Chương 2: Chapter 2 - Disturbing Ripples

The resonators hummed into greater activity, a soft cerulean glow enveloping the transport. Naia began to hum herself with a low, resonant melody that was meant to harmonize and direct the vibrations of the vehicle. The air around them shimmered as she sang and the chaotic energy patterns shifted.

Order was *made* as everything aligned and formed a pathway through the swirling vortex.

Evander watched the woman, a flicker of respectful awe in his eyes that was quickly replaced by a mask of professional detachment. Theia, however, remained completely impassive. Her expression upon seeing the result was unreadable. Naia opened her eyes as her senses focused on the path ahead.

"The way is open, But it won't hold for long. We need to move."

She announced with a steady voice despite the strain she felt. Evander nodded before his hand rested on Theia's shoulder as he guided her towards the seating. Naia heard them go away and it summoned a pang of unease in her chest.

The ominous stillness from before, the unusual agitation of the Dead Zone, and the subtly growing distance between her and Evander ever since the orders came in that assigned Theia to their squad all combined to form a sense of foreboding that she couldn't shake.

She turned her focus to the controls. A set of fingers dancing over the resonators like a conductor as she prepared to lead them into the heart of the chaotic energy. All the way to the mission's next battlefield.

As their transport moved into the swirling and distorted reality, Naia's thoughts drifted to the organization they were a part of: Vanguard Operations. A simple name for a branch of the military dedicated to harnessing individuals with extraordinary abilities. Their missions were often shrouded in secrecy; their successes rarely acknowledged publicly.

Yet, the Navigator knew firsthand the importance of their work. They were the ones who ventured into the most dangerous and unpredictable corners of the war, paving the way for the rest of the army… or sometimes preventing them from being overrun. The war front was, at times, like trying to plug holes in a leaky dam.

'Kind of like what I hope to do with him now… isn't it…'

She couldn't help but worry about her relationship, even at this inappropriate time. The dark haired woman was not ready to let go, but didn't know if she was strong enough to come out 'victorious'. If it came down to fighting for her spot at Evander's side to remain as it was, she didn't have a lot of confidence.

Despite being a member of the military, Naia was not particularly good with 'confrontation'. It both helped and hurt that her abilities and understanding of others could lead her to rationalize things in ways that always subdued her own anger about a situation.

The transport lurched, jolting Naia from her thoughts. The Dead Zone around them pulsed with angry, orange, chaotic energy that threatened to disrupt the harmony she had created. Gritting her teeth, Naia poured more of herself into maintaining the path. Her hum began taking on a more urgent tone.

"Naia. Status report."

Evander's voice cut through her concentration so she opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them. Things were much stabler outside for now and she could afford to answer. She thought it was probably why he chose that timing.

"The Dead Zone is... resisting more than usual. I can hold it, but we need to move faster."

The squad leader nodded, his mind already processing the information. His normally yellow eyes glowed with an otherworldly red light behind his glasses as he accessed his tactical sight, scanning their surroundings. A few moments later, he tensed.

"There's something ahead. That disturbance I mentioned."

Before Naia could ask for clarification on what he foresaw, she felt it too - a sudden shift in the chaotic energies surrounding them. A pocket of stability was hurtling towards the path she was making… but something about it felt wrong; dangerous. Like the chaos around them, but-

"Incoming! Brace for impact!"

The transport shuddered as the edge of the pocket of space collided with their protective field. Normally a Navigator would have time to try and break into the shell of a stable zone. Alarms blared and warning lights turned on as the integrity of their shield wavered drastically.

Through the viewscreen, Naia caught a glimpse of *something* sitting within the unexpected stable space they had entered - a writhing mass of tentacles and spikes that just might be teeth. A creature that should not exist in any reality and only less *detailed* in nightmares.

"What is that thing?"

The dark haired woman gasped while her fingers moved and struggled to maintain their protective field against this new threat. Just being near it was like their transport was being struck by the worst parts of the Dead Zone. Theia stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with an almost predatory excitement.

"Oh, it's just a little interdimensional tourist. Shall I tell it we're not interested in taking its picture?"

Without waiting for a response, the blonde woman raised her hands. The air around the metal gloves she wore crackled with orange energy. For a moment, Naia felt she saw multiple cerulean versions of Theia overlapping - each with a slightly different stance. With a gesture that was both elegant and violent, Theia unleashed a wave of pure chaos.

The creature nesting in the stable pocket screeched as it tried to meet the orange ripple head on. The entirety of its horrific form twisted and warped under the onslaught of Theia's power. For a rather terrifying moment, it seemed to grow larger as if feeding off the chaos - but then there was a sound like something tearing. Then a sharp whistle as the creature imploded.

The small stable pocket also collapsed… leaving nothing but faint amounts of the Dead Zone's energies for the Navigator to deal with. Silence stretched over the entire transport but for her humming. Naia turned and stared at Theia not sure if the unease churning in her stomach was from the creature or the woman.

She glanced at Evander next and her heart sank. The look of fascination on his face as he gazed at the blonde was stronger than she'd ever seen it.

"Impressive. I've never seen anything like that before."

The man said with a voice tinged with clear admiration. Theia shrugged, but Naia caught the pleased smirk that flitted across her face when she turned away from his look.

"Just doing my job. Are we to continue?"

Naia turned herself back to the controls. She knew her focus needed to be on maintaining their path. As she also 'did her job', she couldn't shake the feeling that something had already fundamentally shifted in their dynamic. She wanted it to just be that everyone was growing more comfortable… but if the feelings she was suppressing were something so pleasant and sought after, then she didn't think being at ease with her squad was a good idea!

The journey through the Dead Zone continued, but no other disturbing creatures riding pockets of stability emerged to challenge them.

SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO
Seraphelki

Frantically planning ahead while trying to also get chapters done to release is fun. Challenging. Also you end up with a lot of 'eventual' stuff rather than things that can be used RIGHT NOW!

On the plus side, it suggests longevity. On the minus side, it makes deadlines loom. LOOM I SAY!

bình luận bình luận của 1

Bình chọn

GỬI QUÀ TẶNG

Load failed, please RETRY