SCHELVIA CITY (2126)'BURRIED TECHNOLOGIES IN CENTURIES BLOOM'

12th May 2121 (13:56pm •HOG-STein• HIGHESTEN TUNGSTEN • Arena Chamber Practice • )

...5 years ago...

The hum of the chamber reverberates, echoing voices after the girl's attack that caused an explosive clash. The sound of her weapon cutting through the air reverberates with unsettling ease. Six massive white blocks lie shattered before her, some cleaved in half, others shattered by penetrating force...

The girl's violet eyes scan the ruined blocks towering over her petite figure...

The tower-like dummies, now destroyed, serve as simple reminders-examples-that anything can be brought to its knees before her overwhelming power.

She pants, trying to regain control of her breath, following the chaos she wreaked in the Arena Chamber...

"С днём рождения... юная леди."

•(Happy birthday... young lady.)•

The foreign language, paired with the composed and familiar tone, enters her mind via telepathy. She takes it casually, her gaze shifting as she hops lightly over to one of the destroyed blocks, sitting atop the remains of the ruined structure...

"Что такое, ÑYXÖRÂ?"

•(..what is it, ÑYXÖRÂ?)•

"Просто говорю... С днём рождения, юная леди."

•(Just saying... happy birthday... young lady.)•

The voice responds with a slight burst of enthusiasm, signaling its genuine care for the girl.

Breathing heavily, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and cheeks, her hand gripping the double-bladed scythe loosely at her side. Her body trembled from the intensity of the training session, but she paid no mind. Her gaze shifted toward the pristine white walls of the arena chamber and the one-way mirror, behind which unseen eyes studied her every move. She could feel their presence, though she didn't care-her thoughts consumed by the escape from her life of isolation.

Two days of freedom had passed since she was let out of the padded room-the room she had called home for far too long. And though she had begun to move, to train, to fight... she still had no answers. Why was she brought here? What was this place? Was it meant to break her or bring her out of the emotional depths she had been trapped in??...why?

"Моя леди!"

•(My lady!)•

The voice startles her as it calls out once more. She glances at her double-bladed scythe, its pulsating dark purple veins now radiating ominously, as if the weapon itself is alive. ÑYXÖRÂ.

"...Что такое?.. Ты беспокоишься обо мне?"

•(..what is it?.. are you worried about me?)•

Her voice is soft, almost innocent as she gently traces the surface of the scythe's bar, caressing it tenderly as if to calm the weapon's pulsing rhythm. She sighs, then shifts her focus to the scattered ruins of the dummy blocks, observing them silently.

"Ты... снова это делаешь..."

•(You... are doing it again...)•

The voice responds, now tinged with a note of caution.

"...И что?"

•(..so?)•

Her tone becomes sharper, defensive, as her free hand-no longer caressing the weapon-grips tightly at the edge of the destroyed block she sits on, nails digging into its surface.

"Что?.. Чего ты ожидаешь от 12-летнего ребёнка?.. Я эмоционально нестабилен... Как я должен себя контролировать?.. Мне нужно увидеть моего папу!"

•(What? What do you expect from a 12-year-old kid?.. I'm emotionally unstable... How am I supposed to control myself?.. I need to see my papa!)•

Her calm caressing turns into a furious grip on the scythe handle, and without warning, she violently swings it. The pulsing energy from the weapon causes a crackling hum in the air, and the space around her warps as her emotions mirror her aggression.

"...Знаешь, ты понимаешь, что я не это имею в виду, моя леди."

•(You know that's not what I mean, my lady.)•

The voice continues, trying to soothe her with a quieter, more comforting tone.

"…Я не понимаю… Почему я?.. Почему папа меня оставил??.. Папа за этим стеклом?? Он смотрит на меня?? Где он?? Почему я разлучена??!"

•(..I don't understand... why me?.. Why did papa leave me??.. Is there papa behind that glass?? Did he watch me?? Where is he?? Why am I separated??!)•

The girl continues muttering, her mind a whirlwind of confusion, each question escalating her agitation. Her eyes grow frantic, the power within her weapon feeding her unchecked emotions. She swings the scythe wildly, not even aiming at the dummy blocks anymore. The chamber's walls begin to tremble with the impact of her destructive swings, and the remaining blocks are pulverized.

Inside.. she's crashing out hysterically

No one.. no , ... Nothing is there to stop her besides the voice on her head..

"...Моя леди,... Пожалуйста, успокойтесь... Ты снова попадешь в комнату с мягкими стенами из-за этого."

•(...my lady,... Please calm down.. you gonna put back into the padded room cause of this)•

Her hysteria mounts, and with a final scream, she lashes out with every ounce of her being, leaving cracks and scars across the chamber. The room begins to shudder violently, and the glass wall quakes under the force of her blows.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!"

Her voice cracks with desperation as she continues her rampage. The room falls into chaos, the air filled with the sound of her destructive swings.

Then, without warning, the lights flicker out.

Darkness consumes the chamber. The sudden absence of light sends a chill down her spine as she halts her frenzied movements. She freezes, her heart pounding in the silence.

The faint glow from her scythe's pulsating energy becomes the only source of light, cutting through the blackness. She glances around, her breath quickening, but it's too late. The air around her shifts, thickening with a strange, unfamiliar pressure.

The ceiling releases a low hiss, an ominous sound that seems to crawl across the walls of the room.

In panic, the girl instinctively presses her mouth and nose shut, trying to shield herself from whatever has tainted the air. Her scythe falls to the ground with a metallic clink, its glow dimming, and she stands motionless in the encroaching darkness.

Her heartbeat races. She knows this isn't normal.

Stepping cautiously, she moves through the wreckage, holding her breath and trying to avoid inhaling the strange substance in the air. She approaches the exit door, the only way out.

Just as she reaches for the handle, everything becomes a blur. Her vision starts to darken, her strength draining from her body, and before she can make sense of it, the world slips away.

She collapses to the cold floor, paralyzed and unconscious.

On her neck, a small syringe punctures her skin, delivering a quick-acting sedative. The girl's eyes flutter for a moment, but it's no use-she drifts into unconsciousness.

The void claims her consciousness, and everything fades to black.

Through the cracked glass, a figure watches from the shadows. The person, slinging a custom rifle to their shoulder, steps away from the gunhole they had used to administer the tranquilizer. They lower their night vision goggles, a smirk playing on their lips as they observe the girl lying unconscious on the floor, motionless in the dimly lit chamber.

"Tch... this is not worth it for a test subject... Why did they choose a small girl for this?.. should've tied it to a teen subject or something."

"...Well, well... well, you got that girl asleep, didn't you? Tris, good job with the rifle... putting the boss's friend's daughter to sleep... that's a harsh lullaby, don't you think?"

Another figure speaks, standing next to Tris, the woman with the rifle.

The second figure is holding a tablet, its screen illuminating with a soft glow. The green labels on the display flicker as the figure taps the device.

(HTT)

The logo spins gently above the tablet.

The figure smirks at Tris, the woman with the rifle, before addressing her.

"...heh, if not me... I bet you would have missed and shot her eye instead."

Tris scoffs, rolling her eyes in disdain. She briefly glances at the cracked glass again, checking on the girl. Her body lies motionless, as expected, the effects of the tranquilizer taking hold.

"...Boss's friend's daughter, huh?.. He volunteered his daughter?"

"...Nope! Actually... this girl was the only subject close to our redline's description for connecting a human with Echoes again!"

The figure responds with enthusiasm, unable to contain their excitement.

"...Echoes?.. Aren't those supposed to be humanoid figures?.. I don't see anything besides that girl in the chamber."

Tris scoffs again, putting on her night vision goggles and peering through the glass once more at the girl lying still on the floor.

The figure smirk.. almost sly grin of hidden satisfaction and something unsettling... tapping it's finger at the tablet it holds

As she spoke..with mockery and enthusiasm...

"...Well, don't you know?... It also takes the form of a weapon... and that scythe she held earlier... was it... the Echoes... it's truly there... it's real!.. The... centuries-old fallen technology... we finally see sparks of revival!"