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Chapter One: Fracture Point
The sky above New London was a fractured canvas of shimmering light and shadow, where reality itself splintered like cracked glass. Riftstorms had returned, tearing through the city with chaotic fury. The air thrummed with the electric scent of ozone, heavy and metallic.
Eryx crouched among the ruins of a collapsed building, his breath ragged, heart pounding like a war drum. His fingers grazed the jagged concrete beneath him, grounding himself in a world that no longer felt real. Memories eluded him—his past was a blank slate—but the instinct to survive was a fierce, burning certainty.
Around him, cars floated eerily mid-air, twisted streets folded in on themselves, and distant screams echoed through the haze. Then, a guttural roar shattered the uneasy silence.
From a rift near the cracked pavement, a towering Nullborn emerged—a grotesque fusion of steel and flesh, its eyes burning with malevolent crimson fire. It moved with unnatural precision, limbs clanking like war machines.
Eryx's pulse quickened as the creature fixed its gaze on him. Without thought, he rose to meet it.
The Nullborn swung a massive claw downward, promising destruction. Eryx raised his arm to shield himself, bracing for the impact. But instead of pain, a dazzling flash erupted—the skin on his arm shimmered, transforming into a crystalline armor that absorbed the blow.
His breath hitched. His body was changing—adapting. Instinctively evolving.
The Nullborn staggered, confusion flashing in its eyes.
From above, a figure descended with grace and authority—a woman clad in sleek, iridescent armor, silver hair flowing like liquid mercury in the turbulent air.
"Stay back, civilian," she commanded, voice calm but commanding, cutting through the chaos.
Eryx hesitated. "I'm not sure what I am," he admitted, voice rough but resolute.
She extended her hand, releasing a shimmering blue tether that wrapped around the Nullborn, yanking it off balance. With practiced ease, she activated a device on her gauntlet, creating a temporal bubble that slowed the creature's movements to a sluggish crawl.
"I'm Commander Nyla Voss of O.R.A.C.L.E.," she introduced herself, eyes sharp as she regarded Eryx. "And you are?"
"Eryx… I think," he said, uncertainty lacing his words.
Nyla studied the residual glow on his arm, an unspoken question hanging between them. "You're not just another survivor."
The Nullborn, furious, shattered the tether and lunged again.
"Let me try," Eryx said, stepping forward with newfound resolve.
His muscles moved with precision, dodging blows that would have crushed others. Every strike he endured honed his body—skin hardening like diamond, reflexes sharpening like a predator's. He mirrored the Nullborn's aggression, adapting with breathtaking speed and fluidity.
Nyla joined the fray, her movements a dance of lethal grace. Together, they unleashed a devastating combination, forcing the Nullborn to collapse into a cloud of dissipating shadows.
Panting, Eryx turned to Nyla. "What am I?"
She regarded him thoughtfully. "Someone with immense potential—someone who could change the fate of this fractured world."
He swallowed hard, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him. "Will you help me understand?"
A faint smile touched her lips. "Yes. But first, we survive today. Then, we fight for tomorrow."
As the rift above sealed shut, the shattered sky began to heal. But Eryx knew this was only the beginning—an invitation into a war far greater than he ever imagined.
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