First Meeting (Part Two)

Aria´s body refused to move.

The man lay crumpled before her, unmoving except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. His breathing was strained, ragged- alive, but only barely.

The dagger he’d tried to kill her with lay at his side, his fingers twitching faintly around the handle, as if his body still craved violence even in unconsciousness.

She swallowed, her throat dry.

She was trembling. Not from fear. Or maybe it was fear, but not the kind she was used to.

She should run. But she didn’t.

Instead, she wiped at her face, the wetness of her tears vanishing beneath her palm. This is real.

Her legs carried her forward before she could second-guess herself. Cautiously, hesitantly, she knelt beside him, her gaze scanning his features. His clothes- if they could even be called that- were a strange mesh of technology and fabric, lined with intricate designs that pulsed faintly in the light. His hair was black as ink, tousled and damp with sweat, strands sticking to his forehead.

He looked... different. Not like any soldier she’d ever seen. Certainly not like anyone from Militia.

“…Are you Nyxian?” she finally whispered.

No answer.

Her fingers hesitated above his shoulder.

Just a quick touch, she told herself. Just to make sure he was real. She pressed her hand against him.

Heat.

Searing, unnatural warmth shot through her palm. At first, it was just a pleasant kind of warmth, like touching sun-kissed metal. But then it burned.

“AAH-!”

They both recoiled, yelping at the same time.

Aria jerked back, clutching her hand. “Ow! What was that?!”

Neon’s eyes snapped open. He scrambled back like a wounded animal, his dagger half-raised in alarm. “What do you think you´re doing?! Don’t touch me!”

“You’re the one burning!” she shot back, her hand still tingling. “I thought you were unconscious!”

“Well, I’m not,” he snapped, flexing his fingers with a wince. He took one look at her before scowling. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Fine. But you- ” her gaze flickered to his clothing again. Realization dawned.

“You’re Nyxian.” The words dripped with something between accusation and fascination.

Neon groaned. “You keep saying that like I know what it means.”

Aria stiffened. “You don’t know?”

He looked around, his expression shifting from irritation to something unreadable as he took in the golden streets, the bright banners fluttering in the distance, the very air around them- so full of light. He winced, blinking rapidly. “Where the hell am I?”

"You’re in Militia...” she answered, slowly.

A pause. Of course.

Neon exhaled sharply, running a hand through his damp hair. He still wasn’t fully processing it. The world around him- so blinding, so wrong- felt unreal and incomprehensible. His eyes were still adjusting, and every shift in brightness sent another spike of pain through his skull. His body felt too hot, like he was suffocating under invisible pressure.

And his wounds. The longer he sat, the more they throbbed.

Aria noticed.

“Let me heal you."

Neon’s head snapped toward her, his bloodstained fingers tightening around the dagger’s hilt. His body tensed, coiled like a spring ready to strike. His sharp, brown eyes burned with suspicion.

“What, are you insane?! Don’t touch me!”

She flinched as he yanked his dagger up again, his entire posture screaming hostility. She hadn’t even moved toward him yet.

After a long pause, she crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. “Are you always this difficult?”

“I just got stabbed,” he snapped. “Woke up in enemy territory, nearly blinded. And now you-” He pointed at her accusingly. “-you burn hot like a sun, trying to kill me.” He let out a sharp breath. “Yeah, I’d say I’m having a bad day.”

"...If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done it already.”

Neon scoffed. “Yeah? Just know that I won’t show you the same kindness.” His voice dropped lower, dangerous. “You better leave before I- ” His breath hitched. A wince. His body sagged for half a second before he gritted his teeth and masked it with another glare.

"You tried to end me," she said. "Didn´t work."

That made him pause again.

Her expression darkened slightly, thoughtful, her head tilting sideways. “For whatever reason, your attacks don’t work on me,” she murmured. “But we can do this.”

Before he could react, she reached out and brushed her fingers against his bare hand.

For a split second, the contact felt normal. Skin against skin. But then a jolt of searing heat flared between them.

"Ow!"

They both shouted at the same time, recoiling. Neon jerked back, cradling his hand as if she’d just doused it in molten metal.

His glare could’ve burned holes through stone. “What was that?!”

Aria stared at her own palm, rubbing the spot where they touched. It was still tingling. She huffed. “How should I know? You’re the one with this strange tech.”

“Go away, woman. You’re annoying,” Neon muttered, shaking out his hand as if trying to rid himself of the lingering burn.

“Fine.” She exhaled sharply, standing up and straightening her tunic. “Fine. I’ve had enough fights for today anyway.” She dusted herself off and turned her back on him.

“Just die here, will you?” she called over her shoulder, waving a dismissive hand.

And with that, she walked away. Or at least, she tried to.

She took exactly five steps before her body snapped backward, an invisible force wrenching her sharply by the waist.

“What the- ?!”

She staggered, nearly falling flat on her back. Panic flashed across her face as she tried again- another step, another pull, like an unseen rope was latched around her. Her expression twisted in growing frustration.

“Stop it!” she yelled, whirling around to glare at him.

Neon stared at her, blinking. “Stop what?”

She scowled. “This- whatever you’re doing! ”

He raised a brow. “I’m literally sitting here. Half dead... if I might add.”

Aria hesitated, her chest rising and falling with her uneven breath.

“…You’re not doing this?”

“Doing what? ”

They locked eyes. Then, at the exact same time, both tried to move again.

Nothing.

An invisible wall held them in place. No matter which direction they turned, no matter how forcefully they stepped forward, something yanked them back within a tight, unseen boundary no more than a few meters apart.

Aria clenched her fists, panting. Neon let out a long, slow exhale and ran a hand down his face.

She let out an irritated howl. “What is this?!!”

Her voice echoed into the trees, but there was no answer. Only the unnatural silence of their prison.

Aria threw herself to the ground and crossed her arms, fuming.

“Try leaving,” she muttered. He arched a brow.

She waved a hand. “Go on, big scary Nyxian. Walk away.”

Neon scowled. But he tried. He took a slow, careful step back-

The second his foot crossed an invisible threshold, the same force jerked him backward. He stumbled, exhaling sharply through his nose.

"Ah..." he sighed, irritated, as Aria cursed.

Wordlessly, he sat back down, mirroring the woman’s posture- legs stretched out, arms folded, lips pressed into a thin, agitated line. The silence stretched on while they sat as far apart as they physically could within their unseen tether, glaring at nothing.

Silent.

Trapped.

And thoroughly, thoroughly  frustrated.