A jolt of cold dragged Kael back from the abyss. The stone beneath him was damp, uneven, and sharp against his skin. He opened his eyes slowly, light cutting through the haze of his mind like shards of glass. Neon glows from distant signs reflected off rain-soaked walls, casting the narrow alley in eerie, pulsating colors.
His breath hitched as he sat up, every muscle screaming in protest. His hand instinctively found his chest, where a strange hum thrummed beneath his ribs—steady, unrelenting, alien.
"Initializing… ERROR. Subject: Glitch Detected," a mechanical voice whispered, clear yet distant, like a phantom in his head.
Kael froze. The words struck with the weight of a gavel, final and damning. In his peripheral vision, the System's overlay materialized: sleek crimson text scrolling across a translucent display only he could see.
Subject Status: Unauthorized
Protocol: Purge Activated.
"What...?" His voice cracked, unfamiliar even to his own ears. The word "unauthorized" clung to his thoughts, heavy and insistent.
Fragments of memory surfaced—shattered images of fire, blood, and faces he couldn't name—but they dissolved before he could grasp them. All that remained was the undeniable certainty that he was no ordinary man.
Then came the sound.
Metallic footsteps. Precise. Deliberate. Echoing through the alley like the countdown of a clock.
---
Kael stumbled to his feet, fighting the pull of dizziness. He scanned his surroundings—narrow walls, slick stone, no exits save for the opening ahead. Shadows moved, spilling across the alley as three figures emerged, stepping into the pale glow of the streetlights.
Their forms were unmistakable.
Purifiers...
They advanced in sync, each clad in dark, angular armor that hummed faintly with energy. Crimson visors obscured their faces, glowing like molten glass. They carried weapons sleekly integrated into their armor—plasma rifles that thrummed ominously, charging with barely contained energy.
"Target confirmed," one intoned, its voice devoid of humanity.
Kael's body reacted on instinct. He ducked as the first Purifier fired, a white-hot bolt searing through the air and slamming into the wall behind him. Stone and sparks showered his shoulder, but he moved faster than his thoughts.
Another bolt scorched the space he'd occupied a heartbeat earlier as he lunged forward. His fists connected with the chestplate of the nearest Purifier, the impact ringing out like a hammer against steel. To his astonishment, the figure staggered back, armor dented.
How the hell...?
Kael barely had time to register the unnatural strength behind his strike before the second Purifier lunged at him, its blade igniting in a brilliant arc of blue light.
---
The energy blade sliced downward, missing his neck by inches as Kael twisted, adrenaline sharpening his every movement. His hand shot out, fingers finding a discarded steel pipe slick with rain. He swung, the improvised weapon colliding with the Purifier's helmet. The visor fractured, glowing shards cascading to the ground as the figure crumpled.
The third Purifier didn't hesitate. Its rifle leveled at Kael's chest, and the bolt fired with a deafening crack.
Pain erupted, white-hot and blinding, as the plasma struck him square in the chest. Kael stumbled, gasping as the force of the impact sent him reeling against the wall.
But he didn't fall.
The energy rippled through his body, crackling, before dissipating harmlessly. His vision swam, but the hum in his chest intensified, pulsing in rhythm with the bolt that should have killed him.
The Purifier hesitated, visor flickering.
"System anomaly detected. Recalculating—"
Kael didn't give it the chance to finish. With a growl that tore through his throat like gravel, he surged forward. The pipe struck the Purifier's arm, sending the rifle clattering to the ground. A second swing caught the side of its helmet, the blow resonating with finality as the figure collapsed.
Kael stood over their motionless bodies, his chest heaving, muscles trembling. The pipe slipped from his fingers, clanging against the ground.
"What the hell is happening to me?" he whispered, his voice ragged and disbelieving.
---
A faint mechanical hum pulled him from his thoughts.
Kael's head snapped up, eyes locking onto a small, hovering drone at the alley's entrance. Its lens focused on him, a brilliant red light blinking rapidly in warning.
His stomach dropped.
"System Alert: Purge reinforcements en route," the disembodied voice intoned.
Kael spun, forcing his body into motion despite the lingering ache. The city opened up ahead—a labyrinth of towering, oppressive structures lined with glowing circuitry and endless holographic billboards. Rain fell in relentless sheets, distorting the System's propaganda displayed in bold, garish colors.
He bolted across the slick pavement, weaving between alleys and shadowed corners, his mind racing to keep up with his feet.
The hum of reinforcements grew louder, a mechanical chorus promising death. Kael's grip tightened on his ribs, where the mysterious energy continued to pulse.
He didn't know what he was, or why the System wanted him erased. But one thing was clear: if he stopped moving, he wouldn't live long enough to find out.