It had been several days since Auren fell unconscious. His breathing was shallow at first, but the medical scans revealed something far more alarming—a storm of energy swirling inside him, growing at a rapid, unstable pace. Monitors beeped relentlessly, tracking every fluctuation. The doctor had warned that if left unchecked, this force would tear him apart from within.
To prevent disaster, the medical unit had initiated an unprecedented procedure. Multiple systems merged their protocols, surrounding Auren in a lattice of stabilizing fields. At this point, his value was deemed higher than that of any cadet in the academy—not for medals, not for merit, but for the sheer potential he carried.
At such a young age, he had unknowingly cultivated a mysterious energy, dangerous in magnitude yet magnificent in its nature.
As night fell, soft shadows leaned across the ward's steel walls. Within the depths of his unconsciousness, Auren found himself standing—or rather, sinking—into a boundless void. It was the Abyss.
No stars, no horizon, no ground. Only an infinite stretch of nothingness that consumed sight, sound, and spirit.
A cold pressure coiled around him, dragging him down. He tried to fight, to swim upward through the black, but the space resisted. He screamed, but his voice was devoured instantly, erased before it could exist. Every attempt to escape dissolved into futility, leaving him gasping in silence. The oppressive emptiness felt eternal, the kind that could smother worlds.
And then—
Outside, in the hospital room, the faint hiss of the infirmary's door broke the quiet.
A figure stepped inside. She moved with quiet precision, clad in a sleek nano-tech suit woven with intricate lines that pulsed a gentle blue glow, casting ghostly lights along her features. Her eyes were sharp yet calm, assessing every detail in the room.
She was Alys Virellis.
Behind her followed another presence—a tall man in a dark crimson suit, the color deep as coagulated blood. His movements were deliberate, every step one of controlled menace. His eyes, narrow and cutting, were blades in human form. He didn't just look, he dissected everything with a predatory gaze that hinted at skill honed through countless battles.
Together, they approached Auren's bedside.
Alys stepped closer to where Auren lay, her eyes locked on him with an unsettling intensity. Her lips curled into a cruel smirk as she spoke, her voice dripping with mockery.
"I would have loved to slowly torture you to death," she said with deliberate venom, each word a dagger, "but it seems your worth has… increased these past few days. I don't know why, but my family wants you gone."
She turned toward the crimson-armored warrior at her side.
"001, when you finish him, make sure he feels every ounce of pain possible. My family has spent vast resources to buy us this moment."
The warrior's visor gleamed with a cold reflection as he nodded.
"Don't worry, young miss. I am Code 001… and I take pleasure in making death cost nothing but suffering."
Alys inclined her head in satisfaction, then pivoted gracefully, her cloak whispering against the floor as she strode away.
Auren, unaware of the exchange, lay unmoving. His mind was a storm of broken thoughts,trapped in the hazy edge of unconsciousness.
When Alys had gone, 001 gripped his blade. The weapon crackled, releasing arcs of crimson thunder that danced across its length like hungry serpents. The sound was low and ominous—a predator's growl before the strike. Slowly, the storm condensed into the steel, making it hum with dangerous energy.
With a precise, almost ritualistic motion, 001 swung the blade, aimed squarely for Auren's heart.
In that instant, deep within Auren's mind, reality fractured. Time slowed—not by seconds, but by millions of folds—until each droplet of existence hung in the void.
He was still drifting inside a dark, endless abyss, powerless, numb. The weight of despair crushed him until he nearly surrendered to it.
But then… something stirred.
A fragment of memory blazed into life—so vivid it was impossible to call it a dream. He felt the gaze of someone… someone who could stand beyond the boundaries of space and time. The air trembled beneath the presence, and from the still, endless void, a voice emerged.
It was neither loud nor soft, yet it pressed on his soul with the force of eternity.
"Awaken."
The single word shattered the horizon. Space ripped apart as though torn by celestial hands; the abyss crumbled around him like glass under a hammer.
Light surged through the shattered remnants of Auren's despair, searing away the cold void inside him and flooding his spirit with a power unlike anything he had ever known.
In the hospital room, the blade that had hovered mere inches from his heart suddenly froze mid-strike. 001's battle-honed instincts screamed at him to retreat, but before he could move, a burst of energy erupted from Auren.
The shockwave tore through the air in rippling waves, so dense it crushed 001 against the wall like a rag doll. He spat a mouthful of blood, wiping it away with the back of his hand, and still managed to grin.
"Now… this is interesting."
The raw surge condensed into a blazing blue core, rings of energy whirling endlessly around it. Auren's body lifted effortlessly into the air, his unconscious form merging with the radiant core. When the fusion completed, intricate patterns flared across his skin, glowing like ancient runes.
001's grin widened.
"Ohh… the birth of something new. It's always fun to kill geniuses like you."
Auren's eyelids fluttered open. His gaze blazed with pure white light, his heartbeat thrumming with a fierce blue fire.
001's armor shifted, his nano-suit reacting automatically. Twin crimson blades materialized in his grip, each one humming with thunderous arcs. A sharp beep sounded from his visor.
Suit readout: Resonance energy at 37%.
The floor beneath him cracked as he crouched.
"Here I come."
With a flash, he dashed forward. Auren didn't move—just stood as if rooted in the storm. 001's twin blades swept in a brutal crimson arc, slicing through the air with enough force to tear down the entire room. Dust billowed, masking everything in a suffocating cloud.
001 chuckled darkly.
"Did I put in too much effort? Or did I just slice him to pieces?"
A cold voice cut through his laughter.
"That… was your best shot? I'm disappointed."
When the dust settled, Auren stood behind him, untouched.
The smile drained from 001's face. He spun, blades raised—but could barely process what happened next. Auren caught one of the crimson blades with two fingers.
Blue fire pulsed from his chest, a heat so fierce it blackened 001's armored hands instantly to ash. Pain made the crimson warrior stagger, but Auren didn't let go. His grip shifted, snapping around 001's throat.
"I've heard you enjoy torturing people," Auren's voice dripped with quiet menace. "I wonder if you've ever tasted it yourself."
001's head shook violently as he tried to speak.
"I… I'm sor—"
Auren's eyes narrowed. He wasn't in the mood for apologies. The glowing pattern flared over his head again. A sudden psychic stream flooded into 001's mind, stabbing deep into his very essence.
Auren released him.
The warrior collapsed to the floor, clutching his skull, writhing like a creature in mortal agony. His screams tore through the ruined room.
"I'm burning! Help me… Someone, please… ahhh!"
He crawled toward Auren, clutching at his leg in desperate plea.
"I cannot save you," Auren said, his tone ice-cold. "And since you'll die, I'll tell you what I've done—I attacked your soul. This is soul corrosion."
Fear replaced 001's arrogance, but before he could beg further, Auren's expression softened, touched only by pity, yet his eyes blazed with killing intent.
"I'll ease your pain."
His hand clamped onto 001's shoulder, and a violent surge of blue flame exploded from his palm, swallowing the crimson warrior in a raging inferno. Within seconds, all that remained was a heap of blackened ash.
Silence settled over the room. Auren exhaled slowly—a long, weary sigh.