Darkness.
Then—
sound.
A distant impact.
Metal bending.
Something tearing through the facility.
Akane's eyes snapped open.
His body didn't move at first.
Heavy.
Damaged.
Barely functional.
Then—
another sound.
Closer.
A scream—
cut short.
Akane forced himself up.
Slow.
Unstable.
"It's not over?" he muttered.
The chamber around him—
was no longer silent.
The walls trembled.
Something was inside the walls.
Not one.
Many.
Then—
a door somewhere down the corridor burst open.
A distorted shriek echoed through the halls.
Infected.
Akane's gaze sharpened instantly.
"So... they got in"
No time.
No rest.
He moved.
Each step heavier than the last—
but still moving.
The hallway outside was worse.
Flickering lights.
Blood smeared across the floor.
Doors torn open.
Bodies—
not still.
Some twitched.
Some moved.
Akane didn't stop to check.
He already knew.
Another shriek.
Closer now.
Fast.
Akane turned—
An infected lunged from the side corridor.
He stepped back—
barely—
its claws scraping past his chest.
Too close.
Too fast.
Akane shoved it aside and kept moving.
He wasn't here to fight.
He was here—
for something.
That feeling again.
Pulling him back.
Toward the chamber.
Toward the armor.
He turned the final corner—
and froze.
The main chamber.
Open.
But different.
The armor-
was gone.
In its place—
something small rested on the floor.
Compact.
Angular.
Metallic black.
Akane stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
It wasn't just debris.
It was—
the armor.
Condensed.
Transformed.
A wearable device.
Not quite a watch.
Not quite anything familiar.
At its center—
a triangular core.
Faintly glowing blue.
Pulsing.
Like it was alive.
"Wow, at this pace we could leave the aurellia system" Akane said quietly.
A sound behind him.
He didn't turn.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Fast.
Closing in.
No time.
Akane picked it up.
The moment it touched his hand—
it reacted.
The blue light pulsed stronger.
Recognizing him.
Accepting him.
A shriek—
right behind him now.
Akane turned—
Three infected rushed in at once.
No space.
No time.
He ran.
Back through the corridor.
Dodging—
weaving—
barely avoiding their strikes.
His breathing grew heavier.
His body slowing.
Not enough.
He looked down at the device.
"How do I use this?"
No response.
No instructions.
Just the faint pulse of light.
Another infected dropped in front of him.
Cutting him off.
Akane stopped.
Turned.
More behind him.
Trapped.
"Great."
His grip tightened.
His eyes locked onto the triangle.
Instinct.
Nothing else.
He tapped it once.
Nothing.
The infected lunged—
He tapped it again.
The world—
shifted.
A sharp mechanical sound echoed across his body.
CLICK.
The device expanded instantly.
Segments unfolded across his arm—
spreading—
moving—
fast.
Too fast to follow.
Black plating surged across his body.
Locking into place piece by piece.
Arms.
Chest.
Legs.
Spine.
Helmet forming last—
sealing with a sharp hiss.
The blue glow ignited.
Visor.
Clear.
Cold.
Alive.
Akane stood still.
For a split second—
everything stopped.
Then—
data flooded in.
Movement prediction.
Threat analysis.
Environmental scan.
His breathing stabilized instantly.
His vision sharpened.
His body—
felt lighter.
Stronger.
Complete.
The infected reached him.
Too late.
Akane moved.
Not like before.
Faster.
Cleaner.
He stepped forward—
grabbed the first one—
and slammed it into the wall hard enough to crack it.
The second lunged—
He turned—
struck—
precise—
its body dropped instantly.
The third hesitated—
just for a moment.
Akane didn't.
He closed the distance.
Ended it.
Silence.
Again.
But different now.
Controlled.
Akane stood there.
Still.
The blue visor dimmed slightly.
"This baby is smooth" he muttered.
No strain.
No delay.
Everything—
felt natural.
Like it was always his.
More movement in the distance.
More infected.
Drawn by the noise.
Akane turned toward the corridor.
No hesitation.
This time—
he didn't run.