THE WAR THAT FOLLOWED ME

CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST BREACH

The city of New Ardent shuddered under the alien assault. Explosions lit the streets in crimson and neon blue, glass rained from shattered skyscrapers, and the smell of burning ozone and wet concrete filled the air. The Vaelith had arrived in force, and Kade Reyes knew that tonight, survival alone was not enough.

From his vantage point atop a half-collapsed skybridge, Kade observed the first wave of the Vaelith shock troops sweeping through the central districts. Their movements were precise, coordinated, and terrifyingly intelligent. For the first time, Kade felt a pang of dread, he had faced aliens before, yes, but not like this, not in a city filled with innocents.

Beside him, Mila Okoye crouched, adjusting a makeshift energy drone. “They’re scanning for us,” she said, voice low but urgent. “If they detect the underground network, the entire city’s gone.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed. The relic pulsed in his mind, faint but insistent. They are testing the defenses. They will exploit the first weakness they find.

He exhaled and looked at her. “Then we give them one.”

Kade had devised a plan in seconds. They would not engage directly; the city itself would become a weapon. Overhead, he activated a hacked city grid, causing streetlights to flare and flicker, drawing the Vaelith’s attention. Drones followed, buzzing unpredictably, creating illusions of movement in empty streets.

Below, civilians were evacuated through hidden tunnels. Rashid’s team worked in unison, reinforcing barricades, setting improvised turrets, and preparing traps.

Kade leapt down from the skybridge, Phaseblade humming. Every step he took was measured. Every movement calculated. The relic fed him probabilities, showing the paths of patrols and the points where the aliens were most vulnerable but each suggested choice had a cost.

As Kade and Mila reached a side street to set a trap, a figure emerged from the shadows—Taro, one of Rashid’s lieutenants, looking pale and hesitant.

“Kade… I…” Taro hesitated. “I think they know we’re here.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed. The relic flared in warning. Trust is fragile. Not all allies remain so.

Before he could react, Taro stepped forward, raising his hand—not in warning, but in a signal. Across the street, a squad of Vaelith troops dropped from a lowered dropship, weapons flaring.

Kade’s heart sank. Betrayal.

He slashed with the Phaseblade, taking down the nearest alien before the rest could react. Mila fired drones that emitted blinding flashes, disorienting the soldiers, but the betrayal had cost them precious seconds.

“Why?” Kade hissed, lunging at Taro.

“I—I didn’t have a choice,” Taro stammered. “They promised my family… if I guided them here.”

Kade’s grip tightened, but he let him flee. The cost was high, but the war wasn’t over. Not yet.

The Vaelith moved faster than expected, cutting through barricades and traps. Buildings trembled as energy beams struck steel and glass, sending civilians fleeing. Kade led a counterattack, drawing patrols into the traps they had prepared, but each victory revealed more of the alien strategy.

From a rooftop, he saw a massive shock troop mech descend—a hulking figure, several stories tall, with armor plating that shimmered with alien energy. This was no ordinary soldier. This was a weapon designed for destruction on a scale Kade had never faced before.

Mila’s voice came over the comms. “Kade… that’s a Siege Mech. We’re going to need a bigger plan.”

Kade didn’t reply immediately. The relic whispered, calculating probabilities at a speed no human could comprehend. Weak points… timing… outcome…

He exhaled, a dangerous smile forming. “We’ll make them pay for every step,” he said.

The Moral Choice

As the team set explosives along the mech’s path, Kade noticed a group of civilians trapped in a collapsing building. The relic fed him two probabilities:

Save the civilians, delaying the trap and risking the mech reaching the barricades.

Trigger the trap immediately, eliminating several shock troops but sacrificing lives.

The weight pressed down on him. Every choice had a cost. His hand hovered over the trigger.

“I can’t save everyone,” he whispered, the relic pulsing urgently. “But I can save enough… if I act now.”

He made his decision, heart pounding, and detonated the explosives. The shock troops fell, but the building collapsed, crushing part of the trapped group. Mila screamed in protest, but there was no time to grieve.

Kade’s chest tightened. This is war, the relic said. And you are its instrument.

The Vaelith commander appeared in a holographic projection, voice calm and resonant:

“Kade Reyes. Clever. But futile. Your choices are predictable.”

Kade froze. The commander’s words were unsettling. How could they know his decisions in real time? Then it hit him—the relic was feeding the commander information, subtly influencing his tactics.

“No,” Kade muttered. “They’re using the relic…”

The revelation hit him like a punch. Every future the relic had shown him was contaminated by alien interference. He had been anticipating their moves but they were anticipating his anticipation.

Above, the Siege Mech unleashed a pulse that knocked drones and barricades offline. The city quaked. Civilians screamed. The underground network scrambled, trying to compensate, but the aliens had learned faster than expected.

Kade ran, slashing through patrols and leading civilians to cover, but the sense of inevitability weighed on him. Each step forward felt like walking a tightrope over a chasm of fire and debris.

Mila grabbed his arm. “We can’t hold them long! What now?”

Kade’s eyes scanned the cityscape, neon reflections flickering across rubble and smoke. The Vaelith forces were coordinated, adaptive, relentless. Yet inside him, the relic pulsed not as a guide, but as a warning. You must choose. Or all is lost.

The Vaelith commander’s hologram appeared directly in the street ahead, towering and impossible. The alien’s glowing eyes locked on Kade, and a fleet of dropships descended behind it, cutting off escape routes.

Kade drew the Phaseblade fully, feeling the relic thrumming violently. He had no allies left in sight. Every choice had consequences, every move a risk.

This ends now, the relic whispered.

Kade’s lips curved into a dangerous grin. “Then let it end.”

A shockwave of energy erupted from the dropships, engulfing the street in blinding light. Civilians screamed. Debris flew. And in that instant, Kade Reyes stepped forward not as a survivor, but as a weapon.

The city held its breath.