The Bloodless War: Chapter One

The Bloodless War: Chapter One

Snow whispered over the jagged peaks, but deep beneath the mountain, there was no sound-only a silence so old it felt alive.

In the heart of a cathedral carved from bone and ice, a black sarcophagus stood sealed, its surface swallowing the faint red glow of a damaged survey drone. The machine's jittery hum broke the stillness as it scanned for life.

Then-a crack.

The coffin shattered outward.
A tall figure stepped free, pale as moonlight, black filaments coiling beneath his skin like living veins. His first breath was ragged, but his gaze burned red at its core. Hunger flickered there, wild and unashamed.

The drone twitched. It tried to flee.
He caught it effortlessly, crushed it, and hissed, "This... is not blood."

A pulse of blue light flared from the far wall, slow and steady, like a heartbeat. Behind the ice, someone-or something-moved.

Velkan pressed his hand against the frozen barrier. Alive, he realized. Not prey. Not enemy. Possibility.

As he tore open a narrow passage, a limp figure fell into his arms: a young scout named Nia, her chest rig glowing faintly with the same blue light. She gasped, trembling, her first words barely a whisper.
"Are you... human?"

Velkan's mouth curved, sharp and unreadable.
"I am the thing that saved you. For now."

But the moment of fragile trust shattered as distant boot-steps echoed through the icy halls. Something else was coming-something alive and hungry.

Velkan rose to his full height, crimson light burning in his eyes, as he spoke the truth neither of them wanted to hear:
"The war has already begun."

Main Characters

• Velkan -
  An ancient, pale warrior awakened after centuries entombed beneath the mountain. Black filaments coil beneath his skin, hinting at both organic and technological origins. Calculated, hungry, and frighteningly calm, he is driven by instincts he barely understands. His crimson-shadowed eyes burn with power-and secrets.
• Nia Kade -
  A young field scout from Unit Thirty-Four, tasked with exploring the glacier caves. Resourceful and determined, she carries a portable heater-beacon that saved her from the cold but also trapped her team. Despite her fear, she shows flashes of courage and sharp wit, quickly forming a fragile alliance with Velkan.
• Unit Three-Seventeen (Drone) -
  A damaged reconnaissance drone with a cracked, spider-like frame. Its glitching voice provides occasional fragments of data and eerie, unintentional humor. Though mechanical, it serves as a witness to Velkan's awakening.
• The Unknown Pursuers -
  Unseen figures whose boot-steps echo closer as the chapter ends. Whether human soldiers, rival scouts, or something far more dangerous remains unclear. Their arrival signals that Velkan and Nia are not alone-and that the conflict is about to escalate.