480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9dtLiQn2h
The air outside the chamber was480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMnhjolatH
thick, a soup of acrid miasma that moved like it had a mind of its own.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB5j2Bga9o
Stepping onto what remained of a high fortress, I felt decay all around. The480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGDPLMl814
city below lay in ruins, the fortress clinging to its outer wall, a480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgkVylgAej
once-imposing bastion now bleeding rust and shadows.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SPHxXxnpI
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1efSYJLfH3
The city sprawled before me, a480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2chEfm8hG
dead giant of twisted metal and shattered glass. Above, the dome that had once480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT29ZomutJX
shielded it was a fractured skull, casting broken light and jagged shadows that480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdprtUHte9
twisted with the haze.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYq64a7xGU
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsbAlyebuf
Behind me, a crack in the dome480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFzFsqGptq
bled a sickly mist. It poured over the fortress, engulfing me, then rolled down480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7rQ2hu40y
the city like it had a grudge.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeS1sMY57u1
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaokqwMHmOm
Descending from the fortress felt480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CYzPcBhES
like stepping into a droid junkyard. Bits of broken machinery cluttered the480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4OUPHHXMM
path, each stair creaking like it had a personal vendetta against my weight.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcsrmwmN6h
The walls had given up, leaving the place wide open to the city’s twisted guts.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfJLkmVezc
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIxkjFytgB
Streets cracked and curled in on480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GJHpa31e5
themselves, a maze of grime and shadows. Holo-ads flickered in the mist, like480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡww4O8dQMPF
spirits trying to break through the veil. The city wasn’t dying, it had already480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8hG0VTyCt
kicked the bucket, and I was just here to poke through the remains.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfD99uyfg0
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyISR0nopT
When I finally stepped out onto a480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZZltMGbTm
shattered balcony, the street below greeted me with the sounds of survival. Two480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFrDcaDsja
beasts tore into something that used to be a person. Gave me that warm, fuzzy480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOBfgcZhtj
feeling.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXwr2ml4P4
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAsJCWJQai
“Careful, master,” Arvie’s voice hummed in my head, a polite way480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEpUMwb8zr
of saying, don’t be an idiot.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1heIuvnDjy
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKe9SrOa42L
“I see them,” I muttered,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkKmP0ksBi
inching back from the edge. Not in the mood to test whether the city predators480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnIn60rnMb
had a taste for sarcasm.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYWQQlsGgH
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlBGgiwmWp
This place was a funhouse of480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvI2TBUom4
shifting shadows and rusty death traps. Every creak, every distant growl kept480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O7kQdiaTG
my nerves strung tight. But through the fog, something else caught my eye, a480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInnZTPaTvx
bright flicker, a neon sign trying to remember its glory days.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9qeLpueXE
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xcdI1xQat
The building emerged from the480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisz3zFcZmO
fog, battered but still standing. The door was a twisted wreck at my feet.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKNmnVBkQJ
Inside, the air hit me, stale, like a memory that should’ve been buried. The480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWZzrOKAys
place reeked of death, its halls lined with busted pods, beds and shattered480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCqAjH7Eac
medical gear. A graveyard disguised as a medical facility.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkosAZwb9Xh
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpLLJk3H6s
“Stars Above,” I breathed, the480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmZlMGFNOJ
whole scene settling into my gut like bad food. “This is a nightmare.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnn5rmeMozB
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x8MOfkEEo
Arvie, the realist, chimed in. “The480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPrmYUwmYm
nightmare’s still warming up. Keep moving.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nDLkt7rOa
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi5qsq34kG
My gaze fell on a set of storage480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPE3Tcl4Dz
lockers in the back of the chamber, and I weaved through the remains, careful480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ67nZ6vYyA
not to step on anything too squishy. As I approached, something in my mind480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSN08VHbUSI
clicked, a holographic interface popped up. The symbols and prompts were like480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevxpEwmMpD
echoes of a skill I didn’t remember learning, but my mind knew the dance.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOImLNIIX8I
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuQNeCyT6c
With a mental nudge, I overrode480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu8c5Tuu8N
the security, and the lockers clicked open. A satchel inside caught my eye, my480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYjb6yj9Mn
hands moving on autopilot as I rifled through it. Bandages, antiseptics,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO6RhlJJZB
emergency rations, items that could mean the difference between survival and480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxH1Is94zgk
the alternative.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Oiv0EYbyJ
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtyGbnGFgd
Then, behind some debris, a safe480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQKOKoJ5Pp
caught my eye, its surface gleaming faintly. I stepped closer and the interface480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucpxDyU7Ve
flared back to life, more intricate this time, a puzzle wrapped in encryption480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4Age8TQ2T
that practically dared me to crack it, a kaleidoscope of shifting colors and480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUOFevuxKP
fractal patterns swirling in my mind.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHieDmzI5zb
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrFOZ4TQ6Q
“This one’s got something480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYskAn9osb9
interesting,” I muttered.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHca1aKAVW
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXerrw0ZS0E
“Oh, definitely,” Arvie480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRVcGjJApQ
chimed in, buzzing with excitement. “Let’s crack it open and see what480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7zvSMQjtI
goodies they’ve stashed away.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYichHGGKn
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJGSZKFekJ
Whoever locked this up wasn’t480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxqGUNbYHV
messing around. I focused, feeling the static hum of the interface vibrate in480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm002j7vTFt
my mind. Each symbol pulsed with a heartbeat of its own, daring me to engage. “Right.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQukPfyhxyO
Let’s see if I know how to dance with this thing.” I traced a glowing line,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEN6rmEdHVE
but the moment I did, the symbols twisted and morphed into a chaotic swirl.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCXykTGi4v
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8Jg78x0Fb
“Careful now,” Arvie warned, her480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLTEAwYDPf
tone light but laced with urgency. “This puzzle bites back.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFTQREUpaL
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuadBcQnzRe
“Thanks for the encouragement,”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg02TZltos5
I muttered, adjusting my focus and breathing through the frustration. I needed480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwWOm9mMdp
to find the rhythm, to dance with the puzzle instead of against it. “Let’s480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwh7R5AIkL
try a different approach.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIMx2CySaC
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uMwZ7F4NR
I imagined a clean slate, forcing480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8T5AguSPU
the chaotic symbols to align. The colors harmonized, revealing a sequence of480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEABG75a0lF
flashing glyphs. “There we go,” I said, feeling a surge of confidence. “Just480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlE05jkpaD
needs a bit of finesse.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3lXJLDNL2
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpjedQKQN9
As I pressed on, the glyphs480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINwaQihM48
formed a series of interconnected patterns, each slide changing the patterns in480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6DAV8K7jm
waves. My heart raced, but as I solved one section, another scrambled, mocking480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNh9PO69au
me with its complexity. “Oh common,” I groaned, sweat trickling down my480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaRwelJFke
face. “Who designed this? A mad artist?”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCWYVA3jSq
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5aYE8qc3Z
“More likely a paranoid vault480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ370Z2IcwN0
keeper,” Arvie replied, laughter dancing in her voice. “You’re doing480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XA4aGNv9J
great, though. Just a few more steps.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZAuNAIGjd
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGwqWRHa66
Pushing through, I visualized the480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqyOhf53wJ
patterns merging into a cohesive flow, each connection igniting a spark of480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3KBXIMHo7
hope. Then, a sudden jolt, colors fizzled and dimmed. “What now?” I480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmj9L7iBhg
asked, a flicker of panic rising.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiCNckqC1d
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2AEmeStiA
“Looks like you hit a dead480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJiQl1uWlf
end. Let's try again,” Arvie said, her tone teasing.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iy0G2sVtM
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUtgs1oNaH
I took a breath, grounding480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5cLxPIemc
myself. “Okay, let’s regroup. New strategy. If it wants to play, we’ll play480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88CCfJPVct
smarter.” I reset my mental approach, focusing on the interactions between480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlJSEagxF7
the glyphs instead of trying to brute-force them.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf63GBwPXQq
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnATAwe643N
“Ah, a classic case of less is480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDmHspHBiq
more,” Arvie mused. “Smart move.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9Sl4AiySr
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6Lxev5GT3
With renewed determination, I480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXECRgpyFSw
coaxed the symbols into alignment, each successful connection sending a rush of480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEsqBGaUMy
hope coursing through me. Finally, the last glyph shimmered with a golden hue,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Vz7ClKqKr
unlocking the heart of the puzzle. With a satisfying click, the safe opened480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo0SvnQR0r
with a soft hiss, like it had been waiting for this moment.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1kbTJwmgr
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zil4GEJV8
“Success!” I exclaimed,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeQmRf7C5l
feeling a triumphant rush wash over me. “Not too shabby for someone with a480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsobjeySg1
blank slate of a mind.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSt2ggThkHs
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqlAm2uZeo
Arvie’s voice hummed with pride.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuN55BtKc3w
“You did it, master. Now let’s see the inside.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDWrqVPKMM
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1B6r5nJpNb
Inside, a sleek metal container480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgdywrmVlV
pulsed faintly, glowing with the kind of importance that practically screamed,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgRvQT6Hsm
“Grab me!” I lifted it, its weight solid and… promising.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfptsxtsmk
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3KohMDrZO
“Arvie, what’s this?” I480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRzRThH7SF
asked, guessing something far more valuable than bandages.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jP74habZ5
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulvQDPfyWD
Her tone shifted, almost480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmhDlGf4zj
reverent. “A mutacell box, ancient tech from the time of the Elders. Master,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutNGyUK5I5
this could unlock abilities you didn’t even know you had.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5zVdiXKgE
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBq8lI9fGv
Excitement flared, “How do I480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNNLRGBTmA
use it?”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhI8otsah0
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqaGFkbalZ
“We’d need a well-equipped480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd8CZFlaCP
medical center,” she replied. “Like this one, but functional, with480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp7c2mU4xA
intact medical pods and a skilled medic.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAquncu8hz
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkI3Jfwjvv
So close, yet so far. But I480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB09QlmmfF8
wasn’t one to dwell. “Not here then.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtvaAecqv4
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB0FkcZEgr
“Not here, not yet.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAapEGCIzTn
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNhEIgxLwG
I slid the box into the satchel,480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4HSfSb6RI
my sense of purpose sharpening against all the ruin. This wasn’t just about480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZOdu1CFOY
staying alive anymore. Now it was about answers, power, and changing the rules480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDSIveIyOs
of the game.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSe6ashVwy
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNGEH98AKj
“Ready to continue our grand480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaS3kc9FKb
adventure?” Arvie’s voice went playful again. “Plenty more surprises480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnlGPFotcQ
waiting out there.”480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzJrIq7mGq
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRtXYaPqM4
With the satchel slung over my480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmITCabf5UA
shoulder, I took one last glance at the graveyard of broken bodies. The city480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eS3X8kc7Q
beyond was still a battlefield, a buffet of opportunity and danger, and I was480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGqw7aqtXc
only scratching the surface.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PVrCMwiA8
480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28x1q1iGuO
I turned, stepping back into the swirling fog, with480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIIzUwnMG3
Arvie in my head and the relic of the Elders at my side, whatever nightmare480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDVlSCC7bc
waited, I was ready for it.
