The city went dark.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to make people notice.
Enough to make Neo-Eden hesitate.
For the first time in years, the lights flickered without permission.
Neon signs sputtered. Sky-lanes stalled. Drones froze mid-air like insects trapped in amber.
And at the center of it all—
Zora Voss stood trembling.
"Ghh—!"
She dropped to one knee, clutching her head as violet energy spiraled violently around her arm.
It wasn't stable anymore.
It wasn't controlled.
It was… spilling.
REWRITE PROTOCOL INITIATED
CORE LINK… UNSTABLE
HOST DETECTED
"Shut up…!" Zora hissed, gripping her skull tighter. "Get out of my head—!"
Across from her, Commander Seraphine didn't move.
But her eyes narrowed.
"…so it's true."
Rain slid down her face, unbothered by the storm.
"You're connected to the Core."
Zora let out a strained laugh.
"Yeah? Are you just figuring that out?"
She pushed herself up slowly, her body shaking—but her eyes burned brighter than before.
"You wanna explain it to me while we're at it?"
Seraphine raised her mechanical arm again. The blade reformed—this time sharper, brighter, more dangerous.
"No."
A step forward.
"You'll either be restrained and studied."
Another step.
"…or eliminated."
Zora exhaled.
"Right. Of course."
She rolled her shoulders, though her movements were slightly off now—like her body was lagging behind her mind like a video game.
"Guess we're still doing this."
Seraphine vanished first.
CRACK—!
The rooftop split as her blade slammed down.
Zora barely dodged—rolling to the side as sparks and debris exploded upward.
She pushed herself off the ground—
But her vision warped.
The world doubled.
Tripled.
"—what the…?"
Seraphine was already on her again.
A clean, brutal strike—
SLASH—!
Zora raised her arm—
Too slow.
The blade cut across her side.
Blood sprayed.
She staggered back.
"…tch—"
Her breathing grew uneven.
The energy around her flickered erratically.
"You're deteriorating," Seraphine said calmly.
She advanced again, measured, relentless.
"Your synchronization is unstable. You'll burn out."
Zora wiped blood from her mouth.
"Maybe."
She smirked.
"…but not before I break something."
She stepped forward—
And the air collapsed.
A pulse of violet energy erupted outward—
BOOM!!
Seraphine blocked—but even she slid back several meters, boots tearing into the rooftop.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…that output…"
Zora stood in the center of it.
Breathing hard.
Eyes glowing violently.
"Yeah…" she whispered.
"…I don't think I'm the one burning out."
Then—
She vanished again.
This time faster.
Sloppier.
Uncontrolled.
Seraphine reacted instantly—
Blocking one strike—
But the next came from the wrong angle.
Then another.
And another.
Zora's movements weren't precise anymore.
They were chaotic.
Erratic.
Impossible to predict.
"—what are you—?!"
Seraphine's mechanical arm sparked as it blocked another hit.
Zora appeared in front of her—
Eyes unfocused.
Smile unstable.
"You ever feel like…"
She tilted her head.
"…you're not alone in your own body?"
Seraphine didn't answer.
She struck.
BOOM!!!
The impact sent Zora flying off the rooftop.For a split second—
Silence.
Then—
CRASH!!!
She slammed through a lower structure, smashing through metal and glass before hitting the ground hard.
Dust and sparks filled the air.
"…ghh…"
Zora didn't get up immediately.
Her body twitched.
Energy flickered wildly.
Footsteps approached from above.
Slow.
Certain.
Seraphine landed beside the crater.
Unharmed.
Unshaken.
"It's over."
She raised her weapon.
Zora laughed weakly from the ground.
"…you say that a lot…"
Seraphine aimed.
"Final warning."
A pause.
Rain hitting metal.
Sparks dying out.
"…yeah," Zora muttered.
"…I don't do warnings."
Then—
A loud, distorted voice cut through the air.
"OH COME ON, CAN YOU NOT DIE YET?!"
Seraphine froze.
"…what?"
Suddenly—
Every nearby screen flickered on.
Billboards. Broken monitors. Drone displays.
All of them.
At once.
A girl's face appeared across the city's surfaces.
Long wavy blonde hair with orange accents.
Wide grin.
Glowing goggles.
"Hi! Hello! Interrupting your murder session real quick—super important!"
Seraphine's expression darkened.
"Unauthorized network intrusion…"
"YUP!" the girl chirped. "That's me! Name's Flare, but you can call me your worst nightmare—!"
Before she could finish—
The ground beneath Seraphine exploded.
BOOM—!
She leapt back instantly—
But a pulse grenade detonated where she stood, sending a shockwave through the street.
Zora blinked.
"…what?"
A hand grabbed her arm.
"Move, purple girl!"
Zora was yanked up—
Then dragged into a side alley at full speed.
"Hey—!"
"Less talking, more running!" the girl snapped.
Zora stumbled but followed, adrenaline kicking back in.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Your savior, duhhhhh!" she shot back. "You're welcome, by the way!"
Behind them—
Seraphine stepped out of the smoke.
Unharmed.
Eyes locked forward.
"…track them."
Drones activated instantly.
Back in the alley—
Zora leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
Her vision still flickering.
"Okay…"
She looked at the girl.
"…start explaining."
The girl grinned.
Up close, she was even more chaotic—wires hanging from her belt, holographic screens flickering around her wrists. She was wearing an orange oversized jacket with green straps on a sleek black bodysuit with neon orange streaks. The hanging wires were connected to an in built-in power bank on the outside of her jacket.
She had on orange cargo shorts with layered pockets with was also decorated with green straps. A black utility belt holding mini grenades and hacking tools. She was wearing long black socks on high soled black and white sneakers with neon orange lines and magnetic field grips.
"Flare Burston. Hacker. Genius. Certified legend."
She pointed at Zora.
"And you?"
Zora stared at her.
"you…you just hacked the entire city."
Flare shrugged.
"Yeah, that happens."
A beat.
"you're…you're insane."
"Correct!" Flare beamed. "Now, we need to MOVE before your tall, scary girlfriend shows up again—"
"She's not my—"
A drone blasted through the alley wall.
"—OKAY, RUNNING AGAIN!" Flare yelled.
They sprinted.
Blasts followed behind them.
Concrete shattered.
Metal screamed.
Zora pushed forward—but her body lagged again.
Her movements stuttering.
"Hey—!" Flare glanced back. "You good?!"
"…no," Zora admitted.
Her voice was quieter now.
Strained.
"…something's wrong."
"Yeah, no kidding!"
Zora grabbed her head again.
The voice returned.
Louder.
Clearer.
HOST INSTABILITY DETECTED
INITIATING FULL SYNC
Her eyes widened.
"…no—"
The world froze.
Not slowed.
Not distorted.
Frozen.
Flare stopped mid-step.
Drones hung motionless in the air.
Rain suspended like glass.
Zora stood alone.
"…what… is this…?"
A voice answered.
Not from outside.
From everywhere.
YOU ARE THE KEY
Zora turned slowly.
"…show yourself."
YOU WERE CREATED FOR THIS
Her chest tightened.
"…created?"
Images flashed—
A lab.
Bright lights.
Scientists shouting and yelling.
A child screaming.
Zora staggered.
"…no… that's not—"
THE WORLD MUST BE REWRITTEN
"STOP—!"
Everything shattered.
Time resumed violently.
Zora screamed—
And the energy exploded.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The entire street erupted in violet light.
Drones disintegrated instantly.
Walls collapsed.
Windows shattered for blocks.
Flare was thrown back—
"WHAT THE—?!"
She hit the ground hard, skidding across the pavement.
When the light faded—
Silence followed.
Smoke filled the air.
Debris everywhere.
At the center—
Zora stood.
Different.
Her jacket torn.
Her body glowing.
Her eyes completely consumed by violet light.
"…Zora?" Flare whispered.
Zora didn't respond.
She lifted her hand slowly.
Energy condensed—
Wild.
Unstable.
"…no…" Flare muttered.
"…that's not normal Aether Sync…"
Behind them—
Seraphine arrived.
She took one look—
And stopped.
"…so this is it."
Zora turned.
Slowly.
Mechanically.
"TARGET…"
Her voice wasn't hers anymore.
"…IDENTIFIED."
Flare's eyes widened.
"Oh, that's BAD—"
Zora vanished.
BOOM—!
Seraphine barely blocked—
But this time—
She was pushed back.
Hard.
"…impossible."
Zora attacked again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Unrestrained.
Each strike cracked the ground.
Each movement distorted the air.
Seraphine fought back—but even she was being overwhelmed now.
"Her output has tripled…" she muttered.
"…no—more."
Flare scrambled to her feet.
"…okay, think, Flare, think—!"
She pulled up a holographic screen, fingers flying.
"Core signal… frequency spike… neural override…"
Her eyes widened.
"…oh."
She looked at Zora.
"…you're not just connected to the Core…"
Zora slammed Seraphine into a wall—
The impact shook the entire block.
Flare swallowed.
"…you ARE the Core's access point!!."
Zora raised her hand for a final strike—
"HEY!"
She froze.
Just for a second.
Flare stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"Zora… right?"
Zora didn't tell her her name but of course that didn't stop Flare from hacking into her and finding out.
No response.
"Listen… I don't fully get what's happening…"
She smiled nervously.
"…but if you blow up the whole city, I'm gonna be really, really , really annoyed."
A pause.
Zora's hand trembled.
"…annoyed?" she repeated faintly.
Flare nodded quickly.
"Yeah! Like, mildly inconvenienced at least for the most part—"
Zora's eyes flickered.
Just a little.
"…shut up."
The energy collapsed.
Zora dropped.
Everything went quiet.
Seraphine slowly stood from the rubble.
Watching.
Calculating.
"…this changes everything."
She turned.
"Retreat."
The drones powered down.
The city lights slowly stabilized.
And in the ruins—
Flare caught Zora before she hit the ground.
"…okay," she muttered.
"…you're definitely not normal."
She looked up at the towering Eden Core in the distance.
Its light pulsing faintly.
"…and I REALLY want to know why."