The rain came down like silver threads on a broken world. VV opened her eyes to a sky she didn't know, lying on cracked marble stones that once belonged to a grand temple. Her wrist burned with a faint golden light, forming a sigil that pulsed to her heartbeat.
She could not remember her name, but the letters V and V echoed in her mind — like two halves of something lost.
A voice whispered through the storm, "You shouldn't be awake yet."
VV turned. A boy stood at the temple gate, soaked in rain, holding a rusted spear. His eyes glowed faintly blue — mechanical, artificial.
"Who are you?" she asked.
He hesitated. "A survivor. But if you're truly awake… the world is about to change again."
Lightning flashed, and in that light, VV saw them — shadows moving across the ruins, fast, silent, hunting.
The boy grabbed her hand. "Run."
They dashed into the ruins as thunder swallowed their footsteps.