My Name is Artemis!
I'm just your average 17-year-old high school student—but my life started changing after an incident in the city.
Artemis was casually taking a stroll outside to get some fresh air after catching up on schoolwork from skipping classes.
"I needed this," she said, inhaling deeply. "Getting some fresh air after all that work."
She looked up at the clear blue sky.
Truly beautiful, she thought with a smile.
She was on her way to a bookstore when a loud crackling sound erupted in the sky. Looking up, she saw some kind of portal forming. Everyone on the street stopped and stared—until creatures began pouring out of it. Panic broke loose. People started screaming and running. Some were slashed down, others lifted into the air.
Amid the chaos, Artemis noticed a little girl crying on the sidewalk. A creature was heading toward her.
Without hesitation, Artemis dashed toward the girl and scooped her up.
"It's alright. I got you," she whispered. The little girl buried her face in Artemis's neck.
Suddenly, Artemis felt a sharp pain slash across her back. She stumbled but held onto the child tightly. Wincing, she pushed through the pain.
Damn it. I'm so close, she thought, gritting her teeth. She wasn't as fast as before, but she managed to reach a nearby building where a group of people had taken shelter.
"Sophie!!" a woman shouted, rushing over.
"Mommy!" the girl cried. They embraced tightly.
"Thank you so much," the mother said, bowing her head.
"Thank you," Sophie echoed.
"You're welcome," Artemis replied with a soft smile, though the pain in her back was getting worse.
"Ugh," she groaned quietly.
I need to clean this before it gets worse.
What she didn't realize was that something strange was now flowing through her veins—changing her body.
Someone inside helped bandage her up.
"Thank you for doing this," she told Sophie's mom.
"Of course," the woman said warmly.
After they left, Artemis's eyelids grew heavy.
I guess getting some sleep won't hurt, she thought, drifting off into darkness.
When Artemis woke up from what felt like a long nap, everything had changed. The room was silent. The ground and walls were cracked, with grass and vines growing through them.
"What is this…? What happened to everyone?"
She stood up slowly, noticing that her body felt stronger—more energized.
What is this? she wondered.
She spotted a cracked mirror nearby and approached it.
Artemis stared at her reflection, her breath catching in her throat. The person in the mirror was nothing like the girl who once crammed for tests under flickering bedroom lights, who wore oversized hoodies and carried too many books.
This version of her looked like something out of myth.
Her hair was now a striking white—silky, weightless, and cascading past her shoulders like moonlight carved into strands. It caught the light with an almost ethereal shimmer, giving her a ghostlike presence that was impossible to ignore.
Her eyes glowed a deep, piercing red—bright and alive, like embers smoldering in the dark. They weren't human anymore. They burned with something ancient, something wild. You couldn't look into them without feeling like she saw right through you.
Her face had sharpened—defined cheekbones, a refined jawline that gave her an androgynous beauty. Handsome and beautiful in equal measure, her features looked carved by precision, almost too perfect, too striking.
Her body had changed too. She stood tall—5'11", with a posture that radiated silent strength. Muscles coiled beneath her skin like a predator waiting to strike, but she moved with grace, like a dancer trained for battle.
"WHAT THE—IS THIS ME!?" she shouted.
Her clothing looked like something from another world—an armored suit of black and dark gray, fitted yet flexible. The material shimmered faintly with shifting patterns, like circuitry pulsing just beneath the surface. Metallic shoulder guards curled back like wings tucked away. Strange, rune-like symbols faintly glowed along the forearms and collar, humming softly in sync with her heartbeat.
Across her back, a faint pattern pulsed where she'd been wounded. Whatever had entered her through that gash… it had changed everything.
Even her hands felt foreign. Her fingers were longer, leaner, and when she flexed them, a faint clicking echoed—like claws just beneath the skin, waiting to be called.
She didn't know what she was now.
But she was no longer just human.
She stepped outside—and froze.
The world was abandoned. The streets were overgrown. Creatures from the portal still roamed.
Artemis quickly ducked behind cover, studying one of the creatures silently.
What happened to everyone…?
Suddenly, her body moved on its own—like she was on autopilot.
What's going on!?
She dashed toward the creature, ready to strike. But it sensed her and dodged at the last second. They began to fight—blow for blow, attack for attack. The creature was fast, either blocking or dodging her strikes.
"These things are tougher than I expected," she muttered.
Tired of dodging, the creature launched its own assault. Artemis matched it with fierce determination. They clashed over and over.
Then, her eyes spotted a weak point.
She waited. As the creature raised its arms—
"NOW!"
She lunged forward and struck.
A single hit tore a massive hole through it.
Huh?! Just one hit did that? she thought, staring at her hand.
She gasped.
"Claws!!"
Panicked, she shook her hands, but they didn't change.
"Okay, calm down," she told herself, taking deep breaths. Slowly, the claws retracted, and her hands returned to normal.
It's back to normal…
Looking around the ruined streets, she realized what she had to do.
It was time to search for other survivors.
She went from building to building, but all were empty. Not a single person remained—as if humanity had been wiped out. Still, she held on to hope.
"There have to be others. I'll have to check different cities…"
From the looks of it, many years had passed. Artemis stood still, absorbing the emptiness around her. Then, a sudden wave of panic hit her chest—an ache that made her breath catch.
What about her?
Is she still alive?
Her mind flashed back to soft moments shared—quiet afternoons under the oak tree, stolen smiles in the school hallway, whispered promises under the stars.
I can't lose her. Not like this.
Tears welled up, but Artemis wiped them away fiercely. She clenched her fists, feeling a new fire ignite inside her.
I will find her.
No matter what it takes.
The ruined city, the monsters, the silence—it all became fuel for her resolve. This wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about hope, love, and the fight to reclaim everything she had lost.
With a deep breath, Artemis squared her shoulders and stepped forward. Her journey was only beginning.