Hina opened her eyes after being unconscious for many hours, she looked left to right in the middle of nowhere. At first, she was confused, not remembering what had happened.
She tried to move but realized she was stuck. She groaned, teeth clenched, in pain trying to push the rocks away. Huge rubbles of rock pinned her arm and held her down to her knees.
She laid back down to catch her breath, her right hand over her head until her memory snapped back in an instant.
"Oh no… father."
She sat up quickly, looking around, but saw no one. Only a faint blue light from an opening came into view.
It looked like a wide space where the glow was coming from, but it was far and they had fallen deep, many feet into the ground. The way back up was gone, the slope was too steep, there was no way out that way.
Hina began to focus her breath as she channeled her powers into her legs. After a moment, the ground cracked beneath her and she burst through the rock, freeing herself and stumbling forward, dusting herself off.
She sprinted toward the light, and to her surprise, most of the miners were still alive. But what caught her attention was the massive alien craft wedged into the rock wall a short distance away.
The ship gave off a faint blue glow from its edges, its silver surface smooth and slightly reflective. The miners circled around it, running their hands across its strange skin, trying to find a way in.
The miners all had their protective caps and lamps, beams of light sweeping across the metal as they tapped and cut at different sections.
"Hina!"
A familiar voice called. She turned and saw her father. She froze when he came close and wrapped his arms around her.
A warm hug. Something she hadn't felt in years, not since her mother died. At first it felt strange her eyes wide, arms stiff at her side, before she slowly raised them and held him back.
"Hey, she's the reason we're stuck down here. What's the deal? She's gotta get us out of here!"
An annoying voice cut the moment apart. Haku's face hardened, his jaw tight as he turned toward the man.
"You talk like you won't be the first to take your share from whatever's inside that ship. If you want out so bad, find your own way up. As for me, I'm going to that ship.
We'll take it apart, and whatever mechanism it's got, we'll use it to get out of here. How does that sound to your dumb brain?"
The man's face went pale, realizing Haku made sense. He muttered under his breath and walked off. Hina stood frozen, stunned. Her father… defended her.
For years she thought he hated her enough to never care. But before she arrived, he had been searching for her, digging through the rocks, saving who he could, dragging out survivors, and mourning the dead.
'So this is your way of protecting me. You don't want me to end up like Mom… that's why you never let me near the Izigan substation.'
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Haku asked, his voice full of concern, real concern, the kind she hadn't seen on his face in years. It left her disoriented, staring at him like he was a stranger.
"I'm… I'm fine. I'm all good," she stammered, though her voice shook.
But her father's eyes were already back on the ship. Even unopened, it had a value he could feel. Fifteen billion dollars, maybe more. Alien tech sold in the black market was worth more than any deal Apex could offer.
As ambassador of Apex, he had connections, but in truth, the shadows would pay far more. He wanted it. Whatever it took.
The miners pressed on, touching, tapping, searching until one of them hit a spot that sank like a button.
A soft hum spread across the ship. Blue light and markings came alive along the surface. Then, a thick panel of black glass-like metal began to shift and open.
Hearts leapt. Everyone cheered. The men closest grinned down, flashing thumbs-up at those below. Relief washed through them. But then… someone noticed the man at the edge was gone. They assumed he slipped inside the darkness.
The smiles died quickly when blood poured down from the shadows. Before they could react, a black flash tore through them. Heads dropped clean from their necks.
"Hey, everything good up there?" someone shouted from below.
No answer came. Only three lifeless bodies tumbled down, their necks torn open. Horror spread.
The miners screamed, rushing forward to help, but froze at the sight of the headless corpses. Panic exploded as another flash darted through the air.
Men fell mid-scream, their heads vanishing, their bodies crumpling. Blood sprayed across the cavern floor. The creature moved too fast to see only a blur, leaving behind strange, clawed footprints as it shifted through reality.
Hina and her father ran side by side. She had no training for this, no preparation for monsters like this. Men around them split apart, torn in half, shredded before they could even turn.
And then they realized, there was nowhere to run. Thousands of feet below the surface, no escape upward, no way out. The cavern became a slaughterhouse. Miners scattered in blind terror, only to meet the same fate.
Hina and Haku stopped at the edge of the cavern, watching the black flash tear lives away. Haku's face twisted with fear. He knelt down in front of Hina, gripping her hands, his voice trembling.
"Hina… I must tell you this, because this is the only chance I have. You have a sister. Her name is Zora. She's older than you. Your mother took her to that planet… where people like you are. I made a mistake. It's my fault your mother left. I was greedy. I.. I didn't accept you at first because she came back pregnant.
I knew I wasn't the father.
We fought.
She wanted to take you and Zora away. She gave birth… but I tried to steal Zora. You were easier to keep, you were just a baby.
I hated you.
So I hid. That woman who lived with us when you were little… she was your aunt. That's why she was like you."
Tears streamed down his face. Hina's eyes filled too, her body trembling at every word.
"She was Izigan too".
Haku continued "We fought about it. She left and died in an accident… in one of those Izigan fights. Your real mom is out there with Zora. If you get out of here alive… tell her I'm sorry. Please… tell her I'm....."
Hina gasped as her father's head was torn clean from his shoulders. Blood sprayed across her face. His body collapsed before her eyes.
In that frozen moment, before the creature lunged at her, a pink translucent energy burst outward, catching it mid-strike.
The beast was revealed at last, slipping out of the shadows it had been hiding in. Its long claws scraped the barrier, trying to tear through.
Its head elongated, mouth splitting open like a bear's, rows of sharp teeth glistening with blood. It let out a deep, guttural roar.
Hina's Izigan markings ignited, glowing bright pink from her hands across her stomach.
She pulled her energy together, forming a long, sharp pink spear in her right hand. With a scream, she drove it straight through the creature's face, the tip bursting out the back of its skull.
The creature thrashed, face writhing in agony, its claws tearing at the ground. Hina summoned a massive hand of glowing pink energy, grabbing it by the torso.
With a roar of her own, she slammed it into the cavern wall again and again, cracks splitting through the stone.
She dropped it, then, tears streaming, straddled its chest and stabbed it over and over with her conjured dagger. Each strike fueled by rage and grief. Again. And again. Until her body gave out.
The cavern fell quiet. The two remaining survivors stood frozen, staring at her.
After a while, Hina pushed herself up, shaking. Her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.