The footsteps of two robotic, armored soldiers with rifles at the ready echoed through the cavern as they emerged from the tunnel.
They stopped beside Kelvin's collapsed body and checked his vital signs to ensure he was still alive after the grenade's stun.
"Vital signs are all good!" the one examining Kelvin reported, while the other soldier secured the perimeter, dropping a cylindrical device a few meters ahead of the entrance.
Instantly, a transparent dome materialized, enveloping the entrance in a protective barrier.
"Area secured!" the second soldier confirmed as they regrouped.
"You didn't have to use the sonic grenade, did you?" remarked the soldier who had checked Kelvin's vitals.
"We can't be too careful. Besides, what's he still doing here after the alarm went off?" the other soldier responded, shrugging as he gestured toward Kelvin. "I'm going to check out whatever caused the radar alert."
The first soldier watched as his companion expertly maneuvered through the equipment, moving cautiously.
His vigilance increased when he saw his comrade halt suddenly in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" he asked, leaving Kelvin to assist his teammate.
The second soldier remained silent, inching closer to the spot that had made him pause.
When the first soldier caught up, he saw what had given his comrade reason to stop.
Right before them lay the giant corpse of the beast, buried under rubble, surrounded by a ghastly and gory scene.
They advanced slowly, cautiously, their rifles humming with red light as they approached.
After thorough inspection and checks, they were certain that the creature was dead.
Yet, despite this certainty, they stood in silence, theories running amok in their minds.
Everything pointed to the young man lying some distance away.
"This is beyond us. I'm sending a distress signal," the second soldier said, interacting with a hologram that emerged from his wrist, while the first soldier continued to unearth the ores from the pile, exposing more of the corpse.
"This is definitely above our pay grade," the first soldier muttered with conviction after fully revealing the details of the corpse.
Even though it was just a lifeless corpse, their instincts screamed of how dangerous the beast had been.
They both retreated to the safety of the dome barrier after thoroughly scouring the cavern.
"Should we take him to the infirmary?" the second soldier inquired.
"Yeah," the first replied, studying Kelvin's body. "If he did what I think he did and survived with only these injuries, it's imperative we get him to the infirmary for a full scan."
"You stay and wait for backup; I'll take him there," he added, hoisting Kelvin over his shoulder.
As he did, a crystal fell out of Kelvin's suit, capturing their attention.
The second soldier bent down to pick up the crystal, his helmet retracting to enable him to examine the object more closely, revealing the scar running across his left eye.
"What's that?" the first soldier asked when he saw the puzzled expression on his partner's face.
"I'm not sure, but it definitely came from that creature," he said, drawing a conclusion based on the bloodied surface of the crystal. "But it's not ours to keep," he added, placing the crystal back inside Kelvin's suit.
As the first soldier turned to leave toward the tunnel, a strange glint flickered in the second soldier's eyes as he watched them disappear.
****
Somewhere far away, a mountain thousands of kilometers tall, composed of obsidian rock, floated in an impossibly vast and dark expanse of space, giving the place a gloomy and oppressive aura.
At the flat peak of the mountain stood two obelisks, engraved with flickering blue runes.
The obelisks were made of the same material as the mountain, and between them hung a figure, chained in an X position.
The flickering light illuminated his slender yet muscular, naked form.
His unkempt white hair hung loosely, his head slumped, obscuring his facial features.
Suddenly, he raised his head, peering into the darkness for a long time.
The longer he stared, the brighter the runes shone, but eventually, he lowered his head back into its previous position, restoring the eerie, desolate ambiance as though nothing had occurred.
But something had changed—a wide, sinister grin had appeared on his face, the light from the runes reflecting off his teeth.
"Let the chaos begin," his words reverberated through the dark space.
****
Similar occurrences were happening in different locations and times.
In a pool of scarlet magma deep underground, a large serpentine head surfaced, lava trailing down its red scales.
A simple huff from its nostrils seemed to make the pool of lava bubble more violently.
It raised its head upward for a moment before submerging back into the molten pool without even opening its eyes.
Elsewhere, a figure sat in a meditative position within a mass of chaotic, multicolored miasma, which created rifts and twisted reality and space with each pulse.
His face and clothes were obscured by the resplendent fog, concealing most of his features.
His long hair and beard billowed like tendrils of golden light.
But the most striking feature of this entity was the massive golden wings that protected him in a semi-circle.
Each individual feather bore a uniquely drawn sigil, with silver-lined patterns that pulsed with golden light, repelling the fog.
SIGH
His sigh echoed like thunder.
"Trouble," he murmured, pausing as the feathers of his wings vibrated slightly. "Humans?" he continued, speaking to no one in particular.
With a flap of his wings, he vanished.
****
Space warped and stabilized as three vague figures materialized within the still-settling area.
"The Lines of Fate are shifting rapidly," a feminine voice spoke, her soothing tone completely stabilizing the space.
Silence reigned between the three of them for a time before another voice broke it.
"Where?" The voice, like stones grating against each other, sent ripples through the space, causing another spatial fracture, which was forcefully stabilized by the third figure.
"Humans," she replied.
The suppressed spatial crack unraveled, but this time the third figure did nothing to stop it, merely observing as it rampaged through the surroundings.
"Please calm yourself, or I will," the feminine voice warned, her words carrying an underlying threat.
GRRRR
As soon as she finished speaking, the fractured space receded, despite the displeased grunt from the second figure.
"The proposition you sent is intriguingly bold. But what guarantee do you have of executing your… ideas? And mind you, the verdict of the Elder Races still stands," the third figure questioned, his voice echoing ominously.
"The humans have undone themselves by weakening the veil, bit by bit. It's only a matter of time before we pinpoint the location of their dimension. Leave the verdict to me," she stated, though the atmosphere remained unconvinced by her words.
"Can't you see? This is a fortuitous opportunity to get rid of them while obtaining the inheritance. I believe this is the best chance we'll have, especially while they squabble among themselves in their dimension. Allowing the humans to fully consolidate in the Immortal Plane would be catastrophic," she urged. "My clan is doing this, with or without your support. Are you with me?" she asked, waiting for their replies, knowing there was nothing she could say to convince them if they weren't already inclined.
Instead of answering, the two figures stared at the feminine figure, weighing the implications and rewards of her proposal.
Suddenly, the third figure vanished silently, leaving behind a floating box as approval for her proposition.
The second figure followed suit, departing with the sound of something clattering to the ground.
Only the feminine figure remained as the two items floated toward her, undeterred by the disrespectful departure of the second voice.
She studied the contents for a while before a pearly laugh resonated through the space.