New Kyrethia didn't sleep.
It watched.
Smog clung to the skyline like a living parasite, neon signs flickered through the haze as people hurried below—tired faces, augmented eyes, minds already drained before the day even began.
"Alright, class," Mr. Kayode said, tapping his ancient textbook like anyone still used those anymore. "Let's test those brains."he continued.
Today was Monday, heck it was. The apocalypse was almost here and we were still forced to come for lectures. We should be all blown to bits during math test, that should teach them a lesson.
"Who's got an answer for this one?"
I barely looked up.
"Consider a particle moving along a straight line—"
I zoned out immediately.
"Steve?"
"Sup, man."
"Seven down since last week.
That almost made me laugh saying it out loud. I guess hell would be Tuesday after all.
"You sure?" Steven asked.
"Crystal."
Scott started biting his nails. "That's not good."
"How long?"
"Don't know," Steven replied. "But if we don't act fast, it's bye-bye."
"Stop scaring him," I muttered.
"I'm not scared," Scott shot back. "I just don't wanna die before Christmas."
"Hey!"
Mr. Kayode's voice cracked through the hall. "You three at the back. Since you're so chatty, why don't you enlighten the class?"
My stomach dropped.
"Bullocks," Scott muttered as we stood. "No way I'm surviving this."
Steven leaned close. "It's on you, Jal."
Me?
Physics had been collecting dust in my brain since last semester.
We froze. Maggie waved from the front row, trying to be encouraging. Michelle just rolled her eyes like she was already writing our obituary.
"That's what I thought," Mr. Kayode scoffed. "Sit down. Homework by Monday."
The bell rang like a mercy kill.
Outside, the city hit us full force.
Gray sky. Toxic air. Endless movement.
New Kyrethia—where neon outshone the sun and everything smelled like metal and burnt caffeine.
Then we saw her.
Eliana stormed out of Binary Biotech Labs, heels snapping against wet concrete, face tight with fury. She didn't look back.
She tripped.
Books and data slates scattered across the pavement.
"Fuck!"
The noodle vendor across the street flinched, then went back to stirring synth-broth like nothing happened. A vending drone scanned her, paused, then flew off.
I crouched to help. "Rough day?"
She glared at me. "If that lab director calls me little miss engineer one more time, I swear I'll reroute his toilet feed into his espresso machine."
Steven whistled. "Easy, tigress."
The city buzzed around us—ads for gene therapy, dream correction, corporate wellness scams that definitely involved brainwashing.
"He won't help us," Eliana snapped, slamming her notebook shut. "None of them will."
Her frustration was raw. Dangerous.
"Well," Scott said carefully, "maybe it's a sign we should reconsider. Maybe dip."
She shot him a look that could kill small animals.
"No," Maggie said firmly. "We're too far in."
I exhaled. "Then we find someone else."
Eliana's eyes lit up.
"The Maverick Alchemist."
Steven frowned. "That sounds illegal."
"Everything useful is," Michelle said, finally pocketing her phone. "Legends say he reversed full genetic collapse with junk tech and rogue AI parasites."
"Legends also say he vanished," Steven added.
"Then let's find him," Eliana said.
Weeks passed.
False leads. Dead ends. Silence.
Until someone whispered a location that sounded wrong in all the right ways.
We met at the edge of West Strip, where neon thinned and shadows took over. Pipes rattled overhead like bones.
"You sure this isn't a dump?" Scott muttered, eyeing a flickering billboard:
HEAL YOUR GENE DECAY — NO INSURANCE? NO PROBLEM!
"Relax," Steven said. "You're just mad your boots aren't waterproof."
"They were—before you dragged us through a puddle the size of Lake Michigan."
The mansion appeared out of the darkness like a scar.
Rusting fence. Torn mesh. Dead electricity crackling uselessly.
"This place feels…" Eliana hesitated. "Like it's waiting."
I felt it too.
We crossed the fence.
A crow cried.
The ground shifted beneath our boots.
"Why do I feel like we're in a horror movie?" Maggie whispered.
"Because we probably are," Steven replied.
Michelle slowed. "Guys… I don't like this."
"It's okay," I said, not believing it myself.
We reached the door.
Dusty windows. Bubbling machines inside.
"Crazy or not," Eliana whispered, "he's our best chance."
Before we could argue, a calm voice echoed from hidden speakers.
"Congratulations," it said.
"Few have the courage to come this far."
The door creaked open.
And I knew—
whatever waited inside would change us forever.