Echoes of heart

Chapter 1- The Age Of Dominion

The skies above had been barren for over a century. What was once a sprawling blue canvas, kissed by clouds and sun, had turned into a metallic dome, reinforced by the Dominion.

There were no stars, no birds, only a cold, reflective barrier trapping the citizens below. This was the world Zorak knew.

The Dominion had reshaped everything. Its influence was absolute—technology ruled, and emotions were controlled. The world as people once knew it had become a relic of history books, replaced by a strict order where efficiency was supreme and attachment was seen as weakness.

The society lived underground, in precisely constructed tiers, each separated by wealth, class, and status. Above ground was reserved for the Dominion's control, but no one really knew what happened up there. People stopped wondering, and no one felt curious anymore.

Zorak was different, though. He wasn't born with the docility most people accepted. Even as a child, he had always asked the questions no one dared to voice.

His intellect was sharp, and he quickly climbed the ranks of the Dominion's system. But Zorak was more than just smart—he could see the cracks in the perfect façade that ruled their world. His mind, thirsty for knowledge, found ways to dig deeper, to understand more.

However, beneath this cold exterior, there was a wound, one that was there for years. The memory of Kaia, the girl who had once laughed with him in the hidden corners of the underground, who had shared dreams of freedom in whispered conversations, haunted him.

That was before the Dominion took her—before they took everything from her. When they returned Kaia, she was no longer the same.

She was hollow, her eyes devoid of any spark. She lived, but there was no life inside her. The Dominion had erased her emotions, like they did to so many others.

Kaia walked past him every day. She greeted him politely, her voice soft but without any feeling, and it drove him crazy.

He wanted to scream, to remind her of who she used to be, to pull her away from the Dominion's control. But he didn't. Instead, he acted like everything was normal, pretending it was just another day, even though his heart was breaking inside.

For years, Zorak had spent his life unraveling the secrets of the Dominion, its technology, its methods of control. His genius was unmatched, and even the high-ranking officials of the Dominion came to him for answers.

But Zorak's true mission was hidden from them. He was not in the mood to survive in the cold, emotionless world they had built—he wanted to break it.

He needed to understand how the Dominion controlled minds, how they wiped away memories and feelings.

But his work had to be done in secret, away from the ever-watchful eyes of the system. His success meant one thing: finding a way to reverse what was done to Kaia. And maybe, just maybe, to all the others.

The Underground World

The underground was vast, stretching for miles in every direction. Each sector was like a city of its own, connected by tunnels, staircases, and transport rails that ran endlessly.

Sector One was where the elites lived, filled with luxurious quarters and advanced technology that most other citizens could only dream of.

On the other hand, Sector Seven was where the workers lived—a dark, grimy place, illuminated only by the artificial lights that buzzed overhead.

Zorak lived in Sector Two, a place of intellectuals and innovators, where society's engineers and thinkers resided.

It was the brain of the underground world, but even here, the rules of the Dominion were absolute. Curfews were enforced, emotions were regulated by mandatory injections, and every action was monitored by the Watchers, the sentient AI that observed everything.

There were whispers of rebellion, though. Small pockets of resistance scattered across the sectors, but the Dominion's power was too strong, its reach too wide. Still, hope simmered beneath the surface.

Zorak knew he was alone in his quest. But it didn't matter. He had seen what they had done to Kaia, and he would not rest until he found a way to undo it.

He remembered the last day before she was taken. Her eyes had been bright then, filled with determination and hope.

They had talked about escaping, about finding a way to the surface, to see the real sky and breathe the fresh air that no one had experienced for generations. But their plans had been cut short.

"Zorak, there's no way out," she had told him the night before she was taken. "You're dreaming of something that doesn't exist."

But Zorak had refused to believe that then. And he refused to believe it now. Somewhere, hidden deep within the layers of the Dominion's control, there had to be an answer. An escape. A way to bring Kaia back.