The world didn't end in fire or ice. It ended in desire.
Desire for power. For love. For revenge. For everything we thought we could never have.
And for people like me—the ones who feel too much—that desire doesn't stay buried. It becomes something else. Something alive. Something that can destroy you.
I learned that the hard way.
I bolted down an alley so narrow my shoulders scraped the crumbling brick walls.
My breath came in jagged bursts, and the metallic taste of panic filled my mouth. Behind me, heavy boots echoed against the pavement, closing in.
"Ren Kaido," barked a voice, sharp and commanding, amplified by some kind of tech. "You've been identified as a rogue Deus. Surrender your Machina, or we'll dismantle you both."
Surrender? Yeah, right. I'd only just figured out what the hell Alteris even was, and now they wanted to take it from me? Not happening.
The alley spat me out into a dead-end courtyard. No exits, just rusted dumpsters and graffiti-covered walls. Just my luck. I pressed my back to the bricks, clutching the strange, blade-like object in my hand—the only thing standing between me and them.
The enforcers rounded the corner, their armoured suits glinting under the dim streetlights.
There were four of them, their rifles trained on me. Standard issue Council grunts, probably equipped with anti-Machina tech.
"Deus Kaido," the lead soldier growled, stepping forward. "This is your last warning."
I gripped the weapon tighter, my pulse pounding like a drum. They weren't here to talk. The Council didn't negotiate with Deus like me—ones who didn't bow to their precious system.
"Alteris," I whispered, the name slipping out like instinct.
The air around me cracked.
Reality itself had split open, and from that tear emerged a Machina.
A sleek, humanoid figure of shifting metal and liquid light, with limbs that reformed and reshaped like blades in motion. Its face was a smooth, featureless mask, but the weight of its presence was suffocating.
The soldiers froze. They could see it now—the thing that had been born from my desire.
"What the—" one of them started, but Alteris moved before he could finish.
A metallic limb morphed into a jagged blade and sliced through the air. The soldier's rifle shattered, pieces scattering like confetti. The others opened fire, but Alteris moved faster than thought, its form twisting and flowing like liquid steel.
I felt it in my chest—every move, every strike. Alteris wasn't just fighting for me. It was me. Every time I wanted to run, it lunged. Every time I hesitated, it lashed out. It fed on my emotions, amplifying them, turning them into action.
But I could feel the drain too. My chest tightened, and my vision blurred as if something was being pulled out of me. I knew what it was: my fear. My desperation. The very emotions that had created Alteris.
And if I ran out?
It would devour me.
The last soldier hit the ground, clutching his shattered armour. Alteris stood over him, its bladed limbs dripping with molten liight. The courtyard was silent, except for my ragged breathing.
"You're losing control."
I turned around only to see a runt, leaning against the wall like she owned the place. She had short, silver hair and blue eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dark. A shadowy wolf-like figure prowled at her side, its body flickering like smoke.
"A Deus," I said, my voice hoarse.
"Looks like you don't have manners," she huffed, pushing off the wall. "Lina Arara and this—" she gestured to the behemoth of a wolf "—is Umbrexis."
Alteris shifted, its limbs retracting into its sleek body. I could feel its tension, its readiness to prove itself.
"Chill~," Lina said, raising a hand. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. Nice Machina, by the way"
I didn't lower my guard. "What do you want?"
"Same thing the Council wants," she said with a smirk. "To stop you from getting
yourself killed. Only difference is, I'm not here to dissect you afterwards."
"Great sales pitch," I said, wiping sweat from my brow. "But I'll pass."
I had enough trouble as it was being a rouge.
She sighed, like she had heard it all before. "Look, kid, you're new at this, so
let me give you some free advice. Machinas aren't toys. They're eat you alive if you don't learn to control them. That thing—" she pointed to Alteris "—it's a reflection of you. If you burn out, so does it. And trust me, it won't go quietly."
"I'm fine," I said, though my legs felt like jelly.
"Sure you are," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's why you're about five seconds from passing out. Look, if you want to survive, come with me. Otherwise, you'll just be another rogue Deus that the Council wipes off the map."
I hesitated, glancing at Alteris. Its form flickered slightly, as if it was struggling to hold itself together.
Lina started walking away, her wolf padding beside her. "Your choice, Kaido. But the world's not gonna wait for you to figure it out."
She disappeared into the shadows.
For a moment, I stood there, the weight of everything pressing down on me. My Machina. The Council. The fact that I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
Then I clenched my fist, feeling the strange, metallic texture of the weapon in my hand.
"Alteris," I murmured.
It shifted beside me, its faceless head tilting as if waiting.
"We're not done yet," I said.
And we pursued the strange girl into the dark.