Ayan felt like he was falling through endless space.
Wind roared in his ears, pulling him faster and faster into the glowing tunnel of light. Colors he had never seen before flashed around him—bright blues, deep purples, burning gold—twisting and breaking like waves in a storm. His body felt weightless, yet heavy at the same time, as if reality itself had lost control.
"Ayan!" Rudra's voice echoed somewhere behind him.
Ayan tried to turn, but he couldn't move properly. The force of the portal was too strong. It was not just pulling his body—it was pulling everything.
His thoughts.
His senses.
His reality.
Suddenly—
Everything stopped.
With a violent impact, Ayan crashed onto solid ground. The air rushed out of his lungs as pain shot through his body. For a few seconds, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move.
Then slowly, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the sky.
It was not grey.
It was not blue.
It was… alive.
Streams of glowing energy flowed across the sky like rivers of light, constantly shifting colors. Floating rocks drifted silently above, and distant flashes of energy lit up the horizon like silent explosions.
Ayan sat up slowly, his heart racing. "Where… are we?"
A groan came from nearby.
"Still alive…" Rudra said, pushing himself up. "That's a good sign, right?"
Ayan looked at him, still trying to process everything. "This… this isn't Earth."
Rudra looked around, wide-eyed. "No kidding."
They stood up carefully, scanning their surroundings. The ground beneath them was smooth and dark, almost like glass, with glowing lines running through it like veins. Strange crystal-like structures rose from the ground, pulsing with soft blue light.
The air felt different.
Lighter… but charged with energy.
Before they could say anything else—
A sharp sound echoed behind them.
They turned instantly.
Something moved in the distance.
At first, it looked like a shadow. But then it stepped into the light.
A creature.
It was tall, with a thin, armored body made of dark metal. Its eyes glowed red, scanning the area with cold precision. Its movements were mechanical… but too smooth to be just a machine.
Rudra whispered, "Okay… that's not friendly."
The creature's head snapped toward them.
It had detected them.
A loud, piercing sound came from it—like an alarm.
"RUN!" Ayan shouted.
They turned and sprinted across the glowing ground as the creature charged after them with incredible speed. Its footsteps were heavy, echoing like metal hitting stone.
"Why is it so fast?!" Rudra shouted while running.
"I don't know, just don't stop!" Ayan replied.
Suddenly, more sounds echoed around them.
Not just one.
Multiple.
Ayan glanced back—and his heart dropped.
Three more creatures had appeared, surrounding them from different directions.
"We're trapped!" Rudra shouted.
The creatures moved closer, their red eyes glowing brighter. One of them raised its arm, and a sharp beam of energy formed at its edge.
Ayan's mind raced. There was no way out.
"No… there has to be something…" he muttered.
The beam fired.
At that exact moment—
A flash of blue light cut through the air.
The attack was blocked.
A powerful energy shield appeared in front of Ayan and Rudra, absorbing the impact completely.
The creatures stopped.
For the first time, they hesitated.
Ayan looked up.
Standing in front of them was a girl.
Her eyes glowed bright blue, and her long silver hair moved slightly as if energy flowed through it. Strange symbols glowed on her arm, and her presence felt powerful… and different.
She didn't look at them.
Her focus was entirely on the creatures.
"You should not be here," she said calmly.
Before Ayan could respond, she raised her hand.
In an instant, a wave of energy burst outward, striking all the creatures at once. They were thrown back with force, crashing into the ground. Sparks flew as their bodies flickered and shut down.
Silence.
The danger was gone.
Rudra stared in shock. "Okay… now THAT was insane."
The girl slowly turned toward them.
Her glowing eyes locked onto Ayan.
For a moment, everything felt still.
Then she spoke.
"You came through the portal," she said. "That means… the connection has been activated."
Ayan frowned. "What connection?"
Her expression became serious.
"The connection between your world… and Nexora."
Ayan's heart skipped a beat.
"Nexora?" he repeated.
Before she could answer—
The ground beneath them suddenly trembled.
A deep, terrifying sound echoed across the land.
Not mechanical.
Not human.
Something far worse.
The girl's expression changed instantly.
"They found you faster than expected," she said.
Rudra swallowed nervously. "Who found us?"
The girl looked toward the glowing horizon.
Her voice dropped.
"The ones who hunt energy."
A dark shadow began to rise in the distance.
And this time…
It was not coming alone.