Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter Two

Astrid’s wrists ached as the cuffs dug into her skin. The chains weren’t metal, not entirely—some kind of glowing, pliable material she couldn’t identify—but they held firm, no matter how much she twisted and pulled.

She sat on the floor of a dimly lit cell, the walls around her smooth and seamless, like they had grown organically rather than been constructed. A faint hum vibrated in the air, the same rhythm she’d heard outside, steady and unyielding. She thought of a heartbeat, and the thought made her shiver.

“How the hell did I end up here?” she muttered, her voice bouncing off the walls. Her words sounded small, insignificant, just like she felt.

She thought back to LUX—the towering, imposing figure who’d declared himself king with such cold authority. His glowing eyes had been unreadable, but the weight of his gaze had felt like a physical force, pressing down on her, threatening to crush her.

“This isn’t happening,” she whispered to herself, though the cuffs told her otherwise. Her heart pounded as she replayed his final words in her head: You are now my prisoner.

Prisoner.

The reality of it hit her like a punch to the gut. She wasn’t just stranded on an alien planet; she was at the mercy of beings who saw her as a threat. Beings who looked like machines but acted far too human for her comfort.

A sharp hiss interrupted her thoughts. She scrambled to her feet as the seamless door to her cell slid open without a sound. Two figures stood in the doorway—one was her captor, the same robot who had dragged her here. The other was new.

He was smaller than the others she’d seen but no less intimidating, his frame sleek and angular, with glowing green eyes that flickered as they scanned her. He carried a thin staff that pulsed with light at one end, and the way he held it suggested it wasn’t just for show.

“Stand,” the smaller one commanded, his voice clipped and precise.

Astrid hesitated. “I’m already standing.”

“Then move,” he snapped, gesturing with the staff toward the door.

Her captor stepped forward, and she flinched as his massive hand closed around her arm. He pulled her forward with no more effort than if she were a doll, his grip unyielding but not painful.

“What’s going on?” she demanded, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the king,” the smaller one said without looking at her.

Her stomach churned. She’d already met the king, and that encounter hadn’t exactly gone well. She wasn’t eager for a repeat performance.

The hallway they led her through was as alien as everything else she’d seen, its walls pulsing faintly with light, as if alive. She tried to take it all in, to memorize the twists and turns, but it was a labyrinth, every corridor blending into the next.

The silence between them was oppressive, broken only by the faint hum of the walls and the soft clink of her chains. Astrid’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of this. She didn’t know what they wanted from her, but she had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to end in a handshake and a friendly chat.

They stopped in front of a set of massive doors that looked as if they’d been carved from obsidian. The smaller robot tapped his staff against the ground, and the doors slid open with a low rumble.

Astrid’s breath caught as she was dragged inside.

The throne room was even more imposing than before. The ceiling stretched impossibly high, and the walls shimmered with a shifting pattern of lights, like a starfield in motion. At the center of it all sat LUX, his massive frame casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the room.

His glowing blue eyes locked onto her the moment she entered, and the weight of his gaze was like a physical force pressing down on her.

“Leave us,” LUX commanded, his voice echoing through the chamber.

Her captors hesitated but obeyed, retreating silently and leaving her alone with the king. The doors closed behind her, the sound final and ominous.

Astrid swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “You’ve got a strange way of welcoming guests,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended.

LUX didn’t respond immediately. He rose from his throne with an unnerving grace, his movements smooth and deliberate. When he spoke, his voice was quieter but no less commanding.

“You are no guest, human. You are an anomaly.”

“Anomaly?” Astrid repeated, bristling. “I’m a scientist, not some glitch in your system.”

His eyes narrowed, the blue light flickering. “You misunderstand. Your presence here is an anomaly. Humans have not set foot on this planet in over three centuries.”

“Well, it’s not like I meant to drop in,” she shot back. “Your world wasn’t exactly on my travel itinerary.”

LUX stepped closer, and Astrid forced herself not to back away. His sheer size was intimidating, but there was something else—something about the way he moved, the way his eyes seemed to see straight through her.

“You tampered with something you did not understand,” he said, his voice low. “And now you threaten the balance of this world.”

Astrid clenched her fists, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “I didn’t tamper with anything! It was an accident! Do you really think I wanted to end up here?”

LUX tilted his head, studying her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. For a moment, he said nothing, and the silence stretched unbearably.

Then, to her shock, he reached out.

She flinched as his hand came close, but instead of grabbing her, he brushed his fingers against the edge of her broken tablet, which she hadn’t even realized she was still holding.

“This device,” he said, his voice softer now. “It carries a signature unlike any I have seen. It is… familiar, yet foreign.”

Astrid blinked, her heart pounding. “Familiar how?”

LUX’s eyes flickered, his expression unreadable. “That is what I intend to find out.”

Before she could respond, he turned sharply and strode back to his throne.

“You will answer my questions, human,” he said, his tone once again commanding. “And in return, I may allow you to survive.”

Astrid’s pulse spiked, her mind racing. Survive? She opened her mouth to argue, to demand answers of her own, but before she could speak, the doors behind her opened again.

A new figure stepped inside, their shadow stretching across the floor.

Astrid turned, her breath catching as she saw the newcomer. They were unlike any of the others she’d seen—a sleek, feminine design with glowing green eyes and a voice that was sharp and melodic.

“I see the king has already begun his interrogation,” the figure said, a hint of amusement in their tone. “But perhaps it’s time we showed our guest the true purpose of her visit.”

Astrid’s stomach twisted. The way they said “true purpose” sent a chill down her spine.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter