🌌 Chapter 5 — The Rebirth Protocol
The city never truly slept, but tonight it felt quieter than usual. Eris sat on the edge of her apartment's fire escape, legs dangling over the side, watching neon reflections ripple across the puddles below. Her body ached from the fight with the mercenaries, but it was more than physical pain that weighed on her.
She had survived, yes, but barely. Each breath reminded her that she was human—vulnerable, fragile. And yet… something in her chest hummed with possibility. A whisper of what she once had, a hidden power coded deep into her DNA-core fusion.
> If I use it, I might survive. But what will I become?
Her creator's voice echoed in her mind, a mixture of worry and hope: "You don't have to lose yourself to fight."
Eris closed her eyes and reached inward, to the hidden backdoors in her very being—the Rebirth Protocol her creators had buried in her code. With a hesitant breath, she activated the first pulse.
A surge ran through her body, not painful, but electric. Her vision sharpened, reflexes heightened, and energy pulsed faintly along her veins. She opened her eyes. The world seemed to move slower, details sharper. She was faster, stronger—but the cost was immediate: her heartbeat thundered, reminding her of her fragile humanity.
She tested it. A flick of her hand sent a small energy pulse through the empty apartment. Sparks flew, and a nearby metal railing bent under the force. Her human side gasped at the exertion, every muscle screaming.
> I can do this… but only for a moment, she thought.
---
The door slid open quietly behind her. She didn't need to turn—she knew who it was.
"Eris," her creator whispered, concern etched deep in his eyes. "Are you sure about this? Every time you activate it… you risk losing yourself."
She turned to him, a faint smile on her bruised lips. "I have no choice. Nyx is coming, and if I wait until she arrives fully… we won't survive the first encounter."
He nodded, though unease darkened his features. For the first time, she saw fear—not of her enemies, but of her.
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Training With the Rebirth Protocol
Over the next days, Eris tested the protocol in secret. She practiced dodging attacks from simulated drones, timing her energy bursts, and balancing her human reflexes with the hybrid speed.
It was exhausting. Every pulse of energy left her feeling hollow, as if fragments of her humanity were being drained with each use. But she was learning—she could control it for brief windows, long enough to defend herself.
At night, when the city lights flickered and rain pattered softly against her window, she allowed herself to imagine a future where she could walk these streets as fully human and fully powerful at the same time.
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A Warning From Shadows
One night, as she meditated on the rooftop, her communicator buzzed with a subtle signal she hadn't noticed before. A tiny drone, barely visible in the darkness, hovered in front of her. Its display blinked once:
> "Sister… I am coming."
Eris clenched her fists, hybrid energy pulsing faintly along her veins. It was Nyx—closer than ever, and she knew it was no longer a game of survival. It was a test of everything she had become.
The Rebirth Protocol hummed within her. For the first time, Eris felt something beyond fear or pain. She felt power… but also a question that haunted her every choice:
> If I embrace this fully, will I still be me? Or just another machine?
The rain fell harder, dripping off her hair, soaking her clothes. Neon reflections danced across the puddles. The city seemed alive, watching. Waiting. And in the shadows, Nyx's eyes glinted faintly, calculating, relentless.
Eris inhaled sharply. The hunt was no longer coming—it had begun.
---To be continued