Xi's hand hovered over the relic, the symbols beneath his fingers pulsing with an energy that felt both foreign and familiar. The relic was unlike anything he had ever seen before—a shape both mysterious and ancient, as if it had existed long before human history had been recorded. It was a circular artifact, but within its smooth surface, intricate patterns formed a symbol, a shape that was strangely familiar even though Xi was certain he had never encountered it before.
The circular form of the relic had runes spiraling inward toward the center, forming a star-like pattern, with angular lines that crossed one another in perfect symmetry. It looked both alien and impossibly old, as though it had come from another world. The same star-like shape now marked his chest, faint but pulsing with energy, as if it had been burned into his skin by the relic's power.
As he touched it, a surge of warmth shot through his body, traveling up his arm like a current of electric fire. His heart raced, pounding in his chest. The relic's surface thrummed with life, its ancient symbols shifting subtly under his fingertips, as though responding to his presence.
The air around him grew heavy, thick with something he couldn't explain—an energy that felt alive, almost sentient. The chamber, once still, seemed to vibrate with the relic's hum, as if the very stone walls were reacting to its awakening.
Then the light from the runes intensified. It pulsed, stronger and stronger, flooding the chamber with a golden glow that was nearly blinding. Xi took a shaky step back, shielding his eyes from the intense brightness.
Suddenly, a cold, crawling sensation washed over him. Something was watching him. Not from a distance, but from within the very air around him—an ancient presence, older than the relic itself. It was as though the walls had eyes, and they were locked onto him, studying him, waiting for something. The relic's power surged again, stronger this time, and Xi felt the pull of it deep in his chest.
He gasped as a sharp pain lanced through him, starting from where his hand met the relic and radiating outward through his entire body. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced—a raw, burning ache that twisted through his bones, his muscles, his mind. His vision blurred, the chamber spinning around him. It was as if the relic was reaching inside him, trying to pull him apart, to consume him.
"What's happening?" Xi's breath came in ragged gasps, panic clawing at the edges of his consciousness. He tried to pull away from the relic, but his body wouldn't respond. The pain grew sharper, more intense, searing through him with every heartbeat. It was as if something was being ripped out of him—or perhaps, something was being forced in.
The pulsing light from the relic flickered, its brightness fading in and out like a dying star. The air in the chamber felt thick, oppressive, and that sense of being watched grew stronger. It was everywhere now, a suffocating presence pressing down on him from all sides.
Just as the pain reached a fever pitch, the relic gave one final pulse, brighter than ever before, and everything went dark.
Xi woke with a jolt, gasping for air. His body felt cold, stiff, and a dull ache throbbed in every muscle. His mind was sluggish, disoriented, like waking from a dream he couldn't quite remember. For a moment, he lay still, his eyes closed, his breath shaky as he tried to piece together what had just happened.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The world around him came into blurry focus—bright, sterile lights above him, humming softly in the background. He blinked, his vision clearing. This wasn't the ruins. He was lying on a smooth, cold surface, his body hooked up to machines that beeped softly in the background.
Panic flared in his chest. "Where am I?"
Xi sat up with a groan, his muscles protesting the movement. The air in the room felt unnaturally cool, sterile, and there was a faint hum—a low, constant vibration that he couldn't place. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
It wasn't a hospital, at least not any hospital he'd ever seen. The walls were smooth, silvery-white, with no visible seams or windows. The entire space felt strangely ancient, like it had existed for centuries, yet at the same time, it was impossibly advanced. The technology that surrounded him was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Machines blinked and beeped softly beside him, their displays showing data he couldn't understand. Tubes ran from his arm to an IV, and his head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
He shifted in the bed, wincing as he moved. His hand instinctively went to his chest, where the pain had been the worst. That's when he felt it—a strange warmth beneath his shirt. Frowning, Xi pulled the fabric down slightly, revealing a faint, glowing mark etched into his skin. It was the same star-like shape he had seen on the relic, intricate and unfamiliar, pulsing with a subtle energy.
"What the...?" Xi's breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the mark. The relic—had it done this to him? Had it somehow fused with him? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. "How is this possible?"
Before he could make sense of it, footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. A door slid open with a soft hiss, and three figures entered the room. They weren't doctors.
The first was a tall man dressed in a sleek, black uniform, his posture rigid and commanding. His short-cropped hair and cold, calculating eyes gave him the look of a soldier. Beside him was a woman with sharp features, holding a tablet in her hands. Her gaze swept over Xi with detached curiosity. The third person, a younger man standing slightly behind the others, looked nervous, fidgeting with a small device in his hands.
The woman looked at him, her expression cool. "Can you tell us your name?" she asked, her voice clinical.
Xi blinked, still struggling to clear his mind. "My name? It's Xi."
The woman tapped something on her tablet, her gaze flicking briefly toward the tall man beside her. "Xi. How are you feeling?" she asked, her tone shifting slightly once they had identified him.
Xi stared at them, still trying to process the situation. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice rough. "What happened to me?"
The tall man stepped forward, his presence dominating the room. "You were found unconscious in the Petra ruins after a seismic event. We brought you here to… recover."
Xi blinked, his mind racing. Petra ruins? Seismic event? It all felt so distant, so unreal. "Where is 'here'?"
The woman glanced at the tall man before answering. "This is a classified facility. You're safe now, Xi, but we need to ask you some questions about what happened in the ruins."
Xi's stomach twisted with unease. Classified facility? Nothing about this place felt right. The walls were too smooth, too perfect, the machinery too advanced. And there was something else—something he couldn't quite place, a strange energy that seemed to hum in the air, vibrating just beneath the surface.
"I... I don't remember much," Xi said, his mind darting back to the relic and the glowing rune now etched into his chest. He couldn't tell them about that. Not yet. Not until he understood what had happened.
The woman tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp. "We know you were near the central chamber when the seismic activity occurred. Did you find anything unusual? An artifact, perhaps?"
Xi's heart pounded in his chest. They know. His mind scrambled for an answer. "I—no, I didn't. I was knocked out by the earthquake. I didn't see anything."
The tall man's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing. The woman, however, didn't seem convinced. She tapped something on her tablet, her gaze still fixed on Xi. "Are you sure? No strange symbols or objects? Something that might… stand out?"
Xi swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don't remember anything," he repeated.
The woman exchanged a glance with the others before nodding slightly. "I see."
The tall man stepped forward again, his presence looming over Xi. "We have protocols for situations like this. We need to ensure that your memory is… properly aligned."
Xi's pulse quickened. "What are you talking about?"
Without answering, the younger man stepped forward, holding a small device that pulsed with a faint blue light. He pressed it against Xi's temple, and Xi felt a sudden pressure in his mind—a tightening sensation, as if something was being pulled or twisted.
The relic inside him stirred. The rune on his chest flared to life, its energy pushing back against the pressure. Xi's body trembled, but he forced himself to stay composed, hiding the battle raging within him as the relic silently negated the attempt to wipe his mind. The device in the young man's hand emitted a steady blue glow, and the officials seemed content.
Xi's mind raced. Are they trying to erase my memory? he realized with a jolt of fear. But the relic—it wasn't letting them. The pressure in his head lifted slightly, as if the relic was shielding him from their device. But with every surge of the relic's protection, Xi's strength drained away. His limbs grew heavier, his breath shallower. He was winning against the device—but at a cost.
The pressure in his mind lifted, but Xi's body couldn't take the strain. His vision blurred, the room spinning as exhaustion overwhelmed him. "Not again," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. The last thing he saw was the woman turning to the younger man, her voice distant, "Is it done?"
Then, darkness.
Xi woke to the soft beeping of machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic. He blinked, his vision coming into focus as he realized he was no longer in the strange facility. He was in a hospital room—plain, white, and entirely normal. Tubes ran from his arm to a drip beside the bed, a nurse moving quietly in the corner.
His mind raced, trying to grasp what had happened. The relic, the facility, the strange people... It all felt like a fever dream, disjointed and surreal. But as he shifted in the bed, he felt the warmth on his chest—the rune still there, glowing faintly beneath his shirt.
"It wasn't a dream. The relic protected me," Xi thought, the realization sending a chill down his spine.
But no one else knew.
The nurse turned to him, smiling. "You're awake. You've been out for a while. Rest up, okay?"
Xi nodded, keeping his expression neutral. But inside, his mind was in turmoil. The nurse slid the door shut behind her, leaving Xi alone with his thoughts. He sighed, leaning back against the bed, his mind heavy with questions.
Suddenly, the TV in the corner of the room flickered to life. The news anchor's voice filled the silence.
"Breaking news from Jordan. Archaeologists have uncovered ancient ruins in Petra—an extraordinary discovery that is being hailed as potentially rewriting our understanding of human history. The ruins, hidden for millennia, contain symbols and artifacts that have never been seen before, raising questions about the origins of ancient civilizations."
Xi's heart skipped a beat.
"They're talking about the ruins," he whispered to himself, his gaze fixed on the screen. "The relic… everything."
As the footage showed the inside of the ruins, Xi felt a chill run down his spine. The chamber where he had encountered the glowing runes and the relic now looked untouched, ordinary. The runes were gone, the power he had felt—disappeared. It was as if none of it had ever existed.
Why is this being hidden? Xi thought, his mind racing. The public didn't know what really happened down there. And now, he realized, neither could he tell them.
Then, the footage showed men in black suits—government agents—moving around the site, taking control. They were methodical, their faces emotionless, speaking in low voices to the archaeologists, who appeared nervous. The government had taken over. Whatever had truly been found was now under tight control, and the world would only know what they were allowed to see.
Xi's eyes narrowed. He recognized those men. The same black suits. They were the ones he had seen at the facility when he first woke up, standing in the shadows, watching him. They've been involved from the start, he realized. This isn't just about the ruins.
Xi's chest tightened. They know something, he thought. They're covering it up.
The camera shifted, and Xi's heart went cold. Kaelan's face appeared on the screen, smiling as he talked to reporters. His former best friend, the one who had left him for dead, was standing in the spotlight as if nothing had happened.
Xi's fist clenched. His pulse quickened as the anger simmered inside him, but he forced it down. Kaelan was still out there, pretending, but now Xi knew something far more dangerous—he had to keep the truth a secret.
The relic's power, the glowing runes—it wasn't in the news. The men in black had made sure of that. It wasn't for anyone else to know.
"This isn't over," Xi whispered, his gaze hard as he watched the screen.