Cold.
That was the first thing Nyra felt.
Cold metal beneath her.
Cold air around her.
Cold fear creeping into her chest.
Her eyes opened slowly.
The room was unfamiliar—walls made of steel, glowing panels flickering with strange symbols, and a low humming sound that never stopped.
Her body felt heavy.
Weak.
Wrong.
She tried to move—
Pain shot through her instantly.
A device around her wrist pulsed with light.
Nyra gasped.
"What… is this…?"
"It's called control."
The voice came from the shadows.
Nyra's head snapped up.
A man stepped forward slowly.
Not dressed like the hunters.
No armor.
No weapons.
But his presence—
It was worse.
Calm.
Confident.
Dangerous in a completely different way.
Nyra's heart raced.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The man stopped a few steps away, studying her with clear interest.
"Someone who's been waiting for you," he said.
Nyra's eyes narrowed.
"I don't even know you."
He smiled faintly.
"But I know you."
A chill ran through her.
"You're Nyra Vale," he continued. "The girl who wasn't supposed to exist."
Her breath caught.
"What does that mean?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"It means," he said, "you are something this world tried to erase a long time ago."
Nyra's chest tightened.
"An Origin…" she whispered.
His smile widened slightly.
"So you've heard the name."
Nyra swallowed.
"What do you want from me?"
The man didn't hesitate.
"Your power."
Her body went cold.
"I don't even have it anymore," she said quickly.
"That's where you're wrong."
He gestured toward the glowing panels around the room.
Nyra followed his gaze—
And froze.
Energy pulsed through the screens.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Her power.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"You're… using it…"
The man nodded calmly.
"Extracting it," he corrected.
Nyra's heart slammed violently.
"How is that possible?!"
The man stepped closer.
"Because your power doesn't belong to you," he said.
Silence.
Then—
"It belongs to what created you."
Nyra shook her head.
"No… that's not true…"
"Isn't it?" he asked.
Before she could respond—
A sharp pain ripped through her body.
Nyra screamed.
The device on her wrist glowed brighter.
The machines responded instantly.
Energy surged—
Pulling something out of her.
Her power.
Nyra's body arched in pain.
"STOP—!"
The man watched calmly.
Unmoved.
Unbothered.
"This is only the beginning," he said.
Nyra's vision blurred.
Her strength fading rapidly.
"Why… are you doing this…?" she gasped.
The man's expression darkened slightly.
"Because if we don't control you," he said,
"You'll destroy everything."