Auron's vision snapped back into focus. His surroundings blurred in a whirl of motion as he crashed to the cold ground, the concrete scraping against his skin. He lay there for a moment, disoriented, gasping for air. The sting of bruises already forming on his neck from the figure's grip burned through his muscles.
The figure loomed over him, their shadow stretching long and menacing in the dim light of the station. They were a blur of darkness and movement, their mask now split in half, revealing glowing, unnatural eyes. Auron's heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn't fear—it was adrenaline. Power.
"What are you?" Auron spat, pushing himself up, his fingers trembling from the surge of energy still crackling inside him. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure's lips curled into a twisted smile, though the mask hid most of it. "I'm the one who'll make sure you don't get killed too quickly." Their voice was cold, detached. "You're more of a threat than you realize, kid. And you've just scratched the surface of what's coming."
Auron's hands clenched into fists, the raw power in his veins singing with hunger. His mind raced—he couldn't let this person walk all over him. Not again. His fingers sparked with a strange, dark energy as the Obsidian Protocol thrummed at the back of his mind.
"Threat? The only thing I'm a threat to is your ugly mask." Auron sneered, forcing himself to stand, wobbling only slightly as the energy continued to flow through him, unnatural and violent.
The figure chuckled, low and dark. "You think you're funny?" They stepped closer, their presence growing heavier with every move. "You're just a puppet right now, kid. You don't control that power inside you. It controls you. You're nothing but a broken cog in a machine you don't even understand."
Auron's teeth ground together. "I don't need to understand it. I just need to use it."
The figure tilted their head, the cracked mask giving their glowing eyes a faint reflection of amusement. "You don't even know what you're awakening. You think that thing inside you is some gift? It's a curse, Auron. And if you're not careful, it'll consume you. Turn you into a monster."
Auron's blood boiled at the implication. "I'd rather be a monster than a puppet."
"You're both," the figure hissed, a flicker of something dark moving beneath their words. "That's the problem."
Auron lunged forward, his instincts kicking in before his mind could even process. His hand shot out, reaching for the figure's throat, but they were already gone—disappeared into the shadows in the blink of an eye.
"What the—?" Auron froze, scanning the darkness around him. Every instinct screamed to be on edge. But there was no sign of them.
Then the air shifted.
The figure reappeared behind him in an instant, the sound of their footsteps barely audible. Auron twisted, but the figure's hand shot out, seizing his arm. The pressure was like an iron vice.
"You're slow, kid. Too slow," the figure sneered.
With a growl, Auron channeled the energy inside him. His muscles screamed, but he managed to break free from their grasp, using his newly awakened power to push them back.
"Don't—" the figure started, but Auron wasn't listening.
"Shut up!" Auron roared, his voice rough with the rush of power. His body pulsed with that dark energy, pushing him beyond his limits. "You talk too much."
In one fluid motion, he slammed his palm into the figure's chest, unleashing a wave of raw, uncontrolled force. The figure staggered back, their mask cracking further, revealing a dark, fractured face beneath.
The figure's eyes glowed brighter now—pulsing, like they were about to explode. "You think that's power? That's nothing compared to what's coming."
Auron grinned, his heart pounding. "Bring it on."
But the figure wasn't done. The shadows around them rippled, twisting and contorting as they raised their hands. "You're playing with forces you don't understand, kid. You have to understand what you've unlocked. This isn't just about power. It's about survival. And it's about control."
Auron blinked. Control? He felt the surge of power trying to break free of him, clawing to consume him from the inside. It wanted to take over, to do what he couldn't. It was like it was begging to be unleashed.
"I don't need control," Auron shot back, his voice sharp and full of defiance. "I just need to survive."
The figure's mask cracked fully, shattering into pieces. Their eyes burned through Auron, a cold fire.
"Survival is a lie," they said, their voice dripping with disdain. "You don't survive by being a lone wolf. You survive by knowing your place, by knowing who you fight for."
"Then I guess I'll learn that the hard way," Auron growled. "But you're not in charge here."
Auron's body surged again, his senses firing on all cylinders. The shadows swirled around the figure as they prepared to strike again—but Auron was faster. With a movement that felt as though his body had been split into multiple points of existence, he flickered through the air, his speed too much for the figure to follow. His fist collided with their ribs, sending them crashing into a nearby pillar with a sickening crack.
The figure groaned, their body crumpling to the ground in a heap.
Auron stood over them, panting, sweat dripping from his brow. His body felt like it was on fire—too much power, too quickly. But he couldn't stop now. He couldn't back down.
"You're right about one thing," Auron said, his voice cold. "I don't know what's coming. But I'll be damned if I let anyone control me."
The figure slowly lifted their head, their mask now entirely destroyed. Their eyes burned with an eerie glow. "You're a fool," they rasped. "You don't even realize it, but you're already on the path to your own destruction."
Auron narrowed his eyes, his chest rising and falling with every breath. "I'll take my chances."
The figure chuckled darkly, their breath ragged. "Enjoy the ride while it lasts, kid. Because you'll never make it out of this game alive."
With that, the figure dissolved into the shadows once more, vanishing without a trace.
Auron stood alone in the station, the weight of their words hanging in the air. His body still thrummed with energy, but the adrenaline was starting to fade. The world around him seemed to settle back into place, but his mind raced.
What the hell just happened? he thought, rubbing his forehead. And who the hell was that?
But there was no time to dwell on it. He had more pressing matters—things that needed answers. The system. His power. The Codex Order. Everything was spiraling out of control, and the more he learned, the less he understood.
But one thing was certain: this was only the beginning.