Zeb lay sprawled on the cold, unforgiving ground, the deep gash across his chest still oozing blood. Every breath was a labor, his lungs burning as if fire coursed through them. His limbs felt leaden, unresponsive—a stark contrast to the adrenaline-fueled moments just before. The world around him blurred at the edges, but his gaze remained fixed on the enigmatic woman who had just killed the alpha with unnerving ease.
She stood over the massive corpse, her posture relaxed yet exuding an aura of lethal grace. The Flux Core she had extracted pulsed with a mesmerizing white glow, illuminating her face in the dim light. As she examined it, she slowly pulled down the fabric covering the lower half of her face. A chilling grin spread across her features, revealing razor-sharp teeth that gleamed ominously. They were teeth not meant for a human, betraying a predatory nature lurking beneath her seemingly human exterior.
Without warning, she opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into the Flux Core. The orb shattered like fragile glass, shards scattering as a luminescent white fluid spilled forth. She chewed methodically, the crunching sound echoing in the silence, each bite deliberate and unhurried. The fluid dripped down her chin, casting an eerie glow on her pale skin. Swallowing the last of it, she let out an unabashed burp.
"Well, that didn't do much," she mused aloud, a hint of disappointment coloring her tone.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped toward Zeb, sharp and piercing. "Hey, kid!" she called out, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade. "I don't like people staring at me. Do we have a problem?"
A jolt of fear shot through Zeb's body. His muscles tensed involuntarily, but he couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. "If I couldn't even hurt that alpha," he thought desperately, "there's no way I can handle her." The weight of his injuries bore down on him, and he considered feigning unconsciousness to avoid her ire. Closing his eyes, he hoped she might lose interest.
But before he could find solace in the darkness, a subtle rustling reached his ears. He felt something slender and cold wrapping around his ankles. His eyes flew open to see vines snaking up his legs, their tendrils tightening with each passing second.
"This isn't good," Zax's voice echoed urgently in his mind. "If she realizes I'm here, she might decide to kill us both."
Zeb's body was yanked across the rough terrain as the vines coiled tightly around his limbs, dragging him unstoppably toward the woman. In a swift motion, he found himself hoisted upside down, suspended in mid-air. Blood from the gash on his chest dripped down, pooling on the ground beneath him. The world spun, and his vision blurred, but the piercing gaze of the woman remained sharply in focus.
She studied him intently, her eyes reflecting a cold curiosity. "If that wound isn't healed soon, you'll bleed out," she stated matter-of-factly. "Why haven't you healed yourself? Even at a weak level, any Void Mite should manage at least that much."
Confusion flooded Zeb's mind. "What is she talking about, Zax?" he thought desperately.
Zax's voice echoed in his head, tinged with frustration. "She's right. If I were the dominant host, I could easily heal us and amplify our abilities. But since you're the host and our bond isn't fully integrated, my capabilities are limited."
The woman's patience was waning. Her brow furrowed as she snapped, "Speak! Why do you ignore my question?"
Zeb hesitated. "What should I say?" he asked internally.
"Perhaps honesty is our only option," Zax suggested. "Explain the situation to her."
Taking a shaky breath, Zeb began to recount everything—the sudden invasion, the botched bonding process, their narrow escapes, and the challenges they faced due to their incomplete union. The woman remained silent throughout his explanation, her expression unreadable.
When he finished, a slow, mocking smile spread across her face. Soft laughter bubbled up, growing louder and more derisive. "A Void Mite failing to fully bond with its host?" she scoffed. "How utterly pathetic. This world is unforgiving to the weak. You two serve no purpose and are merely occupying space better suited for the strong."
She raised her hand, and tendrils of vines converged, materializing into a sword entwined with thorns—the same weapon she had wielded against the alpha creature. The blade gleamed menacingly, reflecting the dim light.
"I'll make this quick," she declared coldly. "Perhaps in your next life, you'll return as something more worthwhile."
She pulled back the sword, poised to strike. A resigned sigh echoed in Zeb's mind. "It was nice knowing you, Zeb," Zax said with a hint of wistfulness. "I was actually starting to grow fond of you."
But Zeb wasn't listening. His thoughts were consumed by images of his mother and sister—their faces blurred but achingly familiar. "Mom... Sera..." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.
Suddenly, an intense tremor coursed through his body. His muscles tightened involuntarily, and an unfamiliar energy surged within him. "Zeb?" Zax called out, alarmed by the lack of response.
Black tears welled up in Zeb's eyes, streaming down his face like liquid shadow. The air around him grew heavy, pulsating with a palpable force. The woman's confident demeanor faltered. Instinctively, she leaped backward, creating distance between them.
"What was that?" she murmured, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "For a moment, my body warned me—told me that if I didn't move, I would have died. But how? This boy is incredibly weak."
Determined to end him, she extended her arm. "No matter. I'll crush you." Clenching her fist, the vines ensnaring Zeb began to tighten viciously, constricting like serpents intent on squeezing the life out of him.
Zeb's body convulsed violently as the vines constricted tighter around him, the coarse tendrils digging into his flesh. Yet, his expression remained eerily blank, eyes unfocused as if gazing into a void. Black tears welled up from the corners of his eyes, streaming down his face and staining his skin with inky trails. The darkness consumed his irises entirely, leaving his eyes a haunting abyss of black.
"Wait, what's happening?" Zax's voice echoed in Zeb's mind, tinged with alarm. "Why can I feel the assimilation process continuing? It's as if your body is forcing it to happen on its own!" A surge of panic coursed through Zax. "I can feel my powers being drained... but how?"
Desperate for answers, Zax initiated a scan of Zeb's internal state. To his astonishment, he detected a powerful energy forming within Zeb—a burgeoning core that radiated immense potential. It resembled a Flux Core but was fundamentally different, more intricate and intertwined with Zeb's very essence. Realization dawned on Zax as he observed Zeb's heart transforming, metamorphosing into an actual core.
"Oh no," Zax muttered, his usually composed demeanor faltering. "This process is draining my energy. If this keeps up, I might... lose consciousness." His presence in Zeb's mind began to wane, like a flickering candle struggling against a gust. "Zeb, please don't die on me," he pleaded weakly. "Because if you do... I'll kill you myself." With that final, wry remark, Zax's consciousness dimmed, retreating into a dormant state.
Inside Zeb's mind, chaos reigned. Fragmented memories and distorted perceptions swirled in a tempest of emotion. Echoes of the woman's taunts reverberated through the maelstrom, her voice dripping with malice. "After I kill you, I'll find your mother and sister," she sneered—or at least, that's what Zeb's fractured psyche conjured. In reality, the woman remained silent, but his escalating fear and anger warped his senses, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.
A palpable aura began to emanate from Zeb's body, a dark energy that crackled and hissed like shadowy flames. The air grew thick with tension as the ground beneath him trembled subtly. Sensing the shift, the woman tightened her grip, commanding the vines to constrict even further. The tendrils obeyed, squeezing with relentless force, intent on crushing the life out of him.
"I won't let anyone hurt my family!" Zeb's voice erupted in a guttural roar that seemed to shake the very air. The aura around him intensified, swirling into a tempestuous vortex. In an instant, the vines encasing him ignited and disintegrated into ash, unable to withstand the sheer intensity of his unleashed power.
The wound on his chest sealed itself seamlessly, the torn flesh knitting together as if time had reversed. Zeb's feet lifted off the ground, and he hovered effortlessly, the dark aura enveloping him like a cloak. His eyes, now twin voids of pure black, locked onto the woman with an unsettling intensity.
She took an involuntary step back, her confidence wavering for the first time. "What is this power?" she thought, a hint of unease creeping into her mind. "He was weak—this shouldn't be possible."
"I'll kill you if you touch my family," Zeb declared, his voice resonating with an otherworldly echo.