Blood and Sparks: The Edge of Power
Chapter 29: Shadows of the Lost

Chapter 29: Shadows of the Lost

The tunnel stretched on, a jagged wound in the earth, its walls rough and unyielding under my scraped knuckles, the stone biting into my skin with every brush. My tank top was a shredded mess, the frayed edges catching on every protrusion, exposing the steel-like flesh beneath—scratched, dulled, holding at a fragile 12% integrity, my system’s faint whisper a constant reminder of how close I was to breaking.

The air was cold, sharp with the tang of damp rock and something sour, like decay left to fester, clinging to the back of my throat with every ragged breath. Liv slumped against my side, her weight a steady pull, her breaths shallow and uneven, each one a faint wheeze that echoed off the stone. Her hand gripped mine, her palm sticky with dried blood, her fingers trembling, her sparks long extinguished, leaving only the ghost of her warmth to keep me grounded.

Rylan was a dead weight in my other arm, his body limp, his head lolling against my shoulder, his skin clammy and cold as the stone beneath us. His breaths were faint, barely there, a shallow rise and fall that I felt more than heard, his bandages soaked through with blood that seeped into my torn tank top, warm and sticky against my side. His eyes were closed, his face gaunt, the hollows under his cheekbones stark in the dim light cast by the shard in my pocket. Its heat burned against my thigh, a steady pulse that synced with the faint hum in the walls—low, rhythmic, a heartbeat buried deep, older than the Heart’s searing green or the Watcher’s dissonant wail, a vibration that crawled under my skin, tugging me forward through the black.

The darkness pressed in, thick and heavy, a weight against my eyes, broken only by the shard’s faint glow, its symbols casting jagged shadows on the stone. My boots scraped the ground, the soles worn to nothing, catching on uneven ridges that sent jolts through my aching legs. My system pinged, its voice a fractured whisper in my skull, barely audible over the pounding in my ears.

System Status: Host Integrity: 13% and Rising.

Psionic Saturation: 85%.

Anomaly Influence: Stable but Present.

Recommendation: Rest and Assess.

Rest.

As if I could stop, with Rylan’s life hanging by a thread, with Liv barely holding on, with the Hollow’s whisper—"You will return"—still echoing in my mind, a promise I couldn’t shake. The shard’s pull was relentless, a thread woven into my bones, guiding us through the tunnel’s endless curve. I didn’t trust it, not after the Watcher, not after the tendrils, but it had led us to Rylan. It had to mean something.

"Kai..." Liv’s voice was a rasp, faint but sharp, pulling me from the haze. She shifted, her free hand pressing against the wall, her nails scraping the stone, leaving faint scratches in the damp. Her face was a pale smear in the dark, her eyes sunken, the cut above her eye crusted with blood, a dark streak running down her cheek. Her hair was matted with sweat and grime, clinging to her forehead, but her gaze was steady, burning with a stubborn fire that refused to die. "He’s... he’s not looking good."

I glanced at Rylan, my chest tightening. His lips were parted, his breaths so shallow they barely moved the air, his skin a sickly gray under the shard’s glow. The bandages around his torso were soaked, the red seeping wider, staining my arm, the tang of blood sharp in my nose.

"I know," I said, my voice rough as gravel, my throat raw. "We need to find somewhere to stop. Somewhere safe."

"Safe," she echoed, a bitter laugh breaking through her exhaustion. "In this place? You’re dreaming."

"Maybe," I muttered, my jaw clenching. "But we don’t have a choice."

She didn’t argue, just nodded, her grip tightening on my hand, her steps faltering but determined. The tunnel sloped downward, the hum growing louder, weaving with a new sound—distant, rhythmic, like water dripping, a steady tap-tap-tap that echoed off the walls. My gut tightened. The shard flared, a jolt that shot up my leg, its heat intensifying, and my system pinged again, faint but urgent.

System Alert: Environmental Anomaly Detected.

Psionic Signature: 45% Match with Hollow Core.

Host Integrity: 14% and Stable.

Recommendation: Investigate with Caution.

Investigate with caution.

Every warning felt like a mockery now, a cold reminder of how little control I had left. The dripping grew louder, joined by a faint hiss, like steam escaping a cracked pipe, and the air shifted, warmer, heavier, carrying a metallic tang that made my teeth ache. The tunnel opened ahead, revealing a chamber—smaller than the last, its walls rough and unmarked, but its floor was uneven, slick with shallow pools of water that reflected the shard’s glow, casting rippling shadows across the stone.

In the center, a structure loomed—a rusted metal frame, half-collapsed, its edges jagged and bent, like a skeleton of something once grand. Wires dangled from its sides, frayed and sparking faintly, their light a sickly yellow that flickered in the dark. The frame surrounded a platform, its surface etched with symbols that matched the shard’s—black glass, glowing faintly, pulsing in time with the hum. My chest tightened. The shard’s heat surged, its symbols glowing brighter, casting light across the chamber, revealing something else—scratched into the stone walls, faint but clear: a map, its lines jagged, its shapes familiar. A city. A skyline. Earth.

"Kai, look," Liv whispered, her voice trembling, her hand pointing to the wall. Her eyes were wide, her breath hitching, the exhaustion in her face giving way to something raw—hope, maybe, or fear. "That’s... that’s home."

I stared, my heart pounding, the shard’s thrum a roar in my ears. The map was crude, carved with something sharp, its lines uneven, but I recognized it—the curve of a coastline, the jagged peaks of a mountain range, the sprawl of a city I’d walked a lifetime ago. Earth. Before the Skraith. Before the Hollow. Before everything. My system flared, its voice sharper now.

System Analysis: Cartographic Match Confirmed.

Location: Pre-Invasion Earth, Sector 7A.

Anomaly Signature: 62% Match with Hollow Core.

Warning: Temporal Distortion Detected.

Temporal distortion.

The words hit like a punch, my mind racing. Earth, here, in the Hollow’s depths—carved into stone, tied to the shard, to the platform. I stepped closer, Rylan’s weight dragging at my arm, his faint breaths a constant reminder of the stakes. The platform hummed, its symbols glowing brighter as I approached, the shard’s energy surging, syncing with the frame’s faint sparks. The air around it shimmered, a faint distortion, like heat rising off pavement, and my system pinged again.

System Override: Object Interaction Imminent.

Psionic Saturation: 87%.

Host Integrity: 13% and Falling.

Recommendation: Avoid Contact.

Avoid contact.

I couldn’t. Not with Earth staring me in the face, not with Rylan dying in my arms, not with Liv’s hope burning beside me. I set Rylan down, his body limp against the stone, his head resting on my knee. Liv knelt beside him, her hand on his chest, her eyes darting between him and the platform, her jaw tight. "Kai, what is this?"

"I don’t know," I said, my voice low, my hand brushing the shard through my pocket. Its heat was a fire now, its symbols glowing through the fabric, casting light on Rylan’s pale face. "But it’s connected—to the shard, to the Hollow, to... home."

She swallowed, her hand trembling as she brushed Rylan’s hair from his forehead, her touch gentle despite the blood on her fingers. "Can it... can it get us out?"

"Maybe," I said, standing, my legs shaking but holding. I stepped onto the platform, the symbols flaring under my boots, the hum rising to a whine that stabbed my ears. The air shimmered harder, the distortion rippling, and for a moment—just a moment—I saw it: a city, not the Hollow’s twisted ruins, but Earth, its skyline intact, its streets alive with lights, with people. A memory, or something more. The shard burned, its energy flooding my system, and my vision blurred, the chamber fading as the past swallowed me whole.

I was there—standing on a rooftop, the city sprawling below, the air warm with the scent of rain and exhaust. People moved in the streets, their voices a distant hum, their lives untouched by Skraith, by war. A woman stood beside me, her face blurred, her voice soft, familiar.

"Kai, you can’t stay," she said, her hand on my arm, her touch warm, real. "It’s gone. It’s all gone."

The vision shattered, the chamber snapping back, the hum a scream in my ears. I staggered, my knees hitting the platform, my hands clawing at the stone. My system flared red.

System Critical: Temporal Feedback Loop Detected.

Host Integrity: 10% and Falling.

Psionic Saturation: 100%.

Warning: Entity Assimilation Risk.

"Kai!" Liv’s voice cut through, her hands on my shoulders, shaking me. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, her breath ragged. "What the hell was that?"

"I saw it," I gasped, my voice raw, my chest heaving. "Earth. Before. It’s... it’s here, Liv. The Hollow—it’s holding it."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed, her grip tightening. "Holding it? What does that mean?"

"I don’t know," I said, my hand closing over the shard, its heat grounding me. "But the shard—it’s the key. It’s showing me."

Rylan groaned, his body twitching, his eyes fluttering open—red, but fading, his humanity fighting through. "Kai..." His voice was a whisper, barely there, but it hit like a blade. "Don’t... don’t let it take you."

I knelt beside him, my hand on his shoulder, his skin cold under my touch. "I won’t," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my chest. "We’re getting out. All of us."

Liv nodded, her hand finding mine, her grip fierce despite her exhaustion. The platform’s hum softened, the symbols dimming, but the map on the wall stayed, a silent promise—or a trap. The tunnel stretched beyond, the shard’s pull quieter now, but still there, guiding us deeper.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!