The ruins of the old transmission tower were supposed to be silent.
That was the plan.
Kaela ducked under a broken steel beam, her boots crunching over glass and ash.
Arin, a few steps ahead, scanned the crumbled hallways with a jittery motion.
Riven, ever calm, tapped the side of his old rifle, checking its charge.
The Core — the strange, humming relic they'd found hidden in the wreckage — pulsed faintly in Kaela's backpack, leaking soft blue light.
They didn't know it yet...
But it had already sent a signal across the city.
BANG!
The first shot cracked against the wall near Kaela's head.
"AMBUSH!" Arin yelled, diving for cover.
Figures in black armor, faces hidden behind mirror visors, poured out from the smoke — Council Hunters. Swift, tactical, no warning.
"They're not here for a chat!" Riven shouted, firing a shot that blasted a Hunter off his feet.
Kaela yanked the Core tighter against her chest and sprinted toward a half-collapsed stairwell.
They couldn't fight a full Hunter squad here. Not in open ground.
They had to run.
Down the ruins.
Across the broken mall.
Into the night streets, neon lights flickering wildly.
But it didn't stop there.
As they sprinted through the alleyways, another group was already waiting:
Robed figures, faces painted white like skulls — the Cult of Null.
Strange mechanical beasts crawling behind them — unleashed by Blacksite agents.
And behind it all... something huge stirring in the slums: a Hollowborn pack answering the relic's call.
Every faction had picked up the signal.
The city wasn't just falling apart.
It was hungry.
Scene: Cornered
Panting, bleeding from a shallow cut, Kaela slammed her back against a graffitied wall.
They had maybe thirty seconds before they were trapped.
"Options?" she gasped.
Arin peeked around the corner, spotted the swirling chaos, and swore under his breath.
"No options!" he said. "They're all insane!"
Riven smirked grimly. "One, actually. Blow our way out."
He pulled a small, unstable-looking grenade from his belt — salvaged tech from a pre-collapse Echo site.
"You're crazy," Kaela whispered.
"And?" Riven said with a grin.
BOOM.
He tossed it. The blast ripped a hole in the street, collapsing part of the ground and sending a shockwave through the enemy lines.
"MOVE!" Kaela screamed, dragging Arin and Riven into the smoke cloud.
They escaped—barely—into the under-city, breathing heavy, hearts pounding.
But above them, the city was truly waking up now.
Sirens screamed.
Drones swooped low.
Gunfire echoed through the concrete canyons.
Neo-Terra was devouring itself.
Chapter End Scene
In a hidden shelter deep in the ruins, the three of them collapsed against the cold walls, still clutching the Core.
They didn't speak at first.
There was only the sound of dripping water... and the Core's slow, steady hum.
Outside, war drums were beating.
And this was just the beginning.