An Altered.
That was a word that would strike fear even in the bravest of men.
When these people first emerged after the destruction, they were seen as hope.
A group of selected people with power that transcended all forms of logic.
They were supposed to be the pillars of mankind, and they were… at the start.
Then, out of nowhere, things changed.
I guess the famous quote, "With great power comes great responsibility," didn't quite resonate within them.
So they began acting on their own accord, hoarding resources, forcing people to work under them as slaves, and committing many more disgusting acts that drove the rest of the world into deep fear and hatred.
But not all of them became evil, there were still some out there who stood by humanity and fought for our rights.
By the fourth year, the government had finally developed a way to gain an upper hand in the fight and pushed the Altered into hiding, while the good ones remained as their soldiers.
But still, it doesn't change the fact that they are one of the most hated and feared groups of people on the planet.
So now you have to understand the reason why I couldn't help but think, 'I'm definitely fucked.' After looking up to find everyone staring at me with weird, funny looks in their eyes.
**********
In an underground room with little to no lighting, sat a young man with his back hunched, looking dispirited.
Ashen had no idea what exactly was going on.
He knew something was wrong with him, but had no idea what.
Ever since yesterday, after the incident with the orb, nothing had felt right or made sense.
He had been trying to avoid thinking of anything negative about the situation for both his sake and his sister's, but now he couldn't deny the harsh reality.
There was something terribly wrong with him, and now the question was whether that was a bad or a good thing.
Ashen's head snapped up with a frantic jerk as his eyes darted around the oppressive room.
But there was no one.
The room was empty except for him. Yet, he'd heard it clearly, a voice.
'Am I hallucinating now?'
"..."
'Yeah, definitely hallucinating.'
Silence.
Ashen remained frozen, refusing to acknowledge whatever madness was trying to take over him.
"..."
Ashen remained stone-still as the unknown voice continued to rattle off intimate details of his life, things only he should know.
<…Never been in a relationship, still a—>
"Okay, okay, I get it, that's enough!"
Ashen blurted out, the words bursting out of him before he could stop them, his voice echoing a little too loudly in the confined space.
Ashen squeezed his eyes shut, forcing a ragged breath to calm the frantic drumbeat in his chest.
Then, with a desperate clarity, he formed the most pressing question in his mind:
'What are you, and more importantly, where are you?'
He already knew the answer to the second part, but a desperate, irrational hope still clung to him.
Ashen didn't respond, a cold feeling dread seeping into his bones.
Sigh
'So you're the weird orb from yesterday.'
'Okay, what exactly do you want from me?'
Ashen pushed.
Ashen's fists clenched under the table, his knuckles turning white. The words were a sharp, painful jab.
'You're not supposed to know any of that stuff.'
'Okay, if I'm so stupid, an idiot, ignorant, and whatever the hell you think i am, why are you in me if I can't offer you anything? Why didn't you just kill me like the others yesterday?'
At his outburst, the voice fell silent.
For a long, uncomfortable moment, only Ashen's own ragged breathing filled the oppressive quiet.
Then, when Nexis finally spoke, the energetic, playful tone was gone, replaced by an almost-whisper, laced with something akin to… confusion.
"..."
'…Um, no, I don't know.'
'…Well? Don't leave me hanging, what happened yesterday?'
'So you're saying after moving into me yesterday your hunger suddenly vanished?'
'Yep, definitely fucked.'