Chapter 1: CHAPTER 1 EXCERPT

PRESENT DAY

Amneris Topanga stood in a dark alleyway hidden between two large buildings in the middle of a city she didn't know the name of. Amneris tapped her foot impatiently against the concrete ground, looking at her watch for the fifth time in thirty seconds. Still a few more until the rift opened. Gods, she was so bored with this whole waiting thing. Why did time have to feel so damned slow on this backwater planet? She checked her watch again, the time having changed by one entire second. Surely it couldn't be that much longer.

The air before her rippled and split opened. Through a tear in the worlds, Amneris could see ruins of a world beyond. This was a portal to a world parallel to this, to this version of Earth called Maldek. A world where Amneris had placed something very important. She ran through the tear.

It was a different kind of dark here. Not the dark that came with night, but the dark that came from a sky with no stars. Amneris stood in the crumbling ruins of an ancient city. Nature had long since overtaken the land, the area covered in moss, vines and trees. Well, the ones that were fine with only the light from a single star in their sky when daybreak came. There wasn't that much life left here.

One building in particular stood out from the ruins. A tall tower shaped like a step pyramid. It looked different from the last time Amneris had seen it. Gone were the beautiful paintjob and the awesome metallic decorations. It sat in a pile of rust and stone, plant growth overrunning it from every side. Amneris picked her way across the ruins, careful of stepping on any stones in case they were unstable. It wouldn't have been the first time. Thankfully, she reached the base without any incidents. Now all she had to do was find a relatively stable way to the top. How hard could that be?

The entrance had collapsed. There was no way inside. Amneris shrugged. No big deal. She cracked her knuckles then reached up. Her fingers grasped onto a deep crack. Stable. Amneris pulled herself up to the top of the first boulder-shaped stone, standing tall, bracing herself against the next. She shimmied cross the small ledge to a gap between the stones. Amneris smiled to herself. Shortness had its advantages. She squeezed inside with ease, landing on the worn stone floor.

It was darker in here. Obviously. Amneris snapped her fingers. A small orb of white light appeared beside her, floating in the air. As Amneris moved forward, it followed close-by, lighting her way.

Even inside the tower, it was clear this place had been long since abandoned. The beautiful murals had faded, their colour so faint that it could only be seen in the dimmest part of Amneris' light. She sighed sadly. It had been too long. Ixasis always won in the end.

But now wasn't the time to reminisce. She had a mission.

Amneris, turning to the left, followed the remains of the mural down the hallway. She jumped over fallen bits of wall, treading carefully over areas which showed clear signs of damage. Even the strongest of buildings couldn't last forever, but there were areas that lasted longer than others. For example, the small stone spiral staircase which conveniently led to the outside of the tower. It was still in one piece.

Cautiously, Amneris placed one foot on the lowest step. She pulled away just as fast as cracks spread. With a frown, she placed her foot on the step again, this time putting more weight. The step cracked further but held firm. Amneris placed all her weight on it. No more cracks. Good. Slowly, she made her way up to what used to be a hatch. The wood had rotted away ages ago, leaving a square-shaped hole. Amneris pulled herself through it. She stood on the roof of the first floor. Only six more to go.

Amneris pulled her phone from her pocket. At the press of a button, the screen flickered to life. On it was a map of the building she stood on, the path she needed to take covered in sharp blue ink.

Getting her baring straight, Amneris turned on the spot until the map lined up with what she was seeing. Nodding to herself and holding the phone firmly, she ran along the roof.

Having just walked half of it from the inside, she knew where the weakest areas for. Amneris leapt over the hole, keeping her footing as light as possible. Under any other circumstances she would've said "fuck it" and used her power to fly to the top or, at the very least, leap to the next level, but she couldn't do that this time. Stupid safeguards. What had she been thinking?

Oh, right, she hadn't.

At the other end of the roof, at the base of the second level, a worn ladder was carved into the wall. Sadly, this time, Amneris found her height against her. She would have to take each rung one step at a time. She tsked. If all the ladders were like this—and they probably were, knowing her luck—this was going to take a while. If some of them were in a bad state . . . Amneris shook her head. Best to not think about how that would go. She pulled herself up the ladder.

Checking her phone for directions, Amneris decided she could go either way to reach the next ladder. Straight appeared to be the quickest route so she went straight. This part of roofing held firm under her steps – a surprising but good sign. Perhaps the bottom was the weakest area—

Wait, that wasn't a good thing.

Amneris clapped her hands against her cheeks. "Focus."

She rounded the corner and—

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"Oh, you're kidding."

Amneris found herself standing before a group of four people. Not just any four people. The colours of their battle armour told her all she needed to know about them. Terpolites. The enemies of her people, Lyriumians, who stood for everything they were against. The people who they'd been at war with for the Gods knew how long.

The group stared at Amneris, their gazes obscured by crimson helmets. She stared right back. The Terpolites broke into a run across the rooftop, heading straight toward the next ladder!

"Oh, no you don't," Amneris murmured.

She pocketed her phone in her jeans, rolled up the sleeves of her jacket, and charged. Her natural speed having long-since been enhanced by her power, Amneris shot past them with ease. She barged them to the sides, reached the ladder, and sent them a two fingered salute. Amneris made her way up to the next level.

Remembering the path from her phone, she rounded the next corner and ran straight across the roof. That was the closest path to the next ladder. Surely, if she made it to the next level at this speed, there was no way the Terpolites would beat her to the—

Ladder.

Amneris stared gobsmacked at the four Terpolites standing in front of her. "Seriously? Am I that out of shape?"

One of the Terpolites laughed. "Perhaps you are not as good as you think."

"Is that a challenge?"

The other three Terpolites pulled blasters from their thigh holsters. Halo-60s, the Terpolite weapon of choice. Compact but powerful. A wave of the hand from the one who'd spoke had them standing down. Were they the leader? If so, why weren't they attacking? Amneris was beyond confused.

The 'leader' stepped behind his soldiers. "How about a race? If you reach the top first, we will let you leave. If not . . ." He shrugged. "I am sure your imagination can suffice."

There was definitely something wrong with this guy. Any other Terpolite would've taken the opportunity to shoot Amneris on the spot, climb the tower and take the item, leaving her dead on the rooftop. Wouldn't have been the first time it happened. But if there was a chance of them leaving her alone for once, who was she to deny it? Okay, usually the first but this time she wasn't all that keen for a fight, even if it was entirely out of character.

"Alright," Amneris said. "Just know that I will be killing everyone who gets in my way."

"Duly noted." The Terpolite raised a gloved hand and counted down from three.

Two.

One.

Go!

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