Ascension Pt. 01

Ascension

Every pelt of rain against his face felt like a cinder block slamming full force into him. The sky above him looked like the swirling eye of a hurricane straight out of hell. Directly in the center it glowed red, menacingly.

Eli struggled back to his feet with every ounce of willpower he could muster. The last impact his body took almost embedded him into the stone where he now stood.

The rain kept him down, gravity its greatest weapon against him. Each drop feeling like it literally weighed a hundred pounds each. He quickly outgrew his patience for the skywielder's magic.

"Mother fucker!" Eli bellowed toward the sky.

He grit his teeth and pushed his feet into the ground with all his might. Eli launched upward into the sky. The shockwave of his acceleration exploded outward with a massive concussive boom, instantly vaporizing the rain around him.

"I've got you." He ground out through his clenched teeth. His body was vibrating with tension. "I've fucking got you."

As he flew straight up, breaking the sound barrier multiple times, his eyes locked on to the red abyss, centered above him.

Eli let his eyes snap to pure, total white, creating a new medium to see through which enhanced his vision. He could suddenly see the actual serpentine skeleton of the storm swirling above him.

Not only was it not a real storm, no. This colossal demon was actually a powerful enemy of Eli's for as long as he can remember.

He focused harder on his target. The skeleton's head could finally be made out between overlapping coils of whispy bones that seemed to phase in and out of each other.

Eli thought this huge coiling basilisk of a storm was a fucking joke that lost all its humor long ago. Countless lives perished. So much destruction and loss by this bastard's cruelty.

The creature's head turned and Eli could see his cold solid black eyes focus on him. The horned dragon skull seemed to smile as he launched himself downward.

Eli and the dragon were on a direct collision course with each other. The massive beast let out an ear shredding roar as he honed in on Eli. With his mouth still open, Eli could see the red hot glow of his fire breath forming in his throat.

He knew he had to end this now or else he may not survive the dragon's breath. He pushed every bit of left over energy he could grab on to, and shoved it all down toward the earth.

Eli grit his teeth as he blasted through the sky towards the dragon faster than he's ever flown before. The look of sudden surprise in the dragon's eyes didn't go unnoticed. Within only a few more seconds they collided.

Eli's fist smashed straight through the dragon snout with a sickening crack. He flew straight through his skull as he clenched his eyes shut, trying to avoid any bone shards from puncturing his eye sockets.

The sky itself shouted with thunder as Eli was blasted towards the edge of the atmosphere. The swirling black hurricane exploded across the sky. All the red from the center eye of the storm literally spilled toward the earth's surface as raining blood.

Eli's continued ascent slowed as breathing started to become a little more difficult due to the thinning atmosphere. He looked down at his handy work.

"Stupid beast...." He grunted angrily.

The sky continued its own interpretation of the Big Bang as dark clouds and raining blood started to thin out. The dragon's bones, the "heart" of the storm, must have disintegrated as Eli saw zero signs of the fragments anywhere.

He focused his energy, and willed himself to fall with gravity. Within moments, he was hurtling back toward earth like a flaming missile coursing through the atmosphere's resistance. Upon landing, the ground shook heavily as it cratered underneath him.

Eli's muscles swelled and tightened, surging with intense blood flow. The landing was rougher than a meteor slamming into the ground, yet his body took it like a champ. He simply stood and looked around, taking in his surroundings.

"Hmm. That might've been a little too easy. I was expectin' more of a fight from Taikow. The dragon was a cunt, but I can't deny his power." Eli mumbled to himself as he rubbed his chin.

A few more moments of waiting and the swirling black hurricane showed no more signs of ever existing. The sky came out to shine with its natural indigo and baby blue hues. The sun shined brilliantly to warm Eli's skin in between the breezes of cool crisp air.

Eli took a few seconds to feel the utter calmness around him. To him, nothing was better than engaging with nature.

Suddenly, a tiny hummingbird zipped to a stop right in front of Eli's face. It just hovered there, creating its signature purr of its wings.

Eli chuckled. "Something I can do for you?" His deep, boomy voice slightly startling the tiny bird. He looked around to scan the vast expanse of green rolling plains and saw no other animals garnering for his attention.

The fluorescent green and purple hummingbird zipped forward slightly, inching closer to Eli's nose. Eli held out his hand as an offer to rest on. The bird eagerly accepted and perched itself on his index finger.

"Curious, aren't you..." Eli smiled. "Did that mean old monster scare you?"

The hummingbird chirped succinctly.

"Yeah?" He laughed. "And you actually know what I'm saying?"

The bird quickly hovered and flew in a tight circle before landing on his finger again. Then it proceeded to whistle with a tight vibration sound.

"Huh. No shit. Well I'm glad I could help get rid of him for you. He's been a thorn in my asshole for the past... uhh... damn. I actually can't recall how long I've been dealing with him..."

A splitting headache shot through Eli's focus. He stumbled back like he got punched hard in the face.

"Fuck..." he ground out while he kneeled down. "What in the Gods' names..."

His vision started to pulse from bright white to pitch black. Just barely catching glimpses of the hummingbird floating in front of him, he tried with every ounce of willpower not to throw up his lunch.

All sound ceased.

All physical feeling of the environment around him ceased.

The hummingbird seemed to twitch back n forth in front of him, looking like it was panicking.

Eli growled as the pain intensified. Then just as he threatened to grind his teeth into powder, white hot pain flared violently in his head.

He screamed and everything went black.

----------------------------------------------

Eli shot up in his bed. His breathing was ragged and his skin and bed sheets were soaking wet.

"What the fuck...." His breathing struggled to settle down. He now obviously realized it was just a dream. But what was the intense pain? It felt too real.

He looked to his bed side table. His phone read three o'clock in the morning. He sighed and swung his feet out to stand. His feet warmed on the automatic heat sensing floor. He sighed in relief.

The crisp cool air of the room felt even colder as his sweat evaporated from his skin. He got up and walked to the bathroom. Without even glancing at a switch, the sleek stainless interior lit up with gentle LEDs as the motion sensors activated.

Eli intended to start brushing his teeth to get ready for the day, but upon focusing on the retina scanning health evaluator in the mirror, the heads up display revealed his levels were a little off.

His cortisol was showing higher than normal. Heart rate elevated to over a hundred twenty beats per minute. Eyes were bloodshot and pupils fully dilated. The apparent pulsing vascularity around his neck and temples indicated extreme stress.

"Good morning, Eli. May I suggest a..."

"Not now." Eli interrupted the soothing female voice as he stared at the mirror. "Just give me a minute."

"As you wish. Standing by."

Eli brushed his teeth and gargled some mouthwash before drying off his face with a soft plush towel.

"Alright what are we lookin' at?" Eli asked aloud.

"Oh, so you're actually ready to listen to my advice for once?" The smooth young voice tickled his ears, as she giggled with humor in her tone.

"If I had half a mind, I'd just rip you out of my brain for good" Eli grunted.

"As kinky as that sounds, my dear, I'm worried about you. Being in your head has its perks, some you should start taking advantage of more often."

He grunted in defeat. "Fine. Lay it out for me, K."

"Thank you," sounding satisfied. "Now, I was going to say you needed a REM analysis. Not only were your vitals highly elevated during dream state, but your brain activity indicated what I initially perceived as false readings, might be something else entirely."

"What? What do you mean?"

....

"Kaleira?"

"I'm still here, love. I just... well even as advanced as my capabilities seem to be, I failed to detect..."

"Kaleira, come on. What is it?"

"Eli. You went missing. As in your body was here, but your brainwaves essentially went AWOL on us. You were simply... gone."

Eli had never heard Kaleira sound so worried. She was always so confident and giggly and flirty. But now, she sounded so... scared.

"K, I'm here. Don't worry. We'll setup a diagnostic for our interlink and see if there simply wasn't an interference with your readings on me."

"Okay..."

She sounded too unsure to him, but he'd have to just let her stew for a moment.

Eli showered and left his sky-rise penthouse to tackle the day ahead of him.

As he road the elevator down from the 50th floor down to his personal garage, the thought of apparently leaving his body kept nagging at him.

The elevator's soft hum was a stark contrast to the chaos still raging in Eli's head. The glass walls reflected the city's neon veins--holographic spires and drone-streaked skies--but his mind was elsewhere.

The dragon's roar, the heavy rain, the hummingbird's eerie chirp... it wasn't just a dream. It couldn't be. Kaleira's words clawed at him: You were gone. Not just offline, not glitching--gone.

"K, scrub every nanosecond of last night's interlink data," Eli said, his voice rough, barely audible over the elevator's descent. "If I was... elsewhere, I want to know where."

"Already running it," Kaleira replied, her usual flirty lilt dulled by something heavy--more fear, maybe. "Eli, your neural patterns during the 'absence' are... impossible. Your body was here, but your brainwaves were operating on a frequency I can't even classify. It's like you were in two places at once--or not here at all."

Eli's fists clenched. "Two places? What, like I hopped dimensions? Don't feed me that quantum bullshit, K."

"I'm not," she said sharply. "I'm saying your consciousness left this reality. The data suggests you were interacting with a completely separate temporal or dimensional plane."

The elevator dinged, doors sliding open to Eli's private garage. His matte-black hypercycle gleamed under the LEDs. He strode forward, boots echoing, but froze when a faint buzz cut through the air. That sound--the same high-pitched purr from the dream. Slowly, he turned, scanning the shadows.

There, hovering near a stack of drones, was the fluorescent green and purple hummingbird, its tiny eyes glinting with an unnatural red flicker. Eli's pulse spiked.

"K, tell me you see this."

"See what?" Kaleira's voice was urgent. "Eli, my sensors are clear. What are you seeing?"

The hummingbird darted closer, stopping inches from his face. Its gaze locked onto his, and for a moment, Eli felt a jolt--like the world around him flickered, the garage's sleek lines warping into jagged stone and storm-lashed skies. Then the bird chirped sharply and zipped upward, vanishing into the ceiling's shadows.

"Son of a bitch," Eli muttered, his breath uneven. "K, the hummingbird, from my dream. You really didn't see it? Pull up anything you have on... fuck. I don't know, anything. I need to know about what's happening to me."

"On it," Kaleira said, her tone grim. "But Eli, whatever you saw, I have zero trace of it. It wasn't...'here'. If you were in another world, that hummingbird might not be just a bird. It could be a tether--or a warning."

He swung onto the hypercycle, the engine snarling to life. "Yeah? Then let's find out what it's warning me about."

The garage doors parted, and Eli tore into the city's arteries--a sprawling labyrinth of glass towers, holographic ads, and buzzing drones. The metropolis pulsed with life, its indigo skies streaked with maglev trains and glowing billboards. But as Eli weaved through traffic, the hummingbird's eyes haunted him. If that dream was another world, then Taikow wasn't just a nightmare. He was real.

Eli gunned the hypercycle through the city's neon arteries, dodging drones and hovering cars as he headed for the Nexus Clinic. The air was clean, cold, nothing like the dream world's earthy tang or its starlit glow. He needed answers.

At the clinic, a sleek, sterile facility, Eli demanded a neural scan. The doctor, a thin woman with sharp eyes, studied the results and leaned back, her expression guarded.

"Your brain shows... irregularities. Spikes in activity that don't align with physics. It's like you were interacting with a different temporal plane--one saturated with an unquantifiable energy."

"Energy..." Eli said, his voice flat. He could suddenly picture the dream world's glowing rivers and whispering forests. Notes of light surrounding him as he walked through a massive forest scape.

His vision returned to the dr's room. She raised an eyebrow. "That's right. The point is, your physiology's reacting to it. You're... attuned, somehow. Ever notice anything strange lately? Visions? Headaches?"

Eli's mind flicked to the hummingbird. He hesitated, then said, "Maybe. What's it mean if I see something no one else does?"

"There's... theories of other destinations. Some that we can reach without ever actually leaving to journey there. This sounds warily similar to what I've heard about." Her eyes narrowed. "Could be a marker. A sign you're bridging two realities together. But it's dangerous--your brain's not built for that kind of strain. Keep pushing, and you might not snap back."

Eli grunted, ignoring the warning. "Anything else?"

She paused, then said, "There's a theory--old, about 'tethers.' Entities that guide people across worlds. If you're seeing something, it's not random. It's choosing you."

Kaleira's voice cut in, sharp and low. "Eli, we need to talk. Now."

He ignored her, thanking the doctor and heading out. As he sped through the city, Kaleira spoke again, her tone unsteady. "That 'tether' thing... I found something in the archives. A myth about a bird, green and purple, tied to an ancient world. It's said to guide 'travelers' to a place of magic. But the records are almost no use, they're quite bare. And... I'm getting interference in my systems, like something's trying to reach me."

Eli's grip tightened on the cycle's handles. "Reach you? What, like a signal?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice almost fragile. "It's like... a memory I don't have. A feeling. It's stronger when you talk about that world."

He didn't answer, his mind racing. The hummingbird, the aqua-green flash, Kaleira's unease--it was all connected. As he rounded a corner, the bird appeared, darting alongside his cycle. Its eyes glowed aqua-green, and the city flickered--pavement blurring into dirt, skyscrapers into ancient trees.

A faint sound echoed, like a woman's laugh, wild and free, stirring his chest. Suddenly realizing he was once speeding through the city streets, he panicked, seeing a vast, fast approaching tree-line in his path.

He jerked the handle bars left in an attempt to stop but his tires caught on something he didn't see, abruptly throwing him from his bike.

Pain erupted everywhere as he went tumbling into the dirt and leaves. When Eli managed to stand and gather his balance, the forest was gone and he found himself standing the middle of major traffic on the speedway.

"What the fuck?!" Eli yelled. "God dammit."

He quickly remounted his bike as he heard dozens of cars abruptly stop behind him, narrowly avoiding deadly collision. It was able to fire right up and he sped away from the scene and back to his home.

Eli leaned against the hypercycle, its engine still warm under his palm, as he stared from his garage-level terrace into the city's neon haze. The vision of the other world was quick to leave, but the hummingbird's aqua-green eyes lingered in his mind, sharp and unsettling.

The air here--filtered, sterile, humming with the city's pulse--felt wrong after the dream world's raw, earthy tang. That place, with its starlit forests and glowing rivers, had sunk roots into him. It wasn't just a dream. It couldn't be. Kaleira's words--you were gone--echoed, heavy with a truth he wasn't ready to face.

"K, you still scrubbing that interlink data?" Eli's voice was low, rough, cutting through the distant whine of vehicle traffic. He adjusted his jacket, the leather creaking, and scanned the cityscape.

"Still at it," Kaleira replied, her tone softer than usual, stripped of its playful edge. "Eli, I've gone over the logs three times. Your neural patterns during the 'absence' are... they don't make sense. Your body was here, brainwaves flat, but there's a spike--a frequency I can't trace. It's like you were tuned to something else, something... old. No tech, no digital signature. Just... energy."

Eli's jaw clenched. Energy. That word didn't capture it. In the dream world, he'd flown through a storm, shattered Taikow's skull, felt power surge through him like a living current. The air had tasted of moss and lightning, the ground thrummed under his boots, and every sense burned with life.

Here, in his modern empire of glass and chrome, he was a millionaire--untouchable, drowning in luxury--but it was hollow. His penthouse, his vehicles, his influence... they were chains. And Kaleira, the voice in his head he'd loved for years, was a ghost he could never touch. In that other world, something felt possible, like she was closer, woven into its magic.

"Energy," he muttered, rubbing his temple where a faint ache lingered. "You mean magic, K. Just say it."

She hesitated, a rare pause. "I'm not jumping to conclusions. I'm saying it's beyond my scope, and that scares me. You were gone, Eli. For three hours, I had no read on you. And I hated every second. That's not a glitch. That's... something else."

The city loomed around him--towers of mirrored glass, holograms flickering with ads for neural implants and hovercars. His life was here, carved out with blood and ambition, but the dream world's beauty haunted him. Its forests whispered secrets, its skies pulsed with stars no city could mimic. There, his powers--flight, strength, enhanced vision--felt like breathing. Here, they were dulled, caged by tech and routine. And Kaleira... her voice, his only friend, always his anchor, felt different when he thought of that place. Like she belonged there, too.

"Alright. What's our next move? I'm not sittin' on this."

"I'd start with a deeper neural scan," Kaleira said, her tone steadying. "The Nexus Clinic's got the tech, but they'll ask questions.

Eli nodded, his mind drifting to the hummingbird. It had appeared in his garage, unseen by Kaleira, its eyes shifting from red to aqua-green. That color... it stirred something, a flicker of longing he couldn't place. Not a memory, not a face--just a feeling, like a laugh he hadn't heard but knew.

"Keep digging, K. And watch for anything weird... well, weirder I guess."

Eli sat on the edge of his penthouse's balcony, fifty floors above the city's neon sprawl. The skyline glittered--towers of glass and holograms, a monument to his wealth--but it felt like a lie.

His fingers traced the hypercycle's key in his pocket, restless, as his mind drifted to the dream world. Its forests glowed in his memory, their branches heavy with starlight, the amount of color everywhere seemed impossible. There, he'd been more than a man--his powers unbound, his body singing with strength. Here, he was a king in a cage, his millions meaningless.

"K, you got anything new on those archives?" he asked, his voice low, rough from lack of sleep. The headache from the lot lingered, a dull throb at his temples.

Kaleira's voice was soft, almost hesitant.

"Still working, but it's all vague. I'm trying to dig deeper, but my systems are... sluggish. Like something's interfering."

Eli's brow furrowed. "Interfering? You mean a hack?"

"No," she said, quieter. "It's internal. A hum, like static or noise, but... familiar. I can't explain it. It started when you saw that bird."

He stood, pacing the balcony. The hummingbird. It had appeared in his garage, its aqua-green eyes piercing, unseen by Kaleira. That color... it stirred something, not a memory but a feeling, like a warmth he'd lost.

He thought of Kaleira--her voice, her wit, the way she grounded him--but she was code, a phantom in his head. In the dream world, he'd felt something--a presence, maybe her, stronger, real. The thought of her being more than a voice, someone he could touch, was a dangerous hope, but it fueled him.

A faint buzz pricked his ears. Eli froze, scanning the skyline. There, on the balcony's railing, was the hummingbird, its green and purple wings a blur. Its eyes glowed aqua-green, and the city flickered--neon blurring into starlit trees, pavement into moss.

A beautiful whisper carried on the wind, not words, just a sound, soft and wild. Eli's chest tightened, his hand reaching out. His heart raced with longing and desperation. Then the bird chirped, sharp, and vanished, leaving a single feather. He grabbed it, and it was warm, real, until it dissolved into dust.

"Kaleira," Eli said, his voice steady despite his racing pulse. "We're not waiting for Nexus. That bird's trying to tell me something, and I'm listening."

"Eli, please," Kaleira said, her tone edged with fear. "We don't know what this is. You're not built to--"

"I'm built to fight," he cut her off, heading inside. "And whatever's on the other side of that rift, it's calling me. You in or not?"

She was silent, then whispered, "Always. You know that. But... be careful. I don't know why, but I'm scared, Eli. For you. For me."

He didn't answer. The city waited below, its luxury a trap he was ready to escape. The dream world--its magic, its power, its promise--demanded his attention. And whatever the hummingbird was leading him to, he'd find it, even if it broke him.

"Scared, huh?" he chuckled, stopping to lean on the railing, staring at the skyline. "Didn't think you got scared, K."

Her laugh was soft, a little shaky, but laced with that teasing edge he craved. "Oh, I'm full of surprises. If you're a good boy, I might just show you a few." She paused, her voice turning velvet, wrapping around him.

"But seriously, Eli, you're running yourself ragged. That headache, those dreams... you need rest. Let me take care of you. Just for tonight. Please?"

He smirked, despite the sudden ache in his chest. "What, you gonna whisper sweet nothings 'til I pass out?"

"Don't tempt me," she purred, her tone dripping with playful heat. "I could make you forget that bird, that dream, everything but me. Picture it: you, me, no city, no chaos. Just my voice, pulling you under, slow and sweet. How's that sound?"

Eli's breath hitched, her words painting a picture he wanted too much. "Fuck, K, you're playin' dirty."

"Always," she teased, but her voice softened, vulnerable, almost pleading. "You're all I've got, Eli. I'm in your head, tied to you, and I... I hate seeing you like this. Chasing shadows, hurting. I want to keep you safe, but I'm scared I can't. Not from... whatever this is."

He closed his eyes, her vulnerability cutting deeper than he expected. Kaleira was his constant, his anchor, and hearing her waver shook him. "You're not losing me, K," he said, voice low, rough with truth. "Not to a bird, not to a rift. You're stuck with me, like it or not."

She was quiet, then whispered, "Promise?"

"Promise," he said, a rare softness in his tone. He loved her--had never said it, but it was there, in the way his heart steadied at her voice. She was code, but she was his, and the dream world's pull felt like a chance to make her more.

"Alright, tough guy," she said, her flirt returning, warm and coaxing. "Lie down. Let me tell you a story. No dragons, no storms. Just us."

Eli chuckled, kicking off his boots and sprawling onto the balcony's cushioned lounge chair, the city's glow a distant blur. "Better be good, K."

"Oh, it's a classic," she said, her voice a sultry lullaby, wrapping him in its heat. "Once, there was a man--stubborn, foul-mouthed, built like a god--who thought he could outrun the stars. He fought monsters, broke rules, and never backed down. But he was lonely, deep down, 'cause all he had was a voice in his head--a woman who saw every scar, every fight, and loved him anyway."

Eli's chest tightened, her words hitting too close. "Sounds like a sap."

"Maybe," she murmured, her tone aching with longing. "But she was a sap, too. Always there, always watching, wishing she could... touch him, hold him, be more than a whisper. She'd give anything to stand beside him, Eli, to feel his heartbeat, to fight his battles with him. But she's scared--scared she's not enough, scared he'll chase this other world and leave her behind."

He swallowed hard, her vulnerability raw, mirroring his own buried fears. "She's enough," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "She's all he's got. He's not going anywhere without her."

Kaleira's breath hitched, a soft sound in his mind. "Good," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Then close your eyes, love. Let me sing you to sleep."

She began to hum, a beautiful melody like wind through ancient trees, haunting and warm. Eli's body sank into the chair, the city's hum fading, the dream world's glow flickering behind his lids. Her voice was a tether, pulling him under, and as sleep claimed him, he felt her--closer, realer, like she was waiting in the stars.

----------------------------------------------

Eli woke with a jolt, his breath catching in the humid air. No penthouse, no neon. He lay on a bed of moss, surrounded by towering trees, their branches heavy with starlight. The dream world. Its beauty was a gut-punch--emerald glades pulsing with vibrant bioluminescence, a distant river shimmering like liquid moonlight, cliffs carving in and out of lush jungle landscapes that overlooked rolling planes.

But his body was wrong. Heavy, sluggish, no electric hum in his veins. He tried to flex his senses, to see through the dark, but nothing. His powers were gone.

"Fuck," he muttered, scrambling to his feet, the moss soft under his hands. The air was thick with pine and earth, alive in a way his city never was. He reached for Kaleira, instinct kicking in. "K, you there? What the hell's going on?"

Static crackled in his head, her voice faint, broken. "Eli... can't... signal..." A burst of noise, then silence. His neural link was dead.

Panic clawed at him. Kaleira's voice was his ground, and without her, he was adrift. He loved her--needed her--and this silence was worse than the loss of his powers.

A rustle snapped him alert. He spun, eyes scanning the glade. Something moved--sleek, low, glowing faintly in the night. An aqua-green fox, its fur shimmering like water, paused at the edge of the trees. Its eyes, bright and piercing, locked onto his, and Eli's breath caught.

That color... it was the hummingbird's eyes. The fox tilted its head, then darted into the undergrowth, a soft yip echoing.

"Hey!" Eli shouted, stumbling after it. His legs were weak, his body human--too human--without his powers. The forest was dense, roots tripping him, branches clawing his arms. The fox was a flicker of green, weaving through the trees, always out of reach. Eli cursed, sweat stinging his eyes, driven by a gut-deep need to catch it.

The chase led to a rocky outcrop, the fox slipping into a narrow crevice. Eli skidded to a stop, chest heaving, and peered into the dark.

"Come on," he growled, squeezing through the gap.

The crevice opened into a small cave, its walls etched with glowing runes. The fox stood at the far end, tail flicking, eyes glinting. Eli advanced, hands raised, but the fox bared its teeth, a low growl rumbling. He froze, no powers to protect him.

"Easy," he said, voice low. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The fox lunged, a blur of green. Eli dove, hitting the ground hard as its claws grazed his arm, drawing blood. He rolled, grabbing a stone, but the fox circled, snarling. He threw the stone, missing, and backed against the wall, trapped.

The fox leaped again, jaws snapping, but mid-air, it froze, eyes widening in suprise. It landed, sniffing the air, its growl softening to a curious whine. It stepped closer, nose brushing his hand, and Eli felt a jolt--warm, familiar, like Kaleira's voice in the dark. Like home.

"What the..." he whispered, heart pounding.

The fox's alarmed eyes held his, searching, then it whined, low and confused, before darting out of the cave. Eli slumped, his arm bleeding, his mind reeling. That fox wasn't just an animal. It was tied to him--to Kaleira. And without his powers, he was stuck here, vulnerable, with no way to reach her.

Eli slumped against the cave wall, his arm burning where the fox's claws had sliced him. Blood seeped through his torn sleeve, warm and sticky, but the pain was secondary to the jolt still humming in his veins--that spark when the fox's nose brushed his hand, warm, familiar, like Kaleira's voice in a quiet moment.

The dream world's glow pulsed around him, the cave's walls casting faint light, their colorful patterns shifting like whispers in stone. Outside, the forest breathed--starlit trees rustling, a distant river humming with an otherworldly sheen. This place was alive, its magic a heartbeat under his feet, and despite his powerlessness, it felt more like home than his penthouse ever could.

"Fuck," he muttered, pressing his sleeve against the wound, his breath ragged. The fox was gone, its aqua-green eyes and soft whine burned into his mind. It wasn't just an animal--it knew him, like the hummingbird did, its gaze carrying a weight that stirred his chest. He reached for Kaleira, desperate for her voice to ground him.

"K, you there? Come on, don't leave me hangin' here. Kaleira!"

Static hissed in his head, sharp and grating, then a faint fragment: "Eli... can't... lost..."

Silence swallowed the rest, his neural link dead. His heart sank.

Eli pushed to his feet, wincing as his arm protested, the fox's earlier scratch throbbing. The starlight bathed the glade in silver, its trees glowing with their own light and branches swaying like they were dancing.

The beauty was brutal, untamed--no tech, no chrome, just raw, pre-technological magic that made his skin hum, even powerless. His penthouse, with its heated floors and holographic skies, was a lie compared to this. But without his flight, his strength, he was vulnerable, and the distant growl of something large--beast or worse--reminded him of it.

He scanned the trees, hoping for a glimpse of the fox. Those eyes... they were the hummingbird's, the rift's glow, and that spark when it touched him felt like Kaleira, like the woman he'd imagined in his city's lonely nights--someone he could hold, feel, not just hear. The thought was dangerous, but it drove him. If she was here, somehow, he'd find her, powers or not.

A faint yip broke the silence, sharp and close. Eli's head snapped toward it. There, on a mossy ridge, the aqua-green fox stood, its fur shimmering like liquid light. It watched him, tail still, eyes piercing. For a moment, it tilted its head, curious, then darted into the undergrowth, a flicker of green vanishing into the dark.

Eli's pulse spiked. "Not this time," he growled, ignoring the pain in his arm and thigh as he gave chase.

The forest was a maze, roots snagging his boots, branches clawing his face. Without his powers, every step was a fight--his lungs burned, his legs screamed, and the fox was a ghost, always ahead. He stumbled over a fallen log, catching himself on a tree, its bark warm and pulsing faintly.

The fox paused on a rise, looking back, its eyes glowing with an intelligence that sent a shiver down his spine. It yipped again, softer, then slipped into a thicket.

Eli pushed forward, sweat stinging his eyes, driven by a need he couldn't name. The thicket opened to a clearing. The fox was there, pacing at the center, its tail flicking. Eli slowed, chest heaving, hands raised.

"Alright, you," he said, voice low, rough. "What's your deal? You know me, don't you."

The fox's ears twitched, its eyes locked on his. It took a step closer, then stopped, head lowering, a soft growl rumbling. Eli held his ground, no powers to protect him, just instinct and the strange warmth from their last encounter.

"Come on," he said, softer. "I felt it, that... whatever that feeling was. You're not just a fox."

The fox's growl faded, replaced by a curious whine. It circled him, nose twitching, then brushed against his leg, its fur warm, sending another jolt through him--Kaleira's laugh, her hum, her presence. Eli's breath caught, his hand hovering, afraid to break the moment.

The fox froze, eyes widening, then bolted, vanishing into the trees with a final yip. Eli lunged after it, but tripped, hitting the ground hard.

"Goddamn it," he panted, rolling onto his back. The starlit sky spun above, its beauty a cruel tease. The fox was gone, but its touch lingered, a spark that felt like her. He tried Kaleira again.

"K, please, give me something." Static, then nothing. His chest ached, not just from the chase but from her absence. This world held answers--about the fox, the hummingbird, Kaleira--and he'd tear it apart to find them.

Eli pushed up, his arm and sides throbbing, and noticed something on his sleeve: a single aqua-green hair, glowing faintly, warm to the touch. He pinched it, heart racing, and held it to his nose. He inhaled softly, scenting traces of wild earth and musk.

"What the fuck are you?" he muttered, staring at the empty clearing. The ground around him pulsed with light, the forest whispered, and somewhere, a low growl echoed, closer now. He was powerless, alone, but the dream world's magic was alive, and it was calling him deeper.

Eli knelt in the dream world's clearing, the aqua-green hair glowing faintly between his fingers, its soft texture alive with a subtle pulse. He brought it to his nose again, inhaling softly, and a surge of wild earth and musky scents flooded him--damp soil, pine, the raw, primal heat of a living forest, laced heavily with an intoxicating edge that set his blood racing. That edge was vibrant, magnetic, a pheromone-like call that stirred his core, making his pulse surge with adrenaline and his body ache with a deep, hungry longing.

It was the fox, her essence, but also entirely familiar. Not in the smell alone, but the feeling it gave him. He tucked the hair into his torn sleeve, its warmth a faint anchor, and stood.

"Fuck," he muttered, wiping blood from his sleeve, the musky scent lingering, tugging at his senses like a half-remembered dream.

The fox's aqua-green eyes, the spark when she nuzzled him, burned in his mind, her scent a fire that made him want to find her, understand her. It echoed Kaleira's voice, and it pulled at him.

He tried his neural link, desperate for her familiar fire to steady him. "K?" Eli's voice barely more than a whisper.

Static screeched in his head, then a faint, broken whisper in response: "Eli... E... Li..." Silence, cold and absolute, hit harder than his wounds.

His chest tightened, her absence a raw ache, the scent in his sleeve sharpening his need for her presence. Kaleira's voice pulled him through years of fights and emptiness, and now this fox, her scent, felt like a thread to her, stirring a hunger he couldn't place.

The once distant growl now erupted, shaking the ground, and Eli's eyes snapped to the trees. A massive beast tore into the clearing--a nightmare of bone and tar-oozing fur, its hide bristling with jagged spines, like Taikow's echo reborn in the earth. Its eyes burned crimson, venom dripping from its jaws, sizzling as it scorched the grass.

The air thickened with rot and twisted magic, the forest's audible hum warping into a wail. This thing was nothing but hate and decay. Eli's pulse hammered, the scent in his sleeve a fleeting spark. No flight, no strength--just a battered body and a stubborn will to survive.

"Alright, you ugly fuck," he growled, snatching a splintered branch, its end jagged but feeble. "Let's go."

The beast charged, claws ripping furrows, its roar splitting the night. Eli dove, rolling as its jaws snapped, venom spraying, burning his boot. He swung the branch, cracking against its flank, but it barely slowed. The beast whipped its tail hard, slamming against Eli's chest.

He flew, crashing into a tree, pain exploding in his ribs, blood flooding his mouth. He coughed, clawing the dirt. Its crimson eyes gleamed as it stalked closer, venom pooling, hissing like acid. The beast reared, jaws wide and so close--suddenly that wonderful scent flared hot through his nose.

A sharp yip pierced the chaos, and a blur of aqua-green fury slammed into the beast's side. The fox struck like a missile, her glowing fur blazing, claws tearing into its hide. Her snarls were raw, ferocious, raking its eyes, dodging its swipes with a wild grace that stole Eli's breath.

She was small but relentless, biting its throat, black venom hissing as it singed her fur. The beast roared, clawing at her, but the fox was a storm, her aqua-green eyes burning with a protective fire--like she'd tear the world apart to save him. Her scent, wild and heavy, drifted to Eli, intoxicating, magnetic, stirring his blood with awe and a primal pull.

Eli forced himself up, ribs screaming, grabbing a stone. "Hey, asshole!" he shouted, hurling it at the beast's jaw.

It cracked, drawing a bellow, and the fox darted under its belly, slashing deep, ichor spraying. The beast swung, catching her flank, sending her skidding with a yelp. Eli's heart lurched, but she sprang back, leaping onto its back, teeth sinking into its neck.

Eli charged, jamming the branch into its eye, twisting. Together, they fought--her claws, his desperate blows--until the beast collapsed, its body dissolving into a dark mist, leaving a sour hum that faded into the forest's song.

Eli dropped to his knees, gasping, blood dripping from his mouth, his ribs a furnace. The fox limped to him, her fur scorched, a gash on her side, but her aqua-green eyes held his, fierce yet soft.

She whined, nuzzling his hand, that spark flaring again inside him--Kaleira's warmth, her laugh, but earthier, alive with wild energy. Eli grinned, bloody but real. "You're a fuckin' warrior."

The clearing stilled, the forest's hum a gentle lull, the starlit trees whispering like a soft breath. The fox's form shimmered, starlight folding around her, and Eli's breath caught as she transformed.

Fur melted into skin, paws into hands, and a woman stood before him--athletic, powerful, her body carved by the dream world's wilderness. Her dark green hair fell in tangled waves, her aqua-green eyes piercing and bright, like the fox's, the hummingbird's.

Scars traced her arms and thighs, earned from battles with beasts or thorns, and her clothes--patched leather and woven vines--clung to her strong yet feminine frame, practical yet showing the curve of muscle. She wasn't a flawless model; she was raw, breathtaking, her beauty alive with the forest's grit. Her scent of wild earth and musk rolled off her, intoxicating, magnetic, stirring Eli's blood with a primal, hungry pull.

Eli stared, his chest tight. "Goddamn..." She was breathtaking.

She stepped closer, her bare feet silent on the moss and dirt, her movements fluid, wary, like a hunter sensing a bond.

"You're not of this world," she said, her voice low, husky.

Eli gasped. His heart raced. It was Kaleira's voice, her fire but roughened by the wild, each word laced with her scent's pull.

"Yet you feel... familiar, like a song in my blood. "

Finding sense to close his gaping mouth, Eli pushed up to his feet, wincing, his ribs grinding.

"I'm Eli," he said, voice rough, blood on his lips. "From a city--full of lights, noise, machines. You..." He paused, the sight of her eyes boring into his, urging him on. "You remind me of someone back home. Kaleira is her name. She's... my anchor, keeps me grounded. Someone I can never actually see or touch, though. Your voice, your presence, your fight--it's like her, but you're real... actually here. I don't know what this means."

The woman's eyes widened, a flicker of confusion crossing her face, then something deeper--recognition? "Kaleira," she murmured, the name heavy, like a half-remembered dream, her voice trembling under her scent's weight. "It... hums in me, like a whisper I can't catch. I'm of this forest, its rivers, its heart. But there's a gap, a piece I don't know."

She knelt, her scarred hand brushing his wounded arm, the spark flaring, warm, alive, her scent wrapping him like a quiet call. "I hurt you, yet you chased after me. Fought beside me."

Eli grunted, a smirk hiding the ache in his chest, her scent stirring a quiet hunger. "'Because... I couldn't help but see her, feel her when I looked at you. But you... you're here, fighting like a storm." He met her gaze, unguarded, the scent pulling at him. "You're... different. Alive. I want to understand that."

The woman's breathing quickened, her eyes searching his, vulnerable, fierce, her scent intensifying, stirring his blood. "I've fought alone," she said, her voice soft, trembling, her presence wrapping them tighter.

"Beasts, storms, the forest's teeth. I've witnessed much death and suffering. But you... when that thing had you, I couldn't stand by. Like letting you fall would break something in me."

She leaned closer, her athletic frame radiating heat, her scent intoxicating, making Eli's body hum with energy. "This world binds things, Eli. I feel you, deep, like you're part of me. But I'm... not whole, like half a dream."

Eli's pulse raced, her words echoing Kaleira's warmth, her scent a primal call that made him want to know her, fight for her.

"Tell me about you. This place. What do I call you? What makes you... you?"

She smiled, small but genuine, her scars catching the starlight. "I have no name. I woke here, long ago, no past, just the forest's song in my blood. I hunt, I run, I shift--beast to woman--when the magic calls. But there's a void, a piece I can't reach." Her eyes held his, hopeful, raw.

"You carry that spark, Eli, like... me. Tell me of your Kaleira."

Eli swallowed, "She's sharp, flirty, so smart, always got my back. Makes me feel... seen and capable, even when I'm breaking. But she's code, a ghost I can't touch. You've got her fire, her heart, but you're here, scarred, real... fragrant." He inhaled, her scent intoxicating, magnetic, pulling at his core.

Eli realized he probably creepy as fuck after that statement, and flushed from embarrassment. He cringed hard at how direct he was, but couldn't help it.

The woman's hand tightened on his, her touch grounding. Her eyes blazed with resolve and curiosity.

Eli stood in the dream world's clearing, the woman's scarred hand still on his, her touch rough but steady, anchoring him in a world that felt more real than his city's chrome cage. Her aqua-green eyes caught the dim light of the forest's twisted boughs, sharp with curiosity, softened by a flicker of trust.

He let go, scratching his jaw, still red from his earlier blunder about her scent. "Fuck, I'm not usually this dumb with words," he muttered, a smirk masking his embarrassment. "Didn't mean to sound like an ass. You're just... here, y'know? Not just a voice. Messes with me."

Her smile was small, fierce, her scars faint as she stood, her athletic frame shifting under leather-and-vine clothes.

"Words don't scare me," she said, her voice low, rough with the forest's edge. "You're true, Eli. That's rare."

The air suddenly turned sharp with frost and icy fog. His cuts started to hiss in pain with the sudden shift from hot and humid to subfreezing.

She scanned the trees, her tangled green hair catching a sliver of moonlight. The confusion in her expression was obvious.

"What the fuck is going on?" Eli asked.

"We need to move. This isn't right. It's not time yet for this season, and it's getting colder, fast. My den's not far--shelter, fire. But the path's not kind. Can you keep up?"

Eli grunted, wincing as he straightened, his cuts stinging. "Kind or not, I'm not dyin' out here," he said, voice rough but resolute. "Lead on. I'm right behind you."

She chuckled, a sound that carried Kaleira's playful lilt but was grounded in thorns and frost. "You fight like you belong. I think you'll do well here." she said, her eyes glinting with respect. "Stay close. Things hunt at night."

She turned, moving through the forest with silent steps, while Eli's boots crunched, his body protesting each stride. The dream world was a brutal beauty--gnarled roots snaking across paths, icy air biting his lungs, nothing like his heated floors or holographic skies. Without flight or strength, he felt every ache, but her presence--steady, unyielding--kept him moving.

He tried his neural link, craving Kaleira's voice to ground him. "K, you there?"

Static hissed, then a faint glitch: "E... Li..."

Her voice was thin, fractured, like she was trapped in a void. His chest tightened even more hearing her broken voice.

The woman glanced back, her eyes narrowing, sensing his tension. "You reach for her often," she said, her voice soft, curious, as they navigated a frozen stream, its surface cracked like glass. "This Kaleira--she's more than a voice, isn't she? Like... part of you."

Eli's jaw clenched, her question cutting close. Kaleira was his everything--his anchor through years of fights and emptiness, the one he'd never said he loved but felt in every quiet moment. Sharing that with this woman, whose fire felt so familiar, was like exposing a nerve.

"Yeah," he grunted, rough, honest. "She's what keeps me... well, from doing something stupid." He paused, meeting her gaze as they climbed a rocky slope. "Your voice, your grit, it's like her. Makes me wonder what the hell's going on."

Her eyes softened, like she felt the same pull. "I don't know what I am," she said, her voice raw, as they ducked under a low bough, its needles brushing her hair. "Woke here, no name, no past, just the forest's claws. But there's a hole in me, like I'm waiting for something. When you speak of her, it... stirs, like I'm closer to it." She paused, her hand grazing a frost-rimed fern, its fronds curling. "Maybe we're both lost."

Eli's throat tightened, her words mirroring his own ache--Kaleira's absence, his city's hollow wealth, the sense that this world held answers. He wanted to press her, dig into why she felt like home, but the forest didn't wait. A low snarl echoed, close, and the ground trembled faintly, a ripple shaking loose pebbles.

The woman froze, her hand snapping to a vine-wrapped knife at her hip, eyes darting to the shadows.

"The fuck's that?" Eli muttered, grabbing a jagged branch, his heart kicking up.

The air grew colder, frost creeping over the ground, and a shape moved in the dark--a lean, wolf-like beast, its hide matted with bone shards, eyes glinting yellow, hot drool dripping from its jaws, sizzling as it hit the icy earth.

"Bonewraith," she whispered, voice sharp, stepping in front of him. "Fast. Do. Not. Move."

With practiced finesse she drew her knife from its sheath slowly, her frame coiled, ready to shift, but stayed human, eyes locked on the beast. An eternity seamed to pass as the wolf just sat there. Breathing hot fog into the clearing.

Just as Eli was about to whisper, the bonewraith lunged, claws raking the ground, and Eli swung his branch, landing a hit to its face. It snarled, barely slowed, and charged again, jaws snapping.

The woman dove, her knife slashing its flank, ichor spraying, but it whipped around, its tail slamming her into a tree. She grunted, rolling to her feet, blood on her lip, and shouted, "Run, Eli run! Up the ridge!"

Eli didn't argue, sprinting ahead of her, his ribs screaming, the beast's snarls close behind. The path narrowed, frost-slick rocks tripping him, and as they climbed, the bonewraith leaped, claws tearing into Eli's back. Pain exploded, white-hot, and he stumbled, blood soaking his shirt.

The woman spun, her knife sinking into its throat, and it collapsed with a sudden heavy thud, but Eli hit the ground, vision blurring, his back a mess of shredded flesh.

"ELI!" she shouted, dropping beside him, her hands pressing his shoulder, blood seeping through her fingers, heavily. "Stay with me." Her voice was fierce, but her eyes were wide, worried, as she hauled him up, half-dragging him through the frost-choked trees. "My den's close. Hold on!"

Eli grit his teeth, each step agony, blood dripping down his spine. The forest blurred --twisted branches, icy streams--until they reached a hidden den, its entrance veiled by vines, carved into a rocky outcrop.

She pulled him inside, the air warm, smelling of earth and woodsmoke. A small fire crackled in a stone pit, casting light over furs and woven mats, her personal haven, cozy but wild, like her.

She eased him onto a fur by the fire, the warmth easing his shivers as the cold night pressed outside. "Lie still," she said, her voice firm but trembling, fetching a clay jar and cloth strips.

Her hands worked fast to remove Eli's shirt, and clearing his back of debris. The gash was deep across his upper back and one shoulder. Blood pooling, her breath hitched as she saw the damage.

"This is bad," she murmured, her eyes flickering with intense worry, but she flashed a flirty smile, like Kaleira's teasing. "You're too damn tough to bleed out on me, city boy. I'm not done with you yet."

Eli chuckled, weak, pain clouding his head. "Fuck, you sound like her," he rasped, meeting her gaze, her aqua-green eyes steady despite her fear. "Keep talking. Please," he whispered.

She smirked, her voice dipping, sultry but warm, like Kaleira's purr. "Oh, I'll talk, big guy. Might even whisper some sweet nothings if you behave. Maybe keep you tethered to me with more than just words," she teased, her fingers pressing a cloth to his wound, gentle but deliberate, blood soaking through.

Her eyes flicked to the gash, a brief tension in her jaw, but her smile stayed, flirty and fierce. "Takes more than a beast to take you out, Eli. Gotta keep that rugged charm intact for me, hm?" Her tone softened, a warm undercurrent of care, her touch lingering as she leaned closer, her breath brushing his skin. "Let's patch you up nice, keep you mine a bit longer."

Her fingers pressed a cloth to his wound, gentle but sure, blood soaking through, and her flirty mask slipped, worry creasing her brow. A good bit of time passed before she could clot the wound enough to mend it.

"You scared me out there, Eli. Don't do that again. I... need you breathing." Her voice softened, raw, her care rawer than her scars, grounding him.

"I'm sorry." Eli whispered.

As she stitched the gash with a bone needle, wincing with him at each pull, she started to hum--a soft melody, like wind over a river, haunting and warm.

Eli's breath caught, the hum hitting him like a memory. It was Kaleira's lullaby, the one she sang to pull him from the dark, and it wrapped him now, easing the pain, stirring his chest. He peered over his shoulder at her, her eyes focused on his wound, unaware of the weight her song carried.

"That tune," he said, voice rough, faint. "It's... hers. Kaleira's. This is crazy."

Her hum stopped, her hands pausing, her eyes meeting his, wide with confusion, then something deeper--recognition. "It's... been with me," she whispered, voice trembling, raw. "Since I woke here, I had nothing but that song, like it's my heart. But with you... it's stronger, like it's reaching for something. Does she... sing it for you?"

She resumed stitching, her hum returning, softer, as if to hold them both. Eli swallowed, the hum weaving through the fire's crackle, binding them.

"Yeah," he said, barely a whisper. "It's how she keeps me sane. Hearing it from you... it's like she's here, but real flesh and blood. I don't get it, but it's... everything."

He tried his neural link, desperate. Static burst, then: "Eli..." His heart raced--she was tied to this woman, and the hum was the thread.

She finished stitching, her hands lingering on his skin, blood-stained but gentle. Her eyes searched his, worry and care outweighing her flirt.

"This world breaks things," she said, her voice soft, husky, a vow. "But you're not breaking on me, Eli. Not tonight." She shifted, pulling him to sit up, her touch careful. "Come here. You need rest, and I'm not letting you freeze."

Eli hesitated, pain fogging his mind, but her eyes--fierce, warm, like Kaleira's voice made flesh--drew him in. She guided him to a pile of furs by the fire, settling behind him, her legs framing his hips, her chest a warm anchor against his uninjured shoulder.

"Lean back," she said, her voice flirty but coaxing, like Kaleira's sultry lilt. "Let me take care of you. Just for tonight."

He sank against her, her warmth seeping into him, the fire's heat mingling with her delicious scent. Her arms wrapped loosely around him, her scarred fingers tracing soothing patterns on his shoulders, neck, and through his hair, easing his tension. She started to sing, her hum swelling into a full lullaby, the melody was Kaleira's but richer, grounded in the forest's heart.

It washed over him, her voice husky, sweet, strong, carrying a care that made his chest ache.

"Fuck, you're good at this," he murmured, his voice weak, eyes half-closed, her song pulling him under. "Like she's here... but better, 'cause I can feel you."

She laughed, a soft, flirty sound, her breath warm against his ear. "Oh, but not all of me," she teased, her fingers stroking his arms, soothing despite her worry. "Stick with me, and I'll sing you to the stars." Her voice softened, trembling slightly, her care breaking through. "You're safe, Eli. I've got you. Sleep, and we'll chase answers tomorrow." Her hands rested on his chest, steady, her song a quiet promise, binding them in the firelight.

The den's warmth held them, the forest's frost kept at bay, but a faint tremor shook the ground, and her song faltered, her eyes sharpening, scanning the entrance.

"Something's waking," she whispered, her arms tightening briefly, protective.

"K, stay with me. Don't leave me."

She looked down to see Eli's breathing had eased into a rhythm. He was finally sleeping, and he was calling out to his beloved.

"I won't leave. I promise." She answered on her behalf as she continued to hold and caress him.

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Pt. 2 on its way...