Dark blots dripped through the metal-glass bubble, becoming what the world beneath the dome would call black rain. It fell upon the world below, the plateau of steel and dirt stained by dark raindrops.
The city trapped beneath the dome flickered and sparked, black water seeping through the streets, streetlights going out one by one as light vanished from the world.
People found themselves submerged in darkness, freezing in place when they heard the noise of footsteps on stone. They froze when they felt chills run down their spines, clamping their eyes shut when they heard the faint sound of breathing.
The only thing they could do was stay silent, knowing well that those who made a peep wouldn’t be able to stop the coming screams, their voices extinguished by the gasp of a beast followed by the crushing of jaws.
A girl found herself trapped in that same darkness, shivering in the middle of the street, the footsteps of the blind beasts rearing ever closer. She could do nothing but shut her eyes, praying for the tide to pass as the beasts stalked.
That was until a drop of water splashed atop her head, the girl unable to stop herself from letting out a muffled scream. The shadows reacted instantly, a frenzy beginning as every beast turned towards the noise, their stomps closing in on the girl.
She wanted to run, but she knew it would only attract more of the monsters. She could sense their bloodlust, the beasts eager to snuff her out in one single breath.
Little did the beasts know, the girl wasn’t alone, the darkness pierced by a ray of hope.
“Look at me!”
The noise of a lantern swinging filled the streets, the beasts’ letting out deafening screeches as the figure stepped out. The girl looked up to see a boy carrying a beacon of light, one who was clad in a ragged cloak.
He had messy brown hair, a short ponytail running down his back and a stern look on his youthful face. He was brave, challenging the monsters of the night with nothing but a lantern, the beasts taking this as a sign of stupidity as they focused on him.
The boy stood his ground, swinging his lantern whose light scorched the monster’s skin. Their growls became howls, the air scorching with animosity as he commanded the crowd.
“All of you! Run away! Get to safety!”
Some took his warning, fleeing into the night as the beasts grew furious, their footsteps becoming stomps as they charged in. He watched as shadows burst from the darkness, jaws clamping down on the arm that held the lantern.
People stared in shock as he lifted the beast up with a single arm, the cloak slipping down to reveal something inhuman. His limb was constructed out of dull metal, the boy possessing an artificial arm of steel.
The beast was thrown aside with a swing, scampering into the night as it fled. The rest of the monsters grew more wild and ravenous, circling him with intent to kill.
While one was simple enough to fend off, a group was another story, the boy gritting his teeth as the townsfolk watched from the safety of their homes.
They stared as the beasts howled before making their assault, the boy unsheathing his weapon for the world to see.
In his hand was a giant sewing needle, the tool sharpened into a sword that split the shadows with ease as their bodies dissipated into smoke. Cowardice struck the beasts who stepped back, shadowy fangs disappearing into the night as they fled.
He watched as the street lights flickered back on, the shadows escaping into the night. The dark rain event was over, the boy slipping his cape over his arm as he turned to leave.
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He stepped into a run down shop, the boy finding himself lost in a world of scrap. Broken wires hung from the ceiling as panels of corrugated metal leaned against the walls, tools of all kinds laid about in the mess of a workshop.
Nails hammered into wooden pillars caught onto his cloak, the boy squeezing his metal arm where bite marks laid. The shadow creatures couldn’t handle a single strike of his sword, though their bites far exceeded their bark.
Searching high and low, he heard the noise of a click, turning around to see the barrel of a shotgun pointed to his head followed by a shout.
“Who are you!? The shop is closed for tonight! How did you get in!?”
The boy brushed the barrel aside, lifting his lantern to illuminate the wielder’s face.
“Mister Hassam, you haven’t changed one bit.”
Hassam lowered his shotgun, letting out a sigh as he saw who it was that trespassed that night.
“So it was you making all that commotion outside. Even with low expectations, you still manage to disappoint me, Ark.”
The old man reached out to hold the boy’s metal arm, examining the bite marks and the bent metal plate that formed his armor. His brow furrowed at the sight, the old man letting out a huff.
“You’ve gone and gotten yourself injured, haven’t you?”
With the backside of a hammer, he undid one nail, the entire plate popping off with ease to reveal the internal wiring and cable tendons that formed his arm. He could only shake his head, the old man tugging on a wire as he spoke.
“You’ll have to stay here overnight. Your entire arm needs repair.”
“All of it? It was just one bite, it can’t be that bad.”
Ark froze when he saw a bundle of wires snap with a gentle tug, sparks flying from his broken limb, something the old man couldn’t ignore.
With his screwdriver, Hassam popped off a few screws from his shoulder, his entire arm coming loose as he uncoupled cables and severed the connection. Carrying his metal limb away, Hassam spoke as he peered over his shoulder.
“It’ll take some time so rest here for the night. I’ll repair your arm for you, free of charge.”
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“Free of charge? How come?”
Hassam pointed over to the front, revealing there was a girl listening in on their conversation the whole time as he spoke.
“It’s because you saved my new assistant’s life, Leila.”
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Round glasses shimmered under the lamplight, the girl hesitating when he reached out a hand, hiding behind a curtain of blond hair as she heard him speak.
“I’m surprised Hassam gave in and finally hired some help. I’m Ark, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He smiled when she finally shook his hand, her voice shivering as she spoke.
“I’m Leila, and to be honest, I don’t know the reason why he hired me.”
“I know mister Hassam well and I can tell you there is a reason. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at times, everything he does is deliberate.”
“I don’t like the sound of that…”
He could hear a countryside accent peek through as Leila let out a sigh. The thought that her hiring was somehow fate only stressed her out, the girl staring out the window for solace.
Life returned to normal even after the black rain’s damage, people continuing their busy lives as if the attack never happened. That’s when Ark stared out too, the sword on his back bumping into the table as he spoke.
“That was your first time experiencing dark rain, right?”
She shook her head, his eyebrows perking out of surprise as she answered.
“Dark rain isn’t something new to me, we get those all the time in the outer rim. The shadows on the other hand, you don’t see those outside of cities like this.”
As they spoke, Hassam shouted from inside the shop, Leila shuddering when she heard his voice echo.
“Leila! Get me a wrench!”
“Yes, boss!”
Standing up, she stuttered, mumbling as she spoke.
“Sorry. We’ll talk later.”
Watching her scurry away, he couldn’t help but touch his shoulder, being physically reminded that it was missing as his fingers brushed against loose cables.
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A slightly less dim shade of light peered in through the windows, Ark waking up, peering over towards the wall to see a clock. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a short little groan as he sat up.
The boy himself wore loose clothing, his belongings left aside with his cloak on top, his brown ponytail left untied. Yawning, he mumbled to himself as he wiped away tears.
“Eight already…”
Trying to stand up, he realized his arm was missing, sighing as rolled out of bed from his other side. The bed itself was a floor mattress, the quills of giant feathers poking out the end, a few holes pierced into the soft case.
Coming downstairs, he could see the shop was already open, Leila looking over her shoulder towards the creaky stairs to see him.
“Ark?”
Peeking from his workshop was Hassam, the man lifting up the lid of a welding mask as he waved, an annoyed look on his face as he shouted.
“Come down already!”
He picked up his pace, running down to see a few of the townsfolk at the front desk. They brought in their machinery for repairs, gasping when they saw the familiar boy, his missing arm a jarring sight.
Ark only smiled, waving with his genuine arm before moving on ahead, Ark’s personality changing completely from the stoic swordsman to a normal boy. As he did so, he felt a tug on his arm, mister Hassam turning him around like a mannequin doll.
“You covered up your shoulder port while you were sleeping, right?”
Hassam sighed as he spoke, holding a mess of wires that got tangled while the boy was asleep. Ark groaned in pain as he untied them, the cables acting as his nerves.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
He felt a sudden shock, the customers and Leila freezing in fear when they heard a shout, looking over to see Hassam hastily connecting cables from his shoulder port to the newly assembled arm.
“How about now?”
“It does…”
Slapping him on the back, Hassam lectured the boy who grimaced in pain.
“Well that’s what you get for not taking care of your arm. Don’t think it’s just this one too. If you’re not good to your body it’ll punish you.”
Lifting up his other arm, the mechanic inspected his real limb as he spoke.
“Don’t want to lose another limb, do you?”
“Please. I don’t even know how I lost my arm in the first place.”
The customers laughed uneasily, easily mistaking the two as father and son, though Leila was more intrigued. As she stared, Hassam peered over, being reminded of something important.
Grasping Ark by the shoulders, he spoke with a bit of vigor, the exhaustion caused by hours of work overnight gone.
“Ark, when I said free of charge I forgot to add something. It won’t be much trouble.”
Hearing that, Ark sighed, giving in as Hassam smiled. From his pocket he brought out a small sheet of paper, unfolding to reveal a drawing.
“An engine?”
Hassam pointed to the center of the sheet which was a pencil sketch drawing, one that depicted a strange looking engine. Many pipes jutted out from the monster of a machine, so bizarre it looked like an optical illusion.
“It’s a dawn engine. I want you to go to the midlands and pick up my order.”
Hearing that, Leila stepped over to see as she spoke.
“A dawn engine?”
He nodded, pulling out a small ticket, one he showed to her as he spoke.
“I scrounged up enough money to get my original design made. It should be done about now.”
“Really? Can I see it too?”
That moment, an idea popped into Hassam’s head, the old man’s smile scaring her as he answered.
“I’ll let you see it, under one condition. You go with Ark to pick it up. You’ll have plenty of time to look at it while you’re bringing it back here.”
Looking over to Ark, she froze when she saw steam release his mechanical arm, the new limb destressing and shuddering as the cable nerves connected. It was a technical marvel, making him stronger than a bodybuilder and more sleek than a fencer.
Her eyes moved from the mechanical limb towards the boy’s face, revealing an uncomfortable look painted all over as they met eyes. Immediately, she backed up, apologies flying out.
“I’m so sorry! I -”
Before she could answer, she could see Hassam sigh, looking behind herself to see a line of impatient customers forming. Hassam cleared his throat loudly, dropping a box full of tools into her arms before shouting.
“It’s official! You two are off to go fetch the engine! I’ll man the store. I’m giving you permission to tinker with Ark’s arm as you please.”
Hearing that, she froze, thinking it over with a wrench already in her hand. Seeing her stare off into nothing, Hassam grew impatient as he pushed the two out the door of his shop.
“Now, get going already! You’re slowing business down!”
“Yes, boss!”
The doors slammed behind them, the two sent off to collect the dawn engine.