Chapter Text
The Light reaches out, ever curious. The Dark resists, ever obstinate.
"....dian.."
To live is to die. These are the laws often upheld. From the smallest insect, to the farthest star.
"Guar... ..n you hear me?"
But what is life to those who may live forever? What is death to those who die, and die, and die?
"It's ti.. ... wake up,"
What are you?
She came to in a rush, bolting up with a sharp gasp as humid air filled her lungs. She was all too aware of the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the heaviness of her limbs. The damp soil beneath her fingers, the overwhelming scent of mildew, the incessant drip, drip, drip of water between the cracks and gaps in stone. It was too much all at once, and that panic only grew as a small something was hovering in front of her face. All she could make out was a singular glowing eye in the dark that illuminated its fragmented form, shifting and rotating like its parts had minds of their own. A strangled shout escaped her as scrambled backwards, only making it so far before the back of her skull met rock.
It hurt.
A curse fell from her lips as the pain bloomed, and attempting to touch the source only made it hurt more, causing her to she wince and let her arm drop back to her side. It had, at the very least, broken her out of her blind fear, but it took all of her will not to let it regain its hold as she pressed herself against the wall, trying and failing to control her breathing and hammering pulse.
"Sorry, sorry!"
She recognized that voice. It had spoken to her earlier, hadn't it? Looking up, she realized that it was coming from the... robot? The voice sounded robotic, and what little she could see of the floating creature certainly didn't look organic. It also sounded anxious, having darted backwards in response to her erratic behavior. She could make out how its pieces clung tightly to its form as it cautiously drifted closer, akin to how one would approach a wounded animal.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," the voice echoed from it as a gentle whisper. "I'm sorry for scaring you, you don't need to be afraid. I promise, you'll be okay. I can help."
The pounding in her ears was slowly subsiding. The little robot's voice was smooth and gentle, and she allowed its reassurances to reach her as the tightness in her chest began to loosen, being replaced by a comforting warmth she could feel through... something. A bond. It wasn't long before she took her first steady breath since she'd woke, and she found herself extending her hand to the robot, palm up in an act of cautious acceptance. There was trepidation, but that didn't stop the little thing from easily gliding into the invitation, hovering comfortably above her palm. She lifted her hand closer to her face, fascinated by how it followed the motion as if her grip were tangible. She swallowed thickly before she finally found her voice, with words that sounded right but felt clunky in her mouth, "What... What are you?"
"I'm a Ghost," it chirped, audibly more relaxed than it had been before. After performing a flashy little twirl, it added with something akin to pride, "Your Ghost, actually."
"Ghost," She repeated it back, weighing it on her tongue. "My ghost."
"That's right."
The Ghost moved to hover just to her left, whirring gently as it examined the back of her head. "That's already beginning to swell," it pointed out, and she almost gave in to the urge to touch the injury again to confirm before it continued, "Allow me?"
She didn't understand what she was allowing, but she nodded anyway. She watched in awe as the pieces of its shell separated from its body, connected only by a brilliant blue glow as they slowly orbited around it, all the while the ache began to dull and fade. It was only once the Ghost returned to its original geometric shape that she reached back to feel. All she felt was velvet short hair, finding no pain, or even the slightest bump.
Her musings were cut off by a hopeful "Better?" from her new friend. She could see it much better now, the blue of its eye mingling with a warm orange reflected off its shell.
She gave the Ghost a smile, "Much. Thank you." and her smile grew as she watched its shell ripple happily. The way it fluttered about in delight had her wondering what she'd even been afraid of in the first place. One question on an ever growing list, she was beginning to realize. But as she opened her mouth to ask even one of those questions, a resounding screech echoed through the cavernous halls, brutal and haunting, startling them both. She was on her feet and her heart pounded anew, and her Ghost wasn't far behind.
"We need to get moving. Come on, I know the way out of here,"
And with that, it disappeared in a cloud of light before her eyes. Just... gone.
She blinked at the space the ghost once resided, and was subsequently blinded as that same light suddenly overwhelmed her vision. It faded just as fast, and she stumbled at the sensation of walls forming around her head. It brought on a brief feeling of claustrophobia, but as her hands shot up to feel, she relaxed as she realized that she had been given some sort of helmet. She watched in awe as a display appeared, and at the same time she heard static spark to life as her Ghost's voice rang through, "Don't worry, I'm still with you. I can guide you more safely this way."
Another scream rang out, chilling her to her core and distracting her from any further concerns she may have had about the tangible status of her mechanical companion. But she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, despite Ghost not being physically present to see it. "Okay," she said, and she stepped out of the small space and into a tunnel. Due to the acoustics, she couldn't even tell which direction the screams were coming from. She looked left, then she looked right. From where she stood, the overture of each was the same: cold, dark, and potentially evil. "Which way?"
"Right," was the immediate answer. "but take it slow. These tunnels branch, and we don't want to be spotted if we can help it."
"Spotted by, what, exactly?" Still, she didn't idle and started walking as directed, one hand tracing the wall as she went. She could barely see a foot in front of her, let alone the ground, so her eyes flicked between her hand and the void ahead while she walked, her only solace being the faintest light provided by her HUD, along with the feeling of coarse stone beneath her fingertips.
"Hive." A perplexing answer that only worried her more, but Ghost was quick to follow up. "I know that doesn't mean anything to you right now, but I promise it will eventually. Hopefully later rather than sooner."
Although her knowledge was next to none, as she shuffled through the pitch black corridors and ducked at every damning scream that echoed around her, she found herself sharing the sentiment.