Children of The Spheres

Chapter 17: Assault

Days pass, and it's back to guarding the Aureum Spire, shoulders tense, optics drifting like I'm stuck on autopilot. The monotony of standing watch, day after day, has settled in—a dull routine that grates on my nerves. Each hour blurs into the next.

The city around us buzzes with the usual life—markets bustling, maglevs whirring by on their elevated platforms in the distance. I've come to admire the well-oiled machine that is Sunderfall. If you squint, you can almost see why someone might want to live here. Maybe I could settle down in this city one day, assuming I survive everything to come. Doubt it, though.

A random guard, stationed with us, suddenly glances over as he leans against a railing. "You two give off a different vibe than the others, you know that? Always so serious. You do know the Aureum Spire is safe, right?"

Keira gives a half-hearted shrug. "Just doing our job."

I force a grin, trying to seem more at ease, doing my best to keep to my role. "Can't be too careful, right? Sure, it's quiet now, but I figure it's better we stay sharp."

The guard grins. "Guess that's one way to look at it. But trust me, you'll get tired of waiting for something to happen. This place is as safe as it gets."

"Big city, though," I argue, barely managing to fake interest. "Heard the lower levels aren't exactly friendly."

"Well, this is the highest level," the guard counters with a chuckle, shaking his head. "You'll learn soon enough—this job is all about comfort. Not much really happens, so forget whatever they drilled into you at the academy."

I nod, pretending to absorb his words, but his casual tone actually makes me uneasy. The idea that nothing ever happens here—that it's all about comfort—is exactly what bothers me. But that thought is immediately washed away when the emergency line suddenly opens up, local law enforcement panicking.

...bomb in R24 market district... mass casualties... Doctrine of the Void attackers... backup needed...

Keira looks over at me, optics glinting with determination. "Now or never, Ander," she mutters. "This is our chance to make our mark."

I nod, taking the lead and bolting, heart pounding as we make our way down the steps past the shimmering stonework of the spire's base. Finally. This is what we've been waiting for.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" the guard yells after us, his words echoing through the open space. "Get back here! That call wasn't for us! We don't respond to..."

His voice is nothing but a background buzz now. We're already sprinting down toward the city, into the thick of it. Then, a new report comes through. Another nullwave bomb detonated—a highly illegal cyberware-targeting electromagnetic pulse. I catch sight of its purplish shockwave rippling through the market district, sending civilians running from its direction in a frenzy—some stumbling, bionic legs disabled, some blind from useless optics. It's complete chaos.

"Great. Everyone's out of commission," Keira breathes as we dash through the streets.

We weren't hit by the wave, luckily. I just hope they don't detonate another. Neither me nor Keira have essential cyberware that keeps us alive, like a synthetic heart or lungs, so we'd survive, but we'd be practically useless, dead in the water.

The marketplace is chaos. Guards lie dead, their cyberware fried, while Doctrine cultists—faces scarred with runic tattoos—mow down anyone they see, driven by fanatical rage. Civilians scream and scramble through the wreckage, but the terrorists thrive on their fear, firing into the crowd without a second thought. My chest tightens at the sight—it's worse than I imagined.