New York City, 3024, was a beast of light and shadow, its skyline a jagged mosaic of holographic billboards and crumbling megatowers. Neon veins pulsed through the streets, bathing the urban jungle in electric hues of violet, crimson, and acid green. The air thrummed with the hum of drones, the screech of hoverbikes, and the distant wail of sirens—a symphony of chaos that Kayden thrived in. At nineteen, he was a scavenger, a ghost in the city's underbelly, slipping through cracks the elites ignored. Tonight, though, he'd slipped too far.
Kayden sprinted down a narrow alley in the Neon District, his boots splashing through puddles that reflected the glowing signs above. His heart pounded, not from fear but from the thrill of the chase. A stolen data shard burned in his jacket pocket, snatched from a black-market deal gone sour. The shard held encrypted schematics—something about "Despair Cores," whatever those were. Worth a fortune to the right buyer, but now it was a beacon for trouble.
"Move, move, move!" he muttered, vaulting over a pile of discarded tech. His breath came in sharp bursts, visible in the chilly night air. Behind him, the whine of elite enforcer drones grew louder, their red laser sights slicing through the fog. The Neon District was a maze, but Kayden knew its twists like the back of his hand. He'd outrun worse.
A voice crackled in his head, sharp and synthetic, like a radio tuning to an alien frequency. "Host, your pursuers are 50 meters behind. Turn left in 10 seconds to avoid drone triangulation."
Kayden skidded, nearly slamming into a graffiti-covered wall. "Who the hell—?" He shook his head, dismissing the voice as adrenaline-fueled hallucination. No time to lose it. He darted left into a tighter alley, the walls closing in, neon tubes buzzing overhead. The drones' whine faded slightly, but heavy boots echoed now—human enforcers, not just machines.
"Damn it," Kayden hissed, glancing over his shoulder. Three figures in sleek, black exosuits rounded the corner, their visors glowing with targeting HUDs. Elites. Not the usual street cops, but the corporate enforcers who answered to the city's unseen overlords. They didn't chase scavengers for fun; they wanted that shard bad.
"Kayden, you idiot," he muttered, weaving through a crowd of street vendors hawking glowing trinkets. "Steal from a deal with those guys? Brilliant."
The voice in his head returned, colder now. "Host, your probability of escape is 62%. I suggest climbing the scaffold at the next intersection to reach the rooftops."
Kayden stumbled, catching himself on a rusted pipe. "Okay, what is that?" He scanned the alley, half-expecting a hidden comm device. Nothing. Just the flickering neon and the distant hum of the city. The voice was inside his skull, clear as day. "I'm losing it. Great timing."
"Focus, Host," the voice snapped. "Scaffold. Now. 20 meters ahead."
Kayden growled but obeyed, his instincts overriding his confusion. He spotted the scaffold—a rickety metal frame clinging to a decaying megatower. The enforcers' boots pounded closer, their shouts muffled by the city's din. He lunged, grabbing the scaffold's lowest rung and hauling himself up, muscles burning. The metal creaked under his weight, but he climbed fast, using every ounce of his scavenger agility.
"Faster, Host," the voice urged. "They're deploying grapple hooks."
"Shut up, creepy voice!" Kayden panted, swinging onto a higher platform. Below, a metallic thunk echoed as a grapple hook embedded in the scaffold. He glanced down, seeing an enforcer scaling the frame, visor glinting like a predator's eyes. "Oh, come on!"
He scrambled onto the rooftop, a sprawling expanse of cracked concrete littered with old satellite dishes and humming vent units. The city stretched before him, a kaleidoscope of light and decay. Hovercars zipped through the sky, their trails blending with the neon haze. No time to admire the view. Kayden sprinted toward the roof's edge, aiming for a narrow gap to the next building.
"Jump in 3… 2… 1," the voice commanded.
Kayden leaped, arms windmilling as he soared over the alley. His boots hit the adjacent rooftop, and he rolled to absorb the impact, pain shooting through his knees. "Okay, voice, you're useful, but who are you?"
"I am the System," it replied, tone clipped. "Designated guide for the Host, Zulong's 167,568th incarnation. My purpose is to ensure your survival and awakening. Now, move. Enforcers are 30 seconds behind."
"Zul-what?" Kayden ducked behind a vent, catching his breath. "Incarnation? You're making zero sense, buddy."
"Explanations later," the System said. "Probability of capture is rising. Head for the maintenance hatch 15 meters north."
Kayden groaned but complied, weaving through the rooftop clutter. The maintenance hatch was a rusted square, barely visible under debris. He pried it open, wincing as it squealed, and dropped into a dark stairwell. The air was stale, thick with the smell of oil and metal. He descended, footsteps echoing, the enforcers' shouts growing fainter above.
"Alright, System," he whispered, pausing on a landing. "You're in my head, helping me escape. Fine. But what's this Zulong stuff? And why are elites chasing me over a data shard?"
"The shard contains schematics for Despair Cores," the System replied. "Devices designed to amplify negative emotions, linked to the Void's influence. You stole it from a transaction involving Sovereign Kael, a Void-touched elite. Your actions have drawn their attention."
"Void? Kael?" Kayden ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "You're throwing out names like I'm supposed to know them. I'm a scavenger, not a cosmic scholar."
"You are more than you know," the System said, its tone softening slightly. "Your lineage as Zulong's incarnation will awaken soon. For now, focus on survival. Exit the stairwell and blend into the market below."
Kayden pushed through a rusted door into the Neon District's underground market, a labyrinth of stalls lit by flickering holograms. Vendors hawked everything from cybernetic implants to glowing street food, their voices a chaotic chorus. Crowds surged around him—hackers, drifters, and black-market dealers, all cloaked in the anonymity of the undercity. Kayden pulled his hood up, slipping into the flow, his lean frame blending with the throng.
"Keep moving," the System urged. "Enforcers are scanning the market. Avoid eye contact with drones."
"Got it," Kayden muttered, weaving past a stall selling hacked drones. He glanced at a vendor, a grizzled woman with a cybernetic eye. "Hey, any back exits around here?"
She squinted, her eye whirring. "You running from someone, kid?"
"Always," Kayden grinned, sliding her a credit chip. "Point me to a way out."
She pocketed the chip, jerking her thumb toward a curtained alcove. "Through there. Leads to the old subway tunnels. Don't get caught."
"Thanks," Kayden said, slipping past the curtain. The alcove opened into a dark stairwell descending into the city's abandoned subway system. The air grew colder, the neon glow fading to dim emergency lights. His boots echoed on the cracked steps, the distant hum of the market fading.
"System, you still with me?" he whispered, his voice bouncing off the walls.
"Affirmative," the System replied. "Probability of escape is now 78%. Proceed to the tunnels. Avoid the eastern branch; enforcers are deploying there."
"You're like a creepy guardian angel," Kayden said, reaching the tunnel floor. The subway was a relic, its tracks rusted, walls covered in faded graffiti. He moved quickly, sticking to the shadows, the data shard a heavy weight in his pocket.
"Less angel, more protocol," the System said dryly. "Your survival is my directive. Turn right in 20 meters to access a service tunnel."
Kayden smirked, following the instructions. "You got a name, or do I just call you System?"
"System is sufficient," it replied. "Names are irrelevant to my function."
"Sounds lonely," Kayden said, ducking into the service tunnel. The passage was narrow, lined with ancient pipes leaking steam. "You sure you're not some elite tech messing with me?"
"I am not elite technology," the System said, a hint of indignation in its tone. "I am a divine construct, bound to Zulong's incarnations across 167,568 cycles. You are the Host, destined to—"
"Yeah, yeah, cosmic destiny," Kayden interrupted, peering around a corner. "Save the lecture. I just want to ditch these enforcers and sell this shard."
The System paused, then said, "Your priorities are… suboptimal. The shard's data threatens multiversal stability. Selling it would exacerbate the Void's influence."
"Multiversal?" Kayden snorted, creeping through the tunnel. "You're talking like I'm in some holo-novel. I'm trying to eat tomorrow, not save the universe."
"You will understand in time," the System said. "For now, focus. Enforcers are 100 meters behind, rerouting through the western tunnels."
Kayden's smirk faded. He quickened his pace, the tunnel narrowing until he reached a rusted grate. Beyond it, faint neon light seeped through, suggesting another market. He gripped the grate, muscles straining as he pried it open, the metal groaning.
"Almost there," he muttered, crawling through. He emerged in a smaller market, less crowded but still vibrant, with vendors selling glowing mods and illicit data. He blended in, pulling his hood lower, heart still racing.
"Host, warning," the System said sharply. "Elite enforcer detected 10 meters ahead. Do not engage."
Kayden froze, spotting the enforcer—a towering figure in a black exosuit, visor scanning the crowd. Its arm hummed with a plasma rifle, ready to fire. Kayden's hand hovered near the knife at his belt, but he knew better than to fight an elite head-on.
"Options, System?" he whispered, backing toward a stall.
"Concealment," the System said. "Use the crowd. Move to the eastern exit in 15 seconds."
Kayden slipped behind a group of traders, their chatter masking his steps. The enforcer's visor swept past, missing him by inches. He reached the eastern exit, a narrow passage leading to another alley. Relief washed over him as he stepped into the shadows.
Then a hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back.
"Got you, scavenger," a voice growled. Kayden spun, facing an enforcer—not the one from the market, but another, visor glowing red. Two more emerged from the alley, cutting off his escape.
"Shit," Kayden muttered, raising his hands. "Alright, let's talk this out. You want the shard? I can—"
"Silence," the lead enforcer barked, voice distorted by the suit's modulator. "You've caused enough trouble, thief. Hand over the shard, or we carve it out of you."
Kayden's mind raced. "System, now would be a great time for one of your escape plans."
"Probability of escape is 12%," the System said, its tone grim. "Physical confrontation is inadvisable. Stall for time."
"Stall?" Kayden hissed under his breath. "They're about to gut me!"
"Talk," the System urged. "Distraction increases survival odds."
Kayden forced a grin, facing the enforcer. "Look, big guy, you don't need to get messy. This shard's hot, sure, but I'm just a middleman. You want the real players? I can point you to the deal I crashed. Names, locations, the works."
The enforcer tilted his head, visor flickering. "You're stalling. Pathetic." He stepped closer, plasma rifle humming. "Shard. Now."
"Come on," Kayden said, hands still raised. "You're elites, right? You don't waste time on scavengers like me. Someone big sent you—Kael, maybe? I heard his name at the deal. What's he want with this tech?"
The enforcer froze, then grabbed Kayden's jacket, slamming him against the wall. "You dare speak his name?" he snarled. "You know nothing, rat."
"Host, incoming drone," the System warned. "Brace for impact."
Before Kayden could react, a drone swooped from above, its laser sight locking onto him. A stun pulse fired, crackling through the air. Kayden twisted, but the pulse grazed his side, sending a jolt of pain through his nerves. He crumpled, vision blurring, the shard slipping from his pocket.
"No!" he gasped, lunging for it. An enforcer's boot pinned his hand, grinding it into the pavement.
"Enough," the enforcer said, snatching the shard. "You're coming with us. Kael will decide your fate."
Kayden's vision darkened, the System's voice faint. "Host… stay conscious… awakening… imminent…"
As the enforcers dragged him away, the neon lights of New York City blurred into a kaleidoscope of despair. Kayden's world faded, but a spark of defiance burned within—a whisper of something ancient, stirring in the abyss.