*Birds chirped in the distance, their song weaving through the soft rush of the nearby river. The blue water sparkled beneath the sun's embrace, scattering rays that danced across Absynthe's closed eyes. Behind her lids, a faint reddish hue began to glow, stirring her awake. Her mind spun, disoriented by the dull ache pounding in her head. She sat up slowly, the world swaying for a moment as she took in her surroundings.
"Where... am I?" she murmured to herself, her voice hoarse with confusion.
As she raised her arms, the light filtering through the dust-laden air revealed something new—something extraordinary. Her hands, once familiar, now shimmered with a surreal beauty. Silver veins pulsed faintly beneath her skin, like rivers of starlight tracing unseen constellations. The delicate glow extended across her fingers, radiating an energy that felt both alien and eternal.
She stared in awe, her breath catching. This was no mere scar or anomaly. The comet's touch had marked her, reshaping her into something both fragile and powerful. In that moment, Absynthe resolved not to fear it—but to wield it.
A soft, melodic snore interrupted her thoughts, accompanied by the occasional giggle, light and carefree. Her head turned sharply toward the sound, her gaze settling on a figure nearby.
Synthena lay curled on her side, her back facing Absynthe. The faint glow of her crystalline patterns caught the sunlight, shimmering softly across her arms and shoulders. The intricate formations seemed alive, shifting gently between silver and blue—like ripples across a moonlit lake.
"Synthena...? Is that you?" Absynthe whispered, her voice hesitant, unsure whether she was prepared for what might come.
Her friend gave no response, lost in a dream that painted her lips with the hint of a smile. Her hair, streaked with cosmic blue, spilled in waves across the ground, glittering as though spun from starlight itself. Even in sleep, Synthena radiated an otherworldly grace—a quiet, haunting reminder of the comet's touch.
Absynthe reached out tentatively, her hand trembling as it rested on Synthena's shoulder. She gave her a gentle shake. At first, Synthena stirred but refused to wake. With a second, firmer nudge, her friend jolted awake, sitting up abruptly, her glowing markings catching the light.
Blinking groggily, Synthena rubbed her eyes, taking in the riverbed and open forest around them. "Wait... weren't we… in the basement of the school? Didn't we die?" she murmured, panic rising in her voice as she turned to face Absynthe.
Absynthe sat calmly beside her, watching as Synthena's confusion turned to unease. "Abby, where are we?" she asked, her voice tight with urgency.
"I'm unsure, Syn," Absynthe admitted, her voice soft yet steady. "But surely, we haven't strayed too far from the school."
Synthena fell silent, her thoughts twisting and turning like leaves in the wind. Then her eyes narrowed, darting toward Absynthe's glowing hands. "What is wrong with you? Are you ill? You're glowing like… like a flickering disco ball! Look at your veins—they're pulsing silver! What's happening to you?"
Absynthe chuckled weakly, shaking her head. "Perhaps you shouldn't worry so much about me," she said, her tone tinged with curiosity. "Have you seen yourself yet? You resemble a painted canvas, adorned with crystallized shards. Your colors are radiant—spectacular, really. And your hair…" She gestured faintly, her lips quirking upward. "It's blue now. Did you sneak off to a cosplay convention while I was asleep?"
Synthena's hands flew to her hair, her eyes widening as she scrambled toward the riverbank. Her reflection greeted her like a stranger, her crystalline patterns and cosmic hues refracting in the water's rippling surface. For a moment, she was speechless, her fingers tracing the outlines of her shimmering image.
Absynthe followed closely behind, gazing down at her own reflection. The sight of her transformed face, her glowing silver veins, sent a tremor through her chest. Her hands began to shake, her breath hitching.
She recoiled abruptly, her trembling hands dropping as her gaze instinctively turned upward. The skies loomed vast and endless, but their emptiness pierced her. Like a blade, the vision struck—sudden and blinding.
Her mind cracked under the weight of what it showed her: screaming faces, crumbling buildings, and five silhouettes cloaked in darkness. Entire planets disintegrated into nothingness. And in the light of their sacrifice, she saw friends, family—everything she loved—reduced to dust.
The vision released her with a jolt, slamming her back into reality. Her chest heaved, her breaths shallow and ragged. Despair gripped her like iron chains, pulling her into its shadow. She buried her face in her hands, her fingers digging into her scalp as though to claw the images from her mind.
Synthena watched from the riverbed, her serenity replaced by alarm. She scrambled toward Absynthe, her crystalline markings catching the light as she moved.
"Absynthe? What's wrong?" Synthena's voice was soft but urgent, laced with concern. She knelt beside her friend, her glowing hands hovering uncertainly above Absynthe's trembling form. "Talk to me. You're scaring me."*
to me. You're scaring me.'*
The silence between them stretched, broken only by the sound of the river's gentle current and the whisper of leaves rustling in the breeze. Synthena's glowing hand hovered uncertainly over Absynthe's shoulder, her crystalline patterns shimmering softly in the sunlight. She hesitated, unsure how to approach her friend's sudden despair.
'Abby,' Synthena said softly, her voice hesitant but laced with concern. 'What's going on? You're scaring me.'
Absynthe didn't respond at first, her gaze locked on the shimmering water as if searching for answers in its reflection. The soft glow of her silver veins dimmed slightly, her trembling hands resting against her head.
*"I... I don't know," Absynthe admitted finally, her voice fragile, teetering on the edge of breaking. Her gaze drifted upward, locking onto the sky as she tried to make sense of the haunting vision that had pierced her mind moments ago. "I saw something… something malicious," she continued, her tone faltering. "It struck me like lightning—something I can't describe."
Her silver-veined arms caught her attention again. As Synthena sat patiently nearby, her crystalline hands resting on her lap, Absynthe turned her focus inward. Could this strange transformation… these glowing veins… have something to do with what I saw? she wondered silently, the question clawing at the edges of her thoughts.
Suddenly, a sharp rustle in the nearby undergrowth shattered the moment's stillness. The sound echoed like a warning, cutting through the natural harmony of the forest. Absynthe snapped upright, her body instinctively shifting into a protective stance. Synthena followed suit, her cosmic-blue hair falling forward as she crouched defensively. Both of them fixed their eyes on the trembling bush, the tension thickening like a coiled spring.
The rustling continued, the suspense climbing with each second. Whatever lay hidden in the dense greenery seemed to toy with their heightened senses, moving erratically as if playing a twisted game of hide-and-seek with the forest. Their breath hitched, every muscle taut with anticipation.
Then, the source revealed itself—a squirrel darted out from the bushes, its movements quick and chaotic. For a fleeting moment, relief washed over them, and their guard dropped. Absynthe exhaled sharply, the edges of her lips curling into a laugh she couldn't suppress. Synthena chuckled alongside her, shaking her head.
But as their laughter subsided, something about the squirrel caught their attention. Its aura felt wrong—unnervingly dark, like a shadow twisting in the sunlight. The rodent's fur appeared uneven and blackened, its behavior erratic and unnatural. They both froze again as its body shifted before their eyes.
Its form began to change, grotesquely elongating as its limbs twisted and cracked at alarming speeds. Bits of fur sloughed off, replaced by jagged scales that gleamed with a sinister sheen. The transformation was horrifyingly rapid, each unnatural movement more alarming than the last. As it swelled to a monstrous size, towering tenfold above its original stature, the mutated creature let out a mighty roar—a sound so primal and jarring it reverberated through the forest, silencing the birds and the river's gentle current.*
Both of them leaped to their feet, instincts driving them into a protective stance. The monstrous creature loomed above them, its grotesque form rippling with unnatural energy. Synthena grabbed Absynthe's arm, her crystalline patterns shimmering as she urged her friend to run. They dashed through the forest, their breaths labored, but the creature was faster—its mutated limbs pounding against the earth with terrifying force.
Before they could find cover, a massive limb swung down in a wide arc, its shadow swallowing the ground beneath them. The blow was aimed straight at Synthena.
"Synthena!" Absynthe's cry tore through the air as she skidded to a halt, spinning around to face her friend. Time seemed to slow as the beast's attack descended with merciless precision.
Desperation surged through her, a fire igniting deep within. Her silver-veined hands began to glow fiercely, the light spreading up her arms like a galaxy coming to life. Her starry patterns flared, shimmering like fragments of the cosmos itself, as an unfamiliar energy coursed through her.
Her vision narrowed, and the world around her faded into silence. The only thing she could feel was the pulse of power surging within her, demanding release.
Then—darkness.*