Blind Fate
1294 Words
The parking garage was pitch black. The only light came from the faint, dying glow of the bike’s engine and the silver mark on Xin’s chest.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound was everywhere. It bounced off the concrete walls, making it impossible to tell where the creature was. Beside him, Mei was breathing hard, her wrench scraping against the floor.
"Xin, it’s behind the pillar!" she hissed, swinging wildly. Her metal wrench hit stone, sending sparks into the air, but the monster wasn't there.
"Mei, stop!" Xin shouted. "You’re just making noise for it to follow."
"Host," the cool voice in his head whispered. "The Sound-Eater vibrates the air before it strikes. Stop looking with your eyes. Feel the vibration through the Engine."
Xin took a deep breath. He did something that felt completely insane: he closed his eyes.
"Xin? What are you doing? Open your eyes!" Mei’s voice was panicked.
Xin ignored her. He blocked out the fear. He blocked out the smell of damp moss. He focused entirely on the silver light inside his veins. Suddenly, the world changed. Even with his eyes shut, he "saw" ripples in the air. It was like dropping a stone into a still pond.
To his left, a ripple moved. To his right, another. Then, directly above him, a massive distortion in the air expanded.
The creature dropped.
Xin didn't move until he felt the wind of its claws. At the last second, he leaned back. The invisible glass spider slammed into the concrete where he had been standing.
[Sync Rate: 85%]
"I see you," Xin whispered.
He didn't wait for it to jump again. He reached out, not with his fist, but with his will. He felt the heat of the creature—a small, burning core of energy inside its invisible body. He lunged forward and grabbed what felt like a cold, jagged leg.
"Burst!" Xin roared.
A flash of thermal energy exploded from his hand. It wasn't a push this time; it was heat. The invisible monster suddenly caught fire, its body turning a bright, glowing orange as the flames revealed its shape. It looked like a nightmare made of shards of glass.
The creature shrieked and dissolved into ash.
[Level 3 Unlocked: Thermal Sight.]
[New Passive Ability: Pulse Sense.]
Xin opened his eyes. The world looked different now. Even in the dark, he could see heat signatures. Mei was a bright orange shape. The walls were a dull blue. And deep underground, beneath the garage floor, he saw a massive network of glowing yellow veins.
"You... you actually did it," Mei said, lowering her wrench. She looked at him like he was a stranger. "You fought that thing with your eyes shut. Who are you, really?"
Xin looked at his hands. They were shaking. "I'm still just Xin. I'm just... learning how to not die."
"Well, learn faster," Mei said, trying to regain her tough attitude. "Look."
She pointed to the floor where the monster had died. A small, glowing purple crystal was sitting in the ash. Mei picked it up with her pliers.
"An Earth-6 Core," she whispered. "This is what powers their tech. If we get enough of these, I can upgrade my bike—and maybe even build you a suit that doesn't look like rags."
"We don't have time for shopping, Mei," Xin said, his Thermal Sight twitching. "Something big is coming."
Through the walls of the garage, Xin saw a massive heat signature approaching. It wasn't an animal. It was a machine. A squad of Earth-6 soldiers—not Elementals, but humans wearing alien armor—were marching down the street.
"Collaborators," Mei spat. "Humans who went over to the other side as soon as the first meteor hit. They hunt for the Resistance in exchange for alien food and medicine."
Xin felt a knot of anger in his stomach. "How could they help the people who are destroying their own city?"
"Fear makes people do ugly things, Xin," a new voice said.
A section of the garage wall suddenly slid sideways. It wasn't a door; it was a clever piece of camouflage. A man stepped out, wearing a tattered military jacket and a mask. Behind him stood a dozen men and women armed with old rifles and makeshift spears.
"Grandpa?" Mei gasped.
"Not quite, little bird," the man said, pulling off his mask. He was scarred and old, but his eyes were sharp. "I’m Captain Han. Your grandfather was my teacher. And I’m guessing this is the 'Spark' everyone is talking about?"
He looked at Xin’s glowing chest. There was no wonder in his eyes, only a heavy sadness.
"You're the reason my city is a graveyard, kid," Han said.
Xin flinched. The words hurt more than the fall from the building. "I didn't ask for this."
"None of us did," Han replied, softening his voice just a little. "But you’re here now. And the Elementals just finished the spire. They’re starting the 'Reverse' protocol. In three hours, they’re going to flip the gravity of this city. Everything—buildings, cars, people—will be sucked up into the fortress to be processed into energy."
Xin looked at the ceiling, thinking of the thousands of people still hiding in their homes. "We have to stop it."
"We can't," Han said. "Not without a Level 10 core. And the only Level 10 core is inside the spire, guarded by the Elemental General."
"Host," the voice in Xin’s head interrupted. "The Captain is correct. To save the city, you must reach Level 5 to survive the spire's radiation, and Level 10 to command the Engine."
"How do I get to Level 10 in three hours?" Xin asked the air.
The Resistance soldiers looked at each other, confused. Mei stepped forward. "He’s talking to the Engine. It tells him how to upgrade."
Captain Han looked at Xin for a long time. Finally, he handed Xin a heavy, metallic glove. "This was your grandfather's, Mei. It’s an Earth-6 conductor. It can hold a charge."
"If you want to level up," Han continued, turning back to Xin, "there’s a supply depot two blocks from here. The Elementals are storing 'Evolution Fluid' there to feed their soldiers. If you take it, you might grow. If you fail, you'll explode."
Xin took the glove. It felt heavy and cold. He looked at Mei, then at the scarred Captain. He thought about the window he was cleaning just this morning. It felt like a lifetime ago.
"Show me the way," Xin said.
As they moved through the secret tunnels toward the depot, Xin felt the silver mark on his chest pulsing faster. The world was changing, and he was the only one with the key to turn it back. But as they reached the end of the tunnel, a loud explosion rocked the ground.
The ceiling collapsed, separating Xin and Mei from the Resistance soldiers. Through the dust, a figure emerged. It wasn't a soldier. It was an Elemental, but it was twice as large as the ones before, and it was holding Old Chen by the throat.
"Xin!" Chen gasped, his face blue. "Run!"
The Elemental smiled, its fiery eyes locking onto Xin. "The General said you were a coward. Let’s see if you’ll watch your friend die, or if you'll give us the heart."
Xin’s vision turned red. The silver light in his chest didn't just glow—it screamed.
- Writer
