Neo's consciousness stirred.
His eyes snapped open as a sharp pain throbbed in every fiber of his body.
His breath came ragged, and shallow.
His Intent vision blurred as he took in his surroundings.
He was lying on rough, uneven stone. The scent of damp earth and something faintly metallic filled his nostrils.
A cavern. A massive one.
The jagged and uneven ceiling loomed hundreds of meters above. Faint bioluminescent fungi clinging to its surface.
'Where am I—'
A high-pitched and inhuman shriek interrupted his thoughts.
Neo focused on his senses, and he saw it. A creature surged toward him with eight legs skittering across the stone.
Its chitin and sinew came together into a grotesque blend.
Its body was covered in thick, segmented armor, dark and glossy, like polished obsidian.
Eight crimson eyes glowed with eerie intelligence, locked onto him.
