The chamber vibrated with a low, ominous hum, the walls around us pulsing with an energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end. The artifacts on the platform before us were no longer just relics; they were alive with light, a swirling, electric blue that filled the room with a ghostly glow. My crew and I stood frozen, watching in disbelief as the energy coalesced, drawing together into a shape that was all too familiar yet utterly alien.
From the center of the platform, the light began to take form, pulling itself together like a living thing, weaving and intertwining until it stood before us—a humanoid figure, its body crackling with electric currents, its outline shifting and flickering like a flame in the wind. It was both beautiful and terrifying, a being made entirely of energy, its eyes two burning points of blue light.
"There's still life after all…" the figure whispered, its voice a soft crackle, like static over a dying radio signal. It gazed upon us with a look that could almost be mistaken for curiosity.
I felt a cold sweat break out across my skin. This was no ordinary phenomenon—this was something far beyond our understanding, a remnant of whatever civilization had once called this planet home. I glanced at Amara, hoping for some explanation, but what I saw in her eyes was not understanding. It was fear—pure, unfiltered terror.
"NOT AGAIN!" she screamed, her voice shrill with panic. She stumbled back, nearly tripping over the uneven floor, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at the figure.
Before I could react, a shout echoed through the chamber, followed by the sound of footsteps—heavy, purposeful. The Terrestrial Empire soldiers had found us. They burst into the room, their weapons drawn, eyes scanning the scene before them with a mixture of confusion and alarm.
"What's going on here?" one of the TE soldiers demanded, his voice sharp with authority as he took in the sight of the glowing figure and our terrified faces.
The electric figure turned its gaze toward them, its expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in its glowing eyes—recognition, maybe even disdain.
"Weapons…" the figure whispered, its voice a low, ominous hum. It began to glide toward the soldiers, moving with a fluid grace that was both mesmerizing and horrifying.
The TE soldiers, sensing the threat, panicked. They opened fire, their weapons blazing, bullets ripping through the air toward the figure. But it was like shooting at smoke. The bullets passed through the figure harmlessly, the energy rippling as though the projectiles were nothing more than a mild disturbance.
I could only watch in horror as the figure's demeanor shifted. The curiosity was gone, replaced by something far more menacing. The light in its eyes flared, and the air around it crackled with power. It raised one hand—a gesture that seemed almost gentle—and the energy around it surged, a wave of electric force that swept over the soldiers like a tidal wave.
Their screams filled the chamber as the energy engulfed them, their bodies convulsing violently as the current tore through them. Within seconds, the soldiers were reduced to lifeless husks, their bodies collapsing to the ground in smoldering heaps, the stench of burnt flesh and metal filling the air.
"NO!" Amara's scream cut through the chaos, her voice filled with despair. She lunged toward the figure, but I caught her by the arm, pulling her back before she could get too close. There was nothing she could do now—nothing any of us could do.
The figure turned its gaze to Amara, the intensity of its glowing eyes dimming slightly as it regarded her with what seemed like… sadness? For a moment, it looked almost human, a flicker of emotion passing over its flickering face.
But the moment passed, and the figure's gaze hardened once more. The energy around it pulsed, and I felt a strange pressure in my chest, as if the air had thickened. This wasn't just an entity—it was a force, a remnant of a power that had long since vanished from this world, and it was angry.
I tightened my grip on Amara, pulling her back toward the exit as the figure turned its attention back to the artifacts, the light from its body growing brighter, more intense. The walls around us began to shake, cracks spiderwebbing across the ancient stone as the energy built to a crescendo.
"We have to get out of here," I whispered urgently, my voice hoarse. I motioned to the rest of the crew, who were already backing toward the entrance, their faces pale with fear.
Amara didn't resist as I led her away, her body trembling violently. She kept her eyes fixed on the figure, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she murmured, more to herself than to me. "They weren't supposed to wake up. Not like this…"
We reached the exit, the wind howling through the narrow passage as we stumbled out into the icy wasteland beyond. The cold air hit us like a slap in the face, but I didn't stop, pulling Amara along as the rest of the crew followed. Behind us, the chamber continued to tremble, the light from the figure blazing like a star in the night.
When we were a safe distance from the ruins, I finally stopped, gasping for breath. I turned to look at the ancient structure, now glowing with an otherworldly light, the figure still inside, its form barely visible through the intense brightness.
"What the hell was that?" Luca panted, his face pale with shock.
"I don't know," I replied, my voice hollow. "But whatever it was, it's not something we can fight. We need to regroup, figure out what to do next."
Amara sank to her knees in the snow, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She had known more than she had let on, but even she had been unprepared for this.
As I looked back at the ruins, the light from the figure flickering like a dying flame, I knew that this was only the beginning. We had awakened something ancient, something that had been waiting for a long time. And now, whatever it was, it was free.