[Troop 0000.... Zero of the onyx unit. Remember at all cost, the STELLAR Mission is to be completed. STELLAR had now reached its end... I don't know how, but live! Humanities must prev!...]
Buzz...
[Connection lost!]
Being awakened by the sudden dream, Zyro's eyes flew open wide, his vision blurred, shrouded by the glass visor of his onyx cybernetic armor that covered his entire body. His mind was a mess, unable to think, as if he had slept for eternity. As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, he felt his body sway, as if suspended in mid-air.
His a soldier of STELLAR, a cosmic interstellar spacecraft undergoing a galactic expedition to trace the source of catalyst in the vast galaxy. However, due to a certain psychopath, the galactic vessel boarding hundreds of elite soldiers, state of the art technologies, destructive cyber weaponry and transports were razed. Ending the long journey of STELLAR, leaving only one miraculous survivor. His location, (Unknown)
Zyro shook his head to clear his thoughts, and focused on calming down. He took deep breaths, drawing from the oxygen reserve in his suit. Gradually, his mind and body settled. Now seeing clearly...
What greeted his eyes was a cage-like structure made of brown thick strings, encircling around him in the form of a sphere. Lines of brown criss-cross each other, forming tapestry of inescapable jail bars. Narrow gaps below allowed faint streams of light to filter through, illuminating the otherwise dark enclosure. And above, was pure darkness.
Realizing he was trapped, Zyro turned to look left to right, only to find the same disorienting sight all around him.
Organizing his thoughts, he tried to move his limbs like ancient artifacts after being asleep for years, mustering the strength to stand up within the relatively spacious cage. However, before he could find his footing, the enclosure suddenly swung, causing him to stumble backward and lose his balance. He clung to the bars to steady himself wearily, not fully awake.
As he regained his focus, Zyro's eyes were drawn to the dark, browny material surrounding him. And thought 'wood?' Up close, the material appeared almost organic, resembling the twisted dried vines of an ancient tree. Intrigued by his surroundings, he decided to take a closer look through one of the gaps below. Nearing his eye to pierce through the bottom.
Peering through the narrow opening, what beheld left him utterly speechless. Far, far below him, a sea of white clouds covering the lush shade of dark green. Enormous tree-like structure, akin to colossal serpents, snaked their way and cascaded downward, through the clouds. They seemed to flow like rivers, tapering in size as they descended into the unknown depths below. Each was a vibrant tapestry of earthy browns, the sight was both mesmerizing and disorienting.
As Zyro gazed down in a daze, his mind struggled to comprehend the scale of his predicament. He couldn't help but feel a surge of fear welling up within him, a sensation he hadn't experienced since the time he first boarded the stellar vessel—the fear of heights. The dizzying abyss beneath him played tricks on his senses, triggering an instinctive unease that made him question the stability of his surroundings.
"Where… am I?" Zyro whispered subconsciously, his voice barely audible amidst the vastness of the mysterious environment. As if answering his question, a sudden pain burst in his stomach. As though something had punched him. But the metal frames inside protected his abdomen from critical damage, even so, he felt its impact.
Zyro shifted his gaze downwards, a rod of wood directed at his abdomen growing backwards. As if reversing time itself, his eyes widened and subconsciously said.
"W-What the?"
Suddenly, another rod sprouted from the vines with abnormal speed. Hitting zyro's armored cheek as it produces a metallic shriek, sending reverberations through the air. The force of the blow threw him backward, and he landed with a thud, causing the sphere cage to swing harder.
The last attack jolted Zyro completely awake, snapping him out of the disoriented daze he had been in. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he tried to comprehend the surreal situation he found himself in. To him, it felt so unnatural and eerie. He was sure that the supernatural attack would return, he knew he had to be ready. But moments passed as he refused to stand, silence enveloped the cage, and there was no sign of any imminent danger.
"What the heck is that?" His voice was tired and raspy.
Thousands of questions swirled in Zyro's mind. The whole scenario defied the laws of logic and reason. Not to mention the additional challenge of his own unstable memory. He struggled to recall anything about his past, and how he had ended up in this strange, hostile place.
Lying on the root cage, Zyro stands up with support of his arm. Then, he sensed a restriction in his footing and looked down to discover a set of new born vines snaked around his armored feet.
Fortunately, his onyx armored boots had shielded him from its effects, while also concealing its presence.
With a difficult expression, he tried to free his foot from the snake-like vines. However, instead of bulging. The vines fast forward its growth, it gets bigger and longer, putting more constraints on Zyro while increasing its grip. It carcass Zyro's feet, feeling the pressure increase through his boots, the wrongness he felt ascend.
'Does this thing respond to my voice?' Zyro hypothesize, looking at the vines. He struggled as it grew. '...and movement?' he added.
Aware that any sudden movements or sounds might trigger yet another deadly trap, Zyro remained as still as a statue, despite confusion gnawing at his mind. He desperately tried to recall anything about how he ended up in this perilous predicament, but his thoughts were trapped in a haze of uncertainty. The fragmented memories flitted through his mind like elusive phantoms, refusing to take a tangible form.
With a determined restraint, he suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration. Instead, his masked gaze drifted downwards towards his feet. And observe as newborn vines snake their way around his armored foot, their grip tightening like a predator securing its prey.
Suddenly, a feint noise had caught his ears.
"Kgsdjhghj"
In the eerie silence that enveloped him, a barely audible sound caught Zyro's attention. He shifted his gaze towards the source, peering through the narrow gaps of the vine cage. The dense foliage obscured much of his view, but he could discern a faint outline of what lay beyond - Another set of vines, arranged in a sphere formation just like the one his in.
His inquisitive mind sparked a solution, and without conscious thought. Zyro narrows his eyes, and subconsciously engages one of the cyber armor's features 'Zoom'. As if his eyes had morphed into telescopic lenses, his vision passed through the gap like a camera lens zooming in on its target.
Even though Zyro had no recollection of his memory, he was still able to subconsciously use his armor features.
The outside world came into clearer focus. The second cage hang at a distance of approximately 15 meters from his current position. The vines surrounding it seemed just as menacing and forbidding as those that entrapped him.
Not sure if there's anything hidden inside the cage or what creature it might be, Zyro's mind raced with desperation for knowledge that the other prisoner might possess.
'Well, we'll never know unless we try... I try'
Zyro murmured to himself, mustering the courage to take action despite the uncertainty that loomed around him.
Once again, he directed his gaze towards the enigmatic vines, contemplating his next move. Even though it might trigger another strange trap inside the cage, he rather takes the risk than makes no progress. Added, his confidence in his onyx armor defense, with state of the art technology, equipped with advance protection mechanism, and various protective features. That he currently doesn't know how to consciously control. But he knew deep inside, that the metal plated armor will surely protect him.
With a deep breath, he raised his hand and touched the vines cautiously. Feeling the rough texture of the plant, he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of what might happen next.
'This gonna hurt' he thought as he steeled himself for whatever was to come. Taking another deep breath, he inhaled a mouthful of air through his mask, bracing himself for the worst.
Summoning every ounce of determination, Zyro called out with all the strength he could muster,
"Hey, where am I!?"
His voice echoed in the distance, disappearing into the silence of the cage. For a moment, nothing happened and Zyro wondered if his attempt had been in vain.
Then, multiple vines sprouted everywhere like pythons with ferocious speed. He tried to block with his arm, only to be caught. It snaked around his body, wrapping around his arm, waist and legs. Soon, he stood in silence like a tortilla wrapped in brown-green vines. It's faint, but he could feel the pressure of the vines increasing slowly.
His breathing turned heavy through the mask, the pressure was growing heavy as he gritted his teeth.
Zyro's mind was filled with regret, doubting his sanity. His recent action was rather irrational, and now. The situations in turned bad to worse.
'It's called taking the risk' he justified himself in regret.
Unable to move, he spins his brain gears at full speed. Thinking of solutions to solve his current predicament. But his mind went blank, everything just seems so eerie and unreal.
Suddenly, he sensed a movement in the other cage. Zyro's eyes turn alert, staring at the neighboring cage. He throws his recent thoughts aside as he focuses all attention on the cage nearby.
Silence hung in the air, a few moments past but nothing happened.
'I swear that thing moved just now...' he thought unable to speak, his eyes fixed at the silent cage with extreme focus. After 20 seconds of staring contest past, he justified inwardly 'Perhaps the winds blew?'
However, he was proven wrong.
"Kskdhdhhdjhrfjjhffgggjjgdfgjg"
Just as zyro shifted his gaze, an eerie sound. Rather, a voice that no human vocal can produce reaches to his ear. Sending cold shivers run down his spine.
Zyro's eyes widened
'What is that?!' he frowned and thought internally.
He hesitated before deciding and asked again.
"What?!" He shouted. The volume of his voice is just enough to reach the cage.
Silence followed, with growing vines and pressure. The inside of the armor was becoming uncomfortable, but its shock resistance held.
Then..
"Ohh, a new neighbor?" Someone said.