Archetype

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Night had fallen upon the city of Chronos, but that didn’t mean it was dark. Lights shone from every angle of the city. And where there is light, there is shadow.

A young woman stood at the edge of a rooftop. She wore a full nanosuit, and there was a blade attached to her back. She stared down at the streets below, watching people walk by. She took a deep breath, and released it.

It’s time. No more preparation, she thought. She took a few steps back, positioned her legs, and ran towards the edge, jumping off when she reached it. Her arms outstretched, she forced her head down and brought her legs around, righting herself in the air as she drew closer to the desired rooftop thirty meters away. She outstretched her hand, focusing on a spot on the edge of the rooftop, as close as she dared to the edge. Concentrating on the spot, her world blurred for a moment and she found herself balanced perfectly on the edge of the buildings roof, her heels a few centimeters over the edge.

She was about to take a step forward when loud music began buzzing in her pocket, startling her and almost causing her to fall off. She walked forward a few steps, then pulled the phone out, putting it over her ear, and pressing the answer button.

“H-h-hello?” She said.

“Logan! It’s Mira!” the voice on the other side told her. Logan smiled, and shook her head.

“Y-y-you almost k-killed me, Mira,” she told her.

‘Gomen'nasai! I didn’t mean to!”

“M-Mira. Don’t w-w-worry about it. Y-y-you only st-startled me.”

“Still!”

“Wh-what are y-you calling for?” Logan asked.

“Oh! Right! I have your order in. Are you able to come pick it up soon?”

“I-I-I’m kind of b-b-b-busy right now. I’ll p-pick it up in the m-m-morning.”

“Listen here!” Mira’s voice seemed to change. Logan sighed.

“Hello C-C-Celeste.”

“Don’t hello me. Listen, you better pick this Ingot up soon, or I’m gonna sell it. Capiche?”

“Y-Yes. I-I gotta g-go. I-I-I will p-p-pick the I-Ingot up in a-an hour,” Logan furrowed her brow. Speaking was starting to become impossible.

“Alright. See ya in an hour. And calm down, you’re starting to stutter faster.” There was click, and the line went dead. Logan shook her head, and looked around the rooftop. She had an hour to kill, that was good. But what she would do with that hour was another story. Looking up, she realized that she was standing the shadow of a large skyscraper hotel.

Smiling, she walked towards the edge of the rooftop, and examined the side facing her. Neon signs dotting the buildings face would provide excellent handholds and climbing structures. She quickly plotted her course and then reached into her pocket. She drew out several knuckle sized chunks of ingot and rubbed them between her hand. The precious black stone ground to white dust between her palms as its mana source absorbed through her skin. She felt its power surging through her veins, recognizing the shadows around her, ready to escape. She spotted her first hand hold, the lowest letter of a sign on the south facing edge of the building.

She took off at a sprint, judging her stride length and adjusting appropriately. Her foot touched the edge of the building and she flung herself from it, keeping her arms outstretched, ready to grab on. She focused in on the spot, calling on just enough mana to put her within arms reach. The blur passed and her hands touched the edge of the letter and clamped tightly. Her legs curled into her chest to stop their swing and she hung from the letter, bathed in red light. She swung her leg up and lunged for the top, scaling the sign some ten meters before reaching the top.

Climbing up onto the edge of the rooftop, she sat there, looking out at the distant skyline. Beyond the city limits, it was dark.

Sometimes I wonder… What is out there? She thought, Chronos can’t be the only city left in existence.

“What are you doing up here?” Came a voice from behind Logan. She felt the tip of a gun touching her back.