The Promise and the Voids

The metallic echo resonated through the night. Kael, with the visor of his helmet tinted red, fired a burst of lasers at the figure that emerged from the shadows. The entity moved with an unnatural agility, dodging the shots and responding with attacks that left deep marks in the rocks.

—Armor, activate!—Kael ordered. Instantly, metallic plates surged from his suit, covering his limbs and torso. An energy shield manifested on his left arm. The entity charged, its limbs transforming into shining blades. Kael blocked the blow with his shield, the shock sent waves of energy through the ground. He counterattacked with a kick, launching the creature against a metallic tree.

The creature rose unperturbed. Its eyes, two bright points in the darkness, fixed on Kael. It moved with greater speed, adapting to Kael's attacks. A blow managed to strike Kael's helmet, cracking the visor.

—Damn!—Kael shouted. Panic began to cloud his judgment. He thought of the emptiness of space, of imminent death. The entity took advantage of his hesitation, launching itself with renewed fury. Kael rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging a blow that would have split his armor.

"Wait... the air is breathable" he noted on his tactical monitor, relieved, he wasn't going to die of asphyxiation, now he had to think clearly, he got up quickly and used the environment to his advantage, rocks and trees to hinder the creature's movements. He dodged, blocked and counterattacked, analyzing the creature's movements.

The creature attacked with a series of rapid thrusts, forcing Kael to retreat. Kael responded with laser shots, trying to keep the creature at a distance. The creature moved with surprising speed, dodging the lasers and closing the distance. Kael blocked a blow with his shield, but the force of the impact made him stagger.

Suddenly, he noticed a pattern in the entity's attacks. Each time the creature transformed its limbs, a brief pulse of light emanated from its core, a small crack between the plates of its chest. That was its weakness.

Kael launched into a final attack. He dodged a blow, blocked another with his shield, and fired a burst of lasers into the entity's core. The creature emitted an agonizing shriek, its body convulsed, and then it disintegrated into a dark mist.

Gasping, Kael leaned against a rock. His armor was damaged, his energy low. He looked around. The darkness was full of moving shadows. Other entities were approaching.

—I can't face them all—he murmured. "I have to find Haruto".

He turned, running in the direction he had seen Haruto's capsule.

Kael ran through the metallic forest, his labored breathing echoing in the silence of the night. But in his mind, he saw another forest. A playground in the space colony, where a group of children surrounded Haruto.

—Hey, albino! Why are you always alone? Don't you play with anyone?—asked one of the children, pushing Haruto, who was barely six years old.

Haruto looked at him curiously.

—I don't understand the purpose of this game.

The boy frowned.

—You're weird!

Haruto sat on a bench, taking out a book with drawings of constellations. The boy snatched the book from him.

—Give me that!

Haruto tried to get it back, but the boy pushed him away.

—I don't understand why you want my book—Haruto said softly.

The boy walked away, mocking him. Kael, ten years old, watched from a distance. He couldn't bear to see his younger brother suffer. He launched himself toward the group, pushing the boy who had taken Haruto's book.

—Give him his book back!—Kael shouted.

The children mocked him, surrounding him. Kael knew they were bigger and stronger, but he didn't care. He launched into the attack, with a ferocity that surprised the others. He dodged blows, blocked others, and threw punches with a force that exceeded his size.

The children, surprised by Kael's intensity, backed away. Kael seized the opportunity and snatched the book from the boy who had it. He returned it to Haruto.

—Leave him alone—Kael said firmly. 

The children, seeing the determination in Kael's eyes, decided it wasn't worth bothering him anymore. They walked away, muttering to each other. 

Haruto looked at the book in his hands, not understanding the reason for the fight. For him, it had all been a sequence of events without sense.

Kael ran through the metallic forest, his adult body moving with the same determination as the boy who once made a promise in that playground. It wasn't just his brother, it was the embodiment of a promise made in a world that now seemed like a distant memory. Haruto was a mystery, an enigma shrouded in darkness, and Kael had sworn to protect him, a promise he now had to fulfill in this alien world.