2025-02-20 06:41:42Titan’s Core Chamber
Kiera’s breath came shallow and fast. The weight in her chest had doubled, pressing against her ribs like something was trying to crawl out from inside her.
The vision. The Core’s voice.
The warning.
She wasn’t just changing.
She was becoming something else.
Jace pulled her to her feet. His grip was firm, but his eyes were sharp with concern. “We’re leaving. Now.”
Kiera tried to focus, but her mind was spinning. The whispers hadn’t stopped. They had only grown louder.
“Not yet.”
Jace frowned. “What?”
Kiera blinked. Had she said that?
The words had come from her mouth, but she hadn’t meant to say them.
Jace’s grip tightened. “Kiera, snap out of it.”
She forced herself to nod. Move. Just move.
They turned toward the exit.
Then—
The ship’s emergency alert blared in their earpieces.
Jace froze. “What the hell?”
Kiera’s HUD flickered to life with a warning.
INCOMING VESSELS DETECTED.
UNIDENTIFIED HOSTILES APPROACHING.
Her stomach twisted.
They weren’t alone.
They sprinted through the frozen corridors, boots slamming against the metal flooring. Kiera’s pulse pounded with every step.
Jace tapped his communicator. “Horizon’s Edge, respond!”
Silence.
Then—static.
Followed by a distorted voice.
“…No escape… no escape… no escape…”
Jace cursed. “Damn it. The signal’s jammed.”
Outside, the sky lit up.
Flashes of red and orange sliced through Titan’s atmosphere as massive ships descended from orbit. The thick methane clouds warped around them, crackling with energy.
Kiera’s heart skipped a beat.
The ships weren’t human.
They were waiting for us.
Jace grabbed her arm. “We need cover—now!”
They ran.
Behind them, something hit the ground hard. A deep, bone-shaking thud as the first enemy ship landed.
Then came the sound.
Not words. Not a mechanical hum.
A deep, guttural chittering.
Kiera froze.
Jace turned, raising his weapon. “What the hell is that?”
A shadow moved through the mist.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Shapes crawling out of the wreckage, their forms flickering in and out of sight.
Then—
They stepped into the light.
And Kiera felt something inside her break.
They weren’t human.
Not entirely.
Tall, gaunt figures with elongated limbs. Their skin was black as obsidian, but it wasn’t solid—it shifted, like liquid metal flowing over bone. Their heads were smooth, featureless except for their mouths—jagged, splitting too far open, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.
And their eyes… Silver.
Just like hers.
Kiera stumbled back. “No. No, no, no—”
Jace fired first. The rifle’s pulse rounds tore through the closest figure—but instead of falling, it re-formed instantly, twisting its body like liquid, its head snapping toward them.
Then it charged.
“MOVE!” Jace roared.
Kiera barely had time to react before the first creature was on them. It moved too fast, a blur of twisting limbs and shifting mass.
Jace fired again, but it was useless.
The creature’s arm morphed into a blade and swung for Kiera’s throat.
Time slowed.
Her veins burned.
And before she could think—before she could stop herself—
She caught the blade with her bare hand.
Metal screeched against flesh.
For one terrible second, everything stopped.
Jace stared in horror.
Kiera was holding back the attack. With her bare hand.
The creature’s blade dug into her palm—but she felt nothing. No pain. No wound.
And the worst part?
The creature stared at her… and smiled.
Like it recognized her.
Kiera threw it back with unnatural strength.
The moment it hit the ground, the others screeched in unison.
And then—all hell broke loose.
The Hunt Begins
Jace grabbed Kiera’s arm, dragging her toward the ship. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”
Kiera’s hands shook violently. Her skin still burned from the contact.
She didn’t answer. Because she didn’t know.
They reached the ship just as the sky exploded with gunfire.
The creatures were everywhere now. Climbing the walls, slithering through the ruins, moving in unnatural jerks like puppets being controlled.
Kiera barely made it up the ramp before Jace hit the lockdown.
The airlock sealed shut.
For a brief moment—silence.
Jace turned on her, his face pale. “Kiera. What the hell just happened?”
She couldn’t meet his eyes.
Because she didn’t have an answer.
All she knew was this:
The creatures had silver eyes.
The same color as hers.
And when she had touched it—
It didn’t try to kill her.
It recognized her.
Like it was one of her own.
Kiera’s breath came shaky. “Jace… I think I know why we were called here.”
Jace’s expression hardened. “Why?”
Kiera swallowed.
Then, softly—
“I think Titan isn’t just a graveyard. I think it’s where they were born.”
Jace’s face darkened. “And you?”
Kiera’s stomach turned.
She didn’t want to say it.
Because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
But the truth was creeping into her mind, whispering through her veins.
And she couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Kiera exhaled.
“I think I was born here, too.”
Outside, the creatures screeched again.
And this time, Kiera swore she understood them.
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