The Architect's Daughter
1178 Words
The purple wind was so strong it felt like it was peeling the skin off Xin’s face. Every step toward the woman with the porcelain skin felt like walking through deep mud. Behind him, he could hear Mei screaming his name, but her voice sounded like it was miles away.
The woman—the Architect’s Daughter—didn't move. She just watched him with those hollow, purple eyes. Around her, the "zombies" were being sucked into the vortex, disappearing into nothingness with silent mouths.
"You’re fighting for a grave, little spark," she said. Her voice was cold, like ice cubes hitting a glass. "This city is already dead. Why do you hold on?"
Xin didn't answer. He couldn't. His throat felt like it was full of sand. He looked at his hands. They were shaking. He was terrified. He wasn't a soldier; he was a nineteen-year-old kid who was supposed to be eating noodles and complaining about the heat.
"Warning," the Engine hissed. "Enemy Level: Unknown. Power gap: Critical. Suggest immediate retreat."
Shut up, Xin thought. I’m not leaving them.
He forced his fingers to curl into a fist. The Star-Steel inside his blood began to hum. A thin layer of silver armor spread across his chest, but it was cracking under the pressure of the purple wind.
"Xin! Look out!" Captain Han’s voice roared.
The woman raised a hand. A jagged shard of purple crystal grew out of the ground, flying toward Xin’s heart like a spear. Xin didn't have time to dodge. He threw his arms up.
CLANG.
The crystal hit his silver gauntlet and shattered, but the force sent him flying backward. He hit a brick wall so hard he heard something pop in his shoulder. Pain exploded in his vision.
"Xin!" Mei ran toward him, but a wave of purple energy pushed her back. She fell hard on the pavement, her wrench skidding away.
Seeing Mei hit the ground did something to Xin. The fear didn't go away, but a hot, sharp anger sliced right through it. He looked at the woman. She was smiling. She thought this was a game.
"Don't... touch... her," Xin wheezed.
He stood up. The silver mark on his chest wasn't just pulsing now; it was burning. He felt the Hydro-Drive from the ocean and the Gravity Reset from the Spire swirling together in his gut.
[Sync Rate: 95%]
[Level 20 Unlocked: The Guardian.]
Suddenly, the pressure changed. The purple wind didn't push him anymore. Xin felt light—not like he was falling, but like the ground didn't matter. Two wings made of white, liquid light burst from his back. They weren't bird wings; they were long ribbons of energy that cut through the purple fog.
The woman’s smile vanished. "What is this? You are a Level 10 bug. You cannot have the wings of a Commander."
"I don't care what you call them," Xin said. His voice was steady now. He felt a strange calm, like the eye of a storm.
He launched himself forward. He was so fast he looked like a bolt of lightning. The woman threw more crystals, but Xin didn't dodge. He flew straight through them, his wings shattering the purple glass into dust.
He reached her. He grabbed her by her porcelain neck and slammed her into the base of the Spire. The building groaned.
"Stop the vortex," Xin ordered.
"Never," she hissed. She raised both hands, and a giant explosion of purple light threw Xin into the air.
He did a backflip and landed on a floating chunk of the bridge. He looked down. The vortex was getting bigger. It was starting to eat the Spire itself. If he didn't stop it now, the whole city would be gone in minutes.
"Host," the Engine whispered. "To stop the vortex, you must use the 'Gravity Crush' on the core itself. But it will drain every bit of energy you have. You will be Level 0 again. You will be defenseless."
Xin looked at Mei. She was standing up, looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He looked at Han, who was helping a "zombie" who had just woken up.
He didn't want to be Level 0. He loved the feeling of the light in his veins. He loved not being the "weak kid" anymore. But as he looked at the thousands of people screaming in the streets, he knew what he had to do.
"Do it," Xin said.
He flew to the very center of the purple vortex. He felt the energy trying to tear his limbs off. He spread his arms wide, his white wings glowing so bright they turned the purple sky to midday white.
"GRAVITY... CRUSH!"
The world turned into a single, deafening sound. Xin felt a massive weight pull on his soul. He pushed every bit of his life, his memories, and his silver light into the center of the hole.
The vortex fought back. It screamed. But Xin’s light was stronger. It was the light of a kid who had worked every day for a bowl of soup. It was the light of a friend who wouldn't leave his partner.
POP.
The vortex vanished. The purple fog evaporated. The "zombies" fell to the ground, breathing again. The upside-down buildings stayed where they were, frozen in place, no longer falling.
Xin felt the light leave him. The wings disappeared. The silver armor melted away. The mark on his chest went dark and cold.
He fell.
He hit the ground like a sack of bricks. He couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't even lift his head. He was just Xin again. A tired, broken window cleaner.
Steps ran toward him. Mei slid on her knees to his side, pulling his head into her lap.
"Xin! Xin, speak to me!" she was sobbing, her tears hitting his dusty face.
"Is... is it gone?" Xin whispered. His voice was tiny.
"Yes," Han said, standing over them. He looked up at the sky, which was finally turning back to its normal, smoggy grey. "You did it, kid. You saved the whole damn city."
The woman—the Architect’s Daughter—was gone. She had vanished when the vortex collapsed. But Xin knew she wasn't dead. He could feel a tiny, dark spark in the distance, watching them.
Xin closed his eyes. He felt a deep, hollow emptiness in his chest where the Engine used to hum. He was Level 0. He had no powers. He was just a boy in a ruined city.
"Mei," Xin muttered.
"I’m here," she squeezed his hand.
"I think... I need to learn how to fight for real now," he said. "Without the magic."
Mei laughed through her tears and kissed his forehead. "Yeah. We’re going to teach you everything."
- Writer
