UMBRA SURVIVOR

The calendar flips to 2026, but the New Year feels like an ending. News reports crackle over every screen, each more horrifying than the last. Cities burning. Unexplained violence. A sickness that twists people into… something else. Heines Vespertine watches it all from his apartment, the muted blue light reflecting in his dark eyes. He ...

The calendar flips to 2026, but the New Year feels like an ending. News reports crackle over every screen, each more horrifying than the last. Cities burning. Unexplained violence. A sickness that twists people into… something else. Heines Vespertine watches it all from his apartment, the muted blue light reflecting in his dark eyes. He trains as the world ends. He meditates to maintain control. And at see maditation hi understood something is different inside him simmers beneath his skin, a power he barely understands, born from his life in the war and awakened by this chaos. But control slips as the sirens wail louder, closer. Maria. He needs to find Maria. His girlfriend is a medic at the downtown hospital. He tries calling, but the lines are dead. He imagines her amidst the carnage, her gentle hands battling the growing nightmare. The thought ignites a cold determination. He slings a worn leather bag over his shoulder, packed with essentials: water, protein bars, a first-aid kit, put on his military suit and the one katana gifted to him by his sensei. He moves with a practiced grace that seems almost absurd against the backdrop of societal collapse. The streets are pandemonium. Cars abandoned mid-lane, buildings ablaze, screams echoing in the winter air. He weaves through the chaos, his senses heightened, the shadows themselves seeming to guide him. He dodges a stumbling figure, its eyes vacant, face contorted in a silent scream. A kinetic pulse shoves it back, a flicker of darkness barely visible. He doesn't have time. Ahead, he spots a familiar face amidst the mayhem. Wilson Leamington, a charismatic figure from his dojo, stands atop an overturned police cruiser, flames dancing around his outstretched hands. He's directing survivors, his voice a beacon of calm in the storm. "Heines! Thank God," Wilson shouts, his face etched with grim resolve. "The hospital is overrun. Maria…" He hesitates, and Heines' blood turns to ice. "…she was last seen in the east wing, trying to evacuate patients." Wilson shouts will tension to Heines "if you go watchout it seems that illness who are speaking of is like an awakening of some kind of power many people have some kind of kinetic ability some using it to create this chaos. Me and some other are protect the people and you should join us t..." Heines pushes past the crowd, ignoring Wilson's calls. East wing. That's where the worst of it would be. He sprints toward the hospital, the city's screams fading into a singular, desperate plea. Maria. He has to reach her. Failure is not an option. The hospital loomed, a shattered monument to hope. Smoke billowed from its windows, casting long, distorted shadows. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning flesh. Heines gripped his katana, the cold steel grounding him. Inside, chaos reigned. Gurneys lay overturned, sprinklers hissed uselessly against electrical fires, and terrified patients stumbled through debris. These were not monsters—just people, newly awakened, struggling to control powers they barely understood. “East wing!” Heines muttered to himself, pressing forward. Halfway down the corridor, a boy cowered amid the wreckage, trembling as kinetic energy pulsed around him, shattering tiles. “Please… don’t—” Heines dove over him. “It’s okay! Stay down!” The hall groaned as debris fell. Shadows stretched unnaturally along the walls. Then he saw her. “HEINES!” Maria shouted, blood streaked across her sleeve as she guided two patients toward safety. “Watch out—the stairs are gone!” “I’m coming!” he yelled back, weaving through smoke and fire. Her gaze met his, relief flashing before panic. “Hurry! We don’t have much time!” Heines sprinted, ignoring the trembling floor beneath him. “I’ve got you! Just hold on!” Every second counted, every step a battle against the chaos.

Heines shouts, "Maria! Stay with the patients; I'm coming to you now!" His voice cuts through the din, a promise and a command. He risks a glance, confirming she's seen him, her face a mixture of hope and desperate worry. He can't fail her. Can't fail them. The corridor is a death trap. The air shimmers with heat, and chunks of the ceili...

Heines shouts, "Maria! Stay with the patients; I'm coming to you now!" His voice cuts through the din, a promise and a command. He risks a glance, confirming she's seen him, her face a mixture of hope and desperate worry. He can't fail her. Can't fail them. The corridor is a death trap. The air shimmers with heat, and chunks of the ceiling rain down intermittently. He has to move fast. He uses his military instinct, he start to create a grappling hook. It's a crude application of his abilities form the amry, he using it and testing,it feel unstable but it works. A newly awakened man, eyes glowing with manic energy, lunges from a side room, hands crackling with electricity. "what happening to me, what is this fire,my hands this power is overwhlming i-ch i can't control it i oow...!!!" he shrieks, he body explode in a bolt of pure energy. Heines jump to cover from the power of the explosion, Heines looking above the cover the man who was speaking become a bloody soup on the ground. "what the fuck was that his body just explode i this what it happen if you lose control of your power? but i don't have the time for this i have to take Maria out of the hospital" saying Heines speaking to himself. He reaches the gap where the stairs used to be—a gaping chasm leading to a fiery abyss below. Maria and the patients are stranded on the other side, their faces pale in the flickering light. "There's no way across!" Maria cries, her voice laced with despair. Heines scans the surroundings, his mind racing. A fallen metal beam spans part of the gap, but it's unstable, riddled with stress fractures. It might collapse under their weight. But there's no other choice. "Maria, can you carry the lightest patient?" he asks. "Yes, but—" "Then listen carefully. I'll use my grappling hook to help you pass the chasm. Cross one at a time, and move quickly. Understand?" She nods, her eyes filled with trust. He focuses, throwing the grappling hook on the upper floor and locking in to a broken window, the fractured metal is shaken and become more unstable. The beam groans under the strain, but holds. He sees Maria carefully help a young child onto the rope and holds the kid while she flow above the chasm towards Heines. “Careful!” Heines calls, bracing himself. “Don’t rush!” “I’m fine,” Maria shouts back, her voice tight but steady. “Just keep steady!” The beam quivers beneath the rope. Dust falls around them, and somewhere below, another person’s uncontrolled kinetic pulse shakes the corridor. The rope jerks violently. “Heines!” Maria gasps as the child slips slightly. He throws himself forward, wrapping an arm around the rope. “I’ve got you!” he yells, straining against the weight. The metal groans again, threatening to tear free. The child cries softly but the rope cut the fall. “I’m scared,” he whispers. “It’s okay,” Maria says, hugging him close. “He’s here. He won’t let us fall.” Another tremor shakes the building. Loose debris rains down around them. Heines doesn’t notice anything unusual—his focus is on pulling them to safety. With a grunt, he hauls Maria and the child closer. Her hand reaches the the hand of Heines. He grabs it, yanking them both to the opposite. They collapse onto the floor, coughing from smoke and dust. Maria looks at him, her chest heaving. “You came.” “I promised to your father,” he says, voice rough but steady. “Come on. We’re getting out of here but i go to take the other person.” Heines rush in to chasm holding the rope and grap the other patient form the opposite site of chasm and help him to pass ather passing behind them, the east wing finally collapses into the chasm they had just crossed, leaving only silence, smoke, and the faint crackle of distant kinetic bursts. "We need to find a safe place!" say Heines searching for dangers. That moment the hospital walls start to collapse Heines tring to drive them into the exit. The ceiling crashes behind them; only smoke and uncertainty remain.

"We need to move now, the whole building is coming down on us!" Heines barks, his voice strained but clear. There's no time for hesitation. Every second counts. He scans the corridor, searching for the quickest escape route. The main exit is their best bet, but the path is treacherous, littered with debris and unstable structures. "Follo...

"We need to move now, the whole building is coming down on us!" Heines barks, his voice strained but clear. There's no time for hesitation. Every second counts. He scans the corridor, searching for the quickest escape route. The main exit is their best bet, but the path is treacherous, littered with debris and unstable structures. "Follow me! Stay close!" He commands, his hand instinctively reaching for the katana strapped to his back. He moves with practiced grace, his military training kicking in. Each step is calculated, each movement precise. He knows that one wrong move could be fatal. Maria nods, her face pale but resolute. She clutches the child close, her eyes darting around, assessing the danger. The other patient, a middle-aged man with a grim expression, struggles to keep up, his breathing ragged. They navigate the collapsing corridor, dodging falling debris and leaping over obstacles. The air is thick with smoke and dust, making it hard to see and breathe. The sounds of the collapsing building are deafening—the groans of straining metal, the crashes of falling concrete, the screams of trapped souls. They look toward the exit and start running. The closer they get, the heavier the air feels. The kinetic pressure increases, vibrating through the walls and floor. “Almost there!” Maria says, breathless. Heines suddenly grabs her arm. “Wait.” One of the patients panics and rushes ahead. “It’s clear! We’re safe!” “Stop!” Heines shouts. The man pushes through the exit doors. A deafening crack splits the air. A massive rock tears through the doorway at impossible speed. It obliterates the man’s upper body instantly. The lower half collapses a heartbeat later. Maria gasps. The child lets out a small scream. Heines pulls them hard against the wall. “Don’t look,” he says sharply. Outside, the ground trembles. Another explosion answers the first. Concrete shatters. Firelight flashes violently through the entrance. Maria’s voice shakes. “What is happening out there?” Heines listens carefully. This energy is different. Not chaotic. Controlled. “There are two awakened people fighting,” he says quietly. “And they know exactly what they’re doing.” A shockwave rattles the reinforced frame of the exit. “We can’t go out there,” Maria whispers. “No,” Heines agrees. “This entrance is reinforced. It should hold longer than the rest of the building. We wait.” “For how long?” she asks. “As long as it takes.” They stay low against the wall while the battle outside tears apart the street. Nearly two hours pass before the tremors fade and the pressure in the air dissolves. Heines exhales slowly. “It’s over.” He steps toward the doorway and looks outside. For a brief moment, the smoke seems thinner to him. The darkness… clearer. He blinks and dismisses it. “No movement,” he says. “We go.” Across the street, he spots a small market on the corner. “That’s our next stop.” He guides Maria and the child into the ruined street. They cross the ruined street carefully and slip inside the market. The bell above the door gives a weak chime before silence swallows it. “Clear,” Heines says after checking the aisles. Maria lowers the child into a chair. “We’re safe… for now.” “For now,” he repeats. He gathers bottled water and sealed food. They eat in silence, the sound of distant tremors echoing outside. Night falls quickly. With no power, the store sinks into complete darkness. He blocks the entrance with a shelf and sits against the wall, katana across his knees. “You need rest,” Maria whispers. “I’ll stay awake,” he says—but exhaustion pulls him under. As he sleeps, the darkness inside the market deepens. Shadows stretch unnaturally along the floor, slowly drawing closer to him, as if breathing. He doesn’t stir. He doesn’t know. But something within the dark has awakened something inside of him. Umbrakinesis the power to control the shadows and manifest darkness.