Darkness. Not the comforting kind that wraps around you when you close your eyes, but an abyss, heavy, and suffocating. It pressed against her, an intangible weight that made breathing an act of rebellion.
Her first sensation was pain—a sharp, biting ache in her limbs, as if she had been struck by lightning. Her second was cold. The floor beneath her was smooth, metallic, and unyielding. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to be met with chaos.
The chamber she found herself in was vast, its walls lined with intricate, glowing conduits that pulsed with a sickly green light. Sparks flew from broken machinery, casting fleeting flashes of light across the room. The air smelled of scorched metal and something acrid she couldn't name.
She tried to move, but her body felt foreign. Her limbs were sluggish, her head heavy. Panic bubbled in her chest. Where am I? Who am I? The questions echoed, but no answers followed.
As her fingers brushed against her bare forearm, she froze. A faint, shimmering mark glowed on her skin—a swirling pattern that seemed alive, shifting with the rhythm of her rapid heartbeat. It didn't hurt, but its presence was unsettling.
Before she could process it, a sound cut through the stillness—a low, mechanical hum that grew louder by the second. She turned her head, her pulse quickening as she spotted a figure emerging from the shadows.
The figure was humanoid, but its movements were jerky, unnatural. Its eyes glowed a menacing red, and its body was a patchwork of metal and flesh. It was a Techno-Mage—or what was left of one.
Her instincts screamed at her to run, but her legs refused to cooperate. The creature approached, a twisted blade extending from its mechanical arm. Its guttural growl sent shivers down her spine.
"Move," she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar. Her body ignored her.
As the creature lunged, survival took over. She raised her arms in defense, bracing for the impact. But instead of pain, there was a blinding flash of light. Heat surged through her veins, and a shockwave erupted from her outstretched hands, sending the creature flying across the chamber.
The force knocked her back as well, and she collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping for air. The glowing mark on her arm now burned brightly, its swirling patterns pulsating wildly.
"What was that?" she murmured, staring at her hands. They trembled, not from fear, but from the residual energy that had just coursed through them.
The reprieve was short-lived. The Techno-Mage twitched, its metallic limbs clicking as it began to rise. Its damaged body sparked, but it showed no signs of retreat.
She scrambled to her feet, adrenaline dulling the pain in her body. The exit. She needed to find the exit. Her eyes darted around the chamber, searching for an escape route.
There—a jagged opening in the wall, where a chunk of the structure had caved in. Without hesitation, she bolted, her bare feet slipping on the smooth floor.
The creature roared behind her, its heavy steps echoing as it gave chase.
The corridor beyond the chamber was narrow and dimly lit, its walls vibrating with the same green energy that coursed through the conduits. The hum grew louder, resonating in her chest like an unrelenting drumbeat.
Her breathing was ragged, her vision blurred, but she kept moving. The mark on her arm dimmed slightly, its light flickering like a dying ember.
She turned a corner and stumbled into a larger space—a cavernous hall with towering pillars and suspended platforms. The Nexus. She didn't know how she knew, but the word sprang to her mind unbidden.
In the center of the hall, a massive energy core hovered, pulsating with an otherworldly glow. It was beautiful and terrifying, a living heartbeat of power that seemed to resonate with her own.
The Techno-Mage's roar pulled her attention back to the present. It had entered the hall, its blade glinting in the eerie light. Her exhaustion weighed on her like chains, but the urge to survive pushed her forward.
She darted toward one of the platforms, hoping it would lead to safety. As she climbed, her foot slipped on the edge, and she barely caught herself. The creature was gaining on her, its red eyes locked onto her like a predator closing in on prey.
Her breath hitched as the platform began to tremble. The Core's energy surged, and for a moment, the mark on her arm flared brightly. The creature hesitated, as if sensing the shift.
She turned to face it, her back against a pillar. "Stay back," she warned, though her voice trembled with fear.
The Techno-Mage didn't listen. It lunged again, its blade slicing through the air.
This time, she didn't flinch. The energy within her stirred, raw and untamed. She focused on the mark, willing it to respond.
The swirling patterns on her arm ignited in brilliant gold, radiating warmth through her body. Instinct guided her as her outstretched hand mirrored the intensity within. The air crackled, the pillars groaned under unseen pressure, and then—a surge.
A pulse of energy exploded outward, blinding and forceful. It struck the Techno-Mage square in the chest, shattering its metal frame. Fragments of twisted steel and sparking circuits scattered, the creature's mechanical roar dying mid-scream. The remnants clattered to the floor, lifeless.
She stumbled back, her knees buckling as the energy dissipated. The mark on her arm dimmed, its glow retreating into her skin as though it had never been there. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she collapsed onto her knees, gasping for air.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, the adrenaline still coursing through her. The power, the raw force she had just unleashed—it was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. She stared at her trembling hands. They looked ordinary, yet she knew they weren't.
"What… is this?" she whispered, her voice shaky and barely audible.
The chamber was silent now, save for the faint hum of the conduits lining the walls. The glowing patterns pulsed softly, as though acknowledging her.
She pulled herself to her feet, unsteady but determined. Questions swirled in her mind: Who had she been before this? Why did she have this power? And why did this place feel as if it was waiting for her?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal scraping against stone. Her breath hitched as her eyes darted to the far corner of the chamber. Another sound—a distant whirring, faint but growing louder.
Panic surged. She didn't want to find out what was making that noise. Stumbling forward, she pushed through the jagged opening in the wall, leaving the chamber behind.
The corridor was a maze of twisting paths and flickering lights. The conduits that lined the walls seemed to guide her, their faint glow illuminating the way forward.
Her pulse raced as she turned corner after corner, each step taking her further from the chaos she had just escaped. But the fear lingered, gnawing at her resolve. Whatever had happened back there, it wasn't over.
The corridor opened into a vast hall, and she froze. It was unlike anything she had ever seen—if she could even trust her fragmented memory to make such a judgment. Towering pillars rose to a ceiling shrouded in shadow, their surfaces etched with intricate patterns that pulsed faintly, alive with energy.
At the center of the hall, a massive Core hovered, suspended in midair. Its glow was mesmerizing—a kaleidoscope of colors that shifted and swirled, radiating warmth and power. The hum of its energy resonated through the space, vibrating in her chest like a second heartbeat.
She approached cautiously, drawn to it despite her wariness. The mark on her arm tingled, the faint glow returning as she neared the Core. It was as if the two were connected, their energies intertwined.
Before she could step closer, the sound of footsteps echoed behind her. She spun around, her heart leaping into her throat.
A figure emerged from the shadows—a man clad in dark, angular armor. His presence was commanding, his expression unreadable. He stopped a few paces away, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her stomach churn.
"You," he said, his voice low and sharp. "You shouldn't be here."
Her instincts screamed at her to run, but her legs refused to move. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I don't know where 'here' even is," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
The man's eyes flicked to the mark on her arm, and something flickered across his face—recognition, perhaps, or suspicion.
"That mark," he said, stepping closer. "You don't know what it means, do you?"
She took a step back, her shoulders tensing. "No," she admitted. "But I'm starting to think you do."
His lips curved into a smirk, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Perhaps. But answers come with a price."
Before she could respond, the ground beneath them trembled. The Core flared brightly, its light casting long shadows across the hall. The man's smirk vanished, replaced by a sharp glare.
"Looks like you've attracted some attention," he muttered. "We need to leave. Now."
She hesitated, unsure whether to trust him. But the rumbling grew louder, and the faint sound of metallic claws scraping against stone echoed through the hall.
"Move!" he barked, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward an exit on the far side of the room.
For a moment, she resisted, but the sound of approaching danger spurred her into action. Together, they sprinted through the maze of corridors, the mark on her arm glowing faintly in time with the Core's distant pulses.