The dawn above Terra Vallis was a cascade of muted golds and silvers. The air shimmered faintly with morning mist that rolled off the mountainsides, threading between glass spires and ancient stone terraces wrapped in vines. Birds — or something close to birds — trilled high above the city's canopy domes.
Zander adjusted the strap of his high-tech backpack, testing the magnetic seals one last time. The material shimmered with adaptive scales — resistant to tears, heat, and even light plasma. Small compartments lined the surface, holding ration packs, purified water capsules, a folding knife forged from tempered titanium weave, and a compact med-kit embedded with auto-nanites. Along his hips rested his old dual blades, the same pair that had carried him through every battle since the Echelon awakening. They weren't perfect — dull in places, chipped from relentless use — but they were his.
He could feel the faint hum of the energy conduits in his suit as he turned toward the towering glass arc that separated the biodome — the Eden Vault — from the rest of Terra Vallis. The city's light reflected against the translucent dome in streaks of emerald and gold, almost like a second sun frozen in glass.
Sensei had said little that morning. Only:
"You know the rules. The red zones stay untouched. If your scanner lights crimson — turn back. You've got two weeks, not a minute longer."
And Seven had given his usual half-sarcastic remark, "Don't get eaten before lunch."
Now, standing before the entry platform, Zander felt the air pulse with static energy as the biodome's barrier gates opened. But before stepping through, his mind lingered on something that had been tugging at him since their arrival.
Ever since I got here... there's been this pull — faint but constant. Like a whisper in the back of my head. I didn't know what it was at first... but now I do. It's coming from inside.
He drew a slow breath, eyes scanning the immense terrain through the transparent gate. Within the Eden Vault, four distinct biomes sprawled like worlds unto themselves:
To the east, endless dunes of ochre sand and bone-white rock — the Desert Expanse.
To the north, glacial cliffs and froststorms, jagged peaks laced with blue lightning — the Frozen Verge.
To the west, lush, dense forest, teeming with bioluminescent flora and towering trees — the Verdant Wilds.
And at the heart, a colossal lake, hundreds of meters deep, glinting like a sheet of black glass under the filtered sunlight.
The dome itself rose nearly 250 meters high, its atmosphere self-regulating, its light bending to mimic the natural rhythms of day and night. From above, drones traced security patterns like silent birds, their faint blue lights flickering through the mist.
Zander's eyes settled on the forest region — the Verdant Wilds. That's where he'd begin.
The entry platform shifted beneath his boots, descending through a layer of mist. He adjusted the clasp of his blades, the metallic click echoing softly. With a low hiss, the gates sealed behind him, and the world transformed.
A humid gust rolled over him. The scent of moss and damp bark filled his lungs. Shafts of filtered sunlight pierced through colossal trees, their roots weaving through old metallic remnants — remnants of ancient containment systems long corroded and overtaken by nature. Somewhere distant, a low, guttural roar trembled through the canopy.
He tapped the side of his wristwatch.A holographic map unfolded in midair, its translucent interface flickering with pulse-lines and color-coded terrain. Several areas glowed red — restricted zones. Sensei's voice, from an earlier recording, whispered faintly through the watch's audio:
"Avoid these sectors, Zander. The creatures there weren't meant to exist outside controlled environments. If your drone detects high resonance readings — disengage immediately."
Zander clipped a small scouting drone from his belt and tossed it into the air. It whirred to life, projecting a cone of light as it rose and began mapping the area.
"All right," he murmured, adjusting his backpack straps. "Let's see what this place has to offer."
The forest was alive — vines curling like serpents, insects glowing faintly under shaded canopies, and strange avian calls echoing in the distance. His boots left faint impressions on the mossy soil. For a moment, it was peaceful — hauntingly so.
Then, movement.
The drone's interface blinked yellow.
Zander turned just as something massive burst from behind the tree line — a creature that looked like it had been sculpted from nightmares and prehistory both. Its body was plated in scaled armor, its limbs powerful and thick. The head resembled that of a Therizinosaurus, but its eyes glowed with artificial bioluminescence — a remnant of genetic augmentation.
The creature screeched, its claws digging deep furrows in the earth.
Zander exhaled softly and drew his blades in a single, fluid motion.
"Guess we're doing this early," he muttered.
The beast lunged.
He sidestepped, the motion smooth, effortless. His right blade caught the sunlight as it sliced across the creature's flank — not deep enough to kill, but enough to test its hide. Sparks flew. The metal rang like a chime against scales harder than expected.
Reinforced dermal plating... maybe hybridized with something else.
The creature roared and swung its arm. Zander ducked, rolled beneath its strike, and slashed upward with both blades — twin arcs of silver light. The creature howled, stumbled back, and crashed through a cluster of metallic vines.
The drone hovered above, scanning.Threat level: Moderate.
"Moderate?" Zander scoffed. "Tell that to my heartbeat."
He dashed forward, sliding under a swipe, then used a low branch as leverage to leap onto the creature's back. With a sharp, controlled thrust, he drove both blades into its neck joint — precise and efficient. The roar faded into a strangled growl before the beast collapsed, shaking the ground beneath it.
Zander landed beside it, breathing steadily.His blades shimmered faintly under the filtered light — old, worn, but still dependable.
"You did good," he whispered to them, sheathing the swords. "One last job before retirement."
Far above, nestled in the shadows of the snowy mountain ridge, a faint lens flickered.
Raixin stood at the edge of a cliff, cloak rippling in the wind. His eyes glowed faintly behind a sleek, visor-like implant. Through his scope, he tracked Zander's heat signature across the biodome.
"So... the boy enters the Vault," he muttered. "Brave. Or foolish."
He closed the lens and adjusted the blade strapped across his back.
"Doesn't matter. Orders are orders."
He stepped away from the edge, vanishing into the snowstorm — heading deeper into the Frozen Verge, where shadows stirred and the hunt had only begun.
Zander wiped the sweat from his brow as he crouched beside a stream. The water was crystalline, cold, and fresh. He filled a small canister and looked around — everything felt alive in the most ancient sense of the word.
He glanced up at the dense canopy, where sunlight filtered through like liquid gold. The world within the Eden Vault was beautiful... but it was a dangerous beauty, full of things born from science and sin alike.
He looked toward the horizon where the biodome's heart shimmered faintly — that massive lake that seemed to call him even from this distance.
That feeling again... the pull.
He tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack.
"Let's see how far this call takes me," he murmured.
And with a calm, steady stride, Zander moved deeper into the forest — unaware that a new shadow had already begun tracking his every step.