The night was quiet,but not still. In two bedrooms separated by the city's streets,two teenagers slept under blankets,unaware of the small,pulsing fragments resting beside them. Damien tossed and turned,sweat clinging to his fevered skin,while August shivered under the weight of his own blanket.
Earlier that evening,Damien and August had stood on the cracked sidewalk outside Damien' s apartment. The two small, glowing stones lay between them,catching the last rays of the setting sun.
"The hell?" Damien said,dazed,leaning over the purple stone. "What the hell is this?"
August shrugged. "No idea. Lemme scan it." He tapped the stone lightly with his NeuraChip interface.
"Neura…what is this thing?" he asked.
An AI voice buzzed:"Unrecognized material. Response: Negative."
"The hell? What's wrong with this thing?" Damien frowned,eyeing the smooth purple surface.
"You try," August said.
"I am afraid that's not possible " Damien replied.
"Huh…of course you can. You're sixteen,right? Everyone gets the NeuraChip installed at five. Just do it.""
Damien hesitated,rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…well, not me. Its uhh complicated i guess"
August didn't ask further. "Fine. Then I guess its just me. Weird though…Neura's never seen anything like this."
Damien glared at the glowing stones. "Great. So you get all the fun,and I just…stand here and look useless."
August laughed lightly,tapping the stone again. "Relax. For now,it just says 'negative.' Doesn't mean nothing's happening. Weird stuff like this usually takes its time."
By the time they reached home,Damien felt a wave of heat hit him. His head throbbed,fever burning,forcing him to collapse onto his bed. August,though tired,was alert;he had been feeling off as well,his own skin prickling under the heat.
Damien groaned,clutching his head. "I feel like hell."
Eventually,both gave in to exhaustion. Their rooms were silent except for the faint pulse of the stones beside them. Almost imperceptibly,the glow intensified as they drifted into deep sleep
The stones glimmered faintly,almost as if they were breathing,drawing power from somewhere unseen. In the dim light,the room seemed charged,the air heavier than it should be. For Damien,the fever made every movement a small struggle. His eyelids fluttered,and in dreams blurred with waking panic,he sensed the stones' pulse—like a heartbeat from another world.
Far beyond the walls of their city,in a realm that did not belong to time,two men faced each other. One was young,lean,and precise,his eyes sharp,body coiled with restless energy. The other was older,broader,scarred by experience,his gaze carrying the weight of centuries.
"The stones are reacting," the younger man said,voice calm but firm,like a blade sliding from its sheath. "Someone has found two of them. I recommend we dispatch a task force immediately. If they are left unchecked…" He let the words hang.
The older man's lips tightened. "A task force? Or…do we send Son?" His voice carried a cold edge,as if even speaking the name summoned its weight. There was a pause,heavy and deliberate,as he watched the younger man's expression.
The younger man shook his head,exhaling softly. "That won't be necessary. I have someone else in mind already." There was no hesitation in his tone. No doubt.
The older man's eyes narrowed. "You do?" His voice was low,cautious. "This is…delicate. If someone has really found them…" He trailed off,letting the fear settle in his mind unspoken. Son… He did not say it aloud,but the thought pressed against his chest like a physical weight. Son was not a man to be sent lightly,and even legends hesitated in his presence.
"Yes," the younger man replied evenly. "I've accounted for the variables. The person I have in mind is capable. Trust me—Son's strength is not required yet.""
The older man exhaled slowly,his shoulders heavy. "Very well," he said finally,his tone reluctant,almost heavy with surrender. "I will leave it in your hands. But…" He faltered for a fraction of a second,a shadow passing over his face. "…if this fails—" His words stopped there,unfinished,as though even saying them might summon disaster.
The younger man did not respond. He did not need to. Both men knew the stakes. The stones had awoken,and the balance they had maintained for centuries was fraying at the edges.
For a moment,the realm was silent except for the faint hum of unseen energies. Then the older man stepped back,his movements deliberate,measured. He raised his right hand and crossed his middle finger over his index—a gesture that seemed simple but carried immense weight in this world. It was a seal,a signal,a command.
"Neura…" he murmured,his voice low but carrying authority.
"Yes, Master," came the response,smooth and immediate. The realm seemed to vibrate with acknowledgment,like an obedient servant awakening.
"Call Nyx," he commanded.
A presence stirred,something alive and waiting. The hum grew,filling the empty space with potential energy,anticipation,and subtle menace.
"The hell do you want"said a female voice
"I have a job for you," he added,his voice final and deliberate.
And with that, he vanished,leaving only the echo of his words lingering in the air.
Back in the mortal world,the city slept unaware. Damien stirred,tossing in his bed,sweat dampening his hair. He muttered something incoherent,half-asleep,half-dreaming of shadows and whispers. The stone by his side pulsed once,faintly,like a warning. August,a few streets away,shivered similarly,his blanket tangled around him as the glow of his own stone made the dark room seem alive.
Neither boy could know what had just been set in motion. The realm beyond their own had taken notice. Decisions had been made by beings whose thoughts carried the weight of centuries. And one of those decisions involved someone known only as Nyx,whose arrival was sure to shift the course of events drastically.
In the quiet of the night,the pulsing stones seemed almost impatient,vibrating with unseen energy. Somewhere,far away,someone would soon be called to act,and the world's fragile balance trembled on the edge.
The older man's words lingered,whispered into the void:"I have a job for you."
And the stones continued to glow,faintly at first,then brighter,as if acknowledging the summons that had just been made.
The night was far from over.It had only just begun.