The World Awakens

The world had changed.

Or maybe — it had finally revealed its true face.

Kaela pulled the hood tighter over her head as she and her friends moved through the ruined city, the Genesis Core wrapped in layers of cloth and metal plates, trying to suppress its glow.

But even hidden, the Core called out.

A faint pulse.

A heartbeat...

...that monsters, soldiers, and far worse things could feel from miles away.

The Chase Begins

They weren't alone anymore.

Every major organization — the Ashen Guard, the Crimson Syndicate, the Black Dawn, and more unknown forces — had learned about the Core's movement.

Some wanted it for power.

Some for profit.

Some just wanted it destroyed.

But none of them cared about Kaela and her friends.

They were just obstacles.

Already, Kaela had seen the assassins trailing them.

Already, she'd seen blood in the alleys, where rival factions fought over nothing but rumors.

The world was a battlefield now — and they were at the center.

The Hollowborn's Scent

High above the crumbling skyscrapers, storm clouds churned unnaturally.

Lightning flared, illuminating a terrible shape moving in the distance.

The Hollowborn.

Though weakened after the last battle, it had not fallen.

Its body, broken and cracked, had twisted further — bones stretching unnaturally, shadows clinging to it like a living mist.

And now, it had caught a scent.

The Genesis Core.

Somewhere deep in its corrupted mind, it remembered.

It knew the Core was power — something it needed to complete its monstrous evolution.

Every mile the heroes traveled, the Hollowborn drew closer.

Its heavy steps shook the earth.

Its howl split the sky.

Each echo brought more monsters swarming through the ruins.

A Race Against Time

"We're close," Arin panted, checking a battered old map.

"According to the old legends, the weapon's vault should be beneath the Fallen Spire — the last untouched part of the old city."

Kaela nodded, grim.

"Then we run."

Behind them, they could already hear gunfire.

Screams.

The sound of tanks moving through broken streets as enemy forces clashed, trying to find them.

Ahead of them...

the storm.

In the Shadows

From a distant rooftop, cloaked figures watched Kaela's group move.

Silent radios clicked to life.

"Confirming target. The Core is mobile. Orders?"

A cold voice answered.

"Engage. Capture at all costs. Kill if necessary. Hollowborn or not — we must have the Genesis Core."

The hunt had begun.