By now, you might've guessed who it is—wait, no? Seriously? What've you been skimming instead of reading? Amateur hour over here. Fine, I'll spell it out, it was her. The winking girl from the morgue. Yeah, that one. The one that winked at me as if flirting in a morgue
I didn't know her name. Hadn't heard her voice before. But something about her sugar-coated poison tone felt… familiar. Wrongly familiar, like deja vu from a nightmare you can't quite remember.
She stood there now, smiling like a doll left in the rain—lips wide, eyes too bright. Everything about her screamed different. Now wearing glasses, sharp enough to cut. A dress that clung like shadow. And that necklace—no, collar—gleaming silver around her throat.
Before I could fire off a question, and trust me, I had many, she tilted her head, that unsettling grin never wavering. "How did you get here?" Her voice dripped faux concern. "Last I heard, you were bleeding out in Koldavia General."
My jaw clenched. I should be the one asking how she'd get here, No cars, no choppers, no mutant camels in sight. Just… her, pristine as a freshly sharpened knife in the middle of a desert that had just tried to bury me alive.
"Anyways," she shrugged, lips quirking like a broken marionette, "not that I care, I'm here to take care of business"
The sand shifted under my boots as I stepped closer. "business? What business? "
She was already walking away. Her boots crunched against the sand as she scanned the desert, her glasses letting out soft beeps—like a robot checking for landmines. The beeping stopped suddenly, the lenses flashing one last green light.
She turned back to me, yanking off her glasses. Golden eyes locked onto mine—sharp, glowing, the kind of eyes that make you forget how to breathe. Not that I'd ever admit it.
"How. Did. You. Get. Here?" she asked again, slow and cold, like I'd kicked her puppy.
I crossed my arms. "How did you get here?" I asked her back, I'm curious too, not only her
"I flew," she said, dead serious.
I snorted. Laughed so hard I almost choked on sand. "Flew? In what? The desert's emptier than my pockets."
She didn't blink. "What?"
"I didn't hear a plane, a helicopter—hell, not even a fart in the wind!"
Now she laughed—a sharp, mocking sound. "I didn't use a plane, I used this." Her fingers brushed the collar around her neck.
Then—it happened.
Her fingers brushed the collar-necklace—click—and the world exploded in silver light.
It started at her throat. Tiny metallic particles swirled up like living dust storms, crawling over her skin in liquid waves. The transformation wasn't gentle—it was violent. The particles slammed into each other, forging plates of gleaming white armor that snapped into place with sharp clinks.
Her clothes dissolved beneath the swarm. For one heart-stopping moment, I saw—
No...No...nothing. ) :
The armor molded to her body like a second skin, every curve accentuated rather than hidden. The chestplate arched perfectly, the waistplate cinched tight, the thigh guards flexing with muscle as she shifted her weight. Glowing blue veins pulsed across the surface, throbbing in time with her heartbeat.
Her eyes blazed electric blue, pupils replaced by targeting reticles. Then—shink—a sword materialized in her hand.
"Advanced nano suit: Nyx." Her voice echoed with a mechanical purr. "This is how I got here."
I was excited, but not necessarily because of the words coming out of her mouth. No, the real source of my excitement was the incredible suit she was wearing. You absolutely have to see it! It showcased her full figure in a way that was simply captivating. I could clearly see every contour, from the attractive curve of her boobs down to her slender waist.
I have to admit, I was sizing her up, if you know what I mean. Sure, you might call me a bit of a pervert for my thoughts, but honestly, I don't really care what anyone thinks. Her presence was undeniably irresistible! If you were in my position, I'm sure you would have found it hard to resist her as well.
"I was actually here to take out the Cage Demon," she said, shrugging like she'd just mentioned picking up groceries. "But looks like you handled it yourself."
Still no reply from me. My eyes? Oh, they were busy. Studying her… suit, obviously.
The way it hugged her like liquid mercury, I could tell she's flexible..... In combat bro :)
But damn, whoever designed it knew what they were doing for real.
But Her next words cut through my silence. The blue light in her eyes flickered to venomous yellow as her sword hissed against my throat. "Who are you?" she demanded, voice sharper than her blade. "Who do you work for?"
I froze, the cold metal biting into my skin. "I—I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered, hands half-raised like a guilty raccoon caught in a trash can.
She leaned in, her helmet retracting with a hiss to reveal narrowed golden eyes. "Don't. Play. Dumb. You survived the morgue demon? Fine. Luck exists. But this?" She gestured. "You cleared a Cage Demon's nest solo. No power. No aura. My scanners say you're a glorified paperweight. How?"
My mind raced. Should I Lie?—Maybe tell her that… someone else cleared the labyrinth....nope, that's Weak.
Or I should tell her the Truth?—So, uh, there's this creepy screen thingy that calls me 'chew toy' and gives me suicidal tasks— that's way Worse and non of it explains how I got here.
I scratched my head scrambling for words that might not get me decapitated. "Look, during the morgue incident, I died. Flatlined. But then… something grabbed me. A screen, a voice—hell, I don't even know what to call it. It said—"
"STOP!"
Her scream ripped through the desert. The yellow light in her eyes fractured into flickering red, almost sounds like she was crying. "Stop talking about it like it's nothing!" Her voice cracked, raw and trembling. "You think I don't know? You're one of them. A demon wearing human skin!"
"What? Them? I don't even know what a demon is until recently" I backed up, hands raised. "Lady, I'm just a guy with worse luck than a black cat in a graveyard!"
"Liar!" Her fist tightened on her sword. "You killed him. The only person who ever…" She choked, armor rattling as her breath hitched. "He loved me. And you… you rotten thing… you took him!"
"Who? Who did I take?"
She didn't answer. Just screamed—a sound that wasn't human, wasn't machine—and moved.
One second she was ten feet away. The next, a blur of white armor
{ BRACE YOURSELF FOR IMPACT }
Pain detonated in my gut like a grenade. Her kick launched me airborne, the desert whipping past in a blur of sand and sky. Before I could gasp, she materialized mid-air—how?!—and slammed her boot into my ribs like I was a deflated soccer ball.
{ CRITICAL DAMAGE TAKEN }
{ RETREAT. RETREAT. RETREAT. }
I skidded across the dunes, sand grinding into raw flesh. Laughter bubbled up on my lips, bitter and broken. Retreat? To where? She moved like lightning wearing human skin. A god with a grudge, I can't escape that. I was a cockroach in comparison.
I raised my hands, eyes squeezed shut. "Fine! Do it!"
Boom.
Her fist cratered my chest.
{ ENERGY LEVEL: 0.1% }
The world swam—blurred shapes, ringing ears. Through the haze, I saw her. The nano-suit melted away, retracting into that damned collar. Just a girl now, sword trembling in her grip, golden eyes wet with tears… and rage.
The blade kissed my throat.
"Any last words?" she whispered, voice cracking.
Then thought of Dr. Scott came into my mind, and that's when I realized, he must be the one she wants to kill me. I grinned with a bloody teeth, and as honest as I could be I said what should be my last words. "You look… eighteen. Twenty Tops. And Dr. Scott? He's definitely Fifty or more, old enough to be your dad, yet he's the one smashing you….That's… fucked up, sweetheart."
I spat blood, grinning through split lips.
Her sword flashed. Cold steel bit into my cheek, carving a line. Blood dripped hot down my jaw.
"HE WAS MY FATHER!" she screamed, voice raw as an open wound.
"Oops." I coughed, crimson flecking the sand. "But honestly… why would I kill the one person who didn't piss himself near me? My luck does the killing. It Always has."
I dragged myself to my knees, neck bared. "Just… finish it."
She hesitated. The blade trembled.
Then—she smiled. "No. Dying knowing would be mercy. I want you to die… wondering."
A gadget flicked into her palm—sleek, silver, humming. She jammed it against my temple and...
Flash.
White light seared my retinas.
Flash. Again
My vision blured. My skull screamed.
"One flash would be okay to erase your memories,but I'm not taking any chances. Even in your next life, you won't remember what you did" She leaned in, breath hot against my ear. "Now you'll only remember this" Her sword tapped my throat. "A stranger's face. A blade. And nothing else."
Inside, I laughed. Joke's on you, sweetheart. I remember everything.
And then.... Her sword pierced through my chest, and then darkness.