Fog. It filled the streets like an old blanket, making it impossible to see what was hiding behind it. Every step sounded like the echoes of a long-ago nightmare. Only a weak wind stirred the rubble of buildings and traces of bygone days. In this city, time did not flow — it froze.
He opened his eyes, but the moment lasted forever. My head was spinning. He didn't know who he was, where he was, or what was going on here. Just the feeling that he should have been somewhere else, in another time. In another body.
How did I get here? — the only thought that came to his mind.
A hand covered in mud and blood reached for something solid. Just a stone under my palm, cold and alien. He squeezed it, instinctively, and the stone crumbled to dust. He pulled his hand away, not understanding what had just happened.
"Are you okay?"
The voice was harsh but caring. He turned and saw the girl. She stood next to him, watching him with caution, but not with hostility.
Her face was an expression of determination and exhaustion. It looks like she's been through more than one day in this hell. Leah. Her name popped into my mind like a fragment of someone else's memory. She was... familiar. But he couldn't remember why.
"I... who am I?" He sounded almost confused.
She took a step closer, but not too close, as if she knew there was a barrier between them that wasn't worth breaking yet.
"You... don't remember?" Her eyes darkened for a moment. — You're one of those who was in the experiment. You... Faceless. You're one of those who survived the Fall.
Fall. These words fell like heavy stones on his chest. He tried to remember what it meant, but his mind was blank. It's like being in a dead void.
He raised his hand and noticed how it glowed purple. The air smelled of ozone, and his fingers began to squeeze the stone, which instantly disintegrated like dust.
- what is it? He said it more to himself than to her.
Leah quickly assessed the situation, clenching her fist.
"Your powers. You're not the only one. But they want to use you. We're all..." she trailed off. "You don't understand who you are." But you're here, and it's not an accident.
He tried to think, tried to understand. But my thoughts spread like a fog. There's a chilling emptiness in my chest.
No, I shouldn't believe her.
"You're not alone. I'll help you. Leah stepped forward again, her voice softer. But Kai felt that it actually sounded like a threat.
Suddenly— a sound interrupted their conversation. Silhouettes began to emerge from the destroyed buildings hidden in the fog. Shadows moving fast and with superhuman speed.
Monsters. Huge creatures, with burning eyes, covered with scales and slime. Their roars echoed in the emptiness of the city. Everything froze, as if before a storm.
Leah only managed to take a step back, as Kai, without thinking, raised his hand. Purple light flashed in his palm, creating an invisible but powerful barrier. The crash of blows against the barrier made his knees buckle, but he stood. The monsters couldn't get through.
"What are you...?" Leah could barely contain her surprise.
But he wasn't with himself. Something woke up inside him. It's alien. It's crazy. It wasn't him. It was something else.
With each passing moment, the forces increased. He couldn't stop them. But he could direct them.
The barrier began to disappear like smoke. The creatures surged forward. Kai instinctively shouted, "Get off!"
There was power in his voice. Powers he didn't understand. A whirlwind of light, darkness, and destruction burst out. The sounds of the monsters faded away.
"You... saved us?" Leah took a step forward, but her voice sounded uncertain. There is fear and respect in her eyes. He was what they were looking for. Or those who will destroy them.
Kai stood looking at the remains of the monsters that had disappeared into the shadows. He felt like he couldn't control what happened.
"You don't know what you've done to yourself..."
He was silent. He was as empty as a fog.
But there was a force inside him that could change everything.