The world reassembled around them in fragments, as though reality itself were hesitating to decide what it wanted to become. Alex felt the familiar, gut-wrenching sensation of being turned inside out before his feet landed on something solid. He fell forward, his hands smacking against a surface that felt cool and metallic.
Amira landed beside him with a grunt, rolling to her feet in a practiced motion. Aros appeared moments later, his staff glowing faintly as he steadied himself.
“What… where are we now?” Alex groaned, pushing himself up and looking around.
The new environment was eerily quiet. They stood in what appeared to be a massive, dilapidated hall, its walls lined with strange, angular architecture. The ceiling arched high above them, dotted with holes that allowed faint shafts of light to spill through, illuminating the dusty air.
“It looks like some kind of… control room,” Amira said, her gaze sweeping across the space.
Scattered across the floor were broken consoles, sparking wires, and shattered glass. In the center of the room stood a large, cylindrical structure that hummed faintly with energy.
“This is a fragment of an ancient civilization,” Aros said, his voice tinged with awe and sadness. “A place that once served as a sanctuary for the Rift’s creators.”
“Well, their interior decorator sure loved the dystopian vibe,” Alex quipped, brushing dust off his jacket.
“Be serious, Alex,” Amira snapped, though she couldn’t suppress a faint smirk. “This place might be the key to figuring out how to fix the Rift.”
Aros moved toward the central structure, his staff glowing brighter as he examined it. “This is a stabilizer core,” he said. “If we can reactivate it, it might help us stabilize the Rift and slow its collapse.”
“Great,” Alex said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s do that and get out of here before another homicidal guardian shows up.”
Aros frowned. “It is not that simple. The stabilizer core has been dormant for millennia. Reactivating it will require a power source that we do not currently possess.”
Alex threw up his hands. “Of course it does. Why would anything ever be easy?”
Amira ignored him, her attention drawn to a series of strange symbols etched into the walls. They glowed faintly, pulsing in a rhythm that seemed almost alive.
“These symbols… they look familiar,” she said, running her fingers over the markings.
Aros joined her, his eyes narrowing. “They are warnings. This place is not as abandoned as it appears.”
As if on cue, a low rumbling sound echoed through the hall. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and dust cascaded from the ceiling.
“Oh, come on,” Alex groaned. “Can we catch a break for once?”
The rumbling grew louder, and a section of the far wall collapsed, revealing a gaping hole that led into darkness. From the shadows emerged a group of figures, their movements swift and predatory.
They were humanoid but barely so. Their bodies were covered in a patchwork of organic and mechanical parts, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. They carried weapons that crackled with energy, and their expressions were twisted with hostility.
“Who are they?” Amira whispered, her hand moving to her sidearm.
Aros’s expression darkened. “Scavengers. Survivors who have been warped by the Rift’s energy. They are dangerous and highly territorial.”
The scavengers spread out, their glowing eyes locking onto the trio. One of them, larger than the rest, stepped forward and pointed a weapon at them.
“Outsiders,” it growled, its voice distorted and mechanical. “You have trespassed. You will not leave alive.”
“Wow, great hospitality,” Alex muttered, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I guess we’re skipping the welcome tour.”
The lead scavenger barked something in a guttural language, and the others raised their weapons.
“Not good,” Amira said, pulling her gun and aiming at the nearest scavenger.
Aros stepped forward, his staff glowing with power. “We mean you no harm,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “We are here to stabilize the Rift. If we fail, this place—and all of you—will be destroyed.”
The scavenger leader tilted its head, as though considering Aros’s words. Then it let out a harsh, barking laugh.
“Lies,” it said. “You seek to take what is ours. You will die for your arrogance.”
With that, the scavengers opened fire, their weapons unleashing bolts of crackling energy.
“Take cover!” Amira shouted, diving behind a broken console.
Alex yelped and scrambled for cover as well, narrowly avoiding a blast that scorched the floor where he had been standing. “I thought you said this was a sanctuary!” he yelled at Aros.
“It was,” Aros replied, deflecting an energy bolt with his staff. “But time has not been kind to it—or its inhabitants.”
Amira leaned out from behind the console and fired at the scavengers, taking down one of them with a well-placed shot. “We need to find a way to activate the stabilizer core and get out of here!”
Aros nodded. “I will draw their attention. You two must find the power source.”
“Wait, what?” Alex said, his eyes widening. “Why do we have to do the dangerous scavenger hunt?”
“Because you are less likely to be recognized as a threat,” Aros said simply, before leaping into the fray and unleashing a wave of energy that sent several scavengers flying.
“Great,” Alex muttered. “He gets to be the cool wizard, and we get to play hide-and-seek with ancient alien tech.”
“Stop whining and move!” Amira snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the central structure.
The stabilizer core loomed ahead, its surface glowing faintly. Around its base were several smaller consoles, their screens flickering with static.
Amira began examining the consoles, her fingers flying over the controls. “There’s got to be something here we can use to power this thing.”
Alex glanced nervously over his shoulder, where Aros was holding off the scavengers with an impressive display of energy blasts and defensive shields. “We’d better find it fast, because I don’t think Aros can keep this up forever.”
Amira’s eyes lit up as she found a compartment embedded in the core. She pried it open, revealing a glowing, crystalline object. “This looks like a power cell. It might still have some energy left.”
“Well, let’s plug it in and hope for the best,” Alex said, his voice tight with urgency.
Amira inserted the power cell into the core, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then the entire structure began to hum with energy, its surface lighting up with intricate patterns.
The scavenger leader let out an enraged roar, pointing at the core. “Stop them!” it bellowed.
The remaining scavengers charged, their weapons firing wildly.
Aros turned toward Alex and Amira, his voice ringing out over the chaos. “Activate the gateway! Now!”
Amira’s fingers flew over the console, her movements frantic. “I’m trying, but this system is ancient!”
The scavengers closed in, their weapons aimed directly at them.
“Amira!” Alex shouted, his voice filled with panic.
The stabilizer core suddenly flared with light, and a swirling vortex began to form above it.
“Got it!” Amira yelled.
The scavenger leader lunged toward them, its weapon raised.
And then, everything was consumed by light.