《Reborn Revenant》


 Chapter 1: Resurrection

    Nothingness dissipated.


    I could feel my body again. Stiffness in my limbs, the dull ache in my joints. Like waking up from a nap where you slept at an odd angle. After moving around a bit, I started to feel this chill that wrapped itself around me like a second skin.


    Darkness was suddenly replaced by light. Blinding, as I forced my eyes open. I was tired but filled with renewed vigor. I can¡¯t remember¡­well, anything actually. How did I get here? I sat upright, frozen to the bed I¡¯d been lying on, but somehow... still breathing. Still here.


    The cold bit at my skin, and I shivered. The freezing air seeped into my bones, making it clear, whatever happened, I wasn¡¯t where I¡¯d been. This place... it wasn¡¯t home.


    I blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog from my mind. But nothing came. No memories. No names.


    ¡°Ah... you¡¯re awake,¡± a voice said, soft and almost relieved. It sounded ethereal, emanating a direction but not a single point in space.


    Confused, I turned toward the sound, my gaze landing on a figure. It wasn¡¯t human¡­ I think? The figure was a translucent presence, glowing faintly in the dim, icy light, hovering just a few feet away. Its shape was ethereal, flickering like a candle¡¯s flame in a gust of wind.


    Yeah, not human. What the hell is this thing?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been resurrected,¡± it said, almost as if it was reassuring itself. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to expect, but here you are.¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out at first. My throat was dry, like I hadn¡¯t used it in ages. Clearing it, I tried again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, resurrected? What the hell are you talking about? What even are you? Where am I? What happened? What is this place? Why is it so damn cold?¡± My mind raced at a thousand miles per hour. ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember anything? Who am I? Why can¡¯t I remember my name? How the hell am I alive if I died? What are you? Am I losing my mind?¡± My mind raced with thousands of questions, and my mouth struggled to keep up. Focus. Nothing will happen if I let myself be overwhelmed here. Think.


    I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself down. How do I remember that breathing calms the mind down? Why can I remember that but not my name?


    The floating blotch of light¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°Most of your memories were lost when you were revived. Frivolous things such as faces, people, names...¡± It paused before speaking again. ¡°Who you were? That¡¯s gone. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    We sat in silence as the weight of what was said sank into me.


    ¡°But not all hope is lost,¡± The light ball said, ¡°just rely on muscle memory, you¡¯ll be okay.¡± He hovered closer, his glow steady. ¡°As for who I am, I¡¯m your Phantom,¡± it said carefully. ¡°I brought you back. You were¡­ well, you died. But I saved you! I kept you from staying dead.¡±


    A chill ran through me at the word ¡°died.¡± That didn¡¯t make sense. I died? I had to be dreaming. Or worse. But the cold around me, the frost on the walls of the tent, everything felt too real.


    ¡°You¡¯re not... you¡¯re not real, are you?¡± I asked, still half in disbelief. ¡°This isn¡¯t real. Is this the afterlife? You said I died?¡±


    The Phantom hovered closer, its light flickering more brightly for a moment. ¡°I am real.¡± There was a hesitation in its voice, as if it was struggling to find the right words. ¡°This is a temporary shelter. We¡¯re in the middle of nowhere. There¡¯s no one else. Everyone else... well, they didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    My chest tightened. The weight of the words settled on me like a heavy blanket. Everyone else? What the hell was going on?


    I finally decided to check my surroundings. The roof of the tent was cracked like brittle plastic, letting the light of the sun inside. We were in an ornate tent with a few boxes scattered around the room. Ice covered them like a thin layer of glass. The cot I have been lying on cracked with every movement. I must have been frozen to it. My clothes thankfully seemed to have come back with me: a fur-lined coat and thick pants with boots on, protecting me from the frozen world.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked, my voice rough. ¡°What happened to me?¡±


    The Phantom¡¯s glow dimmed slightly as it floated just out of my reach, like it didn¡¯t want to get too close. ¡°I don¡¯t know, my guess is something happened and you froze to death,¡± it said, ¡°I found you, and well, I brought you back. But this place isn¡¯t safe. I don¡¯t think you can stay here. On my way here, I saw a storm in the distance. With how brittle everything is, it will probably tear through this place,¡± the creature said while whirling around the room, it seemed to inspect the walls of this tent.


    I tried to stand, but my legs were stiff, my body uncooperative. It took me a few attempts, but eventually, I managed to plant my feet firmly on the cold, uneven ground. The moment I stood, I stumbled. My body was still foreign to me, like it didn¡¯t belong. Or worse¡­


    I didn¡¯t belong.


    Enough of that thought process, I¡¯m here now, so I¡¯ll deal with it.


    The Phantom hovered behind me, watching intently. ¡°You¡¯re... not fully yourself yet. The process is... complicated. But you¡¯ll get the hang of it. Eventually.¡±


    I rubbed my face, the cold making it hard to focus. "Hang of what? Living?¡±


    The Phantom paused, its glow flickering again. "Reviving. I can explain more, but right now, you can¡¯t afford to waste too much energy on questions. Focus on surviving first. I''ll answer your questions later, but we should get moving.¡± The hovering light said. Its voice laced with urgency and worry.


    I looked down at my hands. They were fleshy and pink. The world around me looked like it had been frozen in time, the remnants of something that once resembled life. The Phantom was right. I can''t stay here, else I¡¯ll just freeze to death again. There was no warmth. No sound except for the eerie stillness.


    I stood up, more sure than before. What we needed was to take inventory of what we have and leave. First up, we need supplies.


    I turned back to the boxes around the tent, each one coated with a layer of ice thick enough to make them look like fragile sculptures, delicate and crystalline, frozen to each other or the walls. I had to start somewhere. It wasn¡¯t like I had much of a choice. Whatever was inside these had to be useful, right? I looked around for the best way to start, one of the boxes was out of the way, not frozen to anything but the floor.


    I stepped forward, the cold creeping deeper into my bones. My fingers ached from the chill, but I grit my teeth and focused.


    With a grunt, squatted down to the box. The ice was like glass, smooth, hard, but looked brittle enough. I hammered my fist into it, sending jagged cracks spiderwebbing through the surface. A few more strikes, and it shattered, sounding like glass.


    I rubbed my cold hand and peeked inside, hoping for something, anything, that could help me make sense of what was going on. But all I saw was more ice. The contents inside had frozen solid, and the moment I tried to touch anything, it shattered. Everything inside was useless. Broken clothes and shattered tools. The ice had seeped into everything. There was no warmth, no life, just cold and dead weight.


    I kicked the box in frustration, the shards of ice spiderwebbing out and falling to the floor. It was kinda satisfying. But I didn¡¯t have the energy to stick around, and I couldn¡¯t afford to waste time on anger.


    I moved to another box, repeating the process, and the result was the same. More frozen, useless junk. It was like everything here had been forgotten, left to die in this frozen wasteland. No tools, no supplies, nothing of value.


    I sighed, frustrated, and kicked the box again, watching as more shards of ice spilled onto the floor. ¡°Great. Nothing useful. Do you know if there is anything useful around?¡± I said to the ball of light.


    There was a pause, and then the Phantom¡¯s voice, gentle but steady, cut through the silence.


    ¡°I think there was something outside that may have survived. I remember a larger tent, maybe it has something inside?¡± Their voice had that familiar, measured calm, but something about it felt different now, less distant.


    I turned to face it, rubbing my hands together to generate some warmth. He was right. I was afraid of what was outside, but I should stop stalling and go see what horrors lie outside this tent.


    Wait, ¡®he¡¯? I stared at the phantom. What do I even call this guy? Its voice was kinda masculine but¡­


    The figure flickered slightly under my scrutiny, almost like it was uncertain. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What do I call you? I¡¯m not calling you ¡®Phantom¡¯ over and over.¡±


    There was a brief silence. The Phantom¡¯s light dimmed slightly, like they were considering my words, and then they responded in that calm, collected tone.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± they said simply. ¡°You can call me Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, huh?¡± I repeated, trying the name out loud. ¡°That works.¡±


    The figure seemed to flicker, a subtle warmth to their glow. ¡°I think it suits me,¡± Vesper said, their tone almost a hint of amusement.


    ¡°Wait you just came up with that?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ not like anyone named me before,¡± Vesper replied, almost chuckling.


    ¡°You know what, fair enough. Vesper, it is. Where do you come from? Is there more of your kind?¡± I asked as I walked toward to tent flap that was frozen shut.


    ¡°There are more of my kind, yes, but I don¡¯t really know them. All I know is that when I came into existence, I felt a presence and was pulled to it. Now I''m here. I know I was supposed to revive you but I''m not entirely sure why,¡± Vesper said, looking dimmer, almost confused.


    ¡°So we¡¯re both lost in the dark?¡± I asked as I touched the tent flap. It was like a wall of ice.


    Vesper¡¯s form flickered, their light dimming then glowing over and over. Sounds of chuckling emanated from the light, ¡°hahaha, yeah, I guess we are... But we really should get out of this room, you said nothing was useful, so onwards we go.¡± Vesper said while doing the equivalent of nodding towards the door.


    I nodded back, still rubbing my hands together. The cold wasn¡¯t letting up, and nothing here would help me survive.


    I tried pushing the flap of the tent, but I was only met with resistance. It was like trying to push a wall.


    I decided to kick the wall.


    It barely cracked.


    I kicked harder and broke a jagged hole around my boot. That¡¯s funny, this cloth flap was more glass than wall.


    I pushed through the hole I made, breaking off more and more pieces till I could get my body through, carefully avoiding cutting my hands on the ice.


    Stepping out into the open air. It was worse outside than it had been inside. The wind bit into my skin, making my breath fog up in front of me and forcing me to tuck my hands into my jacket. I needed gloves, but as it was, everything was frozen and useless. As I looked around, the landscape was a maze of splintered ice, jagged spires jutting toward the sky like the frozen ribs of a shattered world. Between them, deep fractures split the earth, narrow at first but widening into dark, gaping chasms that seemed to stretch endlessly downward. The air was heavy with the quiet groan of shifting ice; it felt like the ground itself was never truly still.


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    After looking around, I noticed the tent that Vesper was talking about. A larger tent a few paces in the distance, standing out against the smaller, shattered tents.


    I started walking toward it, Vesper floating behind me, his light flickering more erratically as if sensing my movement.


    Any one of those shattered tents could have been mine, but thankfully, mine seemed to be protected better by the environment. A dune, if you could call it that, made of ice was built right up against my tent, protecting it from the elements.


    That''s nice.


    Looking back at the larger tent, it looked important. It was bigger, sturdier than the others. There were no cracks in the roof, and the flap wasn¡¯t frozen shut.


    A supply tent, maybe¡­ hopefully.


    The thought sparked a small flame of hope in my chest. There might be something usable inside.


    As I reached the tent, I paused, eyeing the entrance. It was made of higher quality material with no frost layering the door or blocking the way. That had to mean something good, right? I gritted my teeth and pulled open the flap, half-expecting another disappointment.


    But when I stepped inside, the chill was just a little less biting. The inside of the tent was dark, but not completely frozen. Inside were lockers, and in the far corner, stacked against the walls, were crates. Big ones, ones that might actually contain something useful.


    Vesper drifted into the room, bathing the area in light.


    ¡°This better be holding supplies,¡± I said quietly.


    Vesper floated closer now. His voice was steady, firm. ¡°Seems like it, or at the very least it seems usable,¡± he said.


    I looked at the lockers that lined the wall. Maybe I could force one open or crack it open like I had with that brittle crate earlier. The conditions in this tent were better, but still, it was worth a shot.


    I can deal with the lockers later, I thought to myself, as the large crates were holding my attention more.


    I walked to them, praying that they held useful things inside. I brushed the light frost from its surface. The wood was thick, and when I knocked against it, the sound was solid. Sturdier than the boxes in my tent. That was promising.


    I pressed my fingers against the lid and pushed. It didn¡¯t budge.


    Of course. That would¡¯ve been too easy.


    "Locked?" Vesper asked, drifting closer.


    "Feels like it," I muttered. I ran my hands along the edges, searching for a weak point. If I had a crowbar or something decent to pry it open with-


    My fingers brushed against something rough. A break in the wood, where age or cold had split the grain. Not big enough to get a grip, but maybe...


    I sat down and curled my legs in preparation to kick the crate open. I braced myself against the floor with my arms, damn it was cold, then drove my boot into the crack. The first kick sent a dull ache up my leg, and the crate held. I gritted my teeth and kicked again, harder.


    On the third kick, the wood gave in with a sharp, loud CRACK.


    I stumbled as splinters rained down, my breath coming fast. My pulse jumped. That was loud. Like, really loud.


    Vesper tensed. ¡°Careful¡­¡±


    I swallowed and made a face of yikes. Nothing else should be living out in a frozen tundra, right?


    Right?


    Shaking off that feeling, I stepped forward and pulled at the broken wood, widening the gap enough to see inside. Darkness greeted me, but as Vesper hovered closer, I could see with his light.


    The biggest sense of relief washed over me.


    Supplies.


    I reached in, fingers brushing against something cold and hard. I pulled it free. A can. The label had peeled away, leaving nothing but lightly rusted metal, but if the seal was intact¡­


    I exhaled, tension bleeding out of me. Food.


    ¡°There¡¯s useful stuff in here!¡± I said while I reached back in, rummaging through the crate. I grabbed anything I could and started piling it up outside to take inventory. Another can. A few vacuum-sealed packets of food, stiff with frost. Some looked worse for wear, but it was better than nothing.


    Vesper hovered over my shoulder. ¡°Enough to last?¡±


    I let out a short, humorless laugh. ¡°Long enough to figure out what the hell I¡¯m supposed to do next.¡±


    I kept digging. There had to be more.


    Inside, bundled tightly in thick, waxed paper, were ration packs, old but intact. My breath hitched as I kept reaching in, pulling everything free. Military-style MREs, still sealed. Maybe not fresh, but calories were calories. I piled them up outside the crate and rifled deeper. There were also protein bars, hard as a rock but still edible if I let them thaw.


    ¡°This is great!¡± I said, my voice tight with relief.


    Vesper hovered closer, his glow illuminating the crate¡¯s contents. ¡°Better than good,¡± he said. ¡°This might actually keep you going.¡± his voice seemed as relieved as mine was.


    Encouraged, I moved to the next crate. The lid splintered more easily this time, and inside I found a metal water canister, completely frozen solid but salvageable. Beside it, a small portable stove, its fuel canisters still strapped in place.


    Thank the stars that whoever was in charge of this expedition knew how to pack.


    I moved away from my pile of survival and now needed a way to carry it. I looked back at the lockers, the next logical conclusion being that they held personal items, and hopefully, a backpack and some gloves. My hands were freezing.


    I pushed myself up, brushing the frost from my hands, and turned to the lockers.


    I grabbed the handle of the first locker and yanked. No luck. I tried another. Still locked. A third. Same damn result.


    "Figures," I muttered.


    Vesper drifted closer, his glow casting faint shadows against the metal. "You could try brute force," he suggested. "The environment''s worn down most of the metal here, but it¡¯s still sturdy. Breaking in won¡¯t be easy."


    I frowned, flexing my fingers against the cold. The crates had splintered under pressure, but these were built to last. I wasn¡¯t going to punch my way through steel. But if I could get leverage...


    I crouched and grabbed one of the lockers by the base, bracing my legs before pulling it forward. The metal screeched as it scraped against the frozen ground, resisting at first before finally budging. It was heavier than I expected, but not impossible to move.


    "What''s the plan?" Vesper asked.


    I huffed, dragging it a little further. "Tip it over. Smash it open."


    With a grunt, I pulled the locker out, then tipped it onto its side.


    These types of lockers were the large personalized ones, so each locker was a separate entity. That made life easier when laying it down to break it open.


    "Okay? Now what?" Vesper said curiously.


    I straightened, rolling my shoulders, and stepped back. "Now, we break it."


    I walked around and scanned the area for anything heavy, anything solid enough to do some real damage. I walked outside and my eyes landed on a chunk of ice-covered debris, half-buried in the snow on the. Perfect.


    I grabbed it, hefting the weight in my hands. I was very careful not to cut the frost-tender flesh on my hands. Then, with a sharp inhale, I lifted it over my head and slammed it down onto the locker. The impact sent a metallic CLANG echoing across the frozen wasteland. The locker held firm, but a dent had formed near the top.


    Again.


    I swung the debris down once more, putting every ounce of strength into it. The metal groaned, the top corner crumpling inward. Encouraged, I adjusted my grip and struck again, this time focusing on the hinges.


    The fourth hit did the trick. With a sharp crack, the metal bent just enough to pry it open. I dropped my makeshift rock and grabbed at the warped door, wrenching it back until the latch finally gave way.


    The door creaked open, revealing what lay inside.


    A backpack. Thick fabric, stiff with cold, but intact. I snatched it up, shaking out the dust and ice. Inside, a pair of insulated gloves, exactly what I needed.


    Snatching them and pulling them on, now my hands weren''t at risk.


    Vesper hovered beside me, his light flickering in approval. "Nice."


    I exhaled, flexing my fingers as warmth slowly seeped back into them. One locker down. Maybe the others had something even better.


    Chapter break?


    I moved to the next locker, bracing myself for another struggle. Wrapping my arms around its cold metal frame, heaving, I dragged it forward, the frozen ground scraping against its base with a grating shriek. With a grunt, I tipped it onto its side, sending up a puff of frost as it hit the ground.


    Grabbing the chunk of ice-rock again, I raised it high and brought it crashing down against the locker¡¯s door. The impact rang out sharp and metallic, but the door held firm. I gritted my teeth and struck again, and again.


    Eventually, with a groan of protest, the metal warped. A final, well-aimed strike forced the door open with a loud snap, and I let the rock drop from my gloves. Catching my breath, I peered inside.


    Tools, battered but usable equipment. My fingers closed around a crowbar, its surface rimed with frost, and beside it, an ice pick, the head still useable despite who knows how many years of abandonment.


    I exhaled a short, disbelieving laugh. ¡°This feels like insane luck,¡± I muttered, running my fingers over the metal grip of the crowbar.


    Using the crowbar, I moved to the next locker. This time, I didn¡¯t have to drag it across the floor or smash it open like a caveman with an ice-rock.


    I wedged the crowbar into the gap, found some leverage, and pulled. The metal groaned in protest, resisting for a moment before the latch finally gave way with a sharp SNAP. The door swung open, and the broken latch clattered to the ground.


    Inside was nothing.


    I exhaled through my nose. ¡°Yeah, I really shouldn¡¯t have jinxed it.¡±


    Vesper hovered just over my shoulder, his glow casting long shadows against the lockers. His voice was dry but tinged with amusement.


    ¡°You were bound to hit a dead end eventually,¡± he said. ¡°Luck only stretches so far.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Though theres still some lockers left.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we got what¡­ 7 more? 9 lockers in total? Let''s see what we get,¡± I replied. Hopefully, we can find more stuff, but honestly, I''d be happy with what I already found.


    It felt like gambling¡­ how do I know that?


    Whatever, more to think about later.


    I moved through the rest of the lockers, working faster now that I had the crowbar. Each one resisted, groaning and shrieking as I pried them open, but they didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    The first locker popped open to reveal nothing. Just empty shelves and frost. ¡°Figures,¡± I said as I moved on.


    The next gave way with a snap, and inside, tucked into the bottom, was a thick bundle of cloth. I reached in and pulled out a heavy-duty jacket, stiff with cold but intact. Nice, but the one I was wearing was in better condition.


    Onto the next locker. A metallic groan and a ping of a lock snapping later, I found nothing inside.


    Another empty locker. I sighed through my nose and kept going.


    The fourth locker held something promising, a small first aid kit, the plastic casing lined with frost. I cracked it open, inspecting the supplies. Some bandages, painkillers, and antiseptic wipes. Basic but useful. I tossed it into my growing pile.


    Then another good find, spare thermal socks and gloves. They were old and stiff, but extras were extras. I tossed them onto the pile.


    The next two lockers broke open just as easily, and I found nothing.


    The last locker groaned as I wrenched it open, and inside, almost tucked away, was a small flashlight. I picked it up and gave it a shake. No response. I twisted the back open. Dead batteries. I clicked my tongue in frustration, but kept it anyway. Maybe I¡¯d find a use for it later.


    With the lockers looted, I stepped back and surveyed my haul.


    I glanced at Vesper. ¡°Alright, we got some serious supplies, no sleeping gear, but beggars can''t be choosers,¡± I started opening my new backpack and filling it with food and supplies. It seemed to be a hiker''s bag and thus could hold a lot and had straps for the larger tools.


    Vesper drifted closer, his glow flickering slightly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you were successful in scavenging, but as much as we want to celebrate. The storm is still coming.¡± His voice was steady, but there was an urgency beneath it. ¡°If we don¡¯t move, we¡¯ll be buried in here.¡±


    I exhaled sharply. ¡°Right. No time to linger. But once we are out of danger, you''ll be answering a plethora of my questions, deal?¡±


    ¡°Sure sure,¡± Vesper said, bobbing up and down, ¡°although I will warn you, I¡¯m just as knowledgeable as you in some areas.¡±


    I didn''t like the sound of that, but whatever, let''s get a move on.


    I shoved the last of the supplies into my bag, making sure the most important things were tucked away. I managed to fit everything I wanted or could need for the foreseeable future. I only left the old jacket as I had one and would rather have that space being used for food, as I don''t know how long it will be till I find access to more.


    I strapped the crowbar in a jury-rigged tie to the backpack and then slung it all on my shoulders. I''ll wield the ice pick for now. I rolled my shoulders, testing the fit. Not bad.


    I turned toward the tent¡¯s entrance. Opening the tent flap, cold wind poured in, and I braced myself before stepping outside.


    For the first time, I truly lifted my gaze to the sky, and the sight struck me with an unexpected beauty. The horizon stretched out in a soft, light blue, while the sky above me unfolded into an endless void of black and speckled stars, like a window into space itself. Dominating the scene was a massive planet, its swirling clouds and vibrant bands consuming most of the sky.


    Jupiter, I thought, if my memory served me right.


    My eyes swept over the landscape, the wind trying its best to attack my jacket, until I spotted something in the distance. Dark blues and steely greys churned and twisted, a storm cloud massing into a terrifying wall. It wasn¡¯t drifting lazily to the side either, like clouds sometimes do. This one was getting larger.


    It was moving directly for me.


    I narrowed my eyes, squinting against the wind, and studied the horizon, my pulse quickening.


    "Alright..." I muttered to myself, feeling the pressure of the moment. "Where do we go from here?"


    Chapter break?


    (idea. Maybe make the first interaction with other people (reveanants or people) be negative to introduce cynicism or character growth / characterizations)

 Chapter 2: Footsteps

    "Alright..." I muttered to myself, feeling the pressure of the moment. "Where do we go from here?"


    We had to get a move on, lest the storm come and wipe us out. I didn''t fully know what was going on, but I know a threat when I see one.


    Vesper¡¯s glow flickered faintly, barely visible through the shifting white haze. ¡°We need higher ground,¡± he said, his tone steady despite the rising wind. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see more from there, scout the area, find shelter or, if we''re lucky, civilization. But we can¡¯t stay here.¡±


    I nodded and squinted into the wind. Higher ground made sense. No one could survive out here alone. Not for long. There had to be a place where people gathered, where supplies were traded, where the living still clung to existence.


    My gaze swept over the abandoned camp. ¡°Whoever was here had to get their supplies from somewhere. Hopefully, that place isn¡¯t as lifeless as this one.¡± I said out loud.


    Vesper hovered beside me, his glow steady. ¡°A supply line would make sense,¡± he said, his voice thoughtful. ¡°Even the most stubborn survivors need a way to restock. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll find traces of where they went.¡±


    ¡°Any chance you can fly up and scout the area?¡± I asked. ¡°See if you can spot anything useful. I¡¯ll check around down here.¡±


    Vesper gave a small bob that looked close enough to a nod before drifting upward. I, on the other hand, turned my attention to my surroundings.


    I wandered through the camp, there was an eerie stillness settling over everything like a held breath before the storm. The wind had quieted, the calm before the storm, no doubt.


    Passing my tent, I climbed the small dune that had offered us a sliver of shelter and took in the desolate expanse before me. The landscape stretched out in cruel, fractured lines, great shards of ice jutting skyward like broken glass. Beneath them, deep scars split the frozen ground. One misstep out there, and I''d be gone.


    I noticed to my north, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s actually north, but it is now in my head, so¡­ to my north, a mountain in the far distance seemed climbable compared to the cliff faces of the other jagged ice walls around me.


    Eventually, Vesper returned. ¡°That way,¡± he said, pointing towards what I now deemed north, ¡°There''s a climbable mountain.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we see the same mountain. How far is it exactly?¡± I asked.


    Vesper¡¯s form shimmered slightly as he moved around. ¡°Not far. A few miles, I¡¯m sure. But the path will be difficult. The storm is only going to get worse before it clears.¡± He paused, his voice low but firm. ¡°We have no choice. The longer we stay on this ground, the more vulnerable we become.¡±


    I glanced at the empty stretch of frozen land ahead of us. No shelter, no cover, just endless, desolate white. It felt like being trapped inside a snow globe, everything too quiet, too still, except for the growing pressure of the storm.


    I tightened the straps of my pack. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, taking a final glance back at the campsite that was filled with stillness and death. There was nothing left here for me, nothing left for me to search for.


    Vesper didn¡¯t respond, but the faint flicker of his light, his presence a comforting force. ¡°We should move now.¡±


    I grunted my agreement as we set out.


    The first steps were the hardest. Imagine waking up from a coma and being told to walk a few miles, like someone forgot to oil your joints. Thankfully, the more I walked, the more I got used to walking. The soft snow crunching beneath my boots was occasionally interrupted by solid patches of ice that necessitated my attention to traverse properly.


    But I kept moving, my eyes locked on the higher ground ahead. The storm was a literal force of nature, and my only option for survival was to avoid it.


    The hike was a slog. Snow concealed pitfalls, and the ice seemed hell-bent on knocking me down. It was exhausting but not impossible.


    This is going to be a long journey, isn''t it?


    ¡°So I guess we have time to kill as we walk¡­ well, as you float, I guess,¡± I said, trying to break the ice. Heh, ice.


    Vesper''s ethereal form flickered, almost like a chuckle, but it was hard to tell with the distortion of the cold air. ¡°I suppose we do. What would you like to know?¡± Their voice was steady and calm, with a faint hint of curiosity.


    ¡°Well, for starters,¡± I began, trying to sound casual, ¡°you brought me back. Why me? Why did you choose me?¡±


    My breath puffed out in the freezing air as I glanced at the Phantom, trying to keep my voice even.


    Vesper floated a little closer, their light dimming slightly as though they were considering my question. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose you. At least¡­ not consciously. It¡¯s hard to explain. I simply found you. I was drawn to you, like a thread pulling me toward something I didn¡¯t fully understand.¡± They paused, flickering as if unsure of how to continue. ¡°All Phantoms are drawn to their partner. Once we find them, we revive them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s not like you had a reason? It¡¯s just¡­ fate, or something like that?¡± I raised an eyebrow, trying to piece things together.


    Vesper¡¯s form shimmered slightly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t random. There¡¯s a pattern to it. I think, though I don¡¯t fully understand it. I¡¯ve been awakened, and now I¡¯m here with you, to help or guide you.¡±


    I mulled that over. ¡°Okay, I get that¡­ sort of. But what about you? What are you? Where did you come from?¡±


    Vesper¡¯s glow flickered again, with hesitation in their voice. ¡°I don¡¯t have a clear answer for that. I don¡¯t remember anything before this. I was¡­ created somehow, with one purpose: to connect with my Revenant and revive them. Why? I don¡¯t know. But I do know that there¡¯s more to this world than just us, and I want to understand it. Something larger is at play, I''m sure, but I¡¯m still learning.¡±


    Vesper hesitated before responding. ¡°Only on this. It¡¯s¡­ strange. Like I was made to understand these things, I know the basic nature of the universe or fundamentals of how physics works, but ask me about anything outside of that, and I have no idea.¡±


    I frowned, thinking that over. ¡°So, you¡¯re basically a guide who doesn¡¯t know where the road leads.¡±


    Vesper gave a small flicker, something between a sigh and a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not inaccurate.¡±


    I huffed out a small laugh. ¡°Well, that¡¯s comforting. At least I¡¯m not the only one figuring things out.¡±


    Vesper¡¯s glow pulsed faintly, almost in agreement. ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡±


    I looked up at the flickering light that floated beside me. ¡°Also, that was the first time I¡¯ve heard that word. ¡®Revenant.¡¯ What¡¯s that?¡±


    Vesper¡¯s glow dimmed a little, considering the question. ¡°A Revenant is someone who was dead but is now alive again. You, specifically, are a Revenant. It¡¯s not just a second chance. It¡¯s far more complex. You¡¯ve been brought back for a reason. Maybe it¡¯s fate, maybe something else, but either way, you¡¯ve been chosen to return to this world. And as long as I am here and alive, you will be alive too.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°So, I¡¯m like¡­ some kind of undead?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Vesper replied. ¡°When a Revenant is resurrected, they¡¯re more than just someone coming back from death. Because of me, you have access to extraordinary things. The main thing is that I can revive you again if you die, and over time, as we bond, you¡¯ll unlock the ability to manipulate the world around us. For most Revenants, this manifests as elemental powers. They¡¯re able to wield things like fire, lightning, and whatnot, but I''m simplifying it a lot.¡±


    ¡°So, these abilities,¡± I said, trying to wrap my mind around it, ¡°They come from¡­ where?¡±


    Vesper¡¯s light flickered again. ¡°They come from the bond between us. Your return wasn¡¯t just about bringing you back. I was basically infused with you when I revived you the first time. Your abilities are tied to me, and I to you. You¡¯re not the person you once were, and the universe around you has changed because of it.¡±


    ¡°And because of that, I can control the elements?¡± I asked, still piecing things together.


    Vesper''s glow pulsed faintly, as if nodding. ¡°Yes, but not immediately. Your abilities are raw at first. It will take time to learn to control them. But eventually, you¡¯ll be able to wield them more powerfully, shaping them to suit your needs. It¡¯s all about learning to work with the forces now awakened in you.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s the catch?¡± I asked, already suspecting there was one.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not invulnerable. If you die, I''m vulnerable when reviving you. Phantoms die all the time. And when they do¡­¡± Vesper trailed off, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m just skimming the surface, and I¡¯m probably making it sound better than it really is. Just because you have access to these powers doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t greater forces that would want to strip you of everything that makes you¡­ You.¡±


    I sighed, my thoughts swirling. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a lot to take in. So, I¡¯m technically immortal, and I¡¯ll eventually wield forces of nature.¡± I said, bewildered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a purpose,¡± Vesper said softly. ¡°A Revenant isn¡¯t just someone brought back to life. They¡¯re meant to shape the world in some way. How that plays out depends on you.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m stuck with this ¡®Revenant¡¯ thing for good, huh?¡±


    ¡°For better or worse,¡± Vesper replied, their tone almost like a quiet smile. ¡°But it¡¯s not all bad. With time, you¡¯ll see what you¡¯re truly capable of.¡±


    I nodded, processing it all. ¡°Alright, so what¡¯s next? How do I start figuring out these abilities?¡±


    Vesper¡¯s glow flickered brighter. ¡°One step at a time. You¡¯ll need to experiment to see what comes naturally to you. But you have to be cautious. There¡¯s a lot of danger out there. And not just from the environment.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s not the same as it once was,¡± Vesper warned. ¡°There are others¡ªpeople like you, and people who fear what you¡¯ve become. Some will want to control you. Some will want to destroy you.¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, you hinted at that when saying ¡®Phantoms¡¯ plural. So I assumed there were others. Are we supposed to meet up and defend the galaxy or something?¡± I chuckled at my attempt at humor.


    ¡°Well, yes and no,¡± Vesper replied, taking my attempt at humor at face value. ¡°You¡¯re not invincible, just immortal. Meaning you can be killed. If I were to die, you¡¯d be back to being a powerless mortal. Also, there¡¯s no doubt that people will use these powers for evil. It¡¯s just how these things work.¡±


    I turned to face Vesper. ¡°So, we¡¯re not just trying to survive here. We¡¯ve got to watch out for other Revenants? I¡¯m still confused about what the point of all of this is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to figure out together. There must be a purpose,¡± Vesper replied, their light dimming slightly, which made me uneasy.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know either,¡± I muttered, my voice heavy with sarcasm.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Vesper didn¡¯t respond immediately, and for a moment, the snow crunching under my boots was the only sound filling the air. Finally, Vesper spoke. ¡°I know this is a lot to take in. But you¡¯re alive. That means you still have a chance to change things. To make a difference. You¡¯re not just a survivor. You¡¯re something more.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if that was supposed to be comforting, but it did give me something to focus on. I had to survive this. Somehow. ¡°Alright, fine. Focus on the positives, I guess.¡±


    We walked in silence for a while, or more like I walked and Vesper drifted effortlessly around me. Eventually, I sighed and glanced at Vesper.


    "So, just to confirm, where exactly are we?"


    Vesper answered without hesitation. "Europa."


    "Europa," I echoed. I mean, the planet it revolved around was right there. The logical conclusion was obvious, I just didn¡¯t like the answer. "Yeah, makes sense, with the giant gas giant staring at me right there. But how? And why?"


    Vesper¡¯s voice remained steady. "Technology has advanced significantly. Europa has been colonized for a long time now. There are settlements scattered across its surface. It is not exactly paradise, but people survive here."


    "So, what, we just got so good at space travel that setting up shop on a frozen moon became normal?"


    "More or less."


    ¡°Man, how long was I out¡­¡±


    ¡°You could have been one of the first people here for all we know,¡± Vesper replied.


    I kept moving, letting the revelation settle in. Europa. Once, it had been nothing more than a distant dream for scientists and explorers. And yet, here I was. Or did I just not remember humans reaching Europa? Man, it''s so confusing thinking about what I remember and what I don''t. I hope that changes over time.


    A few moments passed in silence, my mind still chewing on everything I had just learned. Then, another thought hit me.


    "Okay, so¡­ how do we get stronger?" I flexed my fingers, waiting for some sensation, some proof that something inside me had changed. "Because I am pretty sure an ice pick is not gonna cut it." I looked at Vesper. "Do I just wait for my abilities to develop, or is there a way to speed things up?"


    Vesper floated beside me, quiet for a moment, as if considering the best way to answer. Then, with their usual measured tone, they spoke.


    "Your abilities will develop over time as we become more attuned to each other. But there are ways to accelerate the process."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I¡¯m listening. What, do I need to meditate under a frozen waterfall? Swing my ice pick until my muscles remember something my brain does not?"


    "Experience is the key," Vesper said. "Using your abilities, pushing yourself in real situations, will strengthen the bond between us. The more you fight, the more you adapt, the faster your power will grow. Other than that, I wouldn¡¯t know."


    I exhaled slowly, watching the mist of my breath fade into the cold air. "So trial by fire. Alright. So, where do we even start? Do I have to find some poor fool to pick a fight with, or is there a less suicidal method?"


    "Survival itself will be a challenge," Vesper said. "You are still recovering, and we need to find shelter. The cold will slow you down more than any enemy right now."


    I frowned, glancing around at the endless snow. "So basically, I have to make sure I don¡¯t freeze to death first."


    "That would be preferable," Vesper said dryly.


    I sighed and adjusted my stance, already feeling the ache in my legs. "Alright, fine. First step, not dying. Second step, getting stronger. Sounds simple enough."


    Vesper hummed in agreement. "Then we should keep moving."


    With another breath, I pushed forward, my mind already racing through what little I knew. One step at a time.


    <hr>


    Eventually, we reached the mountain that we saw earlier. It looked larger than I expected, but so be it. The taller it was, the better the vantage point. I turned around to see how far the storm was, and it seemed to be almost upon the camp where I woke up. Now that I had a better look at it, the storm seemed more like an avalanche falling from the storm clouds that hovered above it.


    Man, storms on Europa seemed nasty.


    "That storm is worse than I thought," I commented.


    "Yeah, I¡¯m glad we moved," Vesper agreed, drifting beside me. "I wouldn''t want you stuck underneath all that."


    ¡°Wait, did you say you could revive me if I die again?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be revived under a few tons of snow?¡±


    ¡°I see your point,¡± I replied.


    I turned my attention back to the mountain, preparing for the climb ahead. It was not a sheer vertical wall, but it was definitely steeper than I would have liked. As we ascended, the wind picked up, and the air grew thinner and sharper. Every now and then, the snow gave way to smooth ice, forcing me to use my ice pick. Thank the stars I found one, or this climb would be nearly impossible. I chipped away at the ice, carving out handholds and footholds as I went.


    Vesper floated ahead, silent as ever, waiting for me to catch up.


    The higher we went, the worse the wind became. It tugged at my clothes, slipping through the gaps in my gear, biting at any exposed skin. I clenched my jaw and kept going.


    By the time I reached the peak, my legs and arms burned, but I pushed through the fatigue, straightening up to take in the view.


    Endless ice and rock stretched before me... Thick clouds loomed from the direction of the storm, turning the sky a dull, suffocating gray.


    Then¡­ movement.


    I narrowed my eyes. A dark shape flickered against the ice far in the distance, moving fast, too smooth to be natural. I tracked it as best I could, watching as it disappeared behind a ridge before emerging again.


    "Vesper," I said, voice sharp.


    "I see it," they replied, drifting closer, their glow flickering faintly against the snow.


    It didn¡¯t feel like an animal. My best bet would be a vehicle.


    My pulse quickened. That meant people. Civilization.


    Or, at the very least, someone who knew how to survive out here.


    ¡°That could be good,¡± I said, watching it disappear again.


    ¡°That could also be bad,¡± Vesper countered.


    I exhaled, considering my options. There was no telling what kind of people lived out here, what laws they followed, if any. But I knew one thing for certain: standing around in the cold wasn¡¯t an option.


    I adjusted my grip on my pack and nodded. ¡°I think that¡¯s our next destination.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Vesper said, ¡°as much as it could be dangerous, so is sitting around in the cold.¡±


    I turned back to the storm. It did not linger over the camp; it bulldozed over it, erasing every footprint I had made in the snow. I watched as the living avalanche pushed forward, tendrils of ice and snow bombarding the ground below.


    It was coming for us.


    "Vesper," I said, already scanning the terrain below. "We need to move. Now."


    Vesper floated closer, their voice calm but firm. "Agreed. We need shelter."


    I scanned the landscape ahead, squinting against the wind. The slope beyond the peak stretched downward into a rough expanse of jagged ridges and icy plains. And then¡ªthere. A dark gash in the rock face, off to the side and in the opposite direction of the white hurricane. A cave. It seemed good enough to hopefully weather the storm.


    "That," I said, pointing toward it. "That¡¯s where we¡¯re going."


    "It is in the direction of the shape we saw earlier," Vesper noted.


    "Two birds, one stone." I adjusted my grip on my backpack and ice pick and started down the other side of the mountain.


    The descent was just as brutal as the climb, if not worse. The wind clawed at me, threatening to knock me off balance. The ice beneath my boots was treacherous, forcing me to move carefully but quickly. Every second counted.


    I even opted to slide down some parts, which, I will admit, was fun¡ªuntil the soft, powdery snow turned to slick ice beneath my boots, and I was rocketed into the air.


    It happened so fast. One moment, I was steadying myself for the next move, and the next, I was careening over the icy slope. My stomach lurched as I flew through the air, the world spinning around me in a blur of white and gray.


    I slammed into the ground, snow giving way to jagged ice and buried rock. Pain erupted with every bounce, sharp and sudden. My body jolted violently, every impact tearing at me. I clawed at the snow, desperate to stop the spin, but there was nothing to hold onto.


    The icy landscape whipped past as I collided with the ground once more. The pain hit me sharply but only for a moment, like a flash of fire before the cold swallowed it whole.


    I finally came to a stop, my body crumpled and sprawled across the snow, breath ragged. For a moment, all I could do was lie there, feeling the sting of the cold seep through my layers.


    After what felt like an eternity, I tried to push myself up, but a sharp, excruciating pain shot through my right leg. I froze, gasping in agony. My leg wasn¡¯t okay. Slowly, I dared to look down and saw the unnatural angle it was bent at, just below my knee.


    I couldn¡¯t stop the curse that slipped from my lips. My leg was fractured, the bone twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood poured from the wound, soaking through my pant leg and staining the snow a dark red. The pain was a white-hot spike, shooting through my body with every shallow breath.


    ¡°Vesper¡­¡± I managed to rasp, the words barely making it past my clenched teeth. My chest felt tight, my body frozen in agony. The wind howled around me, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in my leg. I had to move, I knew that much, but every time I tried to shift, the agony overwhelmed me. I couldn''t stay here, not with that storm closing in.


    I gritted my teeth, trying to summon the strength to push myself up. But it felt impossible.


    Then Vesper¡¯s calm voice pierced through the pain. ¡°I¡¯m here, I got you.¡±


    The warmth around my leg intensified, and within moments, the pain melted away, leaving only a faint ache where the injury once was. It was like the wound never happened at all. My leg straightened with a subtle shift, the bone snapping back into place, the blood that soaked into my pants slowly receding until nothing was left. Almost as if time had been rewound. My body felt like it had been reset¡ªno lingering discomfort, no hint of weakness. It was like a perfect restoration, all in under a minute.


    I blinked, confused, as I stood slowly, testing my weight on the leg. It felt completely fine, with no signs of the fracture left.


    I looked up at Vesper, still hovering near me, their presence calm and steady as ever.


    "What the fuck did you do?" I asked, voice hoarse and bewildered. "I didn''t know you could heal." For a second, I thought that was it. Everything was over.


    Just like that, I would have been stuck in place till the storm arrived and buried me.


    Vesper''s voice was calm, though there was a hint of something in their tone that suggested they weren''t entirely sure how to explain.


    "It¡¯s... part of my nature," Vesper began, their voice calm and measured. "I possess abilities beyond simply guiding and protecting. Healing is one of them. But we need to be away from danger or combat for it to work."


    "You failed to mention this earlier," I shot back. "I mean, yeah, you said you could revive me if I die again, but this? What the fuck, man?" I stood up, the memory of pain seared in my mind as I searched for my ice pick.


    Vesper''s tone softened, almost apologetic. "I understand your frustration. I didn¡¯t want to overwhelm you with everything at once. You¡¯ve just been revived, and that¡¯s a lot to process. But... yes, I can do more than I initially let on."


    I found my ice pick a few paces away in the snow. Once I retrieved it, I scanned the area for anything else that may have fallen. Finding nothing, I set off again toward the cave we¡¯d spotted earlier. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. But a little heads-up would¡¯ve been nice... Whatever. Realizing I¡¯m capable of this only makes me more curious, or maybe scared, about what the other Revenants can do. Anything else you want to fill me in on while we¡¯re at it? What other tricks do you have?"


    Vesper''s voice was tinged with regret as they answered. "Healing and reviving are just about all I can do. But you, as a Revenant... Revenants are similar in the way humans are. Everyone can run, but some are faster than others. It¡¯s the same with your powers. Some naturally gravitate toward fire, while others understand lightning more easily. I¡¯m sure you understand."


    They paused, considering their next words. "I should¡¯ve told you sooner," Vesper continued, their voice quieter now, filled with sincerity. "I apologize for not being more transparent. You deserved that much, at least."


    As I continued walking toward our destination, pretending the conversation hadn¡¯t left me unsettled, I asked, "Whatever, it¡¯s done now. But while we¡¯re on the subject, what are all the elements Revenants can use?"


    Vesper¡¯s voice was calm but carried an undeniable weight, as though he had spent years contemplating these truths. His words were more deliberate.


    ¡°The powers Revenants wield are not random. Each one represents something fundamental about the world we live in.¡±


    He paused. A flicker in his glow like hesitation. Then, slowly, he began to speak.


    ¡°Solis is vitality and fire, embodying both the warmth of life and the fury of destruction. This fundamental embodies fire and energy.


    ¡°Fulmen is the current of motion and balance, embodying both the relentless surge of energy and the precision of conduction. This fundamental embodies electricity and power.


    ¡°Voidus is the abyss of entropy and absence, embodying both the pull of gravity and the hunger of oblivion. This fundamental embodies the void and decay.


    ¡°Glacies is will and control. It slows, detains, and shatters. This fundamental embodies the reduction of entropy,¡± Vesper explained.


    ¡°That''s a lot,¡± I replied after a moment of pause to think about the words Vesper had spoken.


    ¡°Each Revenant has an affinity for one of these forces, whether it is chosen or not. Some are drawn more easily to one than another, but remember that these powers are simply tools. What matters is how we choose to use them.


    ¡°And that¡¯s just a very quick summary. I¡¯m skipping over a lot and not giving each fundamental its due justice, but everything falls under one of these 4 fundamentals. Everything depends on how you act, or how you will yourself to be. A Glacies user can be more deadly than a Voidus user, depending on a multitude of factors. But I digress. Did I answer your question?¡± Vesper asked, after dumping me in the deep end of confusion.


    I nodded slowly, the weight of his words sinking in. Each of these powers was dangerous in its own right, and the thought of wielding them was both thrilling and horrifying. The main question on my mind was which of these would I connect with, and how would it shape me?


    ¡°Okay, I can see why you didn¡¯t just say this earlier. This is a lot to take in¡­ I- um¡­ I¡¯m not sure where to even start asking questions. But thank you,¡± I finally said. To be honest, Vesper was right. This was more information than I really knew what to do with right now.


    I guess I¡¯ll revisit this topic later.


    "And, as I said earlier,¡± Vesper said, ¡°I should''ve told you sooner. My apologies for holding back. You needed to know the truth of what we¡¯re capable of."

 Chapter 3: Into the Deep

    The storm hadn¡¯t reached me yet.


    I risked a glance over my shoulder, expecting distance, some reassurance that I still had time. Instead, my stomach dropped.


    It was closer than I thought.


    A massive wall of snow and ice surged over the ridge, swallowing the landscape in its wake. The sky behind it was a swirling, violent blur, thick with shifting white and shadows that moved too fast to track. The wind howled past me, clawing at my back..


    My boots pounded against the frozen slope, slipping on hidden patches of ice as I pushed toward the cave ahead. Each breath stabbed my lungs, and every second felt like it was closing the gap between me and a slow, frozen death.


    Vesper hovered just ahead, his glow flickering wildly against the rising white.


    ¡°There!¡± he called, his voice barely cutting through the wind. ¡°Just ahead!¡±


    The cave mouth appeared like a miracle. I didn¡¯t hesitate. I threw myself forward and stumbled inside, quickly retreating from the open air.


    I made my way deeper into the cave, trying to get away from any trace of the outside world. I knew the storm would soon devour it. I kept going until I found a small pocket in the ice that looked like it could offer some real cover.


    I collapsed into it. My breath came in short bursts, fogging up in the cold air. For the first time since I started running, I let myself slow down, just for a moment.


    The cave groaned around me as the wind outside picked up. A low, guttural howl echoed through the entrance, funneled and amplified by the ice walls. Snow and ice pelted the opening of the cave I now relied on for shelter.


    I sat there, letting my pulse come back down, staring at the soft glow Vesper cast on the frozen walls. My hands were still trembling, though whether it was from the cold or the adrenaline wearing off, I wasn¡¯t sure.


    Eventually, I reached for my pack.


    Once my breathing steadied, I sat down and started unpacking my backpack. I pulled out the things I¡¯d scavenged from the camp. The small portable stove and its fuel canisters and a can.


    Then I paused.


    ¡°Hey, Vesper?¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡± my only light source replied.


    ¡°How do I light this thing? You mentioned something about fire. Solis, right? Can I just...¡±


    I held my fingers to where the flame would normally ignite and snapped.


    Nothing.


    ¡°I see what you mean. You should be able to. Focus on the outcome, feel for the bond or an energy inside you,¡± Vesper tried explaining.


    I sat in silence. Searching. Was there something different inside me? I needed a flame. Just a spark. Just something.


    I snapped over and over until something clicked, and sparks jumped from my fingertips.


    ¡°Oh shit! I did it!¡± I said out loud, surprised I got anything to happen.


    ¡°Oh shit! Nice!¡± Vesper replied, equally surprised.


    We sat there for a second, both just staring at my hand like it might catch fire on its own.


    I flexed my fingers, half-expecting the sparks to return, but nothing happened. No residual heat. No sign I had actually done anything.


    ¡°That felt... weird,¡± I muttered, still processing.


    ¡°Weird how?¡± Vesper asked.


    I wasn¡¯t even sure. It hadn¡¯t hurt, but something had shifted. ¡°Like a muscle I didn¡¯t know I had just twitched for the first time,¡± I replied


    I let out a breath and shook my hand out. No use sitting here overthinking it. There were better things to test.


    ¡°By the way, how long did it take you to find me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. A few years of drifting in space, and a few hours once I was in range of this planet.¡±


    Oh. Well, damn. Vesper really hasn¡¯t seen much of the universe.


    Silence fell. Not total, but close. The storm was getting louder. Announcing its presence to anyone stupid enough to be near. The cave swallowed most of it, but even still, it wasn''t quiet.


    Goes to show how fucked I would¡¯ve been if I got caught by it.


    ¡°All right. Can I do it again?¡± I snapped my fingers. A tiny tingling feeling from my chest pulsed its way down my arm, to my fingers, and out the second I snapped. The room glowed for a brief second as the sparks escaped my fingertips once more.


    ¡°Any idea what Fundamental I have?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Granted, this doesn¡¯t necessarily mean your Fundamental is Solis. Even if your Fundamental is Glacies, you can still create a flame. Like a sprinter can swim, though just not as well as they can run,¡± Vesper informed me.


    ¡°I gotcha. Well, at least I can eat warm food now. For the first time in my new life,¡± I replied jokingly.


    But to be honest... this was about as much as I had done since coming back to life. It was like I got put in someone else''s shoes with no knowledge of what was going on. It was an odd sensation.


    I turned the stove on, hearing the hiss of gas escaping the canister, and snapped my fingers. It lit. It almost felt surreal, but now the room glowed with the flickering of flame. I grabbed the can I pulled from my pack and wedged the tip of my ice pick under the lid. With a sharp twist, the metal gave way with a rough snap. Not clean, but good enough. I set the can on the small camping stove and let it start heating.


    Looked like an old soup. It didn¡¯t smell off and didn¡¯t look bad, so I guess it was safe to eat. And if worse comes to worse-


    ¡°Hey, Vesper, you can heal poisoning, right?¡± I asked with a half-chuckle.


    Vesper drifted near the heating can. ¡°I mean, I think so. But it looks safe enough.¡± That was all the confirmation I needed.


    ¡°Why do I need to eat? I mean, obviously I can, but do I need it?¡±


    ¡°From my understanding, if you were to die of hunger and I revived you, I¡¯m not sure how satiated you would be,¡± Vesper replied. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up again. ¡°I would guess it would be like keeling over from pain, only to be resurrected and feel how you did an hour before you died. I imagine the gnawing feeling of hunger persisting after being resurrected.¡±


    ¡°Oh... that is way worse than I was expecting. Good thing we shouldn¡¯t need to worry about that for a while,¡± I said, now slightly more conscious about my food supply.


    I sat back down with the hot can in my gloved hands, the steam rising in gentle wisps that disappeared into the frigid air. The first sip wasn¡¯t good. It was warm, vaguely metallic, and whatever meat was in it had the consistency of wet paper. But it was food. Actual food. And with each mouthful, I could feel a warmth returning that went deeper than skin.


    My stomach growled like it hadn¡¯t had a reason to before. I hadn¡¯t even noticed how hollow I felt until that moment, like I had been running on fumes since waking up. Now, every bite seemed to patch something inside me. It was as if my body finally realized it was alive again.


    When I finished, I sat there a second longer, holding the empty can between my hands for the heat. My chest didn¡¯t feel so tight. My limbs didn¡¯t ache quite as much. Even my thoughts felt clearer, less foggy. The cold still crept in around the edges, but something about having eaten, however awful that soup was, made it easier to hold onto myself.


    Yeah, food was a necessity.


    ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered, letting out a huge sigh of satisfaction as I packed up all my gear again. ¡°That really helped.¡±


    Vesper didn¡¯t say anything, but his glow pulsed gently nearby, like he was watching.


    I stretched, letting out a sigh. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m bored. Let¡¯s see how far this cave goes. Not like we¡¯ve got anything better to do with the storm raging outside.¡±


    Vesper flickered slightly. ¡°I mean¡­ sure. But maybe let¡¯s not forget that deep, dark caves tend to have deep, dark things in them.¡±


    I clenched my fist around the only real weapon I had, adjusted my pack, and wandered deeper into the cave.


    The smooth ice gave way to more jagged formations, and the cave became smaller and smaller. Not enough to completely inhibit my ability to move through it, but enough for me to feel it.


    After a few more minutes of traversing the cave system, the ice abruptly gave way to metal. Scrap rusted metal lined the walls, roof, and floor of this cave-turned-corridor. It was as if someone had ripped up every bit of valuable material from the area. I kept pushing forward, using Vesper as my only light source as he drifted in front of me.


    Suddenly, I was greeted with a message carved into the wall.


    BURNED CLEAN


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± I muttered, keeping my voice lower than usual.


    ¡°It seems like a marker of some kind. My guess is that someone, or some group, wanted to let others know this place has been picked clean,¡± Vesper replied, lowering his voice too.


    ¡°So, in that case, we shouldn¡¯t find much else. But I don¡¯t see a reason to stop looking. Maybe we can still find something,¡± I said.


    Vesper gave his version of a nod, and I kept walking down the hallway past the words. The place eventually expanded into a larger complex. It might¡¯ve been grand once, but now this place only holds its skeleton. Nothing useful was left. Any identifiable markers must have been taken too, because there was no way to tell what anything had originally been.


    I kept wandering the halls, careful not to go down too many corridors and get lost. Some hallways ended in dead ends, others twisted off into darkness. Every so often, I passed shattered metal beams, long-forgotten crates, or rusted piping embedded into the walls like the skeletal remains of some old machine. A few doors stood half-open. Others were frozen shut. Most led nowhere. Just more silence.


    While I was wandering these forgotten halls, I kept thinking about the tiny spark I made. I kept snapping my fingers, getting a feel for that surge. That something rushing from my chest to my arm to my fingertips and then out as a spark. Over time, while walking, I got it to resemble something closer to a candle flame. I couldn¡¯t hold it for long, but it was progress.


    I tried to keep turns to a minimum, glancing back often to memorize the path. Vesper floated ahead, occasionally pausing as if listening to the quiet. We didn¡¯t speak much. There wasn¡¯t much to say. I figured I¡¯d keep going until something changed¡­ or until I ran out of hallway.


    Eventually, we hit a dead end and started turning back. That was when, down a corridor I had passed, something caught my eye. It seemed to glow faintly in the dark.


    ¡°Do you see that glow?¡± I asked, pointing in the direction I was looking.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t see- oh. Over there,¡± Vesper said, after a second. ¡°Yeah. What is that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my question.¡±


    I walked through the doorway between me and the glow, only to find, in the corner of the room, a tiny plant that looked to be made of ice. The room itself wasn¡¯t large by any means, but with the majority of the floor and supports having been ripped out, it still felt wide open. I sat on a rusted I-beam nearby and got a better look at the plant.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    It looked like a crystalline sculpture that glowed faintly. I touched it, and it felt like a gem, but it moved the way I¡¯d expect a plant to move. Looking closer, I saw a tiny orb about the size of a blueberry growing from one of the branches. The plant had leaves, but they looked more like tiny, round platforms than anything traditional. The berry was growing under one of them.


    ¡°Any way for you to figure out what this is, and if I could pick it?¡± I asked Vesper.


    ¡°Give me a minute,¡± he said, and I saw his glow shifting rapidly as he got closer to the fruit. He basically shoved his being right up to it, studying it like it was the last mystery in the universe.


    A few minutes went by like that. I decided to let Vesper do his thing and found a spot to lie down.


    My backpack made for a decent pillow in times like these.


    After what felt like an hour, I couldn¡¯t be sure, Vesper spoke up.


    ¡°From everything I can gather, it just seems like a plant growing in the depths of the ice on this planet. It should be harmless. In fact, it might be quite the opposite. It might be very beneficial for you. Obviously, I¡¯m not equipped to fully test it, and I don¡¯t want to harm the plant... but it seems safe. Might be quite valuable too, based on its chemical composition.¡±


    ¡°You got all that just by staring at it?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, thank you, but that¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. All I had to do was inspect the microstructure of the outer husk. Run a spectral breakdown of its ionic resonance. The fruit¡¯s stable. Doesn¡¯t degrade under normal atmospheric exposure either. Pretty wild, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I definitely understood all of that,¡± I said, dryly. ¡°Either way, thanks.¡±


    I bent down to the plant, feeling its solid leaves, and plucked the small fruit. It stayed intact, and I tucked it safely into my backpack.


    Maybe I¡¯ll find a good use for it later. I bet I can find out how valuable this is if, hopefully, I find other people or civilization. Once the storm clears up, I''ll head in the direction I saw that movement earlier. A problem for a future self.


    Vesper hovered nearby, his light steady but dim. If he had any lingering thoughts about the plant, he kept them to himself.


    "Alright," I exhaled, adjusting my pack. "Let¡¯s see how far this place goes."


    Vesper bobbed slightly in what I took as agreement, and I turned away from the strange little frozen plant, heading deeper into the corridors of rust and ice.


    At first, the path was familiar. The same frozen walls, the same old wreckage embedded in the ice. More half-rusted pipes. More signs that this place had been picked clean long before I ever set foot in it.


    I kept track of my turns as best I could. A left, then another left, then a straight hallway that felt longer than it should have. No signs of life. No markings.


    The temperature fluctuated the deeper I went. It wasn¡¯t unbearable, but it was noticeable, like stepping into a pocket of dead air.


    ¡°How deep do you think this goes?¡± I asked, breaking the silence.


    Vesper floated ahead, his glow pulsing faintly as he scanned the tunnel. ¡°Hard to say. Given the metal structures, this was built to last. Could have an entire buried complex under the ice.¡±


    I considered that thought. Whatever this place used to be, it sure as hell wasn¡¯t that anymore.


    I then noticed something new.


    The corridors weren¡¯t just changing structurally. They were narrowing.


    The walls, once smooth and overtaken by ice, were showing a bit more metal plating. Old, cracked panels that had warped over time. Some were bent inward, like an impact had forced them that way. I ran my fingers over one, feeling the grooves where something had dug deep into the material.


    A fight? Or just time, tearing things apart?


    I kept moving.


    After what felt like half an hour of weaving through increasingly compressed hallways, I reached a 4 way intersection.


    To my left, a collapsed passage. Twisted beams and fallen supports.


    To my right, a narrowing corridor, the walls warped and buckling under the crushing weight of the ice.


    Straight ahead held a longer hallway, better maintained than the rest I have been walking through.


    That was new.


    I stepped forward, drawn toward the anomaly, but something caught my eye on the wall beside me.


    Scratched into the metal, deep and jagged


    GUARDDOG AHEAD


    Beneath it, messier and more uneven


    LET SLEEPING JUNK DIE


    I stopped.


    Vesper hovered closer, his glow flickering slightly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not ominous¡­¡± he said with dry sarcasm.


    I stared at the message, running my fingers over the rough etching. The scratches had torn into the metal, leaving deep gouges. Someone had written this with something sharp and angry.


    "Let sleeping junk die," I muttered under my breath. "Sounds like something lives down here and they didn''t want to deal with it."


    Vesper didn¡¯t respond right away. He hovered beside me, quieter than usual.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel like a trap,¡± he said slowly. ¡°More like a warning.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they just wanted to scare people off. No way to know unless we check.¡± I replied. I¡¯m very curious as to why this area seems more intact.


    I took a few hesitant steps forward. Past the scratched-in warning. Everything here was super old, plus I''ve found a cool frozen plant in the more run-down area, what''s to say I can¡¯t find more useful things in the less run-down area?


    How old is that warning anyway? No way anything¡¯s still alive down here.


    I walked on more confidently.


    The corridor stretched ahead, more open than the others I had passed through. The walls weren¡¯t as torn up, the ceiling hadn¡¯t caved in, and the ice hadn¡¯t fully claimed it yet. It felt old rather than gutted like the earlier part.


    Why was this part still standing?


    Vesper floated a little closer, his glow casting long shadows over the floor. He hadn¡¯t spoken since I brushed off his concern. I could still feel the weight of his words lingering between us.


    ¡®More like a warning.¡¯


    I kept moving.


    Each step felt too loud.


    I made sure to keep scanning my surroundings. The metal walls were smoother, less warped, but streaked with old soot and scorch marks. Whatever happened down here, it wasn¡¯t just time that did the damage.


    The ground beneath me shifted slightly, just a shallow crunch of frost breaking under my boot. I stopped, listening.


    Nothing.


    Not the wind. Not the groan of shifting ice.


    Just dead silence.


    Vesper whispered behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    I adjusted my grip on my ice pick. ¡°Yeah. Me neither. But you know what they say, curiosity and the cat.¡±


    At the end of a hallway, we found a room. As we walked up to the room, we found a figure slumped over and half-frozen to the floor.


    My breath stilled for a second, my body going tense before my brain fully processed what I was looking at. At first glance, it just seemed like another pile of scrap. But something about it was off.


    I took a cautious step closer.


    The ice coating it was thick, but I could make out the details now.


    It looked like some wreckage of a humanoid machine. Its plating was rusted to the point of eating holes in it, and one of its arms was missing below the elbow. Its head was slumped forward, thick cables running from the base of its neck into the floor.


    Behind it seemed to have a desk¡­ or a computer? I couldn''t tell. Was it hooked into the wall?


    It sat there, kneeling on the floor.


    ¡°Looks like the sleeping junk in question,¡± I whispered


    Vesper hovered behind me, his glow dimming. ¡°Is it dead?¡±


    ¡°It certainly doesn''t look alive,¡± I said, eyes still locked on the thing.


    It wasn¡¯t moving. No flickering lights. No hum of old circuits.


    There¡¯s no way it¡¯s still functional. And if it wasn¡¯t functional, was there anything inside I could nab?


    The air around me was still. Quite contrary to my racing pulse, which felt like it was loud enough that Vesper could hear it.


    I didn¡¯t move right away. My grip on my ice pick was firm as I studied it. Watching for the slightest twitch.


    Nothing.


    The ice had fused to its back and legs, locking it in place. Frost coated its joints like a thick second skin.


    My fingers twitched toward my ice pick. Not because I expected it to move, but because a weapon in my hand always felt better than nothing.


    A step closer.


    The dead air parted ways before me.


    Another step.


    A faint creak echoed through the metal beneath me.


    I stopped in front of it.


    Up close, I could see the faint engraving on its rusted chest plate, barely legible under layers of frost:


    V-92 SENTINEL, Eidolon Systems.


    I exhaled, some of the tension slipping from my shoulders. I leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the cabling running into the floor. It looked severed. The damage didn¡¯t seem recent.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s-¡±


    BOOM


    The world snapped sideways before I even registered what happened.


    I found the wall rapidly approaching me as I slammed into it with a loud groan, the metal bending inward under my body before I collapsed onto the floor in a heap.


    Pain flaring in my chest. Definitely a broken rib.


    Dazed, I turned my head, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.


    The machine¡¯s only remaining arm was still extended. Right where I had been standing.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I coughed, feeling the dull, grinding ache in my lungs.


    Vesper¡¯s glow pulsed erratically. ¡°You need to MOVE!¡± His voice was sharp and panicked, ¡°Get up, NOW!¡±


    A deep, splintering crack echoed through the room.


    I turned back just in time to see the machine slowly rising from the floor. Ice fractured and slid from its rusted frame as its joints unlocked, one by one.


    Vesper hovered at the doorway, waiting for me to meet up with him and escape, his glow flashing wildly. ¡°It¡¯s still moving! Get up! GET UP!¡± he shouted.


    I sucked in a shaky breath, trying to push myself up.


    A deep, splintering crack echoed through the chamber.


    I turned back just in time to see the Sentinel rising from the floor. Ice fractured and slid off its rusted frame as its joints unlocked, one by one. A low, grinding whirr filled the air, like ancient servos fighting against time.


    It stood up, hunched over, its only good arm shifting into place. Clawed fingers slowly unfurled from the fist it had used to slam me into the wall.


    Then its head twitched toward me.


    A single, dim light in its eye flickered on.


    Oh shit.


    I shoved myself to my feet, ignoring the way my ribs screamed in protest. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s gonna let me leave, and it¡¯s definitely faster than me.


    I dropped my pack and tightened my grip on my ice pick. It would only slow me down.


    The Sentinel moved.


    The sound of dry, grinding joints screeched through the room.


    It stalked forward, head locked onto me like a predator, its clawed arm raised to strike.


    Fuck it. It¡¯s an old machine.


    I screamed and ran straight at it.


    The Sentinel didn¡¯t hesitate.


    It lunged faster than something that broken had any right to be.


    I barely got my ice pick up in time as sparks flashed, metal meeting metal. My arms jolted from the force, the ice pick nearly ripped from my grip


    I stumbled, but kept moving


    Swinging wide. The pick slammed into rusted plating, slicing deep-


    Not deep enough.


    Dragging my weapon out, it twisted, bringing its clawed hand around in a vicious backhanded swipe.


    I saw it coming.


    I just couldn¡¯t stop it.


    The blow caught me across the side, and the world spun. The ground slammed into me. My ribs screamed.


    I barely had time to roll aside as its clawed hand slammed down, tearing into the ground where my head had been..


    Too fast. Too strong.


    I forced myself back and upright, gasping, vision swimming. My grip on my ice pick held strong.


    The Sentinel reeled back, its head twitching violently. Then it made a sound.


    A warped, ear-splitting screech tore through the chamber, like a broken speaker ripping itself apart trying to form words. A mix of static, metal grinding, and something that almost sounded like speech, but too garbled to understand.


    I barely had time to register the fact that it lunged at me due to the noise.


    I threw myself to the side as its clawed hand came down, slamming into the ground where I had been a second ago. The floor exploded outward, shards of metal pelting my face as I stumbled back.


    I didn¡¯t stop moving.


    Before it could recover, I shouted a war cry and swung, bringing my ice pick down in an overhead strike.


    The tip sank deep into the machine¡¯s neck, embedding itself in the corroded metal and exposed wiring. A violent surge of sparks burst from the impact, the Sentinel¡¯s body jerking violently as something inside short-circuited.


    I tried to rip the weapon free.


    It didn¡¯t budge.


    Shit.


    I yanked again, harder this time, desperate. But nothing happened, the ice pick was jammed too deep, lodged in the tangled mess of metal and frozen joints.


    Then the Sentinel snapped its head toward me. Its eye flared bright as it lashed out.


    I barely had time to move.


    Its clawed hand swung in a vicious arc. I tried to dodge, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough. The blow raked across my side, exposing my insides to the outside, sending me staggering away. Pain flaring.


    I gasped, but there was no time to process the pain. My only weapon was stuck in its neck, and I needed to do something, or else I was going to die here.


    No time for thought, only action.


    The Sentinel didn¡¯t stop.


    It sped towards me and I tried to anticipate its next attack and dodge, but I wasn''t fast enough.


    Everything exploded.


    A single, devastating blow crashed into my torso like a battering ram. My ribs caved. The impact ripped me off my feet, throwing me like a ragdoll.


    For a second, I was weightless.


    Then my back slammed into the wall.


    CRACK.


    The force shattered the wall behind me. I crumpled to the ground, pain roaring through every nerve. My vision flickered, and my limbs refused to move.


    I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    I barely felt my limbs.


    Somewhere, distantly, I heard Vesper shouting.


    The Sentinel didn¡¯t even look at me.


    It simply stepped back, as if the fight was already over.


    It was.


    The edges of my vision collapsed inward.


    Darkness.

 Chapter 4: Faster Than Life

    Nothingness.


    Then, Pain.


    A deep, pulling ache, like every nerve was waking up one at a time, sluggish and raw. I couldn¡¯t move. Couldn¡¯t breathe. My mind was awake before my body, trapped in a weightless void where I had no shape, no skin, no bones. Just the lingering sense of existence.


    Then, warmth.


    A soft, golden glow flickered into view, illuminating the darkness. It pulsed in slow, steady waves, sinking into me.


    Piece by piece, I felt my body return. A faint tingling spread outward, nerves sparking back to life in slow waves. Muscle knit over bone, skin stretched over fresh nerves, and sensation rippled through my fingers, legs, and arms until they were solid and real again. I felt my clothes weaving themselves over my skin, thread by thread, until finally, my senses came back fully.


    I sat bolt upright, gasping as my senses flooded back. Vesper hovered close, his glow erratically shining on me. The last thing I remembered was being thrown against the wall by that rusted machine. My limbs were sluggish, and the memory of pain was fading fast. I was alive again.


    And Vesper was pissed.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how long that took?¡± his voice snapped, sharp enough to cut through the fog still clinging to my thoughts. His glow flared, hovering inches from my face. ¡°I revived you away from your body. Do you know how painstakingly long that takes? If someone found us while I revived you, we could have been fucked!¡±


    I groaned, shifting slightly. The last remnants of pain faded, but the exhaustion was still there. ¡°Didn¡¯t exactly plan on getting punched across the room by a functional rust heap." My voice was hoarse, my throat dry. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°What happened is I had to piece you back together without your body as a template,¡± Vesper shot back, clearly irritated.


    That sobered me up fast. I swallowed, ¡°...But you did.¡±


    Vesper flickered in frustration, ¡°This time.¡±


    Looking around, I found myself in the hallway outside the room that held the rusted murderbot. I exhaled in relief... until I realized my backpack was still inside the room, "UGHH, Fuck. My backpack and ice pick are still in there."


    Vesper let out an exasperated sigh. "Incredible. Not only did you get eviscerated by an old, decrepit machine, but you left your only source of survival in there with it!"


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. No point in getting upset. It is what it is. Hindsight bias, I wouldn¡¯t have known any better, so there was no way I could have done anything different.¡± I replied back, ¡°Anyways, how long did it take you to revive me? Did it shut back down in that time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Vesper¡¯s annoyance faded slightly. ¡°Without a body to anchor you¡­ Time doesn¡¯t feel the same.¡±


    I exhaled sharply, rolling my shoulders. I stretched my arms, feeling the stiffness fade as I tested each movement. My fingers curled and uncurled, my legs bent and straightened. I bounced lightly on my heels, rolling my neck until I heard a satisfying crack. My body was mine again, and it felt good to move. No use dwelling on anything else.


    ¡°We need a plan,¡± I muttered, shaking out my arms. ¡°I can¡¯t leave my gear in there, but if that thing is still active, I¡¯m not exactly keen on round two.¡±


    Vesper hovered, his glow steady. ¡°You could leave it.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°And wander around with nothing? No thanks.¡±


    ¡°It only attacked after you got too close,¡± Vesper reasoned. ¡°If it shut back down, it might not activate unless provoked again.¡±


    Leaving without my supplies wasn¡¯t an option. I would have no water, no weapon, no way to protect myself if something else showed up. Freezing, starving, or getting torn apart by something worse than a rusted machine didn¡¯t sound like good ways to go.


    But getting past the machine was going to be hard.


    I exhaled sharply. ¡°I need my gear. I can¡¯t be wandering around above ground without it. And if we plan to meet people. I''ll need more than nothing.¡±


    Vesper sighed. ¡°Then you need to be fast.¡±


    I cracked my neck, stepping closer to the doorway. ¡°In and out before it even registers me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re assuming it doesn¡¯t wake up the moment you step inside.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡±


    My fingers twitched. I needed to be faster. If I couldn''t outmuscle the old bot, I had to outspeed it.


    Focus.


    I needed to be ready.


    No hesitation. I had to take it down.


    Focus.


    I stepped into the room, my breath steady, my eyes locked on the machine. It stood motionless in the center, silent and still, waiting to wake up.


    I moved closer, muscles tense, every step methodical, precise, measured.


    Ready.


    I couldn¡¯t afford a single mistake. One wrong move, one mistimed reaction, and I wouldn¡¯t get another shot. Any injury would slow me down, and if I couldn¡¯t keep up, I was dead.


    I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet, loosening my stance. I needed to be fast. Faster than it.


    Grab the ice pick. Yank it out. Kill the machine. Simple.


    Easy, right?


    My heart pounded as I closed the distance. The moment I got too close, it would strike. It would move faster than I could react.


    I inhaled.


    Exhaled.


    Ready?


    GO.


    I lunged forward, instantly veering to the side in a preemptive dodge.


    The machine reacted as expected. Its clawed arm was swiping at me, but I was already moving. The attack whiffed through empty air.


    I hit the ground in a controlled slide, my boots scraping against ice and rust. I turned toward the machine¡¯s side. The handle of my weapon was right there, reaching out to me.


    I lunged for it, my fingers wrapping tightly around the grip. I yanked as hard as I could.


    The machine lurched forward with the force, its weight coming toward me. I planted my boot against its chest and kicked off. With a sharp, tearing sound, wires and metal came free as I ripped my weapon from its neck.


    Its head snapped toward me, its flickering eye locking on. A groan rattled from its frame, hydraulics sputtering, gears grinding. The broken speaker crackled out a garbled noise. Damaged. But still dangerous.


    Its lone claw lashed out, metal grinding against metal as sparks flew every time I blocked with my ice pick.


    I needed to be faster.


    I could see its movements, predict where it would strike. I dodged everything I could. Blocked what I couldn¡¯t.


    faster


    I read its intentions, felt what it wanted to do. I used that feeling against it, pressing the attack whenever it was recovering.


    I swung my weapon, carving deep gashes in its rusted plating every time I dodged.


    Dodge, swipe, block, dodge, swing-


    My body and mind were in sync. No mistakes. If I messed up, I was gone.


    The machine grew frantic, its attacks wild, reckless. It was leaving more openings.


    I punished every single one.


    A loud burst of static erupted from its broken speaker as it lunged, faster than before. I barely had time to twist out of the way, and even so, its claw raked across my side, tearing through my coat. Pain flared sharp and hot, but I didn¡¯t stop.


    I used the momentum, spinning with the force of the impact instead of fighting it. My boots skidded against the floor, and as the machine recoiled from its attack, I surged forward.


    Ice pick gripped tight, I swung underhanded and drove it straight into the exposed wiring beneath its shoulder joint. Sparks burst as metal met metal, the machine convulsing violently. I twisted the weapon deeper, feeling resistance, then a sudden give as something critical snapped inside.


    The Sentinel jerked, its movements slowing, its balance faltering. I wrenched the pick free and struck again, this time at its neck. Sparks flew as I drove the weapon down, over and over, each impact fueled by adrenaline and the fear of dying again.


    I didn¡¯t stop.


    The machine shuddered beneath the assault, metal caving under repeated blows. I could hear my breath, ragged and uneven, mixing with the static crackle of its broken speaker. I hit it again. And again. Until its eye flickered wildly, sputtering like a dying flame before finally going dark.


    The machine collapsed, metal groaning as it hit the floor in a heap. I staggered back, clutching my bleeding side, my breath still heavy, my heart still racing.


    It was over.


    I collapsed to the floor, the rush of adrenaline fading as exhaustion hit me all at once. My breath came in heavy, uneven bursts. My hands trembled slightly, my muscles burning from the relentless assault. The pain in my side, dulled by the fight, surged back now that the danger had passed.


    Vesper hovered over me, his glow flickering as he assessed the damage. "That was reckless," he said quietly, though there was something else in his voice. He almost sounded impressed. "I noticed you were faster than before. Faster than I¡¯ve ever seen you."


    I let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand against my side. "Yeah¡­ well¡­ I figured I should try not to die twice in one day."


    Vesper sighed, his glow intensifying slightly as warmth spread through me. The pain ebbed as he worked, sealing the wound with careful precision. "Next time, try winning without getting torn apart. Would make my job easier."


    I let my head rest against the cold floor, a tired grin pulling at my lips as my heartbeat slowed. "No promises."


    I lay back down to rest. The only sounds in the room were my breathing and the faint hum of Vesper as he worked, his glow pulsing over my wound, sealing the gash. The pain dulled, then faded entirely, leaving behind only a lingering soreness.


    Once he was done, I exhaled and tilted my head to the side, scanning the room. I expected to see something. My old body, a corpse, some evidence of my death. But the floor was empty. No blood, no remains. Nothing.


    I frowned.


    "Hey, Vesper?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Where¡¯d my body go?"


    "Oh, it collapsed out of existence by the time I revived you."


    I blinked. "Right¡­ what?"


    Vesper¡¯s glow pulsed as he launched into a rant. "Okay, so. When you die, your physical form destabilizes into existential decay fields that get entangled with the quantum strata and the higher-dimensional lattice of our bond. It takes a while to fully dissipate, and due to the inherently non-Euclidean nature of these fragments, I could technically carry you around with me until I decide to reconstruct you.


    "See, by reading the fragmented mess tangled in our quantum bond across multiple realities, I can slowly piece together what you last looked like and what you had with you when you died. But honestly? That¡¯s a massive pain in the ass. So instead, I¡¯d rather use your rapidly destabilizing form as a template, casting out a metaphysical net to catch the fragments before they scatter too far. Then I can tie them back to the anchor that was already established, stabilizing the structure and passing it through the non-Euclidean realm to effectively restore a version of you from a position where you were to a position where you weren¡¯t.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So I have to reassemble your waveform and reconstruct your body based on your last stable state. But it¡¯s less ¡®putting you back together¡¯ and more coaxing probability into believing you never stopped existing in the first place."


    I stared at him flatly. "What the fuck did you even just say?"


    Vesper sighed. "Your body disintegrates. I then take the fragments and convince the universe you aren¡¯t in the state you are now."


    I frowned. "So you gaslight the universe into thinking I never died?"


    Vesper laughed. "Hahaha, yes, you could say that. I gaslight the universe into believing you''re not dead."


    I smiled at him. "I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to even try and comprehend the real reason."


    Vesper chuckled. "You¡¯re thinking too linearly. It makes perfect sense if you stop expecting time and space to behave."


    "Yeah, sure. Anyways," I said, standing up and slinging my backpack over my shoulder, "we should see what remains in this area. See if anything was actually worth the effort."


    After getting all my stuff situated, I walked around inspecting everything, but I couldn''t find anything useful. I could take some wiring or scrap, but there was nothing I could use, nothing worth the effort of scavenging. Kind of sucks to see nothing of value after a fight like that, but oh well.


    "Well," I muttered, glancing at Vesper. "That was a waste."


    His glow flickered slightly. "Did you expect to find something valuable in the wreckage of a rusted corpse?"


    "I can dream." I dusted off my hands, shaking my head. "But it¡¯s fine, I think that¡¯s enough excitement for one day."


    Vesper let out a low hum. ¡°I would argue that was enough excitement for an entire week, but something tells me it won¡¯t be.¡±


    I scoffed, shouldering my backpack. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Vesper hovered beside me, his glow steady as we navigated the winding path back toward the cave entrance. The rusted walls loomed, frost clinging to their edges like veins of ice. My breath misted in front of me, and each step echoed in the hollow corridors.


    The journey back through the complex took longer than I expected. The twisting hallways, collapsed passages, and ice-covered floors passed me by as I retraced my steps to avoid getting lost. The silence was heavier now, and I kept glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting something else to lurch out of the darkness, but nothing came. Just me, Vesper, and the empty ruin.


    By the time we reached the mouth of the cave, I expected to see the light of day, but instead, Darkness stretched beyond the cave¡¯s mouth, vast and unbroken. I slowed my steps, peering into the night. The sky shone with a cloudless view of the galaxy. The view of the massive planet we orbit was still in view. The wind had died down, leaving behind a heavy stillness. No more howling gales. No more debris-choked air. Just quiet.


    I stepped forward cautiously, my boots crunching softly against a fresh layer of thick snow, untouched and powdery, blanketing the ground outside.


    I stopped, taking in my surroundings. It was clear that I had been down there longer than it felt.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± I murmured. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    Vesper floated up beside me, his glow dimming as he studied the sky. ¡°Hard to say.¡± He tilted slightly, as if aligning himself with the stars above. ¡°Snowstorms like that can probably last anywhere from a few hours to days. Judging by the stars¡¯ positions¡­ I¡¯d guess you were out for at least half a day. Maybe longer if I''m reading the stars right.¡±


    I exhaled sharply. The landscape before me was eerily transformed. The previous terrain had been rough, a mix of jagged ice and old snow. Now, it was pristine, untouched. My previous footprints were gone. Any sign of my struggle was erased by the storm¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Well,¡± I muttered, adjusting my pack, ¡°guess that means we¡¯re heading out fresh.¡±


    Vesper hummed in agreement. ¡°Do you still want to follow the movement we saw earlier?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Whatever it was, it was fast. That should mean it knows how to survive out here. Although I¡¯m still convinced it was a vehicle of some sort, I could be wrong.¡±


    I took another step forward, feeling the crunch of fresh snow beneath my boots. The cold wrapped around me, but it didn¡¯t feel as biting as before. Maybe I was just getting used to it. Maybe I just didn¡¯t care.


    Vesper drifted beside me as we moved forward, leaving behind the cave and the rusted corpse of an old compound.


    We walked in silence, the only sound the crunch of snow beneath our boots. The terrain felt unfamiliar now. The storm had carved new shapes into the land, smooth drifts hiding old paths, sculpting new ones.


    I kept glancing out across the dark horizon, scanning for movement. Nothing. Just that same oppressive stillness. The kind that made you feel like you were being watched, even if there was no one to do the watching.


    Then, a few paces ahead, something new appeared in the snow.


    I slowed, narrowing my eyes.


    A pair of parallel lines stretched across the frozen ground. The snow wasn¡¯t windblown here it was still crisp, still sharp. Whatever had made those tracks had passed through recently.


    We trudged toward them, the lines growing clearer with every step. Deep grooves pressed into the snow, like someone had taken a blade to the ice and drawn two straight scars.


    Vesper hovered low, inspecting the markings. ¡°Mechanical. Consistent width. Repeating tread pattern.¡±


    ¡°Welp, definitely a vehicle,¡± I muttered, crouching beside the tracks. ¡°Or at least it¡¯s something manmade.¡± I poked it with my gloves for fun.


    He pulsed in agreement. ¡°And it seems recent.¡±


    The tracks stretched in both directions. One trailed off into the blank, open wasteland. The other continued forward, toward the place we¡¯d seen the movement earlier.


    I stood slowly, brushing the snow from my gloves.


    "We should follow it. Someone has to be on the other end of this," I said aloud.


    The ridgeline offered a better view. But it also left us exposed. If whatever had made those tracks was dangerous, I didn¡¯t want to be an easy target. We followed the path carefully, keeping low, moving between patches of ice that jutted from the ground like frozen teeth.


    Then I saw it.


    A faint, flickering light in the distance.


    As my eyes adjusted, I saw the glow of a campfire, small but steady, burning alone in the open snow. No tents. No shelter.


    The snow around it was trampled and flattened, marked by the faded outlines of where tents or gear might''ve once been. Tracks led away from the site toward the vehicle''s path and disappeared. Like people had packed up and been picked up. And left the fire burning.


    The fire burned low but clean, its shape too perfect, its edges too steady. It didn¡¯t flicker like it should in the open air. It almost looked sculpted.


    Vesper hovered low beside me. "That¡¯s not normal fire. It¡¯s Solis."


    "Is it dangerous?" I asked.


    "If it''s a Solis flame? No," Vesper said, voice low. "It''s just odd. Most Solis users should extinguish their fires when they''re done. But I guess some just... leave them. If you''re skilled enough, I guess the flame can last quite a while."


    We stayed there another moment, watching. The fire flickered softly in the still air, casting steady light across the snow.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been a temporary campsite,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s enough evidence to say they¡¯ve moved on. The fire¡¯s the only thing left, and if that¡¯s all, there shouldn¡¯t be anything out here waiting for us.¡±


    We moved in, cautious and quiet. Nothing shifted around us. No sounds but our steps and the steady whisper of the fire.


    I felt the fire¡¯s heat seep into my body as I neared, like it had been waiting for someone. By the time I stood before it, the cold had lost its grip. Nothing stirred. No movement. Just us and the flame.


    The warmth wasn¡¯t harsh. It settled over me like a memory, gentle and familiar. The closer I got, the more the tension faded from my limbs. The weight I hadn¡¯t noticed in my chest began to lift. I hadn¡¯t realized how tired I was until it started to fade.


    I crouched a few feet from it, watching the flame sway. Then I took my glove off and summoned my own flame. A small spark of fire flickered to life on the tip of my finger.


    The difference was immediate. My flame was uneven, pulsing with faint surges like a heartbeat. This one was still. Anchored. It didn¡¯t react to the wind. It didn¡¯t respond to presence. It just... was.


    Vesper drifted beside me, his glow steady. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely Revenant made. The energy feels Solis aligned because it¡¯s not just raw power. It¡¯s deliberate. Tuned for healing and stability. Whoever placed it knew exactly what they were doing.¡±


    I leaned closer to the strange flame, then let mine fade out and reached toward the Solis fire with my bare hand.


    The instant my skin touched it, the soothing heat shifted. It flared. The warmth twisted, growing sharp and angry. It bit at my bare hand as I yanked my hand back with a hiss.


    It had burned me, even though I only touched it for a second.


    Then, just as fast as it came, the pain disappeared, replaced by that same warmth I''d felt earlier. Like the fire had changed its mind.


    I flexed my fingers, watching the skin where the burn had been. Perfectly fine now.


    The line between healing and destruction was thin.


    I stood and looked once more at the flame. The warmth still lingered on my skin, though I wasn¡¯t sure if it was from the fire or something else. I felt small in that moment. The world was deeper than I knew, and I¡¯d only just scratched the surface of what I might be capable of.


    ¡°Any way I can do that? Or would my Fundamental have to be Solis?¡± I asked curiously.


    Vesper floated beside me, his glow steady. ¡°You¡¯d have to be aligned with Solis to pull off that level of healing energy. Until you figure out what your Fundamental is, I doubt you¡¯ll have the control needed to create something like that.¡±


    We turned from the fire, following the faint traces of tracks leading away.


    Vesper hovered quietly for a moment before speaking again. ¡°Whoever made that... they were skilled. Focused. It wasn¡¯t just fire. They shaped it with intent. I don¡¯t know if they meant for anyone to find it, but it stayed because they wanted it to.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were just too lazy to get rid of it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Vesper mused.


    We followed the tracks in silence, the strange Solis flame now a faint glow behind us. The sky remained still and endless, stars glittering above while snow swallowed the land below. My breath puffed in soft clouds. Every step forward came with a quiet unease I couldn¡¯t shake.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    On our way, following the tracks, I couldn¡¯t shake the unease. Why would that campfire still be burning? It was far out. Too exposed. That kind of light had to attract attention, and I wasn¡¯t a fan of what that might mean.


    Still, it didn¡¯t change my decision to follow the tracks.


    I heard a second set of footsteps. I stopped.


    So did they.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± I whispered. ¡°Check around us.¡±


    He gave a quick nod and rose into the air, drifting higher to scan the dark terrain. His glow stretched far in the quiet night, casting long, slow-moving shadows across the snow. I watched him ascend, uneasy.


    Now that I really thought about it, he was glowing a lot compared to how dark it was out here. Too much. A floating light in the open was basically a beacon. The stars were bright too, yeah, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that we were more visible than taken into consideration.


    I waited, my breath misting in the cold as he hovered above.


    ¡°Nothing obvious,¡± Vesper finally said. ¡°But I heard what you did.¡±


    I nodded, and my gut twisted. Someone was here


    Suddenly, I saw something shift over the crest of a nearby ridge.


    ¡°I see you,¡± I called out, raising my ice pick and setting my stance. Vesper got behind me.


    The shadow ducked behind the ridgeline. I called out again.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re over there. I¡¯m not a threat if you aren¡¯t.¡± My voice echoed more than I wanted it to. This was starting to feel really uncomfortable.


    The figure slowly rose again. I could barely make out his shape, but I saw dozens of rags. scraps of clothing and fabric tied together into a crude, mummified jacket. It looked like he¡¯d built it one piece at a time just to stay alive.


    ¡°Did you see the campfire too?¡± I asked. ¡°Were you following these tracks like me?¡± I was fishing for anything that would explain this.


    ¡°You have food,¡± the man said. It wasn¡¯t a question. It was a statement.


    ¡°And if I do?¡± I replied.


    He started walking toward me. ¡°I need you to back up,¡± I warned.


    He half-stumbled, half-stepped his way down the ridge. His gait was broken and awkward.


    ¡°You¡­ food¡­¡± he mumbled under his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you repeat that?¡± I asked, still backing up. Something was seriously wrong here.


    ¡°YOU. HAVE. FOOD,¡± he shouted, and then he ran, sort of.


    It was a half-staggered, wild charge. His movements were jerky and frantic, more like a falling marionette than a person. Arms flailing. Eyes sunken and bloodshot. Frostbite had blackened his fingers. His lips were cracked open, and there was nothing sane about him.


    ¡°Back the fuck up, man!¡± I shouted, panic bleeding into my voice.


    The man kept coming, mumbling to himself, eyes locked on me. He was gone. Starving. Broken. Nothing human was left in his posture, only desperation twisted into something feral.


    I couldn¡¯t help someone who wouldn¡¯t listen. And I sure as hell wasn¡¯t handing over my supplies to someone who might kill me for them.


    I raised the ice pick on instinct and slammed it into his arm as he reached for me. The steel tooth sank deep with a crack. I yanked him forward and drove my fist into his temple.


    He screamed, blood spraying from his mouth, but he didn¡¯t stop. He barely even slowed. Rabid. Eyes wide, feral. He clawed at my coat for any exposed flesh. I tried to pull the pick free, but he crashed into me again.


    I lost my footing.


    We hit the snow hard. My back slammed into the ice, knocking the air from my lungs. I saw stars. Cold soaked into my skin, but all I could feel was him on top of me. A pile of filth, blood, and fury.


    He straddled my chest, one knee pinning my arm. His hands wrapped around my throat.


    ¡°Give¡­ me¡­ took¡­ everything¡­ sorry¡­ I¡­ live¡­¡± he mumbled, over and over, under his breath.


    His grip tightened.


    Black crept in at the edges of my vision. My free hand flailed, searching for the pick, for anything. I couldn¡¯t breathe. I couldn¡¯t move.


    Everything narrowed to one moment. That single instant of helplessness.


    He was going to kill me.


    Then my hand found something under the snow. Hard. Frozen.


    I didn¡¯t think. I swung.


    The chunk of ice cracked against the side of his head, and his grip faltered.


    I shoved upward with everything I had, twisting free as he collapsed sideways. I rolled away, coughing hard into the snow.


    My vision swam. Blood ran down my side from the fall. I didn¡¯t stop.


    He tried to rise, groaning, half-blind, snarling through broken teeth.


    I hurled the ice rock at him, then charged.


    Tackling him into the snow, I yanked the pick from his arm and drove it into his chest. It wasn¡¯t clean, but it was deep.


    He gasped. Tried to swipe at me again. But his hand shook.


    He coughed once. Blood dribbled down his lips.


    His eyes finally focused. And for just a second, I saw it.


    Not rage. Not madness.


    Fear.


    His mouth opened like he was going to say something, then he went still.


    I staggered back, half-falling into the snow. My body was wrecked. My throat throbbed. Every breath was a struggle.


    Vesper floated beside me, his glow dim.


    ¡°You almost died,¡± he said quietly.


    I wiped blood from my mouth with shaking fingers. ¡°Yeah. But dying wouldn''t have been the end. Right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vesper said, ¡°but by the time I could have revived you, he would have taken our stuff and left. He wasn¡¯t strong. Not trained. Just... desperate.¡±


    I looked down at the man and the mess we made as I slumped down into the snow


    ¡°If that almost killed me,¡± I muttered, ¡°then I have a long road ahead of me. I need to be stronger, because if someone starving and half-dead can get that close¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t finish the thought.


    Vesper didn¡¯t ask me to.


    He hovered close, his glow warming the air around my wounds. The pain dulled as he worked.


    I sat in the snow, breath rasping, eyes locked on the horizon.


    There were others out here.


    And not all of them would be starving.


    After taking a few minutes to calm down, I looked around. The snow was stained red, like someone had splattered paint across it. The man really had nothing, just the rags tied to his body.


    How does someone even end up in a state like that?


    Whatever. I needed to keep following these tracks. Maybe I would take a page from that guy¡¯s playbook and stick to the ridges, stay out of sight. It seemed to work well enough against me.


    After double-checking my gear, I set out again, moving a little more carefully this time. I kept the tracks in view but off my direct path, weaving between dunes and icy ridgelines.


    Hopefully I would see the next person before they saw me.

 Chapter 5: One Burning Footstep After Another

    We set out on our pace again, this time with stealth in mind. The wind had settled into a low, steady hush as I moved. The only sounds were my footsteps and the occasional soft flicker of Vesper¡¯s glow behind me. The longer I followed the trail, the more I started to notice subtle changes in the terrain. Disruptions. Uneven patches of snow. Something must have happened ahead.


    After about 45 minutes of following these odd bits in the snow, I saw something in the middle of the valley.


    A lump in the snow, not shaped by the wind. Twisted metal glinted beneath a thin layer of frost. It was scorched, blackened, and half-buried.


    "There," Vesper said, voice low. "Something¡¯s here."


    I nodded and we approached slowly, my boots crunching the snow with every step. My fingers tightened around the handle of my ice pick.


    The closer we got, the clearer the scene became. The wreckage was the mangled husk of a vehicle; it was small, transport-sized. Not a supply hauler, but something fast, built for traversal. Whatever happened to it, it hadn¡¯t just crashed.


    The metal was twisted outward from the inside. Panels bent and torn like something had detonated within. The cab was split, one side of it peeled back like the skin of a fruit. The surrounding snow was blackened with heat but oddly undisturbed otherwise.


    I crouched low near the flame-scarred snow. ¡°No bodies. No blood.¡± I said it aloud.


    Vesper hovered beside me. "And no signs of a struggle. No third-party tracks, no drag marks. No blood trail, no shell casings. Just footsteps... heading away."


    I stood and looked back toward the way we came. ¡°How many tents do you think were at the campsite?¡±


    He paused. "Four flat spaces near the fire. Could be four people, assuming they didn''t share tents."


    As I circled the wreck, something caught my eye. There was a mess of footsteps leading away from the blast. The snow around the vehicle was otherwise undisturbed, pristine but for that trail. It wasn''t a frantic escape. No signs of dragging or injury. Just a clean, deliberate path.


    They just walked away.


    "Okay, so no signs of a fight," I repeated, scanning the snow again. "They didn¡¯t run. Whoever it was, they walked away calmly."


    We returned our attention to the vehicle. I approached it slowly this time, letting my fingers graze the ruined metal. It was cold to the touch. The heat from the blast had long since faded. I peeked inside the cockpit. It had a blackened interior, and wires were exposed and fried. There were no signs of external impact, and there were no bullet holes.


    "Blew from the inside," I muttered. "Not a mine. Not a missile. Something... internal."


    "Agreed," Vesper said. "And no remains. No ash. No fragments."


    "You think they detonated something? Some kind of trap?" I asked.


    Vesper hesitated. "Maybe. But more likely... they had a Solis-aligned Revenant."


    I raised a brow.


    "A strong one," he added. "If they were trained enough, they could have shaped an explosion to engulf the inside and leave nothing behind. Burn everything clean. That would explain the lack of remains."


    I glanced back at the trail of footprints leading away. Still neat. Still consistent. Whoever survived this wasn¡¯t injured. They didn¡¯t flee. They just... moved on.


    "So, a clean camp, an intact fire, no signs of a fight, and a vehicle that got turned inside out by one of their own."


    "Yes," Vesper murmured. "And they''re still ahead of us."


    I tightened the straps on my pack, turning my gaze to the dark horizon. "Then we keep going."


    The snow swallowed our footsteps as we left the wreck behind, heading deeper into whatever mystery waited beyond.


    We followed the tracks in silence.


    The longer we walked, the more everything started mixing; the hills, dunes, and ridges of ice and snow all melted together in one white landscape. The only thing to break the monotony was the walkway that was carved in the snow that I was following.


    I kept low, moving carefully. Every few minutes, I¡¯d crouch behind a drift or a jag of ice, scanning the horizon. Nothing moved. No wind. No shadows. Just the echo of our own presence, soft and swallowed by snow.


    I was going to be more stealthy this time.


    Vesper stayed close behind me, his glow muted, tucked low to the ground like he didn¡¯t want to be seen either. Smart.


    We kept that pace for hours. My legs ached. My breath started coming in slow, measured huffs. The cold didn¡¯t bite the way it used to. It gnawed now, deeper and patient, like it knew I¡¯d last long enough to feel it properly.


    Once I looked up I noticed the environment starting to shift.


    At first, it was subtle. A grate half-buried in snow. Then a wall. Real, manufactured, ribbed with frost but unmistakably man-made.


    The footsteps led straight to the door.


    It rose from the snow like a buried monument, wide and industrial, half-sunken into the slope of an icy ridge. Frost glazed its surface, but unlike the ruins I¡¯d seen before, this wasn¡¯t sealed by time. No cracks. No rust. The snow around it had been swept clean, and the footprints stopped neatly at its base.


    I stepped up to it and pulled the handle.


    Surprising nobody. It didn''t budge.


    ¡°Try the keypad there,¡± Vesper said, floating near a numpad on the right of the handle.


    I reached out and pressed the green button on the numpad.


    It turned red and beeped.


    ¡°Any ideas for a passcode?¡± I asked Vesper.


    ¡°Maybe we look around?¡± Vesper replied, drifting slowly through the space around us


    The frozen metal around us looked blank at first. Smooth, cold, untouched. But then I saw something off-color smeared onto the surface just to the left of the door.


    Not paint but Soot. Or maybe charcoal.


    Someone had drawn a crude symbol there. It looked like a rough, angular shape. Four points and four lines. Each corner was distinct, sharp, and deliberate. Beneath it, scrawled in the same black material, was a circle of numbers. A clock face drawn into the ice


    I crouched down, tracing the shape with my eyes, then the numbers. The circle was wide and uneven, but each digit had been carefully placed. The symbol above it must mean something¡­


    ¡°Vesper,¡± I called, keeping my voice low.


    He floated closer, his glow flickering faintly as he hovered beside me.


    He tilted slightly, studying the symbol. ¡°It doesn''t look like a gang mark.¡±


    ¡°Not the symbol. The numbers,¡± I said, pointing to the ring. ¡°I think it¡¯s a code.¡±


    I stood, brushing a hand against the soot. It smudged easily. Delicate. Not meant to last.


    ¡°The numbers are in the circle¡­ and the symbol above is made of lines.¡± I traced my finger along the symbol, ¡°starting from the right, it goes diagonal left up, diagonal left down, straight across to where it began, then to the bottom middle.¡±


    ¡°Like an angular 9,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe if I match the directions with the clock face.¡± I started tracing the same symbol, but inside the clock face. ¡°I get 3¡­ 12¡­ 9¡­ 3¡­ 6¡­ Maybe that''s the code?¡± I said, standing up.


    Vesper hummed. ¡°A puzzle to give the combination. Clever.¡±


    ¡°What I don¡¯t like is that it¡¯s written recently. They knew someone would be here.¡± I replied.


    ¡°With everything that''s happened to us and how we followed this obvious trail, I don''t doubt people are still following,¡± Vesper commented.


    ¡°Should we erase this so nobody can follow us?¡±


    ¡°It guarantees nobody random will get in, but it''s up to you.¡±


    I rubbed out the 1 in the 12.


    ¡°Plausible deniability,¡± I said as I stood up and turned back to the keypad on the door to enter the code.


    The keypad had 6 numbers for the combination, which fit right with our solution.


    312936


    There was a moment of silence. Then a mechanical thunk, low and deep, vibrated through the wall.


    The panel light turned green.


    The door unlocked.


    I pulled the handle again, and this time it gave way. Metal shifted smoothly as the entryway opened inward with a hydraulic hiss, revealing a hallway lit by low, flickering strips of amber light.


    Warm air rolled out.


    Not hot, but dense. It smelled of ash and metal. Used air. Lived-in space.


    I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me. Lights above me continued to flick on as I moved, one by one, their glow trailing along the hallway ahead.


    On the first interior wall, written in that same black soot, bold and unmistakable:


    YOU AREN¡¯T ALONE


    No signature. No punctuation. Just large letters.


    Vesper hovered silently behind me.


    ¡°Is this supposed to be comforting or unsettling?¡± I said, unsure.


    ¡°I think they wanted to see who solved it and let them know there are others,¡± Vesper replied. ¡°That or its a warning to not mess with this place.¡±


    Vesper hovered a little closer as we moved deeper.


    ¡°We¡¯re not following anymore,¡± I said, standing. ¡°We¡¯re in it now.¡±


    The walls seemed to agree. They closed tighter as we moved, halls growing narrower, lights dimmer, air heavier. But everything was clean. No collapse. No rusted corpses. No sign of battle or decay. Just this oppressive, waiting stillness.


    Then we turned a corner, and the hallway bloomed open into something else.


    A common room, maybe. Or a mess hall. A space meant for people to stop and breathe. Folding chairs were stacked neatly in the corner. Old sleeping rolls leaned against the far wall, long since flattened. An oil drum sat in the middle of the room, blackened with soot. Most likely used for fire.


    Graffiti covered the walls here, too. But one message spanned an entire panel, painted in broad, deliberate strokes:


    REVENANTS BLEED THE EARTH


    One life. Many deaths. We rise again.


    I stepped closer, reading it again. The first line had been violently crossed out. The second newer line stood untouched.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I wonder what happened here,¡± I said quietly.


    Vesper¡¯s glow pulsed. ¡°Maybe a haven for Revenants?¡±


    My skin felt itchy at that. I know I am a Revenant, but others?


    ¡°I just hope they¡¯re friendly,¡± I said.


    I shifted my grip on the ice pick and turned my gaze to the hall ahead. Somewhere in this place, answers waited. Or something worse.


    Either way, we were already inside, and I wasn¡¯t about to turn back now.


    The complex branched in every direction, with hallways stretching ahead and behind, stairwells climbing upward, and corridors trailing off into the dark. I tried to figure out where the party before me had gone, but once the tracks left the snow, they vanished into the smooth, uniform flooring. No scuffs. No boot prints. Nothing to follow.


    So I was left to wander.


    The place felt... neat. Not clean, exactly. Just intact. It wasn¡¯t trashed. No signs of collapse, no broken fixtures. Lights still worked, doors still responded to movement, and every hallway carried that same faint hum in the walls.


    People had been here. Maybe still were. And I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to meet them.


    Pros: maybe answers. A name. A group. A reason this place even existed.


    Cons: they might kill me, loot my body, and go back to their fire like nothing happened.


    Fun, right?


    Either way, if there was anything valuable left in this place, it wouldn¡¯t be stashed near the entrance. People don¡¯t leave treasure in the lobby.


    So I started looking for a way down.


    Eventually, I found a staircase. Metal steps, still solid, leading into the dim below. A small emergency light blinked slowly above it, tinted red like the place was trying to warn me off.


    Didn¡¯t work.


    I started my descent.


    The walls looked like solid metal


    The stairs went down farther than I expected.


    At first, the air felt the same. Cold, stale, metallic. But as I descended, a subtle warmth began to seep up from below. Faint at first. Then stronger. The air thickened. Still dry, but now carrying the distant scent of burned metal and heated stone.


    By the time I reached the third landing, I had to shrug out of my jacket. My arms felt damp beneath the sleeves, skin prickling from the heat. I tied it around my waist and kept going.


    The stairwell opened into a long corridor, wider than the others I¡¯d seen. The lights here were active, brighter, casting long shadows behind the scattered support beams. The walls were lined with soot-streaked vents and old conduit piping, some of it still radiating gentle waves of heat.


    At the end of the hallway was a dead end with doors on either side. Above them was soot that smeared and shaped into letters.


    Above the left doorway was ¡°THIS WAY TO LEARN.¡±


    And across the hall, over another door, written smaller was ¡°to get out.¡±


    The door on the right was shut while the door on the left was wide open and inviting. Warm air drifted out of the entrance.


    ¡°I think someone wants me to pick a certain path,¡± I muttered.


    Vesper hovered behind me, his glow steady but dim.


    ¡°You gonna go in there anyway?¡±


    I exhaled slowly.


    I turned toward the open doorway.


    ¡°I can go until my backpack runs out of rations. Then I die over and over again. I need to learn more and take a chance.¡± I said. I was scared, sure, but I needed to take the risk. Otherwise, I might end up like that frail, starving man who attacked me.


    I turned toward the heat. Toward whatever could be waiting inside.


    And I stepped through.


    The heat hit harder the moment I stepped through.


    It wasn¡¯t just warm anymore. It was thick. Oppressive. The kind of heat that clung to skin and made it hard to breathe, like standing too close to an engine that had been running too long.


    The corridor inside was different from the others. The walls were darker, scorched in places, as if flames had licked across them and left blackened scars behind. The air shimmered faintly ahead, disturbed by waves of heat rising off the floor.


    I kept walking.


    Another doorway waited a few meters in, this one heavy and marked by old plastic signs half-melted off the wall. There was a room to the left. It was small, utilitarian, maybe a storage break or prep space. I stepped inside.


    It was empty. Just a bench bolted to the wall, a broken vent spilling heat, and a few metal hooks jutting out beside it.


    Good enough.


    I unslung my pack and dropped it onto the floor with a dull thud. Pulled off my scarf and what was left of the jacket, wiped my forehead. The heat was oppressive, a stark contrast to how i was living since my arrival. Or I guess my revival¡­ revive-arriaval¡­ there¡¯s a joke in there somewhere.


    Whatever, I was sweating through all my layers already, so I took most of them off and stuffed them into what could fit in my pack.


    I checked my water canister and it still held enough for now.


    Vesper floated behind me, quiet.


    ¡°There¡¯s still time to turn back,¡± he said, not like he meant it.


    ¡°I said I was going in.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    I was clearly suffering from the heat, but I could take a few guesses at what I might find at the end of it.


    The main hope was something invaluable.


    Answers.


    I took one last look around, slung my pack back on, and stepped into the hall.


    After walking for a while, with the heat rising far beyond anything comfortable, I saw a doorway ahead.


    As I approached, I looked inside. The room beyond was large and industrial. A hollowed-out chamber of scorched tile and blackened vents, long since repurposed from whatever it was originally meant for. Scorch marks covered the far wall. Metal plating had warped in places.


    In the center of the room stood a figure.


    He wasn¡¯t armored. Just a long, heat-warped coat hung open over a frame built like a blade. He was lean, wiry, and balanced in that way that meant every part of him had been used in a fight before. His shirt was scorched at the collar, sleeves rolled to the elbow, arms streaked with soot and old scars. His skin had that Revenant stillness to it, like it wasn¡¯t sure if it was alive or remembering how to be.


    His face was sharp, angular, with stubble dusted across his jaw and heatlines etched into his cheekbones. His eyes were the most intriguing. A pale gold and unfazed, like the center of a forge. Watching. Waiting.


    He was just standing there, arms crossed, head tilted slightly like they had been listening to me walk this whole way down.


    They looked up as I entered.


    ¡°You¡¯re new,¡± they said, voice calm, almost amused. ¡°Still walking like you¡¯ve got something to lose.¡±


    They didn¡¯t raise their voice. They didn¡¯t have to.


    The heat around them shimmered. Beneath their boots, the ground was scorched.


    ¡°Leave your stuff outside,¡± the man said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take anything. Especially not that icefruit you¡¯ve got stashed in your pack.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Feels like it. Such a clean spike in energy, just faint enough to hide. Nice size too. About the size of a blueberry, if I sense correctly.¡± He looked me over. ¡°And you''re just carrying that around?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer. Just turned, stepped back, and set all my gear down outside the door.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got any idea what that thing does for someone like you?¡± he called out while I unshouldered the pack.


    ¡°Umm, no?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Then eat it.¡±


    I turned, eyes narrowing. ¡°What if it¡¯s more useful later?¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Now is as later as you get. It strengthens the bond between you and your Phantom. Clears the static, lets the energy move like it¡¯s supposed to. Does wonders for growth.¡± He watched me for a moment, then added, ¡°It¡¯s better for a newly rezzed anyway.¡±


    I reached into the pack, digging past bundled rations and my water canister, until my fingers brushed something smooth and cold. I pulled it out and held it in my palm.


    The icefruit sat there like a piece of frozen starlight. A tiny orb, faintly glowing, no bigger than a blueberry, like the man said. Its surface was smooth like crystal, but there was a strange softness beneath it, a give like the skin of a living thing.


    It still shimmered faintly in the dim heat of the room, like it didn¡¯t care how hot the air had gotten.


    I looked up. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±


    The man just raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    He gave a slow nod. ¡°Exactly,¡± he said, stepping closer, ¡°You¡¯re a newly rezzed. Just eat it. I¡¯m trying to help you. We don¡¯t have to be on opposite sides.¡±


    I stared down at the fruit.


    I then popped it into my mouth and bit into it as I walked back into the room.


    The outer skin gave with a soft crack, and the inside rushed out cold and sharp. It tasted like crushed mint and mountain stone, like the snap of glacial air and minerals soaked in snowmelt. The chill spread fast, slicing through my chest and up my spine. My veins lit up. My lungs felt like they¡¯d been dipped in frozen fire.


    The heat of the room didn¡¯t vanish, but it dulled. Pushed to the edge of my senses, like background noise in a far-off room. I could feel Vesper more clearly, too. Like a weight behind my shoulder that no longer felt detached. He pulsed, slow and steady. Almost calm.


    I opened my eyes. His gaze hadn¡¯t moved. He was still studying me, like he was waiting to see what came next.


    ¡°You¡¯ll thank me later, blueberry.¡±


    The moment lingered. Stillness, heat, silence.


    Then the man exhaled slowly and walked to the door. His boots hissed against the scorched floor, each one leaving a fresh bloom of heat behind.


    Once he reached it, he closed it. It looked like a thinner vault door rather than a regular door, given how thick it was.


    "Alright," he said, voice level. "Let¡¯s see if it helped."


    Before I could ask what he meant, the temperature jumped suddenly. One second, it was tolerable, and the next, it hit like the breath of a furnace. My skin prickled. Sweat broke along my spine.


    A low, pulsing vibration moved through the floor.


    ¡°Maybe if you impress me, we can talk more after you revive,¡± the man said as he lifted a hand.


    The space around him shimmered, his body flickering through heat distortion. I could feel it even from several paces away. The pressure bent toward him, as if the room itself leaned in to listen.


    I stepped back, jaw tight. My hands were half-raised, but I had nothing to offer. No shape. No trick. Just instinct.


    Vesper drifted closer, light steady beside me.


    "I don''t even know how to use a Fundamental," I said.


    "Good," he replied without missing a beat. "Then you won''t get cocky."


    He rolled his neck once, loose and casual. The ground beneath his feet was beginning to glow. Not with fire, but heat itself, warping the tiles.


    "I¡¯m going to attack," he said. "Not full force. Not unless you earn it."


    He watched me for a moment longer.


    "Impress me," he said once again,


    Then he moved.


    No buildup. No warning. Just motion. His body shifted, and the heat came alive with him, blooming outward like a second skin. I barely had time to react.


    I dropped low, fast.


    It was like trying to dodge a speeding train. His strike tore past me, close enough that the heat alone slammed into the wall behind, leaving the metal hissing and warped.


    I hit the floor, but before I could move, he was already there.


    I tried to roll away, but I was too slow.


    His kick landed square against my ribs. The force of it sent me flying, my body folding midair before I slammed into the wall with a crunch. I hit the ground hard, heat crawling over my skin like it was alive. Every surface burned with pressure.


    I sucked in a breath, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    He was already on top of me again.


    The next blow wasn¡¯t a punch. Just a swipe of his hand, but it sent me tumbling across the room like I¡¯d been struck by a wrecking bar. My ribs howled. My vision pulsed red. Nausea clawed up my throat.


    I crashed into another wall and stayed down for a moment.


    I forced myself up.


    I couldn¡¯t keep taking hits. I had to do something.


    No weapon. No training. Just pain, adrenaline, and whatever was left of me. I charged him.


    He didn¡¯t dodge. He let me come.


    I slammed into him shoulder-first, low, trying to drive him back. He shifted just enough to absorb the blow, grabbed my collar, and whipped me sideways like I weighed nothing.


    I hit the floor, rolled, and came back up, scrambling on all fours.


    I kicked with everything I had, catching his shin.


    He didn¡¯t even flinch. Just stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and twisted. Pain flashed white. Something tore. I didn¡¯t scream. I pulled myself closer and bit his hand.


    His skin was blistering hot. Like biting a piece of iron left in a forge.


    I didn¡¯t stop.


    I pulled back, lip scorched, and swung a punch with the wrong hand. It hit. Glanced off his jaw. It barely moved him.


    Still. It landed.


    And that got his full attention.


    His hand closed around my throat, lifted me off the ground, and slammed me down again.


    My skull cracked tile. The world blinked.


    When I came to, I was on my back. The heat pressed in from all sides like a second gravity.


    I stood up. Shaky. Barely.


    I swung a kick and caught his side. It felt like kicking a wall.


    I kicked again, and he caught my ankle, twisted, and tossed me aside like garbage.


    I hit the ground hard. Limbs folded wrong. My whole body screamed.


    My head was cracked. My chest was raw. One arm wouldn¡¯t move. My knee had gone somewhere sideways.


    I reached out, grabbed a shard of broken tile from the floor. It was sharp enough to cut into my palm, but I held it tighter.


    I stood again.


    He let me.


    As he approached, I slashed upward.


    He leaned just far enough for it to miss.


    I lunged again, teeth bared.


    He finally moved.


    His knee sank into my stomach. My body folded. No air came. I dropped to the floor, gasping. The shard of tile clattered on the ground.


    Still alive.


    I rolled, kicked at his legs, and dug my nails into his arm. He let me struggle. Let me scrape and claw and squirm like an animal.


    My hand found his face, and I raked my fingers down his cheek.


    He looked down at me. No anger.


    He swept my legs out from under me and stomped on my chest. Something broke.


    I coughed blood onto the floor.


    Still breathing.


    "I see you," he said.


    "How¡­" I managed to spit out.


    He knelt beside me, calm.


    "I¡¯ve been here a long time," he said. "Name¡¯s Thorn. ¡®S one I gave myself. I¡¯d like to hear yours, or at least whatever you may choose."


    He tilted his head.


    "You¡¯ve got fire in you. Maybe not Solis fire, but something else. A drive, that fight, that¡¯s the part that matters. I wonder what kind of Fundamental will come clawing out of you."


    I tried to crawl again.


    He rested one hand near my temple.


    "I like to meet Revenants this way," he said. "Tells me more than words ever could."


    He touched my forehead.


    "Sorry about the pain. See you around, Blueberry."


    His fingers tensed.


    Heat rushed through my skull.


    And the world unraveled.