The crimson rune burned across the wall, vibrating with a low, bone-deep hum.
Then the chamber exploded.
A shockwave of sonic energy shattered the walls into shards of glowing glass. Lyra was thrown backward, slamming into Kaelen. Ceyra had vanished—no, melted into the shadows—leaving only the echo of their voice:
"Move!"
Lyra and Kaelen staggered to their feet as the ceiling caved in. Through the swirling dust, dark shapes poured into the room—sleek humanoid figures of liquid metal, their faces blank but for a single red slit. They moved with predatory precision, blades sprouting from their arms like unfolding wings.
"Automata," Kaelen hissed. "But… upgraded."
One lunged. Kaelen's blaster fired point-blank, its bolt absorbed by the creature's skin before it struck him with a blow that would have shattered a human spine. He rolled with the impact, barely avoiding a second strike.
"Lyra, exit route!"
She scanned the collapsing chamber—there was none. The walls were sealing themselves with black tendrils, closing them inside like the reactor's infection reborn.
"Up!" she shouted, spotting a half-formed service shaft above.
Kaelen nodded, firing at the ceiling to weaken the panel while Lyra launched a grappling line. She ascended just as an Automata leapt after her—its blade missing her boot by inches.
"Kaelen!"
He jumped, grabbing her extended hand. She hauled him through the shaft, and they crashed into a narrow maintenance tunnel. Below, the chamber sealed completely, trapping the Automata inside—or so they thought.
A metallic clang echoed behind them. One of the creatures was climbing up the shaft.
"Run," Kaelen muttered. "Run now."
The Streets of Vaelora
They burst from a hidden hatch into the city's underbelly: a chaotic network of steam vents, neon-lit bazaars, and bridges suspended over bottomless chasms. The moment they emerged, a hundred eyes turned toward them—scavengers, spies, black-market dealers. Someone whispered into a communicator, and alarms began to blare across the district.
"They've tagged us," Lyra said. "Whole city's about to come down on us."
"Not if we disappear first."
Kaelen pulled her toward a crowded marketplace. Alien merchants shrieked as the pair shoved through stalls of bioluminescent fruit and weaponized jewelry. A cloaked figure intercepted them—Ceyra.
"You were followed," they said, unbothered by the chaos. "Good. The Architect wanted to see what you're capable of."
"You led us into a trap?" Lyra snapped.
"I led you to truth. Now—either follow me, or die here."
Behind them, the first Automata crawled from the hatch, its liquid-metal body reforming into a towering hunter form. Screams erupted as civilians scattered.
Kaelen hesitated only a second. "Fine. But if this is another setup—"
Ceyra's mask tilted. "It's always a setup."
They vanished into the labyrinth of Vaelora, while overhead, giant holo-screens flickered to life across the city, displaying the crimson rune and a single message:
"THE HUNT HAS BEGUN."