What happened
At 9:30 AM, everyone inside Prestige Tech Park vanished. No explosion, fire, or damage. Power and water still work. The area is sealed by the army.
What we see inside
- Strange, fast-growing plants: climbing vines, moss on glass and steel, and thin filaments drifting in the air. Coverage spreads within hours.
- The air is unusually damp: lobby humidity ~78% (much higher than normal).
What doesn’t work
- All signals die inside the zone: mobile, satellite, radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
- Devices can still record video/photos but won’t send data until taken outside.
- Analog radios hiss with static, then cut out.
Drone test
A recon drone entered at 1:47 PM. Telemetry ended within seconds. Auto-return failed. Search teams couldn’t find it.
Sample notes
Plant cuttings from the edge contain chlorophyll but also glass-like silica in their cell walls. Faint iodine-ozone smell. No known pathogen yet; tests continue.
Next steps
A small Special Forces team will do a short entry into the main tower (floors 1–2) to:
- look for survivors,
- check the structure,
- identify hazards.
Rules: avoid lethal force unless directly threatened. Abort and exit if comms drop past a set limit.
Public Communication
“Safety inspection; area evacuated.” No civilian entry. Trespassers will be detained.
Current status
No news on the missing. No confirmed hostiles. The anomaly is contained to the park for now, but spread is possible. Police are ready to expand the cordon if needed.
Sid POV
“So, who wants to take the crystal?” Sid asked while making his way back to the group. The damp earth underfoot squelched slightly as he approached, the forest air thick with the lingering metallic tang of the spider’s ichor.
Mahesh swallowed. “Shouldn’t we check on the others first?” His voice cracked. The shake in his arms had finally shown up now that the rush was gone.
“Take it, Rohan,” said Varun, turning around to look at Sid, as if wanting to check his opinion.
“Yeah, let’s get the crystal thing sorted before we check the others,” said Sid, nodding his head. His eyes flickered to the fallen creature. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the crystal sitting there in the open, unattended, in case something else stumbled across it.
Rohan hesitated only a moment before kneeling down. The others instinctively leaned in, a loose semicircle forming as they watched him reach for the crystal. The tension in the air was almost palpable, their breaths slow and deliberate, as if none of them wanted to distract him.
[STATUS UNLOCKED]
[Skill Crystal Detected—Compatible Skill: Mana Web (Uncommon)]
[Would you like to absorb? Y/N]
“I can see words appearing in front of me.” Rohan cleared his throat. “It’s asking if I want to absorb the skill.”
“See? I told you.” Varun’s grin flashed, quick and nervous, his finger lifting toward Rohan.
“Go ahead.” Sid’s voice stayed even. He nodded once, never taking his eyes off the crystal.
Just like what happened with Varun, there was a minor flash of light as the crystal disintegrated into small motes of light. For half a second, nothing happened.
Then Rohan’s body convulsed. He dropped with a strangled cry that erupted into a full scream—raw, primal, and filled with agony. The sound tore through the clearing, freezing everyone in place.
“Rohan!” Mahesh dropped beside him and grabbed his shoulders.
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Sid knelt opposite, eyes darting over Rohan’s face. “Talk to us—what’s happening?”
But the agony seemed beyond words. Rohan’s fingers clawed at the dirt before suddenly going limp. The screaming stopped as abruptly as it had begun, leaving only ragged breaths.
“Rohan… Rohan…” Mahesh tried to shake him awake after he stopped screaming abruptly. Clarity returned to Rohan’s eyes, and he gestured for them to wait with his hands while trying to sit up. His breathing was heavy, the rise and fall of his chest loud in the hushed clearing. He was holding his head in his hands.
“How did you survive that pain?” Rohan asked without looking up, his voice rough. He wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular, but the others instinctively turned toward Varun.
“There was no pain when I took the crystal. What happened to you?” replied Varun as he sat down next to Rohan on the damp earth, away from the creature’s corpse.
“It was… like the worst migraine I’ve ever had—times ten,” Rohan said, fingers pressed to his temples as though holding his skull together. “Then suddenly, it was gone.”
“Try to think of seeing your status or character sheet. Mentally picture your details—name, race, etc.—appearing in front of you,” Varun said, trying to help Rohan visualize his status.
Sid observed the exchange with riveting interest. This confirmed for him that something supernatural was happening here—and it could provide powers to help them survive.
“Yes, I can see my status.” Rohan’s voice went softer. His eyes moved as if following a list only he could read.
“Read it to us.” Sid tipped forward, intent clear.
“After we check the others,” Mahesh said. His tone was firm, eyes flicking toward the group.
“Alright.” Rohan exhaled and got to his feet. Sid fell in beside him, and the four of them turned back toward the rest of the group.
The scene that welcomed them when they returned to the others was completely morose. Aditi was sitting against a tree in complete silence, her vacant eyes fixed on Allen’s corpse—she looked as though she had shut down entirely, struggling to process what was happening around her.
The injured man and his friend were wailing beside the girl’s dead body. Poison spread beneath the corpse in branching purple trails.
Rohan went over and checked for any signs of life in Allen, and confirmed what they had all feared: he was gone. He sat down next to Allen, unsure what to do next. For the first time since they had landed in this bizarre world, he did not know what to do next.
“We need to bury them,” said Varun.
Mahesh’s hands balled into fists. “How can you be so nonchalant? We just watched our colleagues get slaughtered before our eyes.”
Varun moved in, shoulders squared. “What do you suggest we do? Wait until the next monster shows up and finishes the job?”
Rohan pushed to his feet and stepped between them. “Enough.” The word cracked the air. It was more than anger. It was exhaustion, raw fear, and the strain of holding the team together.
Sid stepped forward, voice quieter but steady. “Rohan, we can’t stay here.”
A few feet away, Varun had already begun digging into the earth with his makeshift spear, dirt piling at his side.
Mahesh drew a breath to speak. Sid lifted a hand and cut across him. “What do you expect us to do, Mahesh?” His voice trembled with restrained emotion. “I’m doing what I can for Allen. If it were me on the ground, I’d want a burial, not to be left for whatever roams these trees. I’m giving him that.”
Rohan’s eyes were red at the edges. He stared at the churned dirt. “Sid… how can you?… I just… I need some time.” The last word fell into the hush between trunks.
Mahesh’s mouth flattened. “Fine.” He dropped beside Varun and shoveled with his hands, fingers clawing at the soil, head down.
Sid joined them quietly. The soil was soft but thick with roots. After a while, two shallow graves lay before them.
“Hold his legs,” Varun said, his voice even, practical. Mahesh didn’t respond—he just moved into position, and together they lifted Allen’s body.
“Wait, check his pockets,” Sid said, stepping forward. “We can give his things back to his family.”
Mahesh stopped mid-motion, meeting Sid’s eyes. “Do you really believe that?” he asked, laying Allen’s body back on the ground.
“What?” Sid asked, furrowing his brows.
“That we’ll be able to return from here,” Mahesh said, the words flat, almost bitter.
Sid hesitated, but Varun spoke first. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to beat this game and find a way out.” His voice wasn’t just calm. It buzzed with something unsteady—like he was trying to stay on top of a wave he didn’t understand. The belief steadied him, even if it wasn’t based on anything solid.
Sid crouched beside Allen’s body, gently patting down his pockets. His hand paused as he noticed Varun moving at Allen’s feet. “What are you doing?” He asked, tone even but cold.
Varun froze with Allen’s shoe half-loosened. “We might need shoes later.” His eyes flicked to Sid, words lacking conviction.
Mahesh stepped in, shadow falling across the body. “We do not rob the dead, Varun.” Each word came clipped, held tight.
“I get it,” Varun said, heat rising. “But what do we do? Let useful things rot while we walk barefoot?”
Sid lifted a hand. “Just take the shoes, Varun. Nothing else.”
Mahesh’s stare snapped to Sid, then turned to Rohan, inviting a response.
Rohan’s gaze sank to the ground. “Show some damn respect.” The words came firm, the hurt obvious.
Varun straightened and spread his hands. “Why are you acting like we’re monsters? We’re trying to survive.”
“You can survive without stripping the dead of their dignity.” Rohan looked up and held his eyes.
Sid’s shoulders eased. He looked away. “I was going to use the shoelace to make a cross. To mark the grave,” he said, quieter.
“Fine, do whatever,” Mahesh said, walking away.
The air was heavy and still. No one spoke. Only the sound of dirt hitting wood broke the silence. Varun and Mahesh lowered Allen’s body carefully, neither looking at the other. When the last of the soil fell over him, Mahesh’s hands lingered a moment before he stepped back.
A few steps away, Rohan and Sid approached the injured man. He looked up, eyes rimmed red, his friend’s hand resting on his shoulder.
Rohan’s gaze moved to the pale, still body and gave a small nod.
The injured man returned it—a silent permission. Together, Rohan and Sid lifted her body and carried it to the second grave, their movements slow and reverent.
When it was done, the earth was smooth again, as if nothing had ever broken it. Sid gathered two fallen sticks, tied them with a strip of shoelace, and pressed them into the ground.
He looked around. No one met his eyes. Varun stared at the soil, Mahesh stood with his fists clenched, and Aditi’s face was blank. The forest felt too close, the shadows thicker than before.
If danger came now, they wouldn’t even run. The thought settled in Sid’s chest like a stone in water.