Ethan Solis crouched amidst the metallic graveyard of Aeteris City's outer rim, the so-called "Scavenger's Wastes." Towering heaps of rusted machinery cast long, jagged shadows under the flickering glow of distant psma domes. The city's megastructures loomed like titans on the horizon, their spires disappearing into the smog-choked sky.

  Twenty-one years of scraping by had taught Ethan how to blend into the chaos. A scan of the area confirmed what he already knew: no threats, just the faint hum of broken electronics and the occasional hiss of distant psma leaks. He wiped a yer of grime from his cheek and dug deeper into the pile of debris before him.

  And then he saw it.

  Half-buried under the twisted remains of a drone y an object unlike anything he'd ever seen. Its obsidian-bck surface shimmered with an unnatural, faintly pulsing glow, like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant. He hesitated, his scavenger instincts screaming at him to move on, but curiosity gripped him tighter.

  He reached out. The instant his fingertips grazed the surface, an electric jolt shot through him, sending him sprawling to the ground. The device—no, the artifact—leapt from the ground and tched onto his forearm. Tendrils of light, searing hot, burrowed into his skin like living wires.

  Ethan screamed. He cwed at the artifact, but his fingers passed through it like smoke. Pain blurred his vision, his pulse thundered in his ears, and then—silence.

  When he opened his eyes, the world looked…different. Colours surged in impossible hues, energy signatures danced across the wreckage, and he could feel the hum of power coursing through the artifact. A voice, calm and artificial, filled his head.

  “Designation: Nyx. Arc-Helix AI interface activated. Bond established. Calibration at 19%.”

  “What?” Ethan croaked, his voice hoarse. “Who are you? What’s happening?”

  “I am Nyx, an artificial intelligence designed to guide the wielder of the Arc-Helix. Bonding process incomplete. Adaptation to host will continue.”

  Before he could process what, Nyx had said, a low hum cut through the stillness. A drone hovered into view, its crimson eye locking onto him like a predator spotting wounded prey. “SYNTHERION COLLECTIVE”. The company that owned half of Aeteris and controlled the other half through fear. Ethan’s throat tightened.

  “Unregistered user detected,” the drone intoned. Its speaker crackled with mechanical menace. “Relinquish unauthorized technology. Non-compliance will result in termination.”

  Ethan scrambled backward, the piles of junk shifting beneath him. The drone’s eye glowed brighter, and then—bang. A psma bolt sizzled past him, scorching the ground where he had just been.

  “Defend yourself,” Nyx’s voice commanded. “The Helix will respond to your intent.”

  “How am I supposed to—” Ethan began, but instinct took over. He raised his arm, and the Arc-Helix pulsed. Energy surged through his body, coalescing in his palm, and with a roar, a bolt of raw psma erupted from his hand. The drone exploded in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.

  For a brief moment, Ethan just stood there, chest heaving, staring at the charred remains. The weight of what had just happened pressed down on him like a colpsing star. He had just destroyed a Syntherion drone—one of many.

  The air crackled again. More drones swarmed into view; their ominous forms silhouetted against the distant psma dome. Ethan tightened his fists.

  “Nyx,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos. “Let’s see what this thing can really do.”