The city changed the moment they left the core.
Not dramatically.
Not violently.
But subtly.
Like something had shifted beneath the surface.
Kain noticed it immediately.
The light behind him—the glow from the core chamber—faded faster than it should have. The further he walked, the dimmer the surrounding structures became, as if the city's energy didn't simply run out—
But chose not to follow.
"…That's not just low power," Kain said quietly.
Beside him, Lia moved at a steady pace, her expression unchanged.
"Correct."
"Explain."
"Energy distribution is currently limited to primary administrative zones."
Kain glanced around.
"So everything outside that…"
"…is effectively dead."
"Yes."
Kain exhaled slowly.
"Great."
"Half a city I can't use."
"And eight minutes until company arrives."
"Seven," Lia corrected.
"…Even better."
They descended into a lower industrial sector.
The architecture shifted here.
Less vertical.
More functional.
Massive skeletal frames of machinery loomed over the streets—conveyor systems frozen mid-motion, assembly arms locked in place, production lines buried under dust and silence.
This wasn't a city district.
This was a factory complex.
Kain slowed.
"…If this place comes online…"
"It will enable large-scale production," Lia said.
"Autonomous units. Defensive systems. Structural expansion."
Kain nodded.
"So this is step two."
"Yes."
He stepped forward.
The ground beneath his boots was layered metal—smooth in some places, scarred in others. Long strips of inactive conduits ran along the floor, dark and lifeless.
Too quiet.
Kain stopped.
"…You feel that?"
"Yes."
Lia's gaze shifted slightly.
"Environmental anomaly detected."
Kain's eyes narrowed.
"Define anomaly."
"Sound deviation."
Silence stretched.
Then—
A faint scraping noise echoed through the distance.
Metal against metal.
Slow.
Irregular.
Kain didn't move.
"…That's not the city."
"No."
The sound came again.
Closer this time.
From somewhere ahead.
Or above.
Or—
Behind?
Kain turned sharply.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
The weak light from the active zone barely reached this far, leaving the deeper structures in shadow.
"Lia."
"Yes."
"This sector…"
He gestured around them.
"…was it secured before collapse?"
A brief pause.
Then—
"Negative."
Kain's jaw tightened.
"…Meaning?"
"Unknown biological presence probability: high."
Kain let out a quiet breath.
"Of course."
The sound came again.
Louder.
Closer.
A shape shifted in the darkness between two collapsed assembly frames.
Kain's hand tightened instinctively, grabbing a loose piece of metal from the ground.
"Please don't be—"
It stepped into the light.
Kain froze.
At first, his brain refused to process what he was seeing.
It looked mechanical.
Then organic.
Then neither.
A twisted frame of metal—like the remains of a broken machine—fused together with dark, pulsing tissue. Cables hung from its body like exposed veins. Parts of its structure moved independently, as if the mechanical and biological halves didn't fully agree on how it should exist.
Two red optical lenses flickered to life.
And locked onto him.
Kain whispered—
"…That's not normal."
"Classification: Ruin Beast," Lia said.
"Hostile entity."
"No kidding."
The creature took a step forward.
Then another.
Its movements were jerky.
Unstable.
But fast.
Too fast.
Kain backed up slowly.
"Tell me we have defenses."
"Limited."
"Define limited."
"One operational turret within range."
Kain blinked.
"…One?"
"Yes."
Kain let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Alright."
"Let's hope it's a good one."
The Ruin Beast let out a sound.
Not a roar.
Not a scream.
Something in between.
Metal grinding.
Bone cracking.
A sound that didn't belong in any living throat.
Then—
It lunged.
Kain moved instantly.
"Now!"
The ground beside him shifted.
Metal plates split apart.
A compact turret rose from beneath the surface, unfolding with precise mechanical motion.
TARGET LOCK
The cannon fired.
The explosion was deafening.
The Ruin Beast was torn apart mid-air, fragments scattering across the ground in a spray of broken metal and dark matter.
Silence.
For half a second.
Kain exhaled sharply.
"…That's—"
The sound came again.
Not one.
Multiple.
Kain turned.
The darkness moved.
Red lights flickered to life.
One.
Two.
Five.
More.
Shapes emerged from the shadows, their twisted forms reflecting faint light as they crawled, staggered, or walked toward him.
Kain stared.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Lia's voice remained calm.
"Hostile count increasing."
The creatures spread out.
Surrounding.
Closing distance.
The single turret rotated, tracking targets.
Kain took a slow step back.
"Okay."
"New plan."
"What plan?"
"We don't die."
The creatures advanced.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Hungry.
Kain's grip tightened.
His mind raced.
Environment.
Energy lines.
Structures.
Anything.
Then—
His eyes snapped downward.
The conduits.
Dark.
Inactive.
But still connected.
"Lia."
"Yes."
"Those energy lines."
"Can we overload them?"
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
Kain's eyes sharpened.
"Good."
The creatures lunged.
Kain stepped forward instead of back.
"Do it."
The city responded.
Energy surged.
The ground lit up.
And the darkness—
Exploded.