open only to quickly flinch at the glare of the harsh white line that ran across the room he sat in. It was a moderate-sized yet imposing space, its ceiling stretching high into a distant dark. The pungent scent of ozone and antiseptic found residence in the air, and the only sound was the low hum of machinery.
In the center of the room stood a massive, monolithic structure that resembled a colossal, inverted pyramid. It was made of a smooth, dark metal that seemed to absorb all light, and it was covered in a network of glowing wires and tubes. The pyramid was surrounded by a series of raised platforms, on which sat a variety of strange and unsettling devices.
At one end of the room, a large glass window looked out onto a desolate landscape. The sky was a sickly gray, and the ground was barren and cracked. In the distance, a lone pillar stood silhouetted against the horizon. The room was silent and oppressive, and it felt as if it were watching him.
"Where am I?" Lucian managed a mutter, his eyes scanning around him.
"The Black Keep Research Center," a female voice shot across the room, a woman emerging from a door. Her appearance was striking: tall and lean with a lithe grace that belied the lethal efficiency hidden beneath. Her eyes, a piercing blue, held an intensity that could disarm or intimidate, depending on the situation. Her dark hair, usually pulled back in a tight bun, framed a face that was both beautiful and firm.
Lucian gazed at the woman for a while; it had been a long time since he had seen the face of another, and that alone was enough to make him stare in silence.
"What's your name?" the woman asked, a softness to her tone.
"Why?" Lucian spat quickly, but then a flash of contemplation met him. Of what use were such trivial acts of defiance?
"It's Lucian," he responded swiftly, following his prior question.
The woman smiled, as if amused by him. She then walked to the side of the room, gently placing her hand on the wall, and it suddenly went from a bleak dark to a transparent glass revealing a man in a white room.
"This is Hareth. He, like myself, is an agent of the Black Keep…"
"Why am I here? What do you want?" Lucian demanded, clearly uninterested in anything else.
"Good questions, and I'm glad you asked that," she walked away from the glass pane towards Lucian. "Where should I begin… I want to make sure you understand."
She went silent for a moment, as if contemplating before speaking again.
"Are you aware of the current state of Shadowfall?"
Lucian raised a brow.
"Shadowfall, as in this planet?"
"Yes," she confirmed simply.
"What do you mean by state? The fact it's a shithole?"
The lady let out a chuckle.
"Well, put bluntly, yes. Shadowfall had fallen to a type F world, much away from what it used to be, you see—"
"I'll stop you there," Lucian interrupted her. "I asked you why I was here, not for a history lesson… I remember being knocked unconscious at Namek, I need to know how long it's been since then."
As Lucian spoke, the smile of the lady faded from her face.
"You're not very patient, are you?… Let's get straight to it then." She walked closer to the metallic pyramid, her hand gliding over it slightly, and as she did so, Lucian could feel a shift in the chair he sat in, only then remembering it was present.
"It's been four years since you were brought to the Black Keep, and as for why you are being held here…" the woman paused, walking closer to him.
"You see, Lucian, you just might be the most dangerous thing in the entirety of the mortal universe."