The early morning sun crested the nearby forest canopy, bathing a dilapidated, worn down mansion in its warm, inviting rays. The growing sounds of wildlife were gently carried with the breeze, making the atmosphere feel extraordinarily peaceful and safe.

Inside the small office, still in the same position that she had fallen asleep in, Nyx continued to slumber, seemingly without a care in the world.

Her matted, dark brown, almost black hair, covered in sweat, blood and the grim that had accumulated during her imprisonment, combined with her rag-like clothes, gave her a wild, almost primitive look.

However, standing in stark contrast to her feral appearance, Nyx's facial features and snow-white skin, bathed in the warm glow of the sunlight, made her seem almost like a divine entity. A sight none of those who had witnessed her assault the previous night would believe.

Unlike outside where the sound of nature reigned supreme, inside the mansion, it was as silent as a crypt. The only sound to break the stifling quiet was Nyx's shallow, almost inaudible breathing, creating a captivating, if not an eerie atmosphere.

She had not meant to fall asleep, especially for so long, but the months of intense cultivation, the current state of her body, as well as the mental shock of discovering that the one place she considered to be her safe haven, a single constant in her otherwise hectic life, was shattered, had pushed Nyx over her limit.

Far in the distance, the strange cry of a predatory bird rang out, causing one of Nyx's eyelids to tremble slightly, but not enough to rouse her consciousness to the point where she would wake.

If she were, Nyx would have been able to recognise the sound, that of an eagle used for scouting.

Time continued to flow while Nyx slept. However, it was evident by the growing amounts of sweat on her forehead, as well as a slight flush, that something was wrong. The peaceful look on her face started to contort in discomfort.

A little past noon, the sun high in the sky, the sound of breaking glass, the window behind her suddenly shattering, abruptly awoke Nyx from her sleep.

Eyes unfocused and mind foggy, Nyx's body reacted instinctively as her gaze locked onto a metal ball, covered in blue, glowing runes, falling towards the office floor.

Jumping out of her chair and rolling across the desk, a movement that caused Nyx's broken arm to scream out in agony, Nyx used every fibre of her being to propel her towards the doorway at an unbelievable speed.

With a final burst of energy, Nyx threw her arms out in front of her, ignoring the pain, and leapt forward with all her might.

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While her mind was still in disarray having been awoken suddenly from such a deep sleep, Nyx had encountered the thunderflash bombs used to disorientate and disabled enemies many times before and knew that if its concussive force hit her, she would be in serious trouble.

An explosion, a pale imitation of the beast cores Nyx overloaded the previous night, exploded behind her with a blinding flash and aided her momentum as she cleared the door before crashing heavily onto the floor.

While she had managed to avoid the full force of the explosion, blood still poured from Nyx's ears, a sign that her eardrums had ruptured from the blast.

An irritating, high pitched ringing was all Nyx could hear as she shook her head, the dizziness not helping her mind adjust to the sudden turn of events.

The debris and gore, though mostly dried, was still scattered across the floor, creating a horrifying sight, yet Nyx didn't even spare it a glance as she rolled to her feet.

Clutching her arm, Nyx started sprinting towards the main hallway, a feeling of immediate danger gnawing at her insides.

Similar explosions to the one she had just escaped, only a few seconds apart, resonated around the mansion, the sound of shattering glass and fractured wood seeming akin to the end of the world for someone who had just woken from such a deep sleep, causing the nearby wildlife to startle and flee in all directions.

Nyx was still in a daze but, since her conscious and subconscious had been tempered by many trials and tribulations, even though her mind was sluggish, she reacted to the events with incredible speed.

It had been less than two seconds since the first explosion, and Nyx had already reached the doorway to the main entrance. Yet, just as she was about to pass through it, Nyx skidded to a stop, her instincts screaming that going any further was incredibly dangerous.

As if triggered by her appearance, the grand main entrance, made of aged, polished wood, exploded inwards wither a rumbling explosion.

Shards of wood and metal flew through the air like a swarm of angry bees, but Nyx's wasn't distracted by this in the slightest.

Instead, her eyes had already locked onto the dark shadows, their vast, towering figures carrying what seemed to be significant, tower shields, charging through the thoroughly destroyed doorway. Though she couldn't see much, Nyx's eyebrow twitched when she noticed an eerie green light that seemed to glow where their eyes and mouths should be.

By this time, Nyx was fully awake, and instantly she could tell that the beings in front of her, were not only heavily armoured experts with vasts amount of combat experienced in raid tactics but were at least at the gem realm, if not higher.

A battle, even if it was one on one, that she wouldn't even dare to believe she could win, and that was if her body and mind were in their top conditions.

Without wasting a moment more, Nyx span on her feet and started to sprint back to the small office, hoping to escape through the shattered window.

However, much to her horror, the doorway to the office had already been blocked by a towering figure, carrying the same shield as those at the entrance.

With the dust and debris caused by the explosion getting in the way, Nyx wasn't able to get an unobstructed look at the assailants before.

The man wore thick black armour, with a slight urban camouflage effect imprinted on it. There were no other noticeable features or markings, excluding the green glow of the helmet's visor and mouth guard.

-'Power armour.' Nyx couldn't help but sigh in her heart. It seemed by unwittingly falling asleep last night, she had signed her own death warrant.