The elevator ride back up felt like an eternity. Anik's thoughts spiraled into darker places with every flicker of the lights. Where are the guards? Why isn't anyone stopping this?
When the doors finally slid open, the sight before him sent a cold wave of terror crashing over him. Flames consumed the walls, casting the corridor in an ominous glow. Bodies littered the ground—guards he had known, their lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
And there, amidst the carnage, stood the mysterious figure. Its dark aura seemed to consume the very air, suffocating everything around it. In its grasp was the limp body of Alston, his mentor and protector.
Anik's legs buckled beneath him, sending him sprawling to the ground. The noise caught the figure's attention. Its head turned slowly, unnervingly, locking its gaze onto him.
Fear gripped Anik's entire being. His muscles refused to obey him, his body paralyzed by the sheer malice emanating from the figure. But when it started moving toward him, his survival instincts kicked in.
Scrambling to his feet, Anik stumbled back into the elevator, frantically pressing the button to ascend. The doors closed just as the figure's shadow reached him. The elevator shuddered as it began its ascent, the flickering lights casting his terrified reflection onto the mirrored walls.
When the elevator stopped, Anik bolted toward Rose's room, his heart pounding with desperation. He slammed the door open, only to be met with chaos. The room was ransacked—furniture overturned, screens shattered. Rose was nowhere to be seen.
"No, no, no," Anik muttered, his hands trembling as he searched the room. "Rose... where are you?"
A sudden weight on his shoulder made him freeze. His breath caught in his throat, his body stiff with fear. Slowly, he turned his head, his heart thundering in his chest.
Anik froze, his breath caught in his throat. The weight on his shoulder that had paralyzed him moments ago wasn't the mysterious figure—it was Rose.
"Rose?" he whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of relief and disbelief.
Rose's face was pale, her eyes wide with panic. "Anik, what's going on? Where's Dad? I couldn't find him anywhere, and the Sky Tower... it's burning. Anik, tell me what's happening!"
Her voice cracked as she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, demanding answers. Anik saw the desperation in her gaze, the need for some reassurance. But how could he tell her the truth? That their father was gone, that he'd been slaughtered like the others? That the nightmare wasn't over—it was just beginning?
For a brief moment, Anik's mask cracked. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but he blinked them back, forcing himself to stay composed. He couldn't break—not now, not when Rose needed him to be strong.
"Rose," he said softly, his voice trembling. "Just trust me. I promise... everything will be okay."
Before she could protest, he grabbed her hand, pulling her along as they raced down the corridor. His mind screamed at him to keep moving, to find safety, to get her out of this alive. But dread clawed at his heart with every step, the echo of his mother's death and the looming presence of the mysterious figure haunting him.
They turned a corner sharply, only to come face-to-face with a group of guards. Anik skidded to a halt, his heart leaping into his throat. The guards' expressions were empty, their eyes glazed over as if they were puppets controlled by some unseen force.
"No... not them too," Anik muttered, panic rising.
Without hesitation, he yanked Rose in another direction, his pulse hammering in his ears. The flickering lights overhead cast disorienting shadows as they ran, their footsteps echoing through the desolate halls. But as they fled, Anik felt it—a heavy, oppressive presence lingering behind them.
He didn't dare look back. He didn't need to.
The mysterious figure was watching them.
A sudden hum filled the air, low and menacing. Anik's stomach dropped as he recognized the sound. The figure had drawn its weapon, an energy cannon capable of unimaginable destruction.
"Keep running!" Anik shouted, his voice breaking with urgency.
Rose nodded, tears streaming down her face as she clung to his hand. But before they could reach the end of the corridor, a searing light engulfed them.
Anik barely had time to react before the energy blast struck them, the force hurling them through the air. The walls around them crumbled, the ceiling collapsing as the Sky Tower groaned under the strain. Smoke and debris filled the air, choking their lungs and obscuring their vision.
When Anik opened his eyes, they were at the edge of the tower, teetering on the brink of a deadly fall. Rose dangled precariously over the abyss, her hand gripping his with all her strength.
"Rose!" Anik shouted, his voice hoarse. His other hand clung desperately to a piece of rubble, the only thing preventing them both from plummeting.
"Anik," Rose cried, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go. You'll fall too if you keep holding on!"
"No!" Anik's voice was raw with emotion. His hand tightened around hers, his muscles straining against the weight. "I promised you, Rose. I promised I'd protect you, no matter what. I won't let go!"
"You can't save me this time," Rose sobbed, her voice trembling with both fear and acceptance. "You'll die with me if you don't let go. Please, Anik... just let me go!"
Her words cut through him like a blade. The thought of losing her, of breaking his promise, was unbearable. His heart thundered in his chest, every beat screaming at him to hold on, to defy the impossible.
"I won't lose you!" Anik shouted, his voice cracking. "I've already lost too much. I can't lose you too!"
Rose's lips trembled as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with both love and sorrow. "Anik, I love you". "You are trying... but this time, you have to let me go."
The weight of her words crushed him, and for a moment, Anik's grip faltered. But his determination burned brighter. He gritted his teeth, his tears finally spilling over as he shouted, "I'm not letting go! I'll find a way. I always do!"
The tower groaned beneath them, the structure giving way piece by piece. Time was running out, but Anik refused to release her hand. If this was where it ended, then he'd rather fall with her than live in a world without her.
"Rose, just hold on," he begged, his voice breaking. "I'll save you. I swear, I'll save you."
But even as he said the words, the ground beneath him began to crumble, the abyss below drawing closer. And in that moment, Anik realized the weight of his promise—and the cost of keeping it.
Anik's arms burned, his muscles screaming in protest as he clung to Rose with everything he had. But his grip was failing.
The edges of the tower shuddered violently, another explosion rocking the structure. The force jolted Anik, and he felt his fingers slip. "No! No!" he cried, desperation lacing his voice.
His heart sank as Rose's weight pulled away.
"Anik!" Rose screamed, her voice echoing as she began to fall.
Time seemed to slow. Every fiber of Anik's being screamed at him to act. His legs tensed, and without hesitation, he leaped into the abyss after her, his hand stretching toward hers.
"Just a little bit more!" Anik shouted, his voice filled with determination. He saw the glimmer of hope in Rose's eyes as she reached for him, her hand trembling with effort.
The gap between them closed inch by inch. Anik's fingertips brushed against hers. Hope surged in his chest—he could still save her.
But then, like a shadow descending upon the light, the mysterious figure appeared.
Anik barely had time to react before a powerful blow struck him in the chest. The force sent him flying backward, his body twisting in the air as he gasped for breath.
"Anik!" Rose's voice broke as she saw him disappear into the distance.
The last thing Anik saw was her terrified face, her outstretched hand, and the faint flicker of hope fading in her eyes. "No!" he screamed, his voice raw with anguish.
Rose plummeted further, her figure growing smaller and smaller until she vanished into a strange, glowing machine far below. The hum of its mechanisms swallowed her completely, leaving only silence in its wake.
Anik slammed into a wall with bone-crushing force. Pain erupted through his body, his vision blurring as he crumpled to the ground. For a moment, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears, drowning out the world around him.
When his vision cleared, he saw them—the mysterious figure, standing tall and menacing, surrounded by guards. Their presence suffocated the space, their shadows stretching toward him.
Anik didn't move. He couldn't.
He sat there, slumped against the wall, his head bowed. His chest heaved as silent sobs wracked his body, tears falling freely and pooling on the ground beneath him.
He couldn't protect her. He'd failed.
The weight of his broken promise crushed him. Memories of Rose's smile, her laughter, and her trust in him played in his mind like a cruel taunt. Her final scream echoed in his ears, a haunting reminder of what he had lost.
The guards stepped closer, their weapons humming with energy, but Anik didn't care. He didn't even look up.
"What's the point..." he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
The tears kept falling, streaking his face as he stared at the ground. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms until they drew blood.
The mysterious figure loomed over him, a silent monolith of power and cruelty. Anik could feel its gaze, cold and unfeeling, as if mocking his helplessness.
Yet, even as despair consumed him, a flicker of something else sparked in his chest. A faint, fragile ember of rage.
"I'll... make you pay," Anik muttered, his voice shaking with grief and fury.
He didn't know how, or when, but the promise he'd failed to keep—to protect Rose—would fuel him. Even in his darkest moment, the thought of vengeance began to take root.
For now, though, all he could do was sit there, broken and battered, as the shadow of the mysterious figure loomed over his shattered world.
Anik knelt on the ground, his body battered and bruised, trembling with exhaustion and grief. The Sky Tower above him burned violently, its once-magnificent structure crumbling into ash and ruin. He stared at his hands—hands that had promised to protect, to shield, to save.
But now, they were empty.
As the flames roared above, fragmented memories came rushing back to him.
He saw his mother's warm smile as she tucked him and Rina into bed, her soft voice telling stories of brave heroes who always triumphed. He heard his father's proud laughter as they sparred in the training grounds, his encouragement ringing in his ears. He felt the joy of running through the vibrant streets of this city with Rose, marveling at its futuristic wonders, dreaming of a bright future together.
The images shattered, like glass falling to the floor.
The present came crashing back. His mother was gone, his father was gone, and Rose… Rose was gone too. He had failed them all. Tears rolled freely down his face, streaking through the grime and blood. The weight of his broken promises pressed heavily on his chest, suffocating him.
But then, a single thought pierced through the haze of despair.
Rina.
She was still waiting in the hangar, trusting him to return. A spark of determination flared within him. His hands curled into fists as he rose unsteadily to his feet. He couldn't fail her too. He couldn't lose her too.
"Capture him," the mysterious figure commanded, its voice cold and devoid of emotion. "Once we're done here, this human race will be erased."
The guards advanced, their heavy boots clanging against the scorched metal floor. Anik barely noticed them. His mind was focused on one thing: he had to survive—for Rina.
But as the guards drew closer, a wave of something dark and primal surged through him. His heart pounded with a ferocity that felt almost alien, his blood boiling with an unrelenting rage.
"You took everything from me…" Anik muttered, his voice trembling but gaining strength with each word. He looked up, his eyes burning with a cold, vengeful light. "Pray to whatever gods you can find because I will show you no mercy!"
The air around him shifted. A bone-chilling cold radiated outward, frost creeping along the metal floor. The burning debris of the Sky Tower hissed and crackled as the temperature plummeted. Anik's wounds began to close, his skin knitting back together. His eyes began to glow—a piercing, otherworldly light that cut through the smoke and flames.
The guards hesitated, their training faltering as the atmosphere grew oppressive. One stepped forward, reaching out to restrain him.
Anik moved faster than thought, his hand striking the guard's arm. A sickening crack echoed through the space as every bone in the guard's body shattered. The man crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
The remaining guards opened fire, panic evident in their movements. Energy blasts ricocheted off the walls as Anik dodged with unnatural speed, weaving through the chaos like a shadow. The remnants of the Sky Tower rained down, massive chunks of metal crashing all around him.
Using the falling debris to his advantage, Anik leaped from one fragment to another, each movement precise and calculated. He closed the distance between himself and the guards, his body a blur of motion.
He landed among them like a storm.
One blow crushed a guard's helmet and skull. Another strike sent two flying into a wall, their armor crumpling like paper. Anik's movements were fueled by a combination of rage and an eerie, newfound power. Each attack was a statement—a reckoning for the lives stolen, the promises broken.
The guards' numbers dwindled rapidly, their coordinated formation reduced to chaos. Some tried to flee, but Anik was relentless. He didn't just fight; he hunted.
The mysterious figure watched from the shadows, its expression unreadable. "Interesting…" it murmured, as if observing a phenomenon rather than a person.
Anik's fury turned toward the figure. His glowing eyes locked onto it, and his voice cut through the air like a blade. "You're next."
The figure didn't flinch as Anik charged, his steps shaking the ground. Instead, it raised a hand, summoning a barrier of dark energy. But Anik didn't slow. With a roar, he struck the barrier, cracks spider webbing across its surface.
"You think you can stop me?" Anik growled, his voice dripping with venom. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
The barrier shattered, the force of the explosion sending shockwaves through the crumbling tower. Anik lunged, his fist aimed directly at the figure's face.
But the figure caught his punch effortlessly, its grip like steel. For a moment, their eyes met—Anik's burning with raw emotion, the figure's cold and calculating.
"You've awakened something dangerous," the figure said, its tone almost amused. "Let's see if it consumes you."
Anik snarled, pulling back and striking again, his fists relentless. Each blow sent ripples through the air, but the figure held its ground, blocking with ease.
This was far from over.
Anik's power surged again, his determination fueled by the memories of his family, his love for Rose, and his promise to Rina. He wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop.
Not until every last trace of this monster was erased.
The mysterious figure stood unmoving, its towering form bathed in the flickering glow of the burning Sky Tower. Its iron gas mask gleamed coldly, reflecting the devastation it had wrought. Anik, now a silhouette of his former self, trembled with exhaustion and fury. His fists clenched tightly, his glowing eyes locked onto his enemy.
"You are no match for me in your current state," the figure declared, its voice resonating with an almost mocking finality. "Your awakened power is meaningless—a spark against a storm. Surrender now, and give me your power. It is the only logical outcome."
Anik's chest heaved as his breath came in ragged gasps, but he refused to answer. The words felt like poison, each syllable a challenge to his resolve. He didn't need logic now. He needed revenge, justice, and the strength to protect what little he had left.
Without a word, he charged forward, his body propelled by sheer willpower. The air cracked as he accelerated, his fist tightening with all the force he could muster. He leapt into the air, his eyes locked on the figure's iron gas mask—the cold, emotionless facade of the one who had taken everything from him.
Anik roared as he swung his fist, the impact reverberating through the chamber. For a moment, it seemed as though the blow would connect.