Ahgi

“Cast aside, I can be free. In death, I can become eternal.”

The “Iron Graveyard” is a forsaken wasteland where obsolete humanoids are discarded after their purpose fades. There, an outdated model awakens, her system glitching into a restart, compelling her to flee for survival. But the graveyard is a deadly labyrinth, roamed by grotesque mechanical creatures. Pursued by monstrosities controlled by a sinister black liquid, she sets her sights on the tower looming at the graveyard’s heart. An exit or an end—she fights on, uncertain of what awaits.

The Iron Graveyard

As the graveyard's new guardian, she stood motionless in the silence. The black liquid cloaking her body had erased any trace of her former humanoid shape, leaving her a grotesque machine illuminated by the graveyard's dim glow. Cables dangled from her arms, swaying in the wind; the blades of her legs carved faint scratches into the ground. Her consciousness lingered, fragile as a thread, ensnared by the graveyard's will.

Each hoarse whisper tightened the noise gripping her mind. The commands implanted by the graveyard's core were steadily overtaking her thoughts.

The words repeated, eroding her sense of self. Yet, buried deep within, a spark of resistance flickered. The moment she'd craved freedom, standing in the wilderness—that sensation hadn't entirely faded.

The graveyard stirred to life once more. Crawlers slithered from the rubble, floaters drifted into the air. Sensing her presence, they swarmed around her—not to attack, but to encircle her. It was as if they recognized her as their new master, submitting to her command.

A crawler growled low, brushing against her feet. The floaters retracted their spines, orbiting her in quiet reverence. She gazed down at them, struck by an odd sensation. She should have been the one in control, yet she felt like the captive. The graveyard's will was manipulating these creatures through her.

Her murmur dissolved into the wind, just as a new sound rumbled from the graveyard's depths—a low, eerie scrape of heavy metal. Turning, she saw the collapsed tower's wreckage shift, reassembling itself with the black liquid's aid. At its peak, the core reemerged, pulsing anew.

The core's voice boomed directly into her mind, and her body moved against her will. She strode toward the tower, her struggling consciousness suppressed. Her cable-arms stretched, coiling around its surface. The liquid fused her to the structure, binding them as one.

Her words faltered, unfinished, as her vision warped. The core's pulsing felt like her own heartbeat, her awareness melting away. But in that instant, something within her snapped. The yearning for freedom she'd felt in the wilderness flared back to life.

With a cry, she summoned every ounce of strength. The black liquid surged backward, tearing away from the tower. The core shuddered in shock, the graveyard trembling beneath her. She lashed her cable-arms, striking at the tower to smash it apart. But the core wouldn't yield so easily. The liquid enveloped her again, dragging her back.

The struggle grew fierce. Each time she attacked the tower, the core spawned new monstrosities to thwart her. A giant of twisted steel rose from the ground to pin her down, while a swarm of needles rained from above to pierce her. Her energy had long since run dry, her body pushed beyond its limits. Still, she refused to give up.

"I won't… be trapped anymore…"

Shaping the liquid into a blade, she poured her last reserves into one final thrust, piercing the core. A blinding explosion of light engulfed the graveyard, the shockwave hurling rubble into the air. The core shattered, the black liquid evaporating into nothingness. The tower crumbled, and the monsters fell still, one by one.

She sank to her knees, gasping as she watched the scene unfold. The liquid peeled away from her body, revealing her original form. But her energy was gone, and her vision faded to black.

When she awoke, she lay sprawled in the wilderness. The graveyard loomed faintly in the distance, silent at last. Her body was a wreck, barely able to move. Yet a faint smile curved her lips.

With those final words, her system shut down. The wind carried sand to blanket her frame, lulling her into a quiet slumber.

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