He pressed himself against the wall, trying to steady his breathing. The ground beneath him groaned, a sharp reminder of the fragile state of the entire building. He couldn’t afford to stop now—not when so much was at stake.Pushing forward, Enzo reached a junction where the stairs split into multiple paths. Consulting his mental map of the city’s layout, he chose the left corridor, knowing it led directly to the control room.As he advanced, the air grew colder, and the flickering lights overhead cast dark shadows.Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his side. Enzo stumbled, clutching his rib as he gasped for breath. He had hit a loose beam that swung down unexpectedly, narrowly missing his head but cutting through his torso.Blood trickled from a small cut, staining his shirt. Ignoring the pain, he pressed on, his strong will fueling his determination.The corridor opened into a vast, open space—the control room. The room was a chaotic mess of shattered consoles, broken screens, and
As Jennifer struggled to reach Enzo, the tension was visible. When she finally succeeded in connecting with me, her voice brimmed with a mix of joy and nervous energy. “We’re finally connected to the system!” she exclaimed, her excitement spilling through the static of our communication line.A grin spread across my face, and I turned to Kai, who immediately understood what had happened without needing an explanation. My expression said it all.“Enzo?” I called out, trying to connect with him directly. The line was dead silent. My smile vanished as quickly as it had spread, and an uneasy weight settled in my chest. My pulse quickened, each beat echoing in my ears as I glanced nervously at Kai. “He’ll be alright,” he reassured me, his voice steady but strained. Before either of us could take action, a deep, echoing hum filled the air, overpowering even the sound of our racing hearts. The noise was overwhelming, drawing our attention toward the city gates. With the restored power, the
As I fix my gaze on the ceiling of my prison cell, I notice the ceiling covered with dust and cobwebs. Tears stream down my face, wetting my hair, as I reflect on the torment that has plagued my existence. It has been an endless agony, a series of traumatic experiences. In the depths of my mind, I silently question, “Why, mother?” Even with blood trickling from my forehead, I am numb to any physical pain, or perhaps the pain is overshadowed by the weight of my emotional anguish. I feel sorry for my ignorance, as since we learned to walk, they fed us nothing but lies. ... Time to time, scientists have stumbled upon evidence suggesting that our world is not the only one in the galaxy. Some even propose the existence of hundreds of other worlds in different galaxies. However, uncertainty still hangs in the air. These theories speculate about the possibility of extraterrestrial life or other extraordinary beings that are as alive as we are, yet fundamentally different. The idea of
You get what I’m saying, right? Let me break it down for you. Type B, they’re like these mysterious beings, like ghosts that you can’t see or catch. We’ve all heard stories about them, and we even call them the unseen. The only time you can actually see them is when they choose to reveal themselves, but anyone who lays eyes on them meets a terrible fate. Type C has been training Type A and Type C tirelessly to fight against these unseen creatures, hoping to find a way to defeat them. There are only two known ways to kill them. First, you have to be super fast, because they move faster than light. I’m not entirely sure about this, though. The second way is when they decide to show themselves, but even then, it seems impossible to take them down. And just to be clear, when I talk about “Training Type A and Type C,” I definitely don’t mean women. Despite having advanced technology, their way of thinking is far from progressive. Only a few women, like maybe two or three, hold position
I never really paid attention to what my mom said, not because I hated her or anything, but because I knew there was no way anyone could see me practicing on the rooftop. Our living space was like a long, narrow hostel or maybe even a prison. Behind us, a huge chunk of land floated high up in the sky, making it impossible for someone me or any other human being to reach it. Right in front of our home was the backside of this massive building, a Type C structure with shiny, thick bricks stacked up high. I had no idea what they were made of. On one side, there was a deep, dark void that seemed to stretch on forever, and on the other side, there were these tiny houses that looked tiny compared to the grandeur of my own building. That's why we called our place the Quadragenatorium, or QGT for short. So, you see, I had no reason to listen to my mom's warnings. As soon as she left, I took a look around my messy room and thought about how strange it was that women were only allowed to dec
However, this was not the reason he called out to me. He had probably forgotten my face by now. The reason he called out was because he saw me slip on the railing. Unfortunately, he lost sight of me when a girl passed a towel to another girl, and he couldn't find me anymore. Taking advantage of the situation, I managed to sneak past the crowd and quickly made my way to the bathroom before anyone else. "I can't even begin to explain how much I missed this!" I exclaimed as I stood under the hot shower, enjoying the soothing sensation of the water cascading down my skin. But my moment of relaxation was abruptly interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Startled, I hurriedly rinsed off the remaining soap foam and hastily left the bathroom. Initially, we were required to come out in our towels for measurements, which were used to track our growth. Based on these measurements, we were then given multivitamins and specific foods to aid in our growth. After the measurements were done, I was
In the stillness of the night, I find solace and freedom. With each daring move, my creativity and courage shine through. The sword becomes an extension of my being, a vessel for my strength and power. As I gracefully land from a complex maneuver, I whisper to myself, "I am prepared. Prepared to face any obstacle, ready to confront anyone who stands in my way!" On this rooftop, under the setting sun, I embody strength and resilience. My spirit burns brightly, a guiding light in the darkness, as I prepare myself for the battles that await. After my training, I take a moment to close my eyes and breathe deeply, savoring the freedom that only the open sky can offer. The gentle breeze dances with my hair, reminding me of the last remnants of nature in this world. Lost in the tranquility, something brushes against my arm, causing me to gasp and turn around. A soft and gentle voice, belonging to a man, whispers in my ear, "Did I startle you?" Startled, I take a step back, scanning my su
"Please, go on," I encouraged. "Sadly, Sprite Harbor was a place where daughters were treated as mere commodities, but not by the residents themselves. It was a strange situation where families mostly had daughters, while sons were a rarity. Once these daughters turned 10, they would be taken away and never seen again. Then, one fateful day, an officer and his army invaded our land. They came with their tractors, destroying our crops, and were heavily armed," he narrated. "When my great great grandfather heard the chaos, he hurried outside. At first, nobody knew their intentions, but it soon became clear that they had discovered that my great-great-grandfather was hiding a daughter in the village. During the argument, they noticed someone peeking from behind a curtain and immediately sent their army to capture whoever was peeking. It was a little kid, they forcefully took the 3-year-old kid named Elijah and held a gun to his head, demanding to see the girl." "Eventually, the girl
As Jennifer struggled to reach Enzo, the tension was visible. When she finally succeeded in connecting with me, her voice brimmed with a mix of joy and nervous energy. “We’re finally connected to the system!” she exclaimed, her excitement spilling through the static of our communication line.A grin spread across my face, and I turned to Kai, who immediately understood what had happened without needing an explanation. My expression said it all.“Enzo?” I called out, trying to connect with him directly. The line was dead silent. My smile vanished as quickly as it had spread, and an uneasy weight settled in my chest. My pulse quickened, each beat echoing in my ears as I glanced nervously at Kai. “He’ll be alright,” he reassured me, his voice steady but strained. Before either of us could take action, a deep, echoing hum filled the air, overpowering even the sound of our racing hearts. The noise was overwhelming, drawing our attention toward the city gates. With the restored power, the
He pressed himself against the wall, trying to steady his breathing. The ground beneath him groaned, a sharp reminder of the fragile state of the entire building. He couldn’t afford to stop now—not when so much was at stake.Pushing forward, Enzo reached a junction where the stairs split into multiple paths. Consulting his mental map of the city’s layout, he chose the left corridor, knowing it led directly to the control room.As he advanced, the air grew colder, and the flickering lights overhead cast dark shadows.Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his side. Enzo stumbled, clutching his rib as he gasped for breath. He had hit a loose beam that swung down unexpectedly, narrowly missing his head but cutting through his torso.Blood trickled from a small cut, staining his shirt. Ignoring the pain, he pressed on, his strong will fueling his determination.The corridor opened into a vast, open space—the control room. The room was a chaotic mess of shattered consoles, broken screens, and
“No, we can’t retreat!” I shot back, my mind racing. “If we fall back now, we’ll just be leading them to the survivors! Who knows what these things are capable of if they breach the bunker?”The immortal army was unstoppable, their unsettling faces and wide-open mouths still screaming as they marched forward. The situation was dire, and every second felt like we were inching closer to doom. Then, an idea struck me. “We’ll lead them somewhere else instead! Somewhere they won’t follow the others!” Without waiting for a response, I took off running toward the right, motioning for the others to follow.“There are plenty of ruined buildings to the east,” Kai called after me, sprinting to catch up. “We can find cover there, maybe even set a trap!”"Exactly! We just need to buy the rest of the team some time to regroup and bring the right equipment,” I agreed as we bolted toward the Ferric Burg, a place that had once been a bustling district but was now reduced to crumbling ruins after the a
I yelled for everyone to move. "Run!" I shouted, leading the charge as we turned and sprinted away from the impending disaster. But we were too close. The ground shook violently beneath us, the force of the lab’s landing sending a powerful jolt through the battlefield. The shockwave hit us hard, like a giant hand swatting us aside. We flew, bodies tossed into the air like ragdolls, crashing to the ground in a brutal cascade.I groaned, feeling the sharp sting of pain from the fall. My vision blurred for a moment as I pushed myself up, dirt and debris filling the air around me. Many of us survived the impact, but not everyone was so lucky. As I looked around, the grim reality hit me. The number of those who fell, the martyrs—was far greater than the survivors.I pushed myself up from the debris, my body aching as I limped up to my feet. Dust and rubble filled the air, and the sight before me was nothing short of devastating. Those who hadn’t made it halfway to the bunker were crushed,
The battlefield was chaos. Screams, explosions, and the endless rain of arrows and bullets filled the air. Bodies fell, and for every enemy I took down, two more seemed to replace them.As soon as Kai entered the control room, Veronica—rushing toward Kai. Her face was pale, eyes wide with panic, clearly overwhelmed by the chaos. She knelt beside him, but he waved her off, his voice hoarse but steady. "I'm not important right now! Get the guns in position, switch their directions, now!"He delivered my message without caring for his own condition.He gripped her shoulders firmly, but not harshly, guiding her to sit down on the seat. His eyes were intense, but his voice softened as he leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "I know this is overwhelming, but you’ve got this. You can do this."Veronica’s hands trembled as she began to adjust the machine gun controls, rotating the turrets to face the incoming enemy forces. It wasn't the first time she was facing a situation of war, but see
"This thing has a heartbeat!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with unease, her eyes fixed on the screen.I felt my stomach knot, the tension rising with every second. "What if it’s a human? Someone innocent?" My voice cracked, panic creeping into my words."No!" she snapped, her gaze darting between readings. "The heartbeat is… off. Abnormal. It's clocking in at 250 beats per minute. No human, even with a severe condition, could sustain that while moving this fast. This... this is something beyond what we’re ready for." Her fingers hovered over the screen, absorbing more data.Then she froze, her eyes widening. "It’s six feet tall, and only an inch from the barrier!" Her voice wavered. "It... it looks like a plane."I leaned closer, trying to make sense of the silhouette on the display. "A plane? But at that size? Who the hell would build a plane so small?" The shape on the screen did resemble an aircraft, but it was no larger than a child’s toy. Something was very, very wrong.Pan
“No, Zaria! It all happened right before our eyes,” Kai said, his voice thick with disbelief. The weight of the moment pulled us together in a tight group hug, but the shock left me frozen. How could this be real? Why would anyone kill Bella? She wouldn’t hurt a soul."No..." I whispered, the denial clawing at my throat. "This can't be happening!" My voice broke into a yell. "How could they kill her? How could—" But my words faded, leaving me breathless, my mind spinning as if the very air had been stolen from me.I pulled away from them, my body trembling. “Prepare! Prepare for battle. We’re going to make him pay!” I demanded, wiping my tear-streaked face with the back of my hand. My rage boosting my strength with every second. I nodded, more to myself than anyone else, as the reality of the situation sank in.“Zaria!” Ella’s voice was soft, her steps cautious as she approached, concern evident on her face. But I reached out first, gripping her shoulders, forcing her to look into my
I dropped everything I was doing and bolted after her, my heart racing. Something had to be wrong. Jennifer was tough, not the type to panic easily. I followed her down the winding path to the bunker, the cool, damp air filling my lungs. As we reached the entrance, a crowd of people had gathered, making a path for me to pass through.“Zaria!” A familiar voice rang out. My dad. He stood there, cleaned up and looking far better than the last time I’d seen him, though his face was still covered with worry. “Thank goodness you’re alright,” he said, pulling me into a quick embrace before stepping aside to let Jennifer lead me deeper inside.“This way,” Jennifer urged, her voice low as she guided me toward a dimly lit corner of the bunker. She stopped in front of a large, rusted wheel embedded in the circular wall—a giant mechanism that looked like it belonged to an old bank vault.“I don’t think Veronica knows anything about this,” Jennifer whispered, her gaze fixed on the wheel. “But it’s
“You’ve deceived everyone, even your own kind,” Jackallion spat, dodging the attack from Libianca. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind lies and manipulation.”Libianca’s eyes blazed with rage. “You think you can judge me? I’ve done what I must to survive!”Amelia, taking advantage of Libianca’s distraction, aimed her crossbow and fired. The bolt struck Libianca’s shoulder, forcing a howl of pain.She moaned, giving Jackallion the opening he needed. He jumped forward, driving his blade deep into her chest.Libianca gasped, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. “No… this can’t be…”“It’s over,” Jackallion said coldly, twisting the blade. “You’re finished.”Libianca crumpled to the ground, her body twitching as the last of her life drained away.Jackallion stepped back, breathing heavily. Amelia lowered her crossbow, her face displayed a grim satisfaction.Jackallion stood over Libianca's lifeless body, breathing heavily. The remaining creepers gathered around, their eyes wide w