Amber’s head throbbed as she sat up in the dimly lit room, the flickering bulb casting erratic shadows on the walls. Her hand instinctively went to her temple, where a sharp, metallic sensation greeted her fingertips. She froze, her breath catching in her throat.
“What… is this?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
She stumbled out of the bed, her legs unsteady beneath her, and rushed to the mirror hanging on the wall. Her reflection stared back at her, pale and wide-eyed, but it wasn’t her face that held her attention. It was the small, circular device embedded into her skull, its surface glinting ominously under the flickering light. A camera.
Her fingers hovered over it, trembling as she fought the urge to pry it out.
“Don’t touch it,” a voice crackled through a hidden speaker, cold and mocking. “If you try to remove it, well… let’s just say something explosive might happen.”
Amber’s hand dropped to her side, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned toward the source of the voice, but there was no one there—just the empty room and the flickering bulb.
A door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a dimly lit hallway beyond. Amber hesitated, her mind racing. She had no weapons, no allies, and no idea where she was. But staying here wasn’t an option.
She stepped through the door, her bare feet cold against the metal floor. The hallway stretched out before her, lined with more doors, each one identical to the last. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and something else—something metallic and faintly coppery. Blood.
“Where am I?” she thought, her voice echoing in her mind.
The voice from the speaker returned, calm and commanding. “Continue through this way, elite members.”
Elite members? Amber frowned, her guard rising as the lights flickered on, illuminating the path ahead. She moved cautiously, her eyes darting to every shadow, every corner. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
“I can’t feel my flux energy at all,” she realized, her stomach sinking. Her powers—her strength, her speed, her ability to manipulate energy—were gone. She felt hollow, vulnerable.
She reached the end of the hallway and pushed open another door. The sight that greeted her made her blood run cold.
It was a prison.
Rows upon rows of cells stretched out before her, each one filled with people. Some sat huddled in corners, their eyes vacant and hollow. Others paced restlessly, their movements jerky and erratic. A few screamed, their voices raw and desperate, while others simply stared at the walls, their faces blank.
Amber’s heart ached as she took in the scene. These people… they were broken. Defeated.
Her gaze drifted upward, and she froze. High above the prison floor, behind a wall of reinforced glass, stood a figure. A woman with piercing eyes and a cruel smile. Beelzebub.
Amber’s breath hitched. Beelzebub was watching her, her expression unreadable but undeniably calculating. Amber felt like a specimen under a microscope, every move scrutinized, every weakness cataloged.
“Follow me,” a voice barked, snapping Amber out of her thoughts.
She turned to see a Yeager—a towering, armored soldier—standing a few feet away, his weapon trained on her. His face was hidden behind a helmet, but his tone left no room for argument.
Amber clenched her fists, her mind racing. She had no powers, no weapons, and no way to fight back. For now, she had no choice but to obey.
She followed the Yeager through the prison, her eyes scanning the cells as they passed. The misery was palpable, the air thick with despair. In one cell, a man was repeatedly slamming his head against the wall, his forehead bloodied and bruised.
“Stop… please, stop…” Amber whispered under her breath, but the man didn’t hear her. He just kept hitting his head, over and over again, as if trying to escape the nightmare he was trapped in.
The Yeager led her to a heavy metal door and shoved it open, gesturing for her to step inside. Amber hesitated, her instincts screaming at her to run, to fight, to do *something*. But with no powers and no way out, she had no choice.
She stepped through the door, and it slammed shut behind her. The room was dark, save for a single spotlight illuminating a chair in the center.
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“Sit,” the Yeager commanded.
Amber’s legs moved on their own, her body betraying her as she sat down. The chair was cold and unyielding, its restraints clicking into place around her wrists and ankles.
The spotlight flickered, and Beelzebub’s voice filled the room, smooth and venomous.
“Welcome, Amber. Let’s see how long you last.”
Amber’s heart pounded as the room began to hum with energy, the walls closing in around her. She was trapped, powerless, and completely at the mercy of her captors.
But deep down, beneath the fear and the despair, a spark of defiance flickered to life.
The Yeager forced her into a chair and tied her down.
Amber struggled against the thick ropes binding her to the chair, her wrists chafing against the restraints. Panic surged through her veins, but no matter how much she fought, she couldn’t move. The air in the dimly lit room was thick with tension, the scent of iron and something metallic lingering in the air.
Beelzebub stood before her, her expression unreadable, cold eyes gleaming under the flickering light. She loomed over Amber like a specter of death, her presence suffocating.
"Amber, you are part of the Rank five, one of the Elite Forces," she said, her voice smooth yet laced with something dangerous.
Amber remained silent, her jaw clenched.
Beelzebub’s gaze darkened. "Answer me," she demanded, her tone sharp as a blade.
Still, Amber refused to speak.
Without hesitation, Beelzebub reached for a small, razor-thin blade. The metal glinted ominously before she drove it into Amber’s eye.
A scream tore from Amber’s throat, raw and agonized. Pain erupted like fire, blinding her vision in a searing red haze. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she writhed in the chair, but Beelzebub twisted the blade before yanking it out in one swift motion.
"Answer me, or I'll rip that dead eye out," she said, her voice chillingly casual.
Amber's body trembled, her vision swimming. Blood trickled down her cheek, warm and thick. She forced herself to speak through the pain.
"Y-yes... I am," she rasped.
Beelzebub smirked, twirling the bloodied blade between her fingers. "Your Elite Force killed my comrades. I should kill you right here and now."
A flicker of energy pulsed through Amber’s body—her flux energy rising, stirring.
Beelzebub chuckled, her presence dimming slightly. "But honestly? I don’t really care."
She took a step back, tilting her head as if in thought. "Atsadi, Ace, Natalia, Destiny, Shadow..." She listed the names one by one, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "They were weaklings, to be honest. They died to stronger people. That’s just how it works."
She grinned. "Survival of the fittest."
Amber struggled against the thick ropes binding her to the chair, her wrists chafing against the restraints. Panic surged through her veins, but no matter how much she fought, she couldn’t move. The air in the dimly lit room was thick with tension, the scent of iron and something metallic lingering in the air.
Beelzebub stood before her, her expression unreadable, cold eyes gleaming under the flickering light. She loomed over Amber like a specter of death, her presence suffocating.
"Amber, you are part of the Fight Rank, one of the Elite Forces," she said, her voice smooth yet laced with something dangerous.
Amber remained silent, her jaw clenched.
Beelzebub’s gaze darkened. "Answer me," she demanded, her tone sharp as a blade.
Still, Amber refused to speak.
Without hesitation, Beelzebub reached for a small, razor-thin blade. The metal glinted ominously before she drove it into Amber’s eye.
A scream tore from Amber’s throat, raw and agonized. Pain erupted like fire, blinding her vision in a searing red haze. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she writhed in the chair, but Beelzebub twisted the blade before yanking it out in one swift motion.
"Answer me, or I'll rip that dead eye out," she said, her voice chillingly casual.
Amber's body trembled, her vision swimming. Blood trickled down her cheek, warm and thick. She forced herself to speak through the pain.
"Y-yes... I am," she rasped.
Beelzebub smirked, twirling the bloodied blade between her fingers. "Your Elite Force killed my comrades. I should kill you right here and now."
A flicker of energy pulsed through Amber’s body—her flux energy rising, stirring.
Beelzebub chuckled, her presence dimming slightly. "But honestly? I don’t really care."
She took a step back, tilting her head as if in thought. "Atsadi, Ace, Natalia, Destiny, Shadow..." She listed the names one by one, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "They were weaklings, to be honest. They died to stronger people. That’s just how it works."
She grinned. "Survival of the fittest."
Amber stared at Beelzebub, her vision still blurred from pain. That smile—twisted, hollow—was something foreign to her. It wasn’t just evil. It was emptiness, like staring into a void that mocked her suffering.
"Let her go and take her back to the cell she was in," Beelzebub said casually, twirling the bloodied blade between her fingers. "I want to play a game with her."
A towering figure stepped forward—Yeager, a brute of a man, his sheer size casting a looming shadow over Amber. Without hesitation, he unstrapped her from the chair, then delivered a brutal punch to her face. The force sent her into unconsciousness instantly.
As her limp body slumped forward, Yeager grabbed her by the leg and began dragging her across the cold, bloodstained floor, her head bouncing against the uneven stone as he hauled her back to her cell.
Meanwhile, deep within an underground cave system, Rex climbed the final stretch of jagged rock, his muscles aching from the effort. As he hoisted himself up, he spotted a familiar figure waiting for him at the top—Hanako, arms crossed, her expression firm yet patient.
"I told you to continue without me," Rex muttered, brushing dirt from his hands.
Hanako shrugged. "We're partners. I had to wait for you," she said simply.
Without another word, they continued through the cave. The tunnel widened, revealing a vast, open chamber with towering stalactites hanging like jagged teeth from the ceiling. Their footsteps echoed against the damp stone as they pressed forward, deeper into the unknown.
As they got closer they saw the light as they walked out they saw a city. “What?” rex said.
“This should be impossible, how couldn't we see a city down here,” Hanako said.
