Abyss Progenitor

The sirens blared in the neon-lit corridors of a spaceship. Smoke and fire filled the rooms as incessant tremors shook the vessel.

"Why are you doing this?" a middle-aged man, dressed in a lab coat, screamed in despair, his body trembled in fear. In front of him, a cloaked figure whose height reached over three meters stood among the dissected bodies of his crew, their fear-frozen faces forever etched with pain and anguish of their brutal deaths.

The figure didn't reply, as the massive axe in their hand descended onto the man's skull, splitting it as if it were a watermelon. Brain matter splattered on the walls, mixing together with the flesh and blood of the other corpses.

The hulking figure then made their way through the corridor. Their each step sent tremors across the spaceship as their gaze focused on the gigantic metal door with the words: Project Abyss.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door.

"What do we do? They actually betrayed us!" a woman screamed in rage, while another one was on her knees, crying her heart out.

Among them was a third person, who appeared to be much calmer than this duo. The refined old man with an elegantly trimmed beard and a head full of white hair calmly stared at the door with his bright golden eyes.

"Don't make a fuss, the project is safe, for now at least." the man said.

"You still call that failure a project?! Who the hell cares if it is dead or alive! The fact that they betrayed us for a failed thing is outrageous!" the enraged woman couldn't contain her voice, her saliva splattering everywhere as she vented her frustrations, veins popping all across her pretty face. However, the old man didn't react to her outburst.

"We spent decades on it, even if it is a failure, it is still our ultimate creation." the previously sobbing woman spoke up, wiping away her tears as she stood up, facing the approaching end with courage.

Seeing this, the old man let out a small chuckle. "Shall we end this, ladies?" he asked with a serene smile.

The two women seemed to be freed of their fears, as beautiful smiles sprouted across their faces. The enraged woman calmly turned toward the desk nearby, her hands swiftly typed on the hovering keyboard as the alarms intensified across the vessel.

"Lifetime of knowledge, for a lifetime of creation." the three spoke, as the spaceship imploded, dazzling rays of light streamed all across the space, as if signifying the birth of a new star.

Somewhere else in the endless stretch of space.

Among the countless stars that dotted the starry sky, a space pod drifted across space, its destination unknown. Along its aimless journey, the pod passed through many star systems, planets and asteroid belts. It was incessantly bombarded by the huge rocks, yet not a single dent appeared on the sleek silver body of the vessel.

The pod continued on its way. Its trajectory kept changing by the various common and strange space phenomena. Eventually, an unknown amount of time later, its course collided with a giant blue planet. Its gravitational field pulled the vessel into it.

As it penetrated into the atmosphere, the sleek silver space pod was quickly engulfed by flames and a few minutes later, the vessel plunged into the ocean. It sank to its depth until it was picked up by strong underwater currents as it started drifting across the planet. After making dozens of laps across the planet, the silver pod resurfaced on the shore, covered by seaweed and barbs.

"What is that?" in the distance, a man in his thirties with buzz-cut black hair and dark eyes spotted the pod. He was dressed in a black, body-tight t-shirt and roomy grey pants. He had a scar over his right eye, as well as multiple scars over his chiseled arms, some of them looking fresh. The man looked at the vessel with wariness. His hand grabbed the hilt of the sword that hung on his waist.

"Blake, is everything alright? a concerned voice echoed from afar, as another older man, who was dressed in imposing blue armor, walked from afar. His hand tightly grasped on his massive white halberd.

"Hey! Where are you going? Did I pay your Ironblood Corps for nothing? a fat middle-aged man jumped out of his luxurious carriage, his elegant black suit was a stark contrast from the muddy grasslands.

"Take a look here, Frost." Blake responded without taking his eyes off the pod.

Frost furrowed his brows, as he walked toward Blake while the nobleman kept ranting from afar.

The moment Frost laid his eyes upon the pod, his body went stiff, pupils dilated and lips quivered. "Is that...a dragon egg?!" he mouthed shakily.

"WHAT?!" both Blake and the nobleman shouted in shock, as one instantly unsheathed his greatsword while the other jumped back into his carriage.

The three men stared at the silver vessel in fear, as the nobleman tightly held on the window curtains while peeking over from the carriage.

They spent the next several minutes in absolute silence, countless chaotic thoughts rammed through their minds, unsure of what to do.

Frost was the first one to snap back to his senses, as he quickly hopped back while a white glow surrounded his body.

Blake followed right after, as a raging red color shone from his being.

"What are we going to do?!" Blake gritted his teeth, as his eyes became enraged and veins popped all over his body.

Frost had already put his helmet back on, trying to hide his fear since he was the leader of the party.

"We shouldn't have split up!" Blake shouted in rage, as red energy spilled out of him like waves.

"Calm down, I already called for them." Frost spoke, as his hand crushed a jade bracelet on his wrist.

"You want me to calm down? I am a goddamn Berserker!" Blake seemed to get out of control, as his body started to emit steam alongside the red glow. This was a bizarre scene to see since this was the end of spring.

a delicate, feminine voice echoed inside their heads, but the duo didn't find her soothing voice enjoyable. Instead, they grew more anxious and ready to flee. Moments later, two women, one dressed in flowing white robes while the other wore a cloak covering her whole body.

"ALICE! LINK US! FAST!" Blake shouted, as his veiny hands squeezed the hilt of his greatsword, his eyes turned bloodshot.

Alice's voice sounded in their minds again.

Frost shouted anxiously.

Alice followed the command with reluctance. As a pained expression on her face, golden energy shot out from between her brows and enveloped Blake.

The two colors mixed together, producing an imposing aura as golden-red energy waves enveloped the whole party. Enraged expressions appeared on them all.

another woman's voice echoed in their minds, but the next moment she fell on her knees, clutching at her stomach.

Alice's anxious voice echoed, but nobody paid heed to the women as Blake rushed toward the silver pod, lunging at it with his sword raised above his head, the tip pointing down.

his desperate scream sounded in everyone's mind, as the sword struck the silver hull, producing an ear-piercing sound and a shockwave that forced everyone to crouch down.

A massive sand cloud enveloped the shore. It even reached as far as the cowardly nobleman's carriage.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED?!" the nobleman shouted while maniacally trying to open the carriage door that had become clogged with sand.

"T-The link is broken…" Alice coughed out blood, as her body dropped unconscious alongside Vanessa's.

"Damn it…" Frost cursed while blood trickled down his nose and mouth. The front of his armor was blown to pieces, many of the sharp shards had lodged deep in his organs.

"This is no damn dragon egg..." intense resentment and unwillingness flashed in his eyes. He lost the only person who Frost could trust with his life, his entire being blown into nothingness. He couldn't foresee the events and protect the newbies assigned by his higher-ups. His career, life and relationships are all gone now.

Yet, the silver vessel shining under the sunlight still stood, not a single blemish on its sleek hull.