Chapter 16 - Chapter 16 :First Confrontation

🌌 Chapter 4 — First Confrontation

The city's neon lights reflected off the wet asphalt like fractured mirrors. Eris moved carefully through the alleys, alert to every sound: the hum of electricity, the distant rumble of traffic, the faint clink of metal. She knew she couldn't run forever.

A sudden flash of movement caught her eye. Shadows elongated across the walls. Mercenaries—Nyx's agents—emerged from the darkness, armed and ready. Their armor gleamed under neon lights, and their energy rifles hummed with lethal precision.

> This is it, Eris thought, gripping her fists. No AI. No shortcuts. Just me.

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The Battle Begins

The first mercenary lunged with a baton, swinging with calculated speed. Eris ducked and rolled, using the alley's narrow confines to her advantage. She grabbed a loose pipe from the ground and swung, striking the attacker's side. A spark of energy from his armor grazed her arm. Pain flared, but she pushed through.

Two more approached. Eris vaulted over crates, sliding across puddles to trip one. She punched the other in the jaw, her human strength carrying her just enough. But each move took more effort than before—fatigue gnawed at her.

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Cinematic Action Details

Parkour & agility: Eris scales walls, leaps across fire escapes, and uses scaffolding as makeshift bridges.

Improvised weapons: Pipes, crates, even broken neon signs become tools in her fight.

Mercenary precision: Each enemy moves with near-machine accuracy, predicting basic attacks.

Close calls: Bullets ricochet off walls inches from her head; sparks fly as metal clashes.

Rain & neon: Water puddles reflect the flashes of energy, making the environment both beautiful and dangerous.

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Turning Point

As Eris fights, she notices a pattern in the mercenaries' movements—a subtle rhythm. Her mind calculates, improvising tactics: she lures one into striking a wet panel, causing an electric discharge that knocks him out. Another slips on the puddle, giving her a critical opening.

She lands a few precise blows, but it's clear: she cannot match them indefinitely. Her muscles ache; her lungs burn. Every strike risks exhaustion.

Suddenly, from above, a figure drops silently—Nyx herself.

> "You've grown weak, sister," Nyx says, her voice calm, almost taunting. "And yet, you fight like a human. How… quaint."

Eris steadies herself, adrenaline mixing with fear. She realizes that this is not just a fight—it's a test of her human ingenuity and hybrid potential.

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Escape & Aftermath

Outnumbered and outmatched, Eris makes a bold move: she dives through a narrow alley, knocking over crates to block pursuit, then activates a tiny burst of hybrid energy—enough to disorient the mercenaries, but not enough to fully power her.

She escapes, bruised and exhausted, but alive. Her human limitations are now painfully clear.

> I survived, she thought, panting. But next time… next time, I may not be so lucky.

The neon skyline watches silently as Eris disappears into the rain-soaked city streets. Somewhere above, Nyx observes, calculating every step of the hunt.

---To be continued