The sound of clicking echoed through the excavation site.
My name's Noah Harding — the kid "destined for greatness," or so they say. I was born on December 31st, right at midnight. The moment I came into the world, a wrinkled old woman somehow slipped past hospital security and handed my mother a pendant. She claimed it held the essence of a sea god. Weird, right?
Skeptical but polite, my mom promised to give it to me. And she always keeps her promises.
I pulled the pendant from under my shirt and stared at it, hoping for… something. Nothing happened. With a sigh, I tucked it back and kept digging.
I'd always loved archaeology — well, mostly the parts about gods and dinosaurs. The real thing? Less excitement, more dirt. I dropped out of school, forged an ID, and found a job digging holes for minimum wage. My mom still didn't know. She was away on a trip, and I figured I had time before breaking the news.
I hoisted my pickaxe and swung.
But instead of the usual clink of metal on stone, I heard metal on metal.
Heart racing, I dropped to my knees and pulled out my precision tools. The surface beneath me wasn't just a piece — it was all metal.
Adrenaline surged. Thinking only of discovery, I raised the pickaxe again — and slammed it down with everything I had.
My ears were ringing, and the tunnel was in ruins.
There was a cave-in behind me. I should've been dead. But instead, I was surrounded by a glowing blue sphere.
It seemed to come from the pendant my mother had given me. I stood up slowly, shaking off the daze as dust settled.
In front of me was a large metal door, with a tiny scratch mark on its surface. Was that what caused the explosion?
I stepped forward and laid my hand on the door. As soon as I touched the handle, a red energy pulsed from it, but my pendant's glow overpowered it. With a low hum, the door creaked open.
I stepped into a blinding light. Cool energy rushed over me, making my clothes billow and my hair fly back. Oddly, the force field around me didn't stop it.
Once the light faded, I found myself in a futuristic room. A single screen blinked to life in the center, flashing green as it scanned me.
"Does not compute," a robotic voice said, its tone flat. The screen flickered.
"Mortal body with a god sphere," it added, pausing. "No comment from HQ." Another pause. "Mortal must consume essence."
"What?" I demanded. "How?"
"Does not compute."
"Useless," I muttered, frustrated.
"Commencing self-destruct sequence. T-minus 30 seconds."
"What?!" My pulse spiked. "How?"
I was shouting at a brick wall. I had no time. Panicking, I shoved the pendant into my mouth, biting down hard. It dissolved like candy, releasing a stream of energy that rushed through me.
Something inside me awoke. I didn't even notice I was floating an inch off the ground until a wave of blue washed over me. The sound of ocean waves filled my ears.
Suddenly, I crashed to the ground, twitching and shivering, the room spinning around me.
I came to with every muscle in my body aching, and my ears still ringing.
Blurry-eyed, I stared at the monitor in front of me. It now displayed:
Containment Breached
Extinction Level Event
Execute Order 404
What is that? I asked, my voice hoarse.
Fields of Hell.
The AI's voice was cold, robotic at first, but as it spoke next, something changed — it was no longer just a machine, but… something else. A mother, whose child was about to die.
Your kind is in danger. The voice softened. The blessing will be bestowed upon you, while you face the trials of Hell.
My brows furrowed. I blinked hard, trying to process.
Accept the blessing, and save your kind.
Something was off. The AI wasn't acting like an AI anymore, and it was unsettling.
Just as my brain began whirring with questions, a blue panel flashed up. System Integration.
Accept or Reject.
I didn't have time to think. I clicked Accept.
One moment, I was standing in the AI room, the screen flashing Execute Order 404, and the next, I was standing in the middle of a vast plane. The ground was barren, with sparse shrubbery reaching up to my mid-calf.
Phase 1: Pain
Goal: Survive
Reward: Hidden.
End of Chapter 1.
Chapter 2. Fields of Hell.