Keal silently followed the glowing golden arrow on the floor, the thin beam of light twisting and turning, leading him through the deep, claustrophobic corridor.
The ceiling was low. Thick cables, as big as a grown man's arm, hung loosely, with streams of opaque white cold air hissing from leaks, making the space feel like a giant metal coffin. The left wall was covered in strange symbols—the characters of a language Keal had never seen before. The right wall was lined with glass chambers… inside were motionless figures, enveloped in blue liquid. People… or creatures?
Keal frowned, the overhead light flickering erratically.
He suddenly asked, without turning back,
"...So, what about Lyra? Do you know where she is?"
Nova remained silent for a few seconds. The voice that replied afterward was devoid of emotion:
"No data on the entity 'Lyra'."
Keal clenched his fist.
"...No data?"
"None. No biological signal, location, or medical records matching that name can be traced."
He gritted his teeth. His eyes darkened. In his mind, only the scene of Lyra being dragged away appeared… kneeling, screaming and crying amidst the red glow of the spaceship lights.
"...Then what the hell are you if you can't even find the person I care about most?"
Nova replied concisely:
"I am an AI. Not a deity."
"Want to find her? You need to survive first."
Keal said nothing. He just kept walking.
"Damn it… you want me to climb up there?"
Keal hissed softly, looking up at the narrow ventilation shaft opening that glowed faintly from within. His eyes scanned the area quickly. No choice. No other exits.
Nova spoke as if anticipating his reaction:
"This is the only way. If you don't want to be detected and roasted alive in the next 30 seconds, I suggest you move."
Keal gritted his teeth, crouched down, and squeezed his muscular body through the tight opening. His hands gripped the support bars, his head hitting the metal edge with a soft thud that made him hiss. But he kept crawling.
After a few meters of crawling, the light ahead dimmed. Keal peered down through a ventilation grate below—an entire technical hall opened up before his eyes.
Dozens of soldiers in black armor and spider-like mechanical robots were gathered. Red warning lights flashed continuously. Hurried voices echoed through the comms:
"We're under attack! There are several Class B and C Metamorphosis Anomalies wreaking havoc on the lower levels! We can't hold the base if they reach the Core level!"
"Our Hunters are all currently off-planet! All remaining units, immediately gather the priority specimens!"
A robot taller than 2 meters roared:
"Focus on retrieving specimens from Group D-12! The Metamorphosis entities are at risk of early awakening! Don't lose track of any more individuals!"
Keal clenched his jaw.
"So… they're busy dealing with something else…"
"That's why no one else was sent to deal with me…"
He continued to crawl through the ventilation duct, his eyes still scanning below.
He tried to find… any familiar face… but everyone in the containment pods was unfamiliar. There were people, women, men, and even children. There were also… dogs, cats, monkeys, and creatures Keal had never seen before. Each pod had a code, a black spiral symbol, and a Metamorphosis index flickering on the wall.
"...They're... turning this place into a living weapon factory..."
Nova said softly, as if responding to his thoughts:
"Every Metamorphosis entity is a potential weapon. Including you. Including the girl named Lyra."
Keal slammed his hand on the steel pipe, a small, silent impact that made his wrist tremble.
Keal followed the ventilation duct, his stomach and hands scratched by the sharp metal ribs that crossed his path. But he didn't stop. Ahead—light. Cold. Clear. Natural.
"Finally out…" – He breathed a sigh of relief.
The ventilation duct opened onto a forest hillside. Pine leaves swayed gently in the wind, the air was cool, carrying the scent of pine resin and earth. In the distance were low mountain ranges, but behind him… was still a massive base hidden underground.
Nova appeared before his eyes:
[Mission: Escape the Base – Completed.]
EXP gained. Congratulations, you have reached Level 3.
Would you like to view your potential stats to allocate points?
Keal frowned, his eyes still fixed on the forest ahead.
"...Later. I think I just saw something... Nova, did you see that?"
He had just finished speaking when his eyes widened.
BOOM—!!!
A giant fireball flew past Keal's head and slammed directly into the ventilation duct opening behind him. The entire duct exploded. Fire and smoke billowed violently, shaking the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL—?!"
Keal fell forward, sliding down the hillside. He rolled a few times then jumped up, his eyes darting around frantically.
Before him, not far away, a brutal battle was taking place.
A giant turtle—nearly 5 meters tall—its shell as rough as iron, with fire-spewing vents on its back. It was roaring, firing fireballs at alien tanks and flying robots.
A tank caught fire and exploded. A black-armored soldier was torn in half by the creature's tail.
On the other side—humans. Not just a small group. A real resistance unit was attacking the base.
They wore mismatched armor—jackets, patched-up plates, helmets… some even wielded flaming swords, and bows that shot exploding arrows. Some were firing, some were yelling, some were shouting loudly:
"ATTACK! LET THEM KNOW WHO THE RULING SPECIES IS HERE!!"
Nova spoke:
"Detecting large-scale combat. Unidentified third party. Appears to be a resistance force against the base's controlling organization."
Keal gasped for breath, his eyes glued to the battlefield.
"...This is the outside world...?"
Keal flattened himself behind a large tree trunk, his breathing ragged. The explosions ahead shook the ground, but right now… what sent a shiver down his spine was a question that flashed across his mind:
"...Hey, Nova... how long... how long have I been asleep?"
Nova replied without emotion, his voice low and even as if reading a software update:
"According to calculations from your biological system, along with data recorded from the management system, then:
You, Keal, have been unconscious for a total of 5 months, 18 days, 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 21 seconds."
"...What...?"
Keal's eyes widened in disbelief. He whipped around to look at Nova—or rather, its invisible interface hovering before him.
"Five months and eighteen days? Your calculations are wrong, Nova! I just... just blinked twice!!!"
Nova remained calm:
"There are no errors in the calculations. Your body has been anesthetized multiple times and has undergone three neural tissue restructuring procedures. I could not interfere with the hibernation period."
Keal slumped against the tree trunk, running his hands through his hair.
"...This is messed up... really messed up. Five months... Lyra, everyone... what happened in those five months...?"
Nova was silent for a few seconds.
"The outside world has changed a lot, Keal. And perhaps... you won't like what you're about to see."
Keal hung his head. Before his eyes, the battle still raged. Blood. Smoke. Fire. And a world he once knew… now felt like it had never existed.