"Run!" Maya's command echoed through the air. Aryan's body, still aching from fatigue and recent wounds, reacted even before her words fully registered. He planted his feet, ignoring the cracking sounds beneath the alien crystal ground, and sprinted after Maya, who had already slipped into a narrow, winding path through the ruins.
The landscape of Vertex Prime now looked even more terrifying. Above them, swirling purple and orange clouds spun rapidly, as if an invisible storm was building. The air, which had once held a sweet and sharp scent, was now filled with a harsh, metallic tang that burned the nose. In the distance, the furious roar of Stone Roc was drowned out by a deeper, more ominous sound—like the vibrating thrum of massive metallic wings.
"Who is that?" Aryan panted, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder as he turned to look back. But Maya shoved him forward with force.
"Darkus!" she answered, her voice loud and laced with tension. Her silver hair streamed in the wind, her violet eyes scanning the dangers ahead. "I warned you! He can smell your Code's energy—especially when you're untrained, like now! Run! Head for those tall crystals!"
She pointed to a towering cluster of jagged crystal spires in the distance, resembling a giant shattered tower on the horizon. The path to it was open, though littered with scattered crystal shards and deep fissures. The wind had picked up, blowing dust and sharp crystal fragments that stung like tiny needles against their skin.
Above them, the roar intensified. Aryan looked up. Darkus and his mount were now clearly visible. The alien creature was a massive, fearsome bird-like being, its body cloaked in coal-black feathers that shimmered like metal. Its hooked beak-like head gleamed, and its eyes were pure, merciless white. On its back sat a tall, lean figure in a sleek, black bodysuit laced with glowing red lines, like veins of blood. His face was hidden behind a terrifying bone-white mask, featureless except for two narrow, dark slits where eyes should be. In his hand, he held a long, black staff topped with a spinning red energy crystal.
"Code Carriers!" a voice rang out—mechanical and distorted, yet filled with cruel glee. "Your energy… it's fresh. Untouched. It will be mine!"
Darkus raised his staff. The red crystal flared to life. Beneath him, the metallic-winged beast shrieked. From its wings, a dozen crow-sized, metal-feathered aliens detached—their bodies dark as obsidian, their eyes glowing red. They dived straight toward Aryan and Maya.
"Screechers!" Maya shouted. "Don't look back! Just run! They have limited stamina!"
She activated her energy viper again. It lit up with a sharp white glow. She swept it in a wide, defensive arc, creating a halo of energy in the air. The first few Screechers that slammed into it burst into sparks, their forms breaking apart and scattering.
But more came, faster and angrier. One dived at Maya in a slashing attack. She ducked, her viper a blur as she lashed it out in a sharp counter. Another came at Aryan. He screamed and dropped to the ground, its metal beak slicing the air just above his head. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and the blue mark on his palm was burning—not with fear, but with rising anger, with the helplessness he felt.
"Feel it!" Maya's voice echoed as she cut down another Screecher. "Like you did before! Feel the power inside! Control it—or it'll destroy you!"
Aryan scrambled to his feet. A Screecher charged directly at his chest. Fear gripped him, but the warmth from the mark returned. That vibration—again. Survive. Fight! He threw his hand up, aiming at the creature, pouring all his willpower into that pulse—the heat, the fury, the desperate desire to live.
Fwoosh!
No grand explosion happened like before. But a shimmer appeared in the air between his hand and the incoming Screecher—like the atmosphere had suddenly thickened, forming an invisible wall. The creature hit it at full speed.
BOOM!
It flipped back midair and crashed to the ground, twitching. Aryan gasped, shocked and drained. "He did that on purpose…"
"Good!" Maya shouted with approval in her voice. "But don't waste energy on the small hunters! The real predator is coming! Run!"
Darkus was now very close. Aryan could clearly see the bony, blank mask and the red lines pulsing with deadly intent. The distorted voice echoed again, this time with twisted laughter. "Ah, a newborn! How precious! Your fear… your desperation… it's delicious! Give it to me!"
Darkus pointed his staff downward. The red crystal flared, and a narrow, intense energy beam shot straight toward Aryan.
"No!" Maya screamed. She leapt in front of Aryan, holding her viper with both hands. She drove it into the ground. From its tip, a brilliant blue energy dome burst out, forming a semi-sphere of protection in front of them.
CRACK-BOOM!
The red beam struck the shield. The sound was deafening. A searing flash blinded them. The shield shimmered, blue lightning crackling where the red energy carved into it. Maya let out a painful roar. Her feet sank into the ground, her arms trembling.
"He… he's too strong!" Maya gasped. "I can't hold him for long! Go, Aryan! Get to the crystals!"
Aryan stood frozen, fear locking his limbs. Maya's face twisted in strain. Cracks spiderwebbed across the dome. Darkus' distorted laughter filled the air.
"Run!" Maya shouted again, voice ragged. "That's an order!"
The command snapped him out of it. He turned around. The towering crystal spires were only a hundred yards away, but the path was open. A deep chasm, oozing purple smoke, cut across the way. Above it, fragile-looking crystal bridges hung.
He moved his legs, feeling the vibration inside. Run. Or die. He took a deep breath, filled his lungs with the toxic air, and sprinted. Behind him, he heard the terrible sound of the shield breaking—and Maya falling.
"Maya!" he cried, turning back.
"Keep running!" her voice came, pained but firm. She was still standing, her viper dimming. She pulled a small disc from her belt and hurled it into the air. It unfolded into a spinning blue geometric construct. "I'll cover you! Cross the bridge! Don't look back!"
Darkus growled. "Aetherian bitch! You always get in the way!" He aimed his staff at her again.
Aryan kept running. The chasm yawned before him—ten feet wide. The wind was stronger here, pushing him sideways. He spotted the nearest bridge—a thin crystal arch, cracked and trembling.
"Cross it!" Maya shouted. "Focus on your Code! Make yourself lighter!"
Make myself lighter. Aryan stopped at the edge, closed his eyes. He focused on the pulse in his palm. Light… like air. The vibration responded. He felt the pressure beneath his feet reduce.
He took a running start and leapt onto the crystal bridge. It creaked but held. He felt lighter. He kept his balance, racing across. The wind pushed him, but he used the Code's energy to stabilize.
He reached the other side, tumbling and panting. He looked back. Maya was still fighting, but her dome was flickering. Darkus was closing in.
"Maya!" Aryan screamed. "Come on!"
She looked at him, her violet eyes locking with his. Then she moved. She grabbed her small device and slammed it to the ground. A bright blue flash erupted. Smoke poured up, obscuring her and Darkus. She leapt, dashing for the bridge.
Darkus' angry snarl echoed. "You can't escape!"
Maya reached the bridge. It was more unstable now. "Hurry!" Aryan yelled.
She stepped onto it. The crystal cracked. Halfway across, a chunk gave way. She screamed, grabbing the edge with one hand, dangling above the abyss.
"Maya!" Aryan cried, dropping to his knees. Across the gap, the smoke cleared, and Darkus began rising. "Grab my hand!" Maya shouted desperately. "Your Code! Pull me up!"
Aryan's mind raced. Pull her up? How? He extended his hand toward her, focused on the vibration—like a rope, a tether. Lift her!
Whump!
No visible energy—but a wave pulsed in the air. Maya gasped as her body was pulled upward. She grabbed Aryan's hand.
Aryan pulled, digging his heels into the ground. Maya rolled onto the ledge beside him, panting, her face scratched—but safe.
"Very... well done," she said breathlessly, her violet eyes locked on Aryan's with new, intense curiosity. "Gravitational pull... instinctual. Extraordinary."
Above, Darkus let out a furious roar. "No!"
He turned toward them. "That energy belongs to me!"
"Now what?" Aryan asked, shaken by fear and exhaustion.
Maya pulled another device from her belt—a small, intricately designed cylinder glowing with blue light. Her fingers danced across its surface. "One shot. I can try to open a temporary stellar gate. Somewhere else."
"Where?" Aryan asked.
"No safe place here!" Maya snapped. "Just away!" She hurled the cylinder into the air. It hovered, spun, and exploded in a brilliant flash, forming a swirling blue geometric pattern with a starry black vortex at its center. The air howled.
"Stellar Gate!" Darkus screamed, his voice filled with greed and surprise. "You have a controller! You and your Code will be mine!" He aimed his staff. A red beam shot out.
"Now!" Maya shouted. She grabbed Aryan's hand and dragged him toward the vortex. "Jump! And hold onto your Code!"
Aryan didn't ask questions. He jumped. The sensation returned—his body stretching, breaking into particles. But this time, he didn't freeze in fear. He held onto the vibration. He felt Maya's hand in his. They were pulled into the blue whirlpool of light.
Then… silence. Temporary. Deep darkness filled with flickering stars. Aryan felt himself reforming. The air was different—heavy, damp, filled with the scent of wild vegetation.
His eyes adjusted. He was in the middle of a dense, alien jungle. The air glowed with a green-blue mist. Above him, giant fern-like trees and blue-leafed canopies loomed. Soft green light pulsed from their trunks. Tiny blue fruits glowed at the tips of fronds. Insects like glowing fireflies hovered around, radiating yellow light. A deep, rumbling growl echoed in the distance.
Maya stood beside him, chest rising and falling rapidly. Her eyes scanned the surroundings. Her small stellar gate device was now dim, singed, and flickering weakly.
"Where... where are we?" Aryan whispered.
Maya wrinkled her nose, sniffing the air.
"Biolumina," she said flatly. "Planet of living light. Full of life. Mostly predators. We've escaped from one place to another."
"Darkus?" Aryan asked.
She shook her head. "He saw the gate. He'll try to trace our energy. But Biolumina is vast. We have some time." She turned to him, her eyes filled with a new evaluation. "You did well. On Vertex. You learned fast."
Aryan looked at his palm. The blue mark glowed faintly. He had pulled her up. He had saved Maya. A wild spark of hope lit inside him. "So… you'll really teach me?"
Maya looked at him. "Yes, Aryan. I will teach you. Because if you want to survive, there's a lot more to learn. And you'll have to learn fast." She gestured toward the jungle, where the deep, rhythmic growl echoed again. "Lesson one continues: In Biolumina, light can be friend or foe. Come. We need to move. And this time, watch your step. One more thing—everything here is alive… and hungry."
Aryan took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the heavy air of this strange, dangerous world. The vibration inside him became a steady rhythm. There was fear—but now, there was determination too. He followed Maya, who was already disappearing into the glowing mist of the jungle. The hunter's shadow was still long, but now, with the power pulsing inside him… Aryan was ready to learn.