I’ve been shot.

I felt a searing pain in my arm, and instinctively, my hand clutched my wound. Blood ran down my fingers, staining them in a deep red. The world around me blurred, and a loud ringing sound echoed in my ears, drowning out everything else.For a moment, I was lost in the disorienting haze of pain and confusion. It felt like time itself had slowed, and I struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation. The distant echoes of gunfire and people shouting gradually penetrated the fog in my mind, pulling me back to the harsh reality of the ongoing chaos.

"Kid, stay down!" Zara shouted over the deafening gunfire. Her fiery aura flared to life, creating a protective barrier between us and the unseen assailants. The flames danced and crackled, the bullets seemingly disappearing from thin air. I glanced around, trying to make sense of the situation. The sleek car, now parked a few meters away, seemed to be the source of the attack. Figures clad in dark attire emerged from its tinted windows, relentless in their assault.

Desire began tending to my wound, and I winced at the sharp pain as he cleansed it. Zara, thinking on her feet, tore a piece of her shirt and instructed me to bite onto it. Without hesitation, I followed her advice, clamping down on the fabric. Desire's hand transformed into a small set of tongs. "This will hurt," he warned as he deftly inserted the tongs into my wound and extracted the bullet. The pain was excruciating. His hand transformed into one of those MedTech guns. He shot it next to my wound, and in an instant, my arm felt numb, and the bleeding stopped. However, it wasn't to the extent of complete immobilization, unlike the effects of MedTech operations.

The barrage of gunfire continued to echo through the neon-lit streets as Zara shielded me from the onslaught. Bullets ricocheted off the concrete, leaving trails of sparks in their wake. The intense scent of gunpowder filled the air.

“Who are they? Are they what’s left of the Qi Family?” I yelled, struggling to be heard above the gunfire.

Zara gritted her teeth, her eyes scanning the assailants. "I don't know, kid, but they sure as hell ain’t here for a friendly chat." She glanced around, assessing our options. “We gotta find cover and figure out a plan. Can you move?”

I nodded, the pain in my arm dissipating as I pushed myself off the ground. Zara led the way, weaving through the labyrinthine alleys of the cybernetic city. The attackers pursued, their footsteps blending with the pulsating beat of the urban jungle.

As we turned into an alleyway, Zara's flames burst to life. With a powerful leap, she soared into the sky, disappearing into the radiant light. I instinctively readied my hands, feeling a surge of energy coursing through me. The air around me seemed to crackle with anticipation. My hands began to glow, and with a swift motion, a heated blade extended from my right hand.

However, my focus was abruptly interrupted as a window popped into my vision, causing my body to jump. “Mari! Mari! It's okay! That's just your eye. It seems that my system is compatible with your bionic eye,” Desire’s voice reassured me.

Temperature, Form, Size, Status. As I navigated through the options, a sense of empowerment and curiosity surged within me.I fixed my gaze towards the form option, and the display revealed three modes: Non-Lethal, Lethal, Erase. Intrigued by the possibilities of the Erase option, I selected it, eager to find out what it could do..

With a subtle hum, my blade whirred to life. Its metallic components shifted and rearranged themselves, seamlessly transforming into a scythe blade. The once heated edge now curved with a deadly elegance, embodying the essence of the Erase mode. As the scythe took shape, an eerie distortion enveloped its surroundings. Reality itself seemed to warp and bend in response to the scythe's transformation.

“Uhm…Desire…Is this safe?” I asked.

“Mari. It’s a blade. It can cut. It can be dangerous when used incorrectly.”

“No, no, I mean this. The little thing it's doing around it.”

“Oh! Well then, it is! As long as you don’t touch it directly. This blade is made out of very advanced nanomaterials and nanomachines! A true masterpiece crafted by the power of science!. These nanomaterials are composed of carbon nanotubes and graphene-based structures. When the scythe moves through an object, these nanomaterials could efficiently sever molecular bonds, achieving an incredibly precise and efficient cut. The nanomachines within the blade can manipulate quantum states at a microscopic level! By temporarily altering the quantum properties of the matter it interacts with, the scythe could induce a state of quantum entanglement, essentially rendering the material into a quasi-undefined st-”

“Desire! Nano-what? Can you repeat that, but in English this time?”

“Oh? My apologies. Perhaps my auto-translation program is malfunctioning. This blade is made out of very advanced nan-”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“NO! I’m sorry, I meant to explain it in a way that maybe I can understand?...”

“Oh! Well then, here goes nothing. Blade. Swing. Cut. Poof. Erase. Is that better?”

“Uhm…sure…I guess.” I replied, a tinge of offense in my tone.

Suddenly, amidst the different windows in my vision, I noticed that I was surrounded. The men, clad in gas masks and brandishing rifles, left us with no escape. “You really think we would wait for you to finish your little talk to surround you? Put the weapon away if you want to live!”one of them barked. Surrendering to my captors, I raised my hands, and the scythe obediently folded back into my hand. “Cuff the kid. Let’s take her with us. We might be able to use her against the father and mother.”

The metallic clinks of handcuffs echoed as they locked my hands behind my back. "Why… Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything wrong,” I questioned, desperate for an answer. “Nothing. But you will in the future. Sorry, kid. But it's something we just can’t let happen.” As the cold metal of the handcuffs bit into my wrists, a sense of helplessness enveloped me.

In an instant, a radiant light shot towards us, grabbing one of my captors. Soaring into the sky, it descended back to the ground, crushing the man beside me. It was Zara. She grabbed the handcuffs and melted the chain away. I assumed a stance, unveiling my scythe. The armed men aimed their guns at us, opening fire. Zara's flames absorbed every bullet, ensuring my safety.

As the gunfire stopped, Desire latched onto my neck. A new window appeared, stating “Injecting Serum.” Suddenly, an unexpected pinch filled me with energy, a sensation of invincibility. I lunged toward the armed men, ready to swing my scythe.

Raising my arm, I swung down at the man who ordered to cuff me. He dodged, but the wall behind me was flawlessly cut. It felt like slicing through butter. The slash left a thin hole in the wall, seemingly erased from reality, showing no visible damage. The man recoiled, attempting to create distance between us, but instinctively, I countered with swift retaliation, my movements guided by an unbridled, feral instinct. It felt as though I were no longer in control of my own body, an untamed force driving me forward. With an aggressive lunge, I aimed to strike him at least once, my scythe cutting through the air with a menacing arc.

The scythe whistled through empty space as he continuously dodged my strikes. A manic grin was painted into my face. It was enjoyable to me. Like a predator hunting his prey. For once, I embraced my role as a hunter in this chaotic dance of combat.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my arm, snapping me out of the exhilaration. "Mari! It seems my anesthetic wore off! Would you like another dose?" Desire's suggestion cut through the intensity of the moment. I responded to his inquiry with a grin, and in an instant, his hand transformed into the MedTech gun from earlier. The shot into my arm was swift, followed by Desire latching onto my neck. Another window popped up, displaying the words "Injecting Serum." With a familiar pinch, a surge of energy and power pulsed through my veins.

As the man regrouped with the rest of his group, they pointed their guns at me and unleashed a torrent of gunfire. Reacting swiftly, my focus honed in on the Size option. Directed towards the width parameter, it gave me control over my scythe’s dimensions. With a decisive motion, I expanded the scythe to a width enough to cover the top half of my body. In an instant, the bullets fired at me were met with an unseen force, erased from reality as they vanished into thin air.

As they ran out of bullets and began reloading, seizing the opportunity, I charged at them. In a swift sequence of movements, I adjusted the scythe, returning its width to normal and extending its length. Leaping towards one of the men, I raised my arm at an angle, and with a decisive motion, I swung the scythe down, cutting through him seamlessly. The element of surprise worked in my favor as I swiftly moved to the next target.

Fixing my gaze on another member, I leapt towards him. Raising the scythe, I swung it straight down, the blade piercing through the top of his head. The momentum carried me from one member to another, leaving only the last one, who cowered in fear. I raised my arm, preparing to strike him down like his comrades, when someone intervened.

“That’s enough, kid. We need this guy or we won’t know squat.” Zara's voice cut through the frenzy, bringing me back to my senses. What had I just done? Covered in blood, the reality of my actions sank in, and my breathing quickened as I grappled with the shock of the situation.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I halted my arm mid-swing, the scythe poised inches away from the frightened man. Zara's intervention had spared his life, and I took a step back, the adrenaline-fueled frenzy gradually giving way to a profound awareness of the scene around me.

The alley was silent, except for the distant echoes of the cybernetic city continuing its rhythmic pulse. I looked at the blood-soaked scythe in my hand, a stark reminder of the violence that had unfolded. The last remaining assailant trembled, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at me.

Zara approached, her fiery aura subsiding as she assessed the aftermath. “Kid, keep doing that and I swear Ima be your biggest fan.” She said with a sly grin.

I backed away from the man, allowing Zara to take charge. She turned towards the trembling man, her expression stern yet inquisitive. “Alright, speak up.Who sent you? Why’re you attacking us?”

The man hesitated, glancing nervously between Zara and me. Zara grabbed the man by the throat, her flames inching menacingly toward her hand. "Hey, man, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's really your choice," she threatened, the fiery aura intensifying. The man, struggling for breath in her tight grip, hastily responded, "Okay! Okay! Fine! I'll talk. Y'all both got some bolts loose up there." Zara released her grip, allowing him to slump back to the ground.

"We’re resistance. We're here for the kid. For Aclima. The bearer of Enoch. The daughter of Adam and Eve."