Chapter Five: "The Catastrophe"

  This time, the ground did not shake. It sank.

  The earth descended slowly, unnaturally—not a tremor… but a dive.

  The metal compressed downward, as if something were pulling the base into itself.

  Then, a pulse.

  After ten seconds.

  A stronger pulse.

  After five.

  A pulse that almost lifted the dust from the ground.

  After one.

  Then…

  Complete silence.

  Then, a silent, head-shaking blast—no sound, only pressure. The corridor collapsed inward. Energy shook everything. Veyron was thrown forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet, walls partially crumbling. Silence shattered under the screech of metal and flying dust. A gust of wind struck him from below, hurling him several meters. He slammed against a metallic wall, feeling his bones vibrate. His eyes rolled back.

  Brief unconsciousness.

  Minutes later…

  Veyron slowly opened his eyes to dust suspended in the air. Blood ran down his forehead. His vision doubled. The ringing in his ears merged with the beat of his heart. He tried to focus… started coughing from the thick dust…

  He attempted to stand, fell, then steadied himself against the wall. Rising slowly, he touched his ear—he only heard ringing. It was as if he had lost contact with the world… The base was collapsing.

  Something beneath it had awakened.

  The air was heavy, sharp, and hot with the scent of destruction. He struggled to breathe, his movements sluggish. Pain coursed through every part of his body. He realized his helplessness.

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  A faint breeze brushed his face. He noticed an opening in the wall leading outside. Hope lit Veyron’s eyes. He quickened his steps… then stepped outside.

  His face twisted rapidly. His eyes widened, moving quickly. Blood reflected in them. His eyebrows rose. His lips trembled as he parted his mouth slightly.

  The ground was shattered. Chaos of rubble, twisted metal fragments. Blood covered the floor. Corpses of mutilated humans—some dismembered—lay intermingled with the malformed Arrada, as if the perpetrator made no distinction. One person was trapped on the floor, unable to move, screaming for help from inside a broken body.

  Veyron’s body trembled, moans and screams blending with the ringing in his ears. He took another step outside.

  He saw large craters scattered across the base. He tried to comprehend, his breathing growing heavier, the air thick with smoke and destruction. Each step was a struggle… as if the ground itself resisted him.

  His eyes darted everywhere, trying to process the shock.

  One step, then suddenly… something soft and solid at the same time. He froze. His heart stopped. His entire body locked. He looked down.

  In the dim light, he saw his foot inside a body… a dismembered human corpse. The face was so mangled he could not recognize it.

  He opened his mouth as if to scream, but nothing came out…

  Veyron stumbled backward, landing next to the corpse. His body smeared with blood. He raised his hands, soaked in crimson.

  His breathing accelerated. He gasped through his mouth. His heart pounded violently… Each pulse of blood beneath his feet sent shockwaves through his bones. He shivered.

  SS-01 walked outside, observing human reactions. He moved over corpses, indifferent. The sharp scent bothered him.

  SS-01 felt something grab his leg. He looked down.

  A man in his late forties was trapped under rubble, one arm broken, the other clutching SS-01’s leg. Tears filled his eyes as he struggled to speak, gasping:

  “Please… help… my family… they’re waiting…”

  SS-01 stared blankly, unnervingly.

  His hands trembled as he continued:

  “I beg—”

  The man’s words cut off. SS-01 stepped away, leaving his hand grasping at nothing, still calling weakly for help. But SS-01 did not turn, continuing forward.

  Then, SS-01 noticed Veyron sitting on the ground from afar, a faint smile appearing.

  "Let’s see what you do," he whispered.

  SS-01 observed Veyron frozen in place… then turned his gaze, watching.

  Suddenly, a strong tremor shook the ground beneath him.

  From the deep craters… a massive, undulating shadow emerged. Half of it rose from the hole. It was… an Arrada.

  Half its body emerged from the pit, its skin reflecting the dim light. Sensitive hairs covered its head and body. A massive cylindrical head, enormous jaws with protruding teeth, large facial openings—but no eyes.

  Seconds later, the Arrada extended its long limbs, with immense, jointed appendages, moving unnaturally toward the young man standing in front of it.

  Gigantic claws pinned him, tearing through his body.

  Veyron watched the boy ripped apart by the Arrada’s claws. The boy’s screams penetrated Veyron’s ears. The Arrada lifted him into the air, crushing him between its powerful jaws.

  Veyron updated in shock, trying to breathe…

  Every instinct screamed to flee, to run, to jump… but his body remained rooted. No movement, no blink… only watching.

  SS-01 called out:

  “Veyron.”

  From a distance… approaching slowly…

  Then the Arrada turned its head fully… toward Veyron.

  SS-01 noticed it before he even turned. He shouted louder:

  “Veyron!”

  But Veyron could no longer register the time around him. The ringing in his ears merged with the screams of the people. His body trembled further as he watched the Arrada turn toward him—as if it could sense him despite his lack of sight, as if it fully perceived his presence.

  He heard someone scream: “Run! Run! Run!”

  But Veyron was as if rooted to the ground.

  Then the Arrada launched at him at full speed…

  “Veyron!!”