The journey seemed longer than it should have been. Every step through the glowing terrain made Ethan feel lose track of time. The air was warming up, the sky shimmered with bright colors of light, and every sound was amplified in this surreal environment. His heart was still racing this time, but it was mixed this time with curiosity of what was to come. The mysteries of the veil, gates, and this so-called *Singularity*. Amara rarely spoke a word of herself during most of the trip. Her sharp glance continuously swept across the horizon; alert, always watching, always searching. And it was this calm nature which was both reassuring and unsettling at the same time. She was promised, but Ethan felt that something was off, even she was not sure what they were searching for.
The ground underfoot shifted from glowing moss to jagged crystalline rock with keen edges reflecting the shimmering light cast from above. Breathtaking yet ominous in a strange way, vibrating like there was energy alive itself in the air resonating with frequencies unseen. Every step seemed delicate, as if the ground would lurch open and swallow its occupants whole.
"Where are we going?" Ethan asked for the third time, his voice stabbing into the silence.
Amara turned to glance over her shoulder, the glow of the golden sky on her face. Her face seemed deep in thought. "We must find where the veil starts. The veil isn't just a barrier. It hides secrets, ancient things. It isn't just crossing from one side to another; it's about discovering why it exists and how it was made."
Ethan furrowed his brows. "How do we find that?"
Her lips pressed together. "Patience and observation. The veil isn't always visible, but its echoes are scattered through this place. The Singularity isn't just a physical place. It has layers, remnants of ancient tech, ancient cultures, and time itself."
He did not know if that eased him or frustrated his discomfort. Each step forward felt like he was stepping into uncertainty. His mind started to wander with thoughts of life back on Earth. His mind had been made the moment before he was pulled through the veil on survival, routine, choices as a man and a soldier, and now it all seemed to have been taken away.
The Singularity was a completely new battle arena.
They arrived at a clearing—at least, it looked like it. Here the mist coiled in slow patterns, giving the space a dreamlike quality. The ground was flat here, specked with strange symbols etched into the earth itself. Ethan could feel something as he stepped into this place—a hum, a vibration, almost as if the ground itself was alive. His fingers twitched, and he crouched to examine one of the strange marks.
"What are these?" he asked, his voice not much louder than the air around him.
Amara slid in beside him, her fingers drawing forward to touch the symbols, trailing fingertips over them as if knowing exactly what they were or maybe how they might connect. "Ancient glyphs," she breathed. "They could be language, keys, or remnants of technology. They resonate with the veil's energy. They have been here for centuries."
He looked at them closely, his fingers stretching out to hover above the runes. They were beautiful, intricate, with edges glowing dimly in the golden light. His heart beat harder. "How do you know all this?" he demanded, his voice sharp with curiosity.
She didn't answer right away. Her hand lingered on the glowing symbols. Finally, she looked back at him, her gaze steady. "Experience," she said simply.
Ethan wanted to know more, but there was something in her tone that he knew it wasn't time or the place. He stood up again, looking at the clearing once more. His eyes drifted back to the horizon. There was movement out there, shadows in the mist, strange shapes that came and went. His heart contracted.
"What's that?
Amara's hand had instinctively dropped to her gun. Taut, she stared now with a narrowed gaze. She whispered, voice low and slow. "Stay sharp."
They stood there for a few long moments, the air around them growing heavier with an unspoken tension. The forms in the mist began to stir again, this time approaching. Ethan's fingers held tighter onto his gun. His body was straining, muscles screaming through the tension of preparation for something-but he didn't know for what.
Then came forms, human and monstrous, on mist as if they skimmed on the air. In and out of focus they moved, then again in sharp outline, with lines indistinguishable. Ethan could not distinguish them as human beings, but he was aware by their existence of his own terror. They gazed at him. He felt that they looked at him.
"Wait," Amara said, her voice tight, her hand still on her weapon. She lowered it only slightly as the figures came closer. "Let's see if they're hostile."
Ethan could feel his breath in his chest, his hands shaking. His thoughts were spiraling. He didn't know whether running would help or if attacking was wise. His instincts screamed at him to act, but Amara's calm was like a stabilizer.
The figures drew closer, their forms clearing. Their bodies lit up faintly, while their faces were masked in liquid, shimmering material or altogether composed of soft, flowing golden energy. Not mechanical nor natural. Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears as the figures stopped moving, their glowing eyes or what seemed to be eyes-fixing on him and Amara.
"Are they… are they alive?"
Amara shook her head. "Not in the classical sense, no. These entities are relics. Watchers of the veil, relics of old AI or strong energy constructs. Maybe they don't even see us. Maybe they just respond to our intent."
The words hung in the air. Ethan couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. Guardians. Tech remnants. He didn't know if they would fight, retreat, or just watch. His body felt like it was on the edge of panic, but he forced himself to steady his breath.
"Stay calm," Amara said again, her voice as steady as her hand.
They watched each other standing there. Ethan could feel the energy emitted off around the figures; his thoughts were racing, filled with guesses and suppositions. He tried to spot the patterns in their movements to find clues on why such creatures came here. Maybe they had just come here because they trespassed. But if the remnants were these kinds of creatures, how would that affect the veil? What did they bring back along with them for coming here?
And then they went.