Rise of the Fallen

KORA

I woke up with a start, choking on the dust and smoke that filled the air. My eyes squinted into the darkness, trying to make sense of where I was. A thin stream of light was trickling through a crack in the pod’s door, providing just enough light. Had the seal broken when I crashed?

I’m lucky that’s the only thing that broke.

The pod must have landed on its side when I crashed into the earth. I was lying flat on my back, the door above me, the structure dented and battered from the impact. I placed my hands on the door, pushing with all my strength, but it was stuck, refusing to move even a fraction.

“Come on, you stubborn piece of metal!”

Groaning, I shifted uncomfortably against the pod’s walls, trying to maneuver into a better position in the tight space. I braced my back against the wall beneath me, planted my foot against the stubborn door, and started kicking, praying it would give way.

By the fourth kick, the crack widened slightly, allowing more light to flood in and reveal more of the pod’s interior. Encouraged, I kicked harder. Just as I was losing momentum, the metal door finally gave way, and I was momentarily blinded by the light that streamed in from outside.

I shielded my face, blinking rapidly until my vision adjusted. Lowering my arms, I pushed myself to my feet, craning my neck through the opening to survey the outside. I was surrounded by an abundance of trees and other unfamiliar plants.

Climbing out of the pod was a struggle. I hoisted myself up and over the side, grunting in frustration until my feet hit the uneven ground. I stood up and took in the endless forest, wondering what my next move should be.

The pod had created a small impact crater upon landing. Beyond that, there was nothing but plants and trees as far as I could see, most in varying shades of green, while others were even more vibrant, adorned with orange and yellow leaves.

“Ah, well, this is just fucking great.” I looked up at the sky, raising my middle finger in a defiant gesture. “Fuck you! Assholes! You could have at least dropped me into a field or something so I could see my surroundings!”

Huffing, I turned my attention back to the forest, hands on my hips, trying to formulate a plan. I checked my body for any injuries or cuts but found none, likely due to the skintight bodysuit they’d made me wear.

I guess emerging from the pod unscathed is a good thing.

What was I supposed to do now? Those bastards up above had dropped me in the middle of nowhere, expecting me to die within the next twenty-four hours on this hostile planet. Most people who got exiled here would probably be panicking or sobbing over their misfortune.

But I’d sooner cut down a hundred trees and arrange them in an open field to spell “FUCK YOU” than succumb to the emotions I’d bottled up. Maybe if I made the words big enough, the planet’s surveillance teams could spot it.

Sighing, I turned back to the pod, leaning over the wreckage to peer inside. A small latch on the bottom caught my eye. I grabbed it and pulled, revealing a small door to a compartment I hadn’t noticed before.

Inside was a rucksack. I quickly grabbed it and rummaged through, feeling a spark of hope as I discovered the supplies inside.

Clothes, notebook, pencil, canteen, and a knife. That’s it? Where are the rations? Or a flashlight? Who the hell packed these survival kits?

Rolling my eyes, I slung the rucksack over my shoulder and left the pod. Facing the forest, I looked for the most navigable path with the least amount of foliage and started walking. I had no idea where I was going, only that I needed to find shelter or flat ground to set up a small camp for the night.

The whole point of sending criminals down here was to rid themselves of unwanted civilians who used up too many resources and hopefully learn a bit about Xanadis and its wildlife. Criminals were given notebooks to document their experiences in their final days before inevitably succumbing to the environment, starvation, or the wildlife. But who actually did any of that?

There was no way in hell I was going to pause while being chased by a creature to jot it down in my handy-dandy notebook. The thought was absurd.

Pulling the bag from my shoulder, I reached in and pulled out my fancy new pencil, glaring at it. These things were rigged to relay anything we wrote down to a data center on the ship to be studied. Krosa’s way of passive research without risking the lives of any scientists.

I still remembered hearing about how the first exploration team was wiped out in a matter of weeks. Half of them were killed, and the other half went missing. Since then, they had struggled to obtain any research on the planet and had deemed Xanadis as unfit for proper reconnaissance.

All of my frustration and anger came rushing back. Before I knew it, I was reaching back into the rucksack and grabbing the notebook. I opened it and scribbled a very firm “FUCK YOU” before slamming it closed and tossing it back into the bag. It didn’t involve cutting down trees, but the method was just as effective.

After that, I snapped the pencil in half, wishing I could grind it into a fine powder beneath my boot. Instead, I tossed it onto the forest floor.

If the Krosan government wanted information so badly, they could come down here and get it themselves. I wasn’t going to lift a finger to help any of them.

Stomping along the makeshift path, I scanned the forest ahead of me, hoping to spot any kind of landmarks or man-made structures that might help me get my bearings. My first priorities were shelter, and then food. But honestly? I didn’t have the slightest clue where to go.

I stopped in my tracks when I noticed something on the path in front of me that seemed out of place among the otherwise green vegetation.

A blue, thorny vine was stretched across the ground, much like a tripwire set for a trap. The only reason I even noticed it was because none of the surrounding plants had vines or any blue coloring at all. It stuck out like a sore thumb, and instantly I was on high alert.

Was this some kind of trap set by one of the other exiles, hoping to capture an animal for food? Or worse, another person?

Looking around, I picked up a stick from the ground near my feet and contemplated my next move. I decided to throw it at the vine. As soon as the stick made contact, the vine moved, snatching the stick and dragging it away into the brush, completely out of sight.

“Holy shit!”

I jumped back, waiting for something else to happen. But there was nothing. No movement, no rustling of the bushes.

“Note to self: Don’t fuck with the blue vines,” I muttered nervously under my breath. Carefully, I moved along, avoiding the spot where I had seen the vine and continuing forward.

I knew this place was dangerous and did my best to keep a good distance from any brightly colored plants. The last thing I wanted was to be eaten by some giant, alien version of a Venus flytrap or to get scratched by a thorn and start foaming at the mouth from some unknown disease. I wasn’t sure how long I’d last down here, but it would damn well be more than two days.

The sun wasn’t something I was used to after so long on Krosa, and it beat down on me the further I trekked through the woods. The heat was unbearable, but I kept going, determined to find something other than never-ending vegetation. After what felt like hours of walking, I stopped to take a break, checking for more blue vines before sitting under a tree to escape the heat.

So far, I hadn’t seen anything aside from trees, bushes, and ferns during my journey, and I was starting to doubt I’d find shelter before nightfall.

Sighing, I leaned back against a patch of soft blue moss scattered over the roots of the tree, using it as a makeshift pillow. Staring at the tree branches swaying overhead, the warm breeze brushing against my face, I couldn’t help but remember the last time I’d seen so many trees. It must have been when I was a child back on Earth.

I used to love running around outside and playing back then. There was always something so enticing about the great outdoors that fueled my imagination, even though my only proximity to nature was a tiny park near my rundown apartment complex. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before all the wonder and magic of my little slice of the woods was quickly uprooted and destroyed to make room for new drug stores and even more low-income housing.

From an early age, I discovered the harsh reality that people were inherently selfish, willing to destroy a simple park for their own gain. This realization shaped me into the woman I was today, a woman who knew there was no room for weakness or kindness. Every day was a battle, a fight against those who looked down on you, those who sought to exploit you for their own advantage.

Joining the Krosa colonization program had felt like a fresh start. It was my chance to escape Earth’s greed and pollution, to shed my old life and become someone new.

But look at me now. I was tossed aside, treated like garbage by those who should have been my allies, those who left me to die. I had trusted Maxwell, really believed in him, and he’d betrayed me.

So here I am, left to spend the rest of my days in this wild, unfamiliar world. But you know what? Screw them all. I don’t need anyone but myself. I won’t just survive here, I’ll thrive.

I swore never to let anyone take advantage of me again. I’d start fresh here, on my own terms, because if there was one thing life had taught me, it was that you couldn’t trust anyone.

***

ELAZAR

As I hit the ground, I felt the pain of every cut, bruise, and stab wound that marked my body. Everything ached, but I couldn’t give up now, despite my body’s silent pleas for rest. I had to fight, to defeat my enemy and prove my worth before it was too late.

I sat up, watching with detachment as my blood soaked into the dirt from a gash on my side, ignoring the spreading sting. Tasting blood, I spat, trying to push myself off the ground. I fell back down as my arms gave out. My muscles screamed, the pain from my injuries growing until my vision blurred and darkened.

“Stay down, you’ve already lost this fight,” my opponent taunted, looking down at me with a cold, victorious gaze.

My tail twitched in anger, and I clenched my fists, my claws digging into my palms and adding to my injuries.

“He’s right,” one of my brothers added from the crowd surrounding us. Our eyes met, and he shook his head. “Just give in, Elazar. It’s not worth your life.”

I gritted my teeth, my gaze shifting to the female watching the fight from across our camp. My female. Yet she stood there, arms crossed, glaring at me with such clear ~disgust~.

My heart hurt at the sight of her disapproval.

I’ve failed to prove my worth.

All my strength and anger drained away, replaced by a deeper pain as I bowed my head in defeat, surrendering.

I know when I’m beaten.

My opponent snorted, tossing a crude bone knife at my feet. “Cut your braid.” He didn’t even stick around to witness my humiliation, simply turned and walked away. The spectators followed suit, not sparing me a second glance as they flocked to my opponent’s side. The same people who once admired me were now celebrating his victory while I was treated like a bug in the dirt.

Picking up the bone knife, I found a long, thick braid—a symbol of my status as a mated male—in my hair and cut it. I stared at the severed strands in my bloody hand, my heart barely beating as I grappled with the implications.

How could I have failed? I was a strong, proud male, yet I couldn’t even protect my mate from another’s challenge.

She isn’t your mate anymore.

“Don’t worry so much, brother. Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.” My brother clapped my shoulder before heading toward the camp center, leaving me alone with my misfortune.

I didn’t respond as he left, my hand closing around the severed braid, unable to accept that I’d lost again. It seemed I was always destined to lose.

Closing my eyes, I staggered to my feet, clutching my bleeding side. My injuries weren’t fatal, though a part of me wished they were. If I had died in the fight, I wouldn’t have to endure the bitter taste of defeat. I wouldn’t have to suffer the loss of another mate.

After a moment of silent mourning, I let go of the braid, limping into the forest in disgrace.