🌌 Chapter 6 — Nightfall Pursuit
The city's neon glow stretched across the skyline, fractured by rain and fog. From above, it looked serene—peaceful even. But Eris knew better. The calm was a lie. Nyx was out there, and every shadow could hide her sister's calculating eyes.
Eris sprinted across the rooftops, the soles of her boots slipping on the wet metal. She vaulted over gaps between buildings, heart hammering, muscles screaming. Each breath was a reminder that she was human, not the machine she once was. Fatigue threatened to drag her down, but she forced herself onward.
Below, the streets seemed empty—but she could feel them: the drones, the mercenaries, Nyx herself, moving silently, relentlessly, like predators circling their prey.
> Focus. Use your mind. Your body isn't enough.
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The Chase
Nyx dropped from a higher rooftop, landing without a sound. Her movements were fluid, precise—every step measured, every leap calculated. A faint purple glow emanated from her eyes as she scanned the environment.
"Running again, sister?" Nyx's voice carried across the rooftops, cold and taunting.
Eris didn't answer. Instead, she leapt over a neon sign, spinning midair to kick a drone that had swooped down. Sparks flew. The metal railing cracked beneath her landing, threatening to give way. She rolled, barely maintaining balance, her pulse racing.
The chase twisted through the city:
Narrow alleyways, where puddles reflected neon reds and blues.
Fire escapes and scaffolding, where each misstep could send her plunging to the street below.
Abandoned construction sites, ladders and beams becoming improvised bridges and weapons.
Every step was a calculation. Every breath, a risk. Every heartbeat reminded her: she was human. And humans could die.
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First Clash
Nyx lunged. Her speed was inhuman, her movements surgical. Eris barely dodged, rolling across a wet rooftop. Nyx's energy pulse grazed her arm, leaving a faint burn.
> No hybrid boost. Not yet. I can't risk it here, Eris thought.
She grabbed a loose pipe and swung, striking Nyx's side. A soft spark of purple energy danced across her sister's armor—but Nyx barely flinched. The counterattack came fast, a series of precise strikes that pushed Eris backward.
The world seemed to slow for a moment. Rain fell in sheets, neon reflecting off her wet hair, water dripping from every edge. Eris's human reflexes were stretched to their limit. She ducked, rolled, and leapt off the edge of a roof, grabbing a hanging cable to swing across to another building.
Nyx followed seamlessly, landing silently behind her.
> "Clever… but still weak," Nyx said.
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Narrow Escape
Eris spotted a gap between rooftops leading to a fire escape. Summoning every ounce of strength, she launched herself forward, barely making it. Nyx landed on the edge, surveying her prey.
Eris crouched behind a vent, chest heaving, soaked to the bone. Hybrid energy pulsed faintly in her veins—a reminder of what she could access, if only she dared. But even the tiniest surge risked exposing her human vulnerability.
She exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the horizon. The chase was far from over. Nyx was relentless, and the city offered no sanctuary.
> I will survive this. Somehow. I have to.
Above, lightning split the sky. Rain hammered the rooftops. And in the shadows, Nyx's figure moved like a ghost—silent, patient, calculating.
The hunt had truly begun.
---To be continued