Chapter 2: The Shattering
The shaking didn't stop.
Kael braced himself against the trembling floor, his palms pressed against the cool metal of the observation deck. His heart pounded, matching the rhythm of the seismic pulses that were reverberating through the tower. Maris was already ahead of him, scrambling toward one of the consoles, her fingers flying across the interface. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear.
"Maris!" Kael called, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to meet his gaze. "What's happening?"
"We're losing stability in the dome," she replied, voice tight. "It's not just a rupture anymore—this is a full-blown breach. I think… I think they're tearing it apart from the inside."
Kael's stomach twisted. For as long as he could remember, the dome had been a symbol of humanity's strength—a shield, unbreakable, impervious. The idea that something could crack it wide open was unimaginable.
"Can we fix it?" he asked, though he knew the answer wasn't simple. The dome was controlled by the Zenith Array, a series of high-tech satellites orbiting the planet that worked in tandem with the city's core systems. But nothing in the archives had ever suggested a breach could occur this suddenly.
Maris didn't respond immediately, her focus narrowing as she input commands into the console. The screen flickered and changed, the data scrolling faster than Kael could follow.
"Not unless we can get the Array back online," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Array's linked to the central hub on the Zenith Tower, but the link's down. We can't send a pulse to stabilize it."
"Then we go to Zenith Tower," Kael said, without hesitation. He turned toward the door. "We get there, we fix it, and we stop this."
Maris hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded. She didn't argue, which was something Kael appreciated in that moment. She followed him toward the exit, her breath quickening as the tremors continued.
But just as they reached the door, a loud crack echoed through the building. Kael's heart skipped a beat, and before he could react, the entire structure lurched violently to one side. The world tilted, and Kael barely managed to keep his feet, stumbling against the wall for support.
"Kael, the elevator systems are offline!" Maris shouted over the growing noise. "We'll have to take the emergency stairs—twenty-seven floors down!"
"Lead the way," Kael said, and without another word, Maris dashed for the stairwell. He followed closely behind, his mind racing.
---
The Descent
The stairwell was narrow and unlit, the faint hum of the building's power grids the only sound filling the air. Kael's boots clattered against the steel steps as he and Maris made their way down. The air grew heavier with each floor they passed, thick with the scent of metal and static energy.
"We're not going to make it, are we?" Maris asked, her voice low and strained.
Kael didn't answer at first. He couldn't. It wasn't that he doubted their chances—it was just that, deep down, something in his gut told him this was bigger than just a simple malfunction. This was an event centuries in the making, an awakening that couldn't be stopped by a few emergency protocols.
"I'll get us there," he said at last, his voice firmer than he felt. "I have to."
They reached the twenty-seventh floor, the level that housed the central nerve center of the Zenith Tower. The stairwell opened into a large room, walls lined with glowing panels and holographic screens. A few emergency lights flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the floor.
"Kael, look!" Maris pointed to the main screen, her eyes wide with alarm.
The central hub of the Zenith Array should have been transmitting steady data streams, filtering the information from the orbital satellites. But now, the screen displayed an ominous, black void.
It wasn't a glitch—it was a direct feed from the breach. Kael stared at the massive, swirling void that occupied the center of the screen. It had expanded since they last saw it, its tendrils stretching across the horizon of space, reaching into the sky itself. The glowing forms within were clearer now—no longer shadows, but actual figures.
"We're looking at something... alive," Kael muttered, his breath catching. "What the hell are they?"
"I don't know," Maris answered, her hands trembling as she ran diagnostics. "But I'm getting an incoming signal. It's—"
Before she could finish, the room was filled with an eerie, resonating hum. A flash of crimson light poured through the windows, and the floor beneath them trembled once again. Kael grabbed onto a nearby console to steady himself.
"Kael, it's them," Maris said, her voice shaking. "They're sending a transmission."
The words were barely out of her mouth before the voice came—a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through their bones. Kael's pulse quickened as the words echoed in his mind.
"We have come. You are unprepared ."
It wasn't just a voice. It was a presence, a power that seemed to fill the entire room, crawling into Kael's thoughts and twisting them. The very air around him felt oppressive, as if the space was shrinking, the walls closing in.
"Kael," Maris whispered, her face pale. "I—I don't think we're the only ones here anymore."
Kael didn't have time to respond. The ground shook once more, harder this time. A loud crash came from above them, and then the room's lights went out entirely, plunging them into darkness.
"Stay close," Kael said, his voice low and steady despite the fear gnawing at him. He reached out, finding Maris's arm in the dark, pulling her toward him.
From above, the sound of boots—too many to be human—echoed through the now-quiet building.
"I think the Ascendant Guard is already here," Kael said. But as he spoke, the growing noise of footsteps seemed to swell, and with it, a sharp, unnatural chill filled the air.
Something was coming.
---
Battle
The hum of the breach grew louder as the seconds ticked by. It was a low, vibrating energy, shaking the walls of the Zenith Tower. Kael's fingers tightened into fists, his heart racing as the footsteps grew closer.
"This isn't good," Maris muttered, stepping back into the corner. "What's coming through, Kael? What's out there?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. His instincts told him to act fast, but the fear gnawing at him threatened to paralyze him. He wasn't ready for this. He'd trained for battles, for confrontations—he'd never been in the middle of a war with something so… beyond comprehension.
Then, the door burst open.
A squad of armored soldiers entered the room, their energy rifles raised, their faces covered by sleek helmets. They were the Ascendant Guard, Luminalis's elite force, the best of the best. But as they moved through the darkened room, Kael noticed something strange. Their movements were jerky, unnatural.
One of them paused, its helmet snapping toward Kael. The faceplate seemed to shimmer, rippling in the low light, almost as if it were alive.
"No…" Kael whispered, his breath catching in his throat.
The soldier's eyes glowed faintly, the same crimson hue as the rift. And as it raised its rifle toward him, Kael realized with a sudden, terrible clarity—these weren't his allies.
The Ascendant Guard had been corrupted.
And they were coming for him.