Maya
...
Akoi sprinted through the dense underbrush, his heart racing like a drum. The settlement's ruins were behind him, and the Akenten scouts were closing in. He could hear their shouts, the snapping of twigs, and the distant moans of the undead horde. His breath was ragged, his lungs burning like they were on fire.
He pushed himself harder, his legs pumping furiously as he navigated the treacherous terrain. He'd just escaped the jaws of death, and he knew he couldn't let his guard down for a second. The memory of his mother's face flashed in his mind – her smile, her laughter, her final moments – and the fire in his gut blazed hotter.
As he ran, the questions swirled in his head. How was he alive? He'd felt the zombies' teeth tear into him, seen his life ebb away... and yet, he was running. His arm should've been a mangled mess, but it was whole. Was it all just a twisted dream?
He stumbled, his foot catching on a root, and he went crashing to the ground. Akoi scrambled to his feet, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He was in a small clearing, surrounded by trees that seemed to stretch up to the sky. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves.
He leaned against a tree trunk, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His arm... he stared at it, flexing his fingers. The bite marks were gone. He should be crippled – not breathing like he'd just sprinted a mile.
A red glow caught his eye. A circle with an 'I' pulsed softly in the corner of his vision. He tried to touch it, but his finger passed through the symbol like it was smoke.
Suddenly, it clicked. Awakened. He was one of them now. The System notification he'd seen before midnight... it was real.
Akoi focused on the symbol, his mind racing. _Status window... how do I access it?_ The symbol pulsed brighter, but nothing happened. He tried thinking commands – "Open status", "Show stats" – but the symbol just glowed steadily.
Frustration mounting, Akoi closed his eyes, focusing inward. _What did it feel like before?_ He recalled the rush of midnight, the voice in his mind...
The symbol pulsed again, and a window flickered to life in his mind:
Name: Akoi
[ Age: 16 ]
[ Level: 5 ]
[ Skills: -/- ](i)
...
Akoi's eyes snapped open. He did it. He was an Awakened
...
In the settlement of New Eden, a young Awakened named Maya stood at the edge of a Time Rend, her eyes fixed on the swirling vortex before her.She had three chances to die, but she knew she'd need every ounce of her newfound power to survive this day.
Maya crouched at the edge of the Time Rend, her breath caught in her throat like a trapped bird. The air rippled like water, and the world beyond seemed to warp and twist. Her team – three Awakened from New Eden's Hub – waited for her signal, their eyes fixed on the swirling vortex.
"Rend's gonna drop," she muttered, her voice barely audible over the ominous hum. "Get ready."
The others nodded, their powers at the ready. Maya's own ability, _Temporal Echo_, let her see glimpses of the past and present, a quirk that had saved their skins more than once. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest.
The Rend burst open, spewing zombies into the cleared zone like a tidal wave of rot and decay. Maya's team moved as one, cutting down the undead with precision. Steel flashed, powers flared, and the air reeked of sweat and blood. Maya darted between zombies, her knife slicing through necks with deadly accuracy. _Temporal Echo_ showed her the next attack, the next dodge – it was like she was dancing with death itself.
Her teammate, Alex, unleashed a thunderous Shockwave, clearing a path through the horde. The ground shook beneath their feet as the zombies stumbled back, their bodies crushed by the invisible force.
But this Rend was different. It didn't reset after a few minutes – it kept spewing, the horde growing, a never-ending tide of undead. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the zombies surged forward, their jaws snapping wildly.
"We need to fall back!" Alex shouted, his voice strained as he reloaded his gun.
Maya gared the horde, her mind racing. _Temporal Echo_ showed her a snippet: the Rend's epicenter, a building on the other side, was key to stopping it. She saw the tower, the console, the code – it was a desperate plan, but it was their only hope.
"To the tower!" she yelled, leading the charge. Her team followed, their powers blazing as they fought through the horde. Maya's heart was racing, her breath huffing out in ragged gasps as she sprinted toward the tower.
As they approached the tower, Maya's instincts screamed at her to be careful. But it was too late. The Akenten ambush hit them like a sledgehammer – bullets rained down from the rooftops, and the sound of gunfire was deafening. Maya's team was caught in the crossfire, their bodies thrown to the ground.
Maya rolled with the impact, her power flashing with warnings. _Temporal Echo_ showed her the Akenten positions, the snipers, the traps. She saw the leader, his eyes fixed on her, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
She scrambled to her feet, her knife flying toward the snipers. The blades sliced through the air, finding their marks with deadly accuracy. The Akenten scattered, their guns blazing as they sought cover.
Maya's team fought back, their Shockwaves and blades meeting the Akenten in a deadly dance. Alex slammed into an enemy, his fist connecting with a crunch of bone. The Akenten leader laughed, his blade flashing as he closed in on Maya.
Maya's power flared, showing her the fight's threads. She dodged, parried, and countered, her movements a blur. The leader's smile faltered, and for a moment, Maya saw fear in his eyes.
She seized the moment, her knife slicing through his defenses. The blade bit deep, and the leader's scream was cut short.
The Akenten broke, fleeing into the shadows. Maya's team cheered, but she knew it wasn't over. The Rend still pulsed, the horde waiting.
She sprinted to the tower, her team following. The console, the code – it was their only hope.
After entering the tower Maya immediately went the console and imputed the code with fluid movement as if she had done that a thousand times.The room shook, and the barrier flickered to life, sealing the rend.
Her team surrounded her,cheering and their faces bruised and bloody. "We did it," Alex said, his voice weak.
Maya's eyes narrowed. The Rend was sealed, but the war was far from over.
As she stood, her gaze fell on the console. The data on the screen seemed to pulse with possibility. A pattern in the Time Rends, a source... hope.
She straightened, her power surging back. "We need to analyze this. Now."
The team nodded, somber, but Maya saw the spark in their eyes. Revenge. Survival. They'd lost friends too.
As they worked, Maya's mind raced. The Akenten, the Rends... she'd unravel it all. For Leo
A teammate's voice cut through her thoughts. "Maya, look."
On the screen: a map, showing coordinates of unknown places.
These coordinates what did the Akentens want with them.
Maya's gut twisted.
The possibilities were endless, and Maya's heart swelled with anticipation. The battle was far from over, but with her team by her side, and her newfound allies, she was ready to face whatever came next.
"Extract the data and destroy everything after the rend ends",said Maya to Conner,one of her teammates who had unlocked the hacker skill.