The Soul-Code Warden: Rise of the Ghost Heir

Chapter 4: The Taste of Iron

"Why am I floating?" Brux screamed, his voice cracking as his heavy boots left the sandy floor. "What did you do, Princey?"

"The rules changed, Brux," I said. 

I didn't float. My feet stayed pressed firmly against the ground, held down by the golden hum of the System. 

"Help me!" A guard yelled, his arms flailing as he drifted toward the jagged ceiling spikes. "I can't breathe!"

"It’s not the air," I replied, looking up at them. "It's just gravity taking a break."

"Get me down!" Brux roared, trying to swim through the empty space. "I'll kill you! I'll rip your heart out!"

"You can't even touch the floor," I said. "How are you going to touch me?"

I took a step. It felt like walking through water, but my boots stayed anchored. I walked right up the side of a rusted pillar, moving toward the ceiling where Brux was stuck.

"Stay away from me!" Brux shrieked, his mechanical jaw clicking in terror. "You're a monster!"

"A minute ago, I was just trash," I said, reaching out to grab his cybernetic arm. "Funny how fast things change."

"Let go!" Brux begged. "This prosthetic cost me five years of mining! Don't you dare!"

"You used this arm to press my face into the dirt," I said, my grip tightening. "You used it to try and kill a kid."

"I was just doing my job!" Brux yelled. "The Wardens told me to break you! It wasn't personal!"

"It felt personal to me," I replied. 

I twisted. The metal groaned. I could feel the violet stimulant screaming through my veins, giving me strength I shouldn't have. 

"Wait! Stop!" Brux pleaded. "I have gold! I’ll give you everything!"

"I don't want your scraps," I said. 

With a brutal jerk, I snapped the hydraulic piston in his elbow. The sound of tearing metal echoed through the silent cavern. 

"My arm!" Brux wailed. "You broke it!"

"Now we're even for the boot," I said.

"You're dead!" A guard shouted. "The gravity is coming back! Look at the lights!"

The golden screen in my eyes began to flicker red. 

[Warning: Gravity Re-engagement in 3... 2...]

"Arix, look out!" Pip yelled from below. "The droids! They're coming!"

The air suddenly turned heavy. Brux slammed into the floor with a sickening thud, his broken arm sparking. I dropped down beside him, landing on my feet.

"End of the line, Prince," Brux wheezed, clutching his shoulder. "Look behind you."

I turned around. Four Enforcer Droids, ten feet tall and painted a dull red, were stomping toward me. Their eyes were glowing crimson.

"Target identified," the lead droid boomed. "Arix Beaumont. Status: High-Level Threat."

"I'm not going back in the hole," I said, raising my glowing fists.

"Capture mode initiated," the droid replied.

The first droid fired a gravity tether. A purple beam hit my chest, pinning me against a rusted wall. It felt like a mountain had been dropped on my lungs.

"Get off him!" Pip screamed, throwing a rock at the droid's head.

"Stay back, Pip!" I choked out. "Run!"

"Scanning for accomplices," the second droid said, turning toward the boy.

"No!" I roared. "He’s just a kid! He’s got nothing to do with this!"

"Silence, prisoner," a guard said, stepping forward and kicking me in the ribs. "You really thought a little juice would make you king?"

"I broke your boss," I spat, coughing up blood. "That's enough for today."

"The Warden wants to see you personally," the guard sneered.

"Tell him to come down here," I said.

"Oh, you're going to him," the guard laughed. "But first, you're going to the Dark Hole."

"The Dark Hole?" Pip gasped, his face turning white. "No! Nobody lasts a week in there!"

"He’ll be lucky if he lasts a day," the guard said. "Load him up."

The droids moved in. One grabbed my neck with a cold, metal pincer. Another clamped heavy shackles onto my ankles. They were vibrating with a frequency that neutralized the System's signal.

[System Error: External Interference. Admin Access: Suspended.]

"No," I whispered, watching the golden screen fade into darkness. "Not now."

"Arix!" Pip cried, trying to reach me, but a guard pushed him back.

"Run, Pip!" I yelled. "Find Lyra! Tell her what happened!"

"I'll find you, Arix!" Pip shouted as the droids dragged me toward the heavy blast doors.

"Close the gate," the guard commanded.

The heavy steel doors hissed shut, cutting off the light. I was dragged down a long corridor covered in thick, black insulation. There were no lights here. No sound. 

"Is this it?" I asked, my voice echoing. "The famous Dark Hole?"

"It’s your new home," the droid replied. 

They stopped in front of a small hatch in the floor. They unceremoniously dumped me inside. 

"Wait!" I shouted.

I fell about ten feet, landing on a cold floor that smelled of copper. The hatch above me slammed shut, and I heard the deadbolts clicking.

"Hello?" I yelled.

Silence. There wasn't a single photon of light. I held my hand up to my face, but I couldn't see it.

"System?" I whispered. 

Nothing. The interference from the shackles was total. I was alone in the absolute dark.

"You can't keep me here!" I screamed at the ceiling. 

My own voice felt small, swallowed by the blackness. I sat down, my back against the wall. 

"I'm going to kill Lucian," I muttered. "I'm going to kill him for this."

Hours passed. In the Dark Hole, time didn't exist. The only thing that existed was the sound of my own breathing.

"I need to stay awake," I told myself. 

Suddenly, a faint scratching sound came from the other side of the wall. Tap. Tap-tap. 

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Is that you, Star-Born?" A raspy voice whispered through the grate.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A friend," the voice replied. "Or a ghost."

"How long have you been in here?" I asked.

"Long enough to know the guards are coming for your eyes tomorrow," she said.

"My eyes?" I felt a chill run down my spine.

"They saw the gold, Arix," she whispered. "And the Warden wants to know where it came from."

I gripped the shackles on my wrists, pulling at them until my skin tore. 

"They won't get near me," I hissed.

"They’re already in the room," she said.

I spun around in the darkness. I couldn't see anything, but I felt a cold draft on my neck.

"Who's there?" I yelled.

A low, mechanical chuckle filled the cell.

"Welcome to the end of the line, brother," a voice said. 

It was Lucian.

"Lucian?" I reached out, my hands hitting empty air.

"Sleep well, Arix," the voice said. "The surgery starts at dawn.”