Zexus exhaled lightly as he walked through the maze-like complex, his footsteps soft against the damp ground. The body of a naked and very much deceased woman on his shoulder, he passed through foreign corridors with walls more often covered in moss and dirt than stains of blood and corruption. The fragments of bones that were so common before were now strangely absent, making him feel more alert than at ease.

“Hm…another dead end.” Turning on his heel, Zexus took another look at his holobracelet.

In his haste to retreat, he had accidentally made for the wrong exit. Using the map he possessed, he tried to navigate his way back to his group. However, the facility appeared to be much more complicated and ill-designed than he had hoped. For some odd reason, all the pathways that connected the opposing areas were blocked off, while other corridors simply lead to dead ends.

“A purposeful separation?”

Zexus wondered as he made his way down the hallway, checking the open room as he did. Of the dozen he had searched, albeit not too thoroughly due to the baggage he carried, only one had a leech, the mass of charcoal barely a foot tall.

“A rather clean area.” Suspicion brewed in his heart as he found himself back at the doorway leading into the large round space filled with leeches.

Sneaking a glance, his amber eyes found no trace of the eggheads. The leeches also seemed rather calm, as if the sea current that caused them to sway had settled for the moment.

“Hm…” Humming internally but remaining stoic on the outside, Zexus moved forward.

He kept low to the ground, maintaining perfect balance as he snuck around the outside of the rows of decayed seats. Soundless like a shadow, all was well until he arrived at the exit he needed to go through to return to his original area.

*Clack*

At first, he had thought the noise to be in his mind, a figment of his imagination as usual. However, as he followed the sound and peered around the ajar door, a sudden force would bend through the steel and send him flying back down the stairs.

Caught unawares, Zexus sailed through the air but managed to find his feet with a twist of his body. Skidding across the ground as he landed and Sally still in hand, he looked up at the doorway.

“I-I-I-Intrrrrrrrruderrrrrr!” A stuttering voice breaking in and out of ear-piercing screeches accompanied the entrance of a metal giant.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” The amber-eyed man wanted to groan, but his composure would not let him. No matter how much Lavenna’s immaturity rubbed off on him, his expression remained limited. That said, he did feel a hint of annoyance as he calmly assessed the sudden enemy. “A Steel Defender Droid.”

The giant in question staggered through the small doorway, breaking apart the concrete in the process. Standing at three and a half metres tall, its bulky form was covered in scratches but was free of the dirt and moss like the surrounding area. One of its long arms had what looked to be a chamber of barrels while the other had ten fingers drenched in fresh blood of red and purple, as well as bits of bone and skin. Evidence of the fate of its previous foe, and likely the ones who triggered its awakening.

Being as he was, Zexus was naturally curious of the origins of the droid and of how it managed to stay on its four legs despite likely being depowered for millenniums. A mechanical marvel to be sure, just unfortunate that he was marked as an enemy.

“But maybe I don’t have to be.”

Filtering through his memories, Zexus readied himself to run or dodge as he spoke in a loud and clear cut voice. “This is Section Chief Varima Dunn, identification code four-zero-five-six-alpha-one-one-seven.”

The giant showed no signs of hearing him. Instead, it continued stumbling forward and raised its left arm. It struck down, like a blacksmith hammering its anvil. Zexus managed to dodge, a gust of wind brushing past his ear as he rolled across the floor.

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“Can it not hear, or does it not recognise the code?” Both were equally likely. Zexus could only experiment to find out which was which. “Melanie Dunn, identification code six-eight-eight-eight-seven-seven-seven.”

Once again, there was no response save another slam of the giant’s barrelled arm. Zexus wanted to try again as he slipped away, hurdling over the rows of seats in his escape. However, time did not permit him the opportunity as, through the constant turning of his head to maintain a clear view of his surroundings, he caught sight of the leeches stirring. Even across the room, he could tell that at the far end wall, the tendrilised egghead was emerging from the leech taking cover in the darkness.

“Time’s up.”

With a turn of his foot, Zexus made for the exit. The correct one this time around. Giving the Iron Defender a wide berth, he was soon running through bone-laden corridors. For a moment, he wondered if the giant would follow, but stymied the notion when the sound of concrete being turned to dust echoed from far behind him.

“It’s fighting the eggheads now. I doubt it can win in such a dire state.” He thought as he maintained a brisk pace.

*Click*

Zexus’ eyes flashed with a cold light. “I’ll come back later. I’m sure there will be something useful in the remains of the Droid.”

At that thought, he glanced at Sally whose lifeless limbs hit him with every other step. He frowned inwardly. “Is this why she gave me that nickname?”

*Click*

“That noise…” It was loud, louder than usual. So loud that he could distinctly tell that it belonged to no living thing. What dwelled within him, the basis of his Ego, it was something else.

With that thought in mind, he turned the corner, only for the world to suddenly flash, shifting to something else entirely. The dark halls changed into an open space. Mist pervaded every crevice, enshrouding what seemed to be ruins. From above, two burning discs shone from the roof of the world. Only, they were not suns or moons. They were eyes against a steel sky, unfocused yet all-seeing.

Creaking. Clicking. The world pulsed, a single entity beneath his feet, flanking his sides, and looking down upon him. Judging him.

Zexus froze just as something rose above the mist in the distance. Something big, much bigger than the Droid he had just encountered. It flew, or rather drifted upwards, like a kite blown by the wind. Only, the string was a spine made of steel blades and the kite itself likened to the head of a snake.

“What…is that?”

Rising, it let loose a deafening screech. As if to confirm it was no dream or vision, the sound shook Zexus to his core, rattling his bones and electrifying his muscles. The head of the beast turned to him, its eyes burning with aggression. It charged, diving into the mist and drilling through the ruins towards him.

Paralysed as he was, Zexus still willed himself to move. His footsteps were quick as his muscles tensed and pushed with all their might. He bolted through the ruins, crushing stone and concrete alike and ignoring any pain and discomfort he felt. He did not try to run in the opposite direction, but sideways, hoping to get out of the steel skeleton snake’s path.

It was no use. He could hear it. The machine was headed right for him, turning with him.

Within moments, it was upon him, covering the distance of a kilometre in mere seconds. He saw the mist splitting as if struck by lightning, and a gaping maw of groaning metal. It was only for a fraction of a second, but in the encroaching darkness, he also saw something else. Something strange. A dark-feathered, living creature that cawed at him.

Then, the strange world vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

For the first time in years, Zexus was unnerved. Truly and wholly unsettled by what he just saw. He took a knee, gasping for air as he gathered himself. He looked at his hand. It shook, but not with fear.

*Click*

The sound seemed drowned out compared to before. No longer did it thrum his eardrums, now settled into a rhythmic beating, matched perfectly with the pace of his heart.

His blood pressure up and his body heavy, Zexus dropped the body still on his shoulder and took a seat against the wall. The cold concrete helped to calm his nerves.

A hand ran through his hair, his.

“Sssss…” A jet of steam shot out of his mouth that twisted into a stern scowl. He glared at nothing.

“What the fuck is happening to me?”

Hearthwood Isle…

“He saw it. He finally saw it.”

Lounging on the couch filled with cushions beneath the garden verandah, Athena smiled as she bit into the half-eaten apple in her hand. The fruit tasted sweeter than before as she watched the holoscreen, her eyes dancing with excitement.

“What are you on about?” A young woman beside her with silky, opalescent hair asked with a look of concern.

“Oh, nothing much, Perse. It’s just that the little crow is connecting with his patron.”

The other woman furrowed her brows, her emerald eyes narrowing. Then, after a moment, Persephone turned her head back to the blooming rose bushes she had been watering. “You better not be torturing him with your sick games. If you do that to little Ella, I’ll string you up on a tree.”

The words would have sounded quite threatening if not for the woman's angelic voice, like the first breeze of spring. That said, Athena was not one to push her luck with her cousin. Persephone always kept her word if nothing else was certain.

“Oh don’t fret. They’re doing fine. Ella’s already breaking everything in the second level. I’m actually feeling bad for the monsters now.” The brunette said with a chuckle and a wave of her hand. “The First Wave’s about to start. Wanna watch with me?”

There was a pause.

“Alright. But you better not talk through everything.” The opal-haired beauty said.

“You drive a hard bargain, but fine. I’ll even keep the channel on Ella. Watch her be a meat grinder for a while. Happy with that?”

Persephone smirked. “...I wouldn't be unhappy.”