The glass shattered around her, fragments catching the burnished glow of the volcanic skyline. Elaris dove for cover, her bright green hair—an electrifying halo against the backdrop of molten dusk—whipping across her face as the impact shook the skybridge. The sound of explosions rumbled like a thousand drums, and the roar of collapsing spires echoed through the geothermal city of Cratathis. From her vantage, the city spread out across the horizon—a labyrinth of molten rivers, luminescent towers, and heat-exhaust vents humming with energy stolen from the planet’s core. This was humanity’s last bastion on Janovus Alpha, and it was burning.
Elaris was dressed for survival. Her sleek black bodysuit clung to her lithe frame, designed to disperse the overwhelming heat of the volcanic world her people had colonized. Reinforced plating along her shoulders and arms shimmered faintly in the glow of molten rivers below, while tactical belts looped her waist. Twin plasma scythes hung from her back, their hilts faintly buzzing, but her primary focus wasn’t combat—it was escape.
“Archive Orb secured,” Chel’s voice crackled in her earpiece, sharp with urgency. He was holed up beneath the Geotum Spire far below her. The spire pulsed, its geothermal energy acting as a central hub of their dying city. Elaris crouched, breathing hard, her emerald eyes narrowing. Somewhere amid the chaos, the invaders—automaton horrors called the Kerev—were converging. Machines with scorched alloy bodies and jagged limbs, they had descended upon Janovus Alpha like locusts, with no demands, no emissary, only hunger. They wanted everything.
“Then what are you waiting for, Chel? Get that Orb off-planet!” Elaris hissed, bracing herself against one of the remaining support girders. Below her, the skybridge sagged ominously, hanging above an ocean of magma so vast it seemed endless. The Orb held the last remnants of their civilization—the accumulated knowledge of Earth and the colonies. Without it, there would be nothing left.
“Not without you, there’s no way—”
A deafening shriek cut through the comms as one of the airborne Kerev Hunters sliced through the ash-filled sky. Its six insectile wings glimmered like shards of obsidian in the dim light. Elaris’s fingers instinctively found her plasma scythes as the drone wheeled toward her. With a sudden leap, she propelled herself off the bridge’s edge, freefalling through steam and fire, her hair igniting like a comet’s trail under the raging winds.
“Chel, get your head on straight. I can take these metal bugs!”
There was silence on the line, except for her labored breaths and the growing whine of the Kerev drone’s engines closing in. The city’s heat seared her skin, even through the specialized suit. Concentrating, she spun mid-air and activated her scythes with an audible crackle. Two arcs of plasma extended, shimmering bright green like her vibrant hair. The drone screamed toward her, its pincers glowing red-hot, but Elaris was already anticipating the strike.
The first slash severed its left wing. Molten sparks scattered like fireflies as the drone spiraled downward. Without hesitation, she twisted and delivered a second cut, cleaving it clean in two. Elaris landed on a fractured platform inches above the magma sea, steam hissing around her as the enemy’s carcass exploded far below.
“You owe me twice over now,” she whispered into the comm with a smirk, a flicker of adrenaline sparking in her chest. But that was short-lived. Her gaze traveled upward, where a dozen more drone lights dotted the smoke-choked heavens. A slaughter was inbound.
“Chel, please tell me backup is on its way.”
A pause. Static dragged into silence. But then, Chel’s voice returned, grim and low. “There is no backup, Elaris. It’s just you and me—and this burning rock.”
For a moment, the weight of it all hit her. The years of fighting for survival, the endless retreat from the advancing forces of the Kerev. She clenched her jaw and adjusted the grip on her scythes. Humanity’s future was shrinking. Still, as much as she wanted to let fear cripple her, there wasn’t time. Not for despair. Not for second thoughts.
Her eyes traveled to the Geotum Spire again. Surrounding it were spectral pools of geothermal energy emanating a haunting, unrelenting glow—a mixture of humanity’s innovation and desperation. Deep in its base, Chel was getting ready to make the jump to orbit. With or without her.
She activated her booster nodes, intricate pieces of tech embedded in her suit’s boots, and prepared to run along the contours of the crumbling platform. The Kerev were approaching fast; the fluttering sound of metal wings was everywhere.
“Chel, get the Orb to the stars. I’ll cover your retreat,” she said, her voice even now. The aerial rush of metal wings grew deafening, but Elaris squared her shoulders.
“Elaris…” Chel’s voice wavered.
“Don’t argue with me now, genius. I’m unkillable. You know that.” She laughed, sounding braver than she felt, and bolted forward, her scythes blazing like green streaks in the suffocating dusk.
The drones descended en masse like shadows of death, but amongst the cinder-streaked sky, there she stood—fiery-haired and defiant, doing what humanity had always done: fight as the world burned around her.
The Source…check out the article that inspired this amazing short story: Cosplay Inspiration with a Minimalist Black Outfit and Vibrant Green Wig
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