The warfront stretched endlessly beneath a dead sky.
Desolate plains rolled outward in every direction, cracked earth littered with scorched metal and half-buried barricades--remnants of battles fought and barely survived. The wind howled across the battlefield, carrying ash, blood, and the distant echo of sirens that no longer screamed for help, only warning.
At the edge of the plains, embedded deep within a jagged cliffside, a cave yawned open like a wound in the world.
Inside it, the ground twisted and folded in on itself.
A massive portal churned violently, spiraling with shadows and distorted reality itself ground The air trembled. Stones levitated, then shattered.
And from the portal-
Something crawled out.
It was humanoid, but only in the loosest sense. Its skin was pitch black, stretched tightly over a frame that looked broken and reforged incorrectly.
Muscles bulged and twitched beneath its flesh as it dragged itself forward on elongated arms, claws carving deep grooves into the dirt.
Its jaw hung slightly open, dislocated, strings of saliva dripping as it inhaled the air of this world for the first time.
Its eyes snapped open.
Golden.
It roared.
The sound triggered a response.
From the shadows behind it, more figures poured out of the cave. Dozens.
Then more.
Dark creatures of varying shapes and sizes, all twisted versions of life, all bearing the same glowing eyes.
"KILL"
"EAT"
"SOULS"
Their voices overlapped, as they surged forward in a tidal wave of claws and teeth.
They never made it far.
From across the plains, energy fire erupted.
Blue bolts tore through the air, followed by red and yellow streaks-precised shots fired in perfect coordination. Each blast struck like lightning, punching clean through skulls and torsos. Bodies collapsed mid-charge, disintegrating before they hit the ground.
At the center of it all stood a single man.
He faced the wind, the monsters, the impossible odds.. His coat flapped behind him as he raised one hand calmly.
Another volley fired from behind him.
Then he lowered his arm.
The young man reached up and tied his long, curly hair into a tight knot, strands whipping against his face. Without urgency, he walked forward, boots crunching against dirt and bone. His hand drifted to his waist, gripping a sleek gun-shaped device it hummed faintly with contained energy.
One of the surviving creatures spotted him.
It shrieked and charged.
The man didn't change pace.
The creature leapt.
At the last second, the man rolled backward, dirt exploding beneath him. He came up on one knee, arm extended. The weapon's chamber glowed white-hot.
A single burst.
The creature's head detonated in a spray of black matter.
The man stood, stepping forward and crushing the corpse beneath his boot without a second glance. His brown eyes never wavered, fixed on the cave-the source of it all.
This was no official operation.
This was a suicide mission.
One he chose.
As the number of creatures dwindled, he reached to his neck and pulled down a gas mask, sealing it over his face. He secured the straps, then connected the tubing to the oxygen tanks at his belt.
The hiss of pressurized air steadied his breathing.
"Approaching the breach," he said calmly, finger pressed to his earpiece. "Keep covering me."
A voice crackled back through static. "Are you sure you wanna do this alone, X?"
"I'm fine, M. Just keep me covered."
A pause. "Once you're in... we can't cover you."
"I know."
Another pause, longer this time. "If you don't come out.."
"I will come out," he cut in. "Don't worry, Malek."
He tightened his grip on the blaster and entered the cave.
Another monster lunged from the shadows. One shot. Dead.
The portal loomed before him now it looked vast and unreal. He had never been this close.
The air bent around it, pulling at his body like gravity had grown impatient.
He hesitated.
Just for a heartbeat.
Then he shook his head, jaw tightening. "I have to."
And he jumped.
For a moment, time ceased to exist.
His body felt stretched, folded, compressed into nothing.
Then—
He was standing again.
In front of the portal.
But the world was not right.
It felt darker and heavier, like an attic you hadn't cleaned out in years.
He reached for the flashlight at his belt and flicked it on. The beam cut through thick darkness, revealing the inside of a cave identical in shape-but coated in frost-like residue. When he stepped outside, icy wind bit into his skin.
He shivered.
Black shirt. Military pants. They weren't enough.
Still, he pressed on.
He touched the radio on his chest and activated the recorder.
"Mission Sentinel active. Xavier Constantine, Grade One Resistance soldier.
First expedition into the other world, authorized by higher command. Classified under suicidal mission number two.
Objective: locate the Lurker nest and report coordinates.
I've arrived. Environment is dark and extremely cold. No visible sun .. No moon, no stars. No immediate signs of Lurkers.
Oxygen tank at ninety percent. I've got a few minutes before I need to head back."
He exhaled and moved forward.
After several minutes of walking through what resembled plains, his flashlight landed on a massive tree. Then another. Then dozens more.
A forest.
Dense. Silent.
"It seems I've found a forest," he muttered. "Thinking about engaging..."
He paused.
"...Yeah, no. I'm not going in there."
He turned around.
A crack echoed behind him.
Instinct took over. He spun and fired.
The usual wet sound that came after firing into a lurker didn't come.
Three seconds passed.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Slowly, he turned.
Golden eyes stared back at him.
"You... you're a human," a voice said.
"HALT!" Xavier shouted, blaster shaking as he aimed. "IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"
Laughter erupted.. mocking him.
"Ahah... AHAHAHAHA!" The eyes narrowed. "You think that toy will do anything against me?"
Xavier raised the flashlight.
A young man stood there. Around his age, his height. Pale skin. Spiky golden hair. A tight black tank top stretched over a lean, muscular frame. Tactical pants.
"I SAID IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" Xavier fired at the ground near his feet.
The man stopped laughing.
"I'll give you fifteen seconds to run." His golden eyes bore into Xavier's as lightning spawned around his body , his hair stood up , showing a tattoo on his forehead that resembled an eye cut in the middle.
"FUCK IT !" Xavier turned around and ran as fast as he could , he darted across the plains and into the cave he had came out of , he jumped through the portal and kept running as fast as he could , the plains blurred behind him.
"MALEK ! DO YOU COPY ! MALEK!" He touched his earbud
"Yes! Xavier you're alive! what's up?!" He replied cheerfully
"RUN! RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN TAKE EVERYTHING YOU CAN WITH YOU JUST RUN !!" Xavier was looking at the camps they had set up not far from the cave , about 50 people lived there, soldiers stopping the lurkers from getting further into the land.
Thunder exploded behind him "FIFTEEN!" A voice boomed across the plains.
Lightning streaked right past Xavier , hitting the first wall of defense , immediately an immense explosion lit up the camp.
"NOOOOOOO!!" Xavier shouted , rushing in despite the danger "MALEK ! ARE YOU OKAY?! MALEK!!" He shouted while pressing his earbud.
"..."
He rushed inside the campsite , the "houses" were just makeshift tents with equipment inside.
The wind was howling which only allowed the flames to swallow more tents , Men and Women were screaming all around , Someone tugged on Xavier's arm stopping him, a 15 year old new recruit "Xav' ! What's happening?!"
"KID YOU NEED TO RUN! GET AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE FOREST AND REACH A CITY , YOU CANT STOP EVEN FOR ONE SECOND!" Xavier clutched his shoulders "YOU NEED TO LIVE!"
The kid nodded and ran to the forest side , Xavier went through a burning tent and looked inside a metal container , his right arm was injured by the searing flames next to it.
He grabbed a weapon from the container , must like his blaster but longer in the shape of a semi-automatic rifle, he could hear thunder striking just outside the tent , the sound of blaster-shots mixed with it.
He bolted out of the tent with his new weapon and looked for his friend "MALEK! MALEK ARE YOU THERE?!" He searched every tent but couldn't find his friend , his eyes looked ahead and froze.
Malek was there.
The brown-skinned soldier hung helplessly off the ground, boots kicking weakly as a blond man crushed his throat in one hand. Malek's frame was solid, just under six feet, broad-shouldered and trained---but the fight was being pulled clean out of him.
His afro was matted with sweat and ash, his usual quiet composure gone, replaced with wide, panicked eyes beneath a black eyepatch. A scar cut across his right cheek.
Golden earrings shaped like crossed swords glinted at his ears, catching the firelight as he struggled.
"LET GO OF HIM !" He aimed the rifle at the man in front of him holding his friend by the throat , Malek was only a 6 months younger than him but Xavier felt like it was his duty to protect him, like a brother would. ²
His breathing steadied as he shouted once more "Let go of him, NOW."
Malek struggled , blood dripped from his mouth.
The blonde man didn't even spare Xavier a glance "Alright then." Xavier pressed the trigger , shooting multiple shots at his arm , After the 6th. Malek was dropped on the floor.
Xavier barely had the time to feel relief , his throat was the one that got grabbed in the next second , he felt the wind scream in his ears as he moved at high speeds , the man slammed him into the plains "I was gonna kill you last ! But since you insisted I'll do it now."
Xavier closed his eyes and gritted his teeth "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE ! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US."
The man stopped in his tracks like the question hit him in the head. "I have nothing against you humans, i'm doing this because i have to." he shrugged.
"YEAH RIGHT !" Xavier got back up. "You don't have a choice? Is that what you're saying?!"
"I wouldn't go that far." he brushed his hair with his hand "You're a soldier right?"
Xavier looked around for his weapon but he had dropped it at the camp , he exhaled and a thought came to mind "If i can hold him off long enough Malek can get away.."
"Yeah, i'm a soldier ! I came here to fight and kill monsters like you.. lurkers."
The boy grimaced "Did you just call me a Lurker?"
"Yeah.. you have powers , you're evil and kill people , you're a lurker."
He raised an eyebrow "That is the most ignorant comparison I've ever heard i'm sorry i'm gonna have to kill you for that one." His eyes lit up.
"A-AH ! SEE? GOLDEN LIKE THE-THE LURKERS!" Xavier tried keeping his composure.
The man closed his eyes and stopped, restraining himself. "OKAY STOP THAT."
"Just admit you're a Lurker you monster !"
"Monster? Okay ! i can get behind that" He started "BUT LURKER?? HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?"
"You came out from the same portal they did , you stayed in the same dimension.."
"Okay okay.. sit down for a second , i can't have you dying thinking this pretty face is a lurker." The man sat down and patted on the ground in front of him.
Xavier looked at the grass and exhaled , sitting down.
"Okay first of all , hello my name's Atlas, I am a Solarian."
"Soalarain?"
"SO-LA-RI-AN"
"Solarian? whats that?"
"Solarians are like humans but smarter , stronger, more durable and with Nexus.. basically you but better!"
"Psshh i mean i don't know about that.." Xavier fake-muttered.
"What?"
"Well I mean its obvious you're strong but its cause of your powers and stuff.. turn that off and i could defeat you EASILY."
Atlas blinked thrice "What."
"I mean no offense to you- but you don't look older than me and- wait how old are you?"
"18."
"See? I turned 19 a week ago.. and i can assure you i've had more hand to hand fights than you."
Atlas started rocking on the ground with his eyes closed "I'm.." he paused "Ah fuck it,lets fight." He sighed
"What..?" Xavier blinked twice "What do you mean?"
"I wanna show you how much weaker you are compared to me." He cracked his knuckles.
Xavier had been bluffing , that much was obvious even to Atlas , he expected a quick death from infuriating the man, not a fight.
He gulped "Alright then!" he got up and took a deep breath. "Rules?"
"Fight to the death , you give the the first hit." Atlas cracked his neck , his eyes stayed brown this time.
Xavier exhaled slowly and stepped forward.
His stance was low, balanced, practiced. He crossed the distance in a burst, boot skimming the grass as his hips turned into a tight right hook.
The punch landed flush against Atlas's jaw with a sharp crack that echoed across the plains.
Atlas absorbed it without shifting his feet.
The impact rattled up Xavier's arm, bone screaming under the strain. Atlas's head turned a fraction, then returned to center.
"Honestly" Atlas said, voice calm, "not bad."
Xavier pulled back immediately. Atlas moved.
He dropped low in a blur and swept at Xavier's legs. Xavier jumped, but the timing was off. The kick clipped his ankle and sent him crashing onto his back, breath tearing from his lungs. Before he could roll away, Atlas was already over him, fist descending.
Xavier twisted aside. The blow cratered the ground where his head had been. He snapped his legs up and locked them around Atlas's arm, wrenching hard, trying to force a break.
Atlas lifted his arm.
Xavier rose with it, suspended off the ground. Atlas turned and flung him away. Xavier hit the dirt hard and skidded across the grass, body tumbling until he came to a stop on his side.
Atlas closed the distance again.
A right punch tore past Xavier's face. He ducked the follow-up and slid back, barely avoiding a rising strike that shaved the air above his head. Atlas flowed into the motion, spun, and drove a backhand into Xavier's skull.
The impact launched him across the field. He rolled, head ringing, blood streaming from his nose as he struggled back to his feet.
Atlas advanced without urgency.
Xavier rushed in again, cutting inside Atlas's reach. His foot snapped upward between Atlas's legs. The kick landed clean on his nuts.
Atlas staggered back a step.
Xavier followed with another kick, then a third, each strike sharp and desperate. Atlas bent slightly, breath forced from his lungs. His expression tightened, more surprised than angry.
"You humans fight dirty" he said.
Xavier retreated, shoulders rising and falling as he searched for an opening. Atlas straightened slowly. The air around him began to vibrate.
Lightning crawled along his arm, coiling around his fist. The ground beneath his feet darkened and split.
Atlas stepped forward and drove his fist into Xavier's chest.
The impact lifted Xavier off the ground. Electricity ripped through his body, locking his muscles and flooding his senses with white heat. He was thrown backward, skidding across the grass before coming to rest in the dirt.
Atlas lowered his arm as the lightning faded.
Xavier lay motionless on the floor, blood spilling freely from his mouth and pooling beneath his cheek.
"Ah..." he rasped weakly. "Kill me.. I'm not.. afraid of death." he looked into Atlas' eyes, for an instant.
Atlas looked back at him , frowning "His eyes.. did I accidentally awaken him?"
Xavier's eyes were glowing white.
Atlas took one step and blitzed , impaling Xavier's chest with his palm.
Xavier's eyes closed.
The ringing in his ears stretched on endlessly, a high-pitched whine that swallowed every other sound.
Then..
Nothing.
His sight vanished, his sensations disappeared. His body no longer felt attached to his soul.
And yet--
He was still there.
His heart was gone, his breath gone, but his mind remained awake, drifting in a vast, hollow void. Voices echoed through the darkness, distant and layered, as though spoken from another realm entirely.
"I have to break the sacred flame cycle."
"She's coming back..?"
"There is still a chance for the world of the mortals to survive."
"With your flames?"
"Yes..I'll give it the power of Three suns instead of One."
"I trust you.."
"I will let the flames choose who is worthy of bearing their power."
---------------
Atlas stood with his back to the fallen body.
Xavier lay crumpled in the dirt behind him, unmoving, blood soaking into the grass beneath his face.
He opened his hand.
A heart rested in his palm.
Still faintly contracting, nerves spasming as traces of lightning crawled across it. Blood slid down his wrist and fell in thick drops, hissing softly when they struck the scorched ground.
He regarded it for a moment, unreadable.
Malek was a few feet away , knees to the ground, crying. Every teardrop turned into steam as it touched the ground, he couldn't speak , he felt weak.
The air shuddered.
A distant roar rolled across the plains, low and mechanical, growing rapidly louder. Atlas lifted his head just as the ground detonated several dozen meters away.
The earth ruptured.
Stone, dirt, and fire blasted upward as something massive slammed down from above, the impact sending a shockwave rippling through the field. Grass flattened instantly, debris peppering the battlefield.
From the churning dust rose a towering shape.
A spider-like mech unfolded from its landing posture, four reinforced legs anchoring into the ground before shifting and locking into a humanoid configuration.
Auxiliary limbs folded along its back like dormant weapons. Black armor plates lined its frame, jagged and angular, streaked with glowing orange seams that pulsed like heated veins.
At its center burned a single white visor.
Emblazoned across its chest plate-
The emblem of the Spark Empire.
Joints hissed as it straightened to its full height, nearly ten feet tall, the ground cracked beneath its feet.
Inside the mech, A pilot.
He wore a mech-like combat suit , it was sleek, compact, and bristling with control cables that linked to the machine, mimicking each movement he made.
The suit's armor mirrored the same black-and-orange design, smaller thrusters burning briefly along their calves as they rose to their feet.
The mech shifted subtly, responding to the pilot's movements like an extension of their body.
Malek stared.
His breath caught in his throat as his eyes darted between the towering war machine... and Atlas.
Then his gaze fell to Atlas's hand.
To the heart.
"Kill him.." Malek whispered.
His legs trembled as rage and disbelief crashed through him all at once. His hand clenched around the hilt of his machete so tightly his knuckles went white.
"KILL THAT BASTARD !" His voice broke.
The pilot took a step forward. The mech mirrored the movement, heavy foot sinking into the soil with a thunderous thud.
Targeting systems came online. Energy signatures spiked.
Malek swallowed hard, eyes burning.
"You came late,"he said hoarsely, never looking away from Atlas. "But you have to make this right.."
Across the field, Atlas slowly curled his fingers, blood squeezing between them as he closed his fist around Xavier's heart.
Then he looked up.
And met the mech's glowing visor.
"You're under arrest in the name of the Spark Empire , put your hands up , this is your only warning before we're forced to use force."
Atlas smirked , he dropped Xavier's heart on the ground and stomped on it. "Lets have some fun then." his hair rose up again.
The pilot inside nodded. "These solarians.."
Atlas vanished.
The moment lightning detonated beneath his feet, the ground imploded where he had stood. The mech's targeting systems screamed as Atlas crossed the distance in a blur of white-gold light.
The pilot reacted on instinct.
Thrusters flared. The mech twisted hard, Atlas's fist missed the cockpit by less than a meter and slammed into the mech's shoulder instead.
Metal screamed.
The impact dented the armor plating , sending shards spinning through the air. The mech skidded sideways, feet carving trenches into the dirt before stabilizers slammed down and locked it in place.
The pilot didn't hesitate, his armor glowed slightly , he was powering the mech. "Return to sender."
He raised his arm inside the cockpit , the Mech followed.
A forearm-mounted cannon unfolded mid-motion and fired point-blank.
A beam of energy struck Atlas square in the chest and detonated, hurling him backward across the field in a rolling explosion of fire and debris.
Atlas hit the ground hard. Then laughed.
He sprang to his feet, lightning snapping violently around his limbs. "Nexus combined with the Human's technology I heard so much about.." he said, cracking his neck. "No wonder you decided to colonize this planet!"
He lunged again.
This time the mech met him head-on.
The pilot dropped the mech's center of gravity , his armor glowing as he went in for an overhand, hydraulics roared but Atlas ducked under a swinging metal fist, vaulted up the mech's torso, and drove a lightning-coated kick into its visor.
The blow staggered the machine backward, sparks bursting across its faceplate. Warning symbols flooded the pilot's HUD as visual sensors flickered.
Before Atlas could follow up, the mech's auxiliary limbs snapped open.
Two spider-like arms shot forward, wrapping around Atlas's torso and slamming him into the ground with bone-crushing force.
The impact cratered the earth beneath him.
"Pinned you down." the pilot muttered, straining. "Engaging-"
Lightning erupted.
The auxiliary limbs shattered as Atlas exploded upward, electricity tearing through the mech's systems.
The blast sent the machine stumbling, joints locking up as the pilot's energy rerouted to keep it standing.
Atlas appeared in front of it again in an instant.
He drove both fists into the mech's abdomen.
Once.
Twice.
Each strike dented reinforced plating , shockwaves rippling through the frame. The pilot felt the blows through the suit, teeth rattling as internal dampeners struggled to compensate.
"Structural integrity at 67%," the system warned.
The pilot clenched their jaw. "Shut up.. I.. GOT THIS!"
The mech's knee rocketed upward, catching Atlas under the ribs and launching him into the air. Before he could recover, the mech spun and delivered a full-force backhand, swatting Atlas across the field like a missile.
Atlas slammed into a ridge of stone, pulverizing it.
Dust hung in the air.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Malek dared to breathe.
Then lightning split the sky.
Atlas burst from the rubble, eyes blazing golden now, power surging from his skin.
He slammed into the mech with a shoulder charge that toppled it completely, the machine crashing onto its back.
Atlas climbed onto its chest.
"You don't even know the extent of what nexus can REALLY do !" he said casually, planting one foot over the cockpit. "Real nexus users don't need technology, but you wouldn't know.. You're just a human."
He raised a lightning imbued fist.
The pilot grinned grimly under his suit. "Yeah.. but I got you right where I wanted you."
The mech's chest plate opened outward and then..
Atlas's eyes widened just as gravity reversed.
An energy pulse slammed into him, pinning him mid-air as the mech's thrusters roared to life. The pilot rolled the machine forward, crushing Atlas into the ground beneath its weight.
The mech planted both hands down and fired nexus energy through its palms..
Atlas disappeared beneath a storm of force that tore the ground apart. Lightning flared wildly in response, but the mech held him there.
"Pilot's energy is rapidly depleting" the system warned.
The pilot exhaled sharply. "Yeah like I can't feel it.."
With a final surge, the mech leapt backward, barely clearing the blast radius as the ground where Atlas lay collapsed inward, swallowed by a glowing crater.
The pilot steadied the mech, smoke pouring from its joints.
Silence fell again.
This time, heavier.
Malek stared at the smoking crater, hope clawing weakly into his chest.
Deep within the crater, lightning still flickered.
Then it exploded outward.
Atlas rose into the air, electricity spiraling around his body like living chains. His clothes hung in tatters, his hair scorched and uneven, skin marked with fresh burns that already began to fade.
"I-"he rolled his shoulders lazily, "not bad."
His golden eyes swept over the mech.
"I wanna fight you again," Atlas said, yawning. "Another day."
The lightning tightened around him.
"I'm going home."
In less than a second, he vanished, lightning streaking as he reappeared at the mouth of the distant cave, then disappeared inside it completely.
For a long moment, no one moved.
The pilot exhaled sharply, hands shaking inside the cockpit grips. Then his gaze snapped to the ground.
To Xavier.
The mech strode forward carefully, every step slower now, deliberate. The pilot knelt the machine beside the broken body and reached down, reinforced fingers closing gently around Xavier's torso.
The mech lifted him.
Xavier was weightless. Too still.
The pilot pulled him into the mech's open chest compartment -not the cockpit- laying him across the internal cradle. Diagnostics flared uselessly- no pulse, no respiration, no cardiac activity.
Dead.
The pilot swallowed , clenching his fist. "Too late.. again."
Then.. Light
A white flame ignited in Xavier's chest.
The pilot froze where he stood.
The hole where his heart had been torn away began to seal, edges glowing with strong, radiant fire.
Bone knitted. Flesh reformed. The flames didn't burn him but mended his body back together.
The pilot's breath hitched.
"...What the hell—"
The flame flared brighter.
The pilot stumbled backward inside the cockpit, heart pounding. His heel caught on a console and he fell hard against the rear frame.
"What the HELL IS THIS !"
The flame vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
Xavier's chest lay whole again, his breath slowly returning.
The pilot didn't wait.
He slammed the emergency release and dropped from the mech, he rushed back to Xavier's body, arms sliding under him and lifting him out with shaking hands.
He was warm, too warm for a dead body.
The wind hit them like a wall.
A deep, overwhelming hum rolled across the sky as shadows swallowed the battlefield. Malek looked up, eyes wide.
A colossal battleship emerged from the clouds, its bulk blotting out the sun. Engines thundered, rotors and the same energy Malek had been feeling on his skin for the entire day churning the air into violent spirals. Dust, ash, and debris were ripped from the ground and hurled outward.
Spotlights snapped on.
Five figures descended from the ship in controlled drops, white and silver armor gleaming as stabilizers slowed their fall. They landed in a semicircle, medical insignia flickering red faintly across their chests.
"Medical team on Resistance soil." one of them said calmly.
They moved fast.
One knelt beside Xavier immediately, scanners sweeping over him. Another reached Malek, gripping his shoulders as his knees buckled.
"Easy," the medic said. "You're safe."
Malek barely heard them. His eyes stayed locked on Xavier.
"He- His heart it was.." his voice broke.
"We'll take care of him, don't worry." the medic replied quietly.
A stretcher deployed in seconds. Xavier was transferred with practiced precision, stabilizers locking around his body.
Malek was guided alongside him.
"You're coming too,"another medic assured him, helping him to his feet. "Both of you are coming with us to the Spark empire , thank you for trusting us."
To be continued or summlikedat