Aeternum

AETERNUM SPIN-OFF – Shadow Line: Core War


CHAPTER 2 – THE SWARM

he inside of the tunnel was filled with eyes.

At first, they appeared as a single pair of white dots. Then the darkness behind them shifted—along the ceiling line, the edges of the walls, the floor… the same pale glimmers appeared everywhere. Like dozens of tiny, lifeless moons pinned into the dark. And all of them were staring at Ravenn.

Ravenn involuntarily held his breath.

Serin: “Fall back. Now.”

The voice was an order, but there was no panic in the tone. The Shadowed Line never showed fear. They simply moved.

Mox retreated along the right side of the corridor. Ardan pressed the scorched point inside his armor and struggled to his feet. For a moment, no one fired. Because even if they fired, they couldn’t fully see what they’d be hitting.

The eyes began to move.

Approaching footsteps were faint at first. A scraping of metal and flesh. Then the rhythm quickened. A muffled marching sound echoed through the length of the tunnel. At the same time, the black texture along the walls bulged. Like a living shell.

Serin: “Ravenn, fall back to rear. Mox, navigation. Ardan, hold backline.”

Ravenn: “I’ll stay up front.”

Serin: “That’s not an order. That’s survival probability.”

Ravenn paused for a moment. Then he didn’t retreat. He stepped half a pace back only to straighten the line, raising his sword.

The Graulith swarm emerged from behind the corpse of the first creature they had killed. The one in front was taller than the others. Metal fragments were denser on its body, its skin nearly pitch black. A half–broken chest plate hung from its torso. The Iron Veil emblem on it, scorched, was still barely readable.

Mox: “Commander… they ate our armor.”

Some of the Grauliths had strapped torn pieces of old patrol armor to their bodies like trophies. Bent metal stuck to their hips, shoulders, chests. With every movement, the pieces creaked and scraped.

The leading Graulith tilted its head slightly. As if sniffing.

Then it suddenly charged.

Serin shouted:

Serin: “Scatter!”

The corridor was too narrow to truly scatter. They could only shift slightly left and right. The creature locked onto Ravenn. Each step it took dented the metal flooring beneath, vibrations shaking the entire line.

Ravenn didn’t step back. He swung his sword upward with one hand. The first strike hit the creature’s arm. The skin tore, but it didn’t stop. It slammed its body into Ravenn without slowing. The impact threw him back; his spine struck the wall, his implants flickered for a moment. A sharp ringing filled his ears.

Mox opened fire on two Grauliths near the rear. Bullets slipped into some of the gaps between metal pieces, causing small bursts. But they didn’t slow the swarm.

The front Graulith turned toward Ravenn again.

Serin: “Target’s not changing. Looks like it likes you.”

Ravenn rose, steadying his breathing. He gripped the sword with both hands. These creatures weren’t charging toward the weakest point. They chose a target and locked onto it. Not good—but predictable.

When the creature extended its neck slightly, Ravenn felt that vibration again. The soft tissue gap at the throat. The same weak spot the first Graulith had.

He muttered to himself:

Ravenn: “Soft point’s the throat. Wonder if they all have it.”

Just as the creature lunged, Ravenn dropped to his knees and slashed horizontally at its throat. This time the blade sank deep. The Graulith’s scream filled the tunnel. The ones behind it froze, recoiling as if sharing the pain.

Mox: “They pulling back?”

No. They weren’t retreating—they were shifting direction. In the narrow corridor, the swarm aligned and slipped into a side tunnel. From there, they were heading north, deeper.

Serin activated her implant, projecting a map into her eye. The side tunnel led directly to the old maintenance gallery beneath Line 7-B. It hadn’t been used in years.

Serin: “They’re heading to the lower gallery. That’s close to the civilian line.”

Ravenn: “We can’t let them pass.”

Ardan adjusted his armor, panting.

Ardan: “We’re four people. We don’t even know how many they are.”

Serin shot him a look under her mask.

Serin: “Shadowed Line doesn’t count numbers. If the line falls, the city falls.”

Command link reopened. The voice was clearer this time, but with faint static.

Command: “Alpha Cell, we have visuals. Physical swarm confirmed. You are authorized to fall back. Line 7-B will be detonated in twenty minutes. Upper corridor will be sealed.”

Ravenn clenched his teeth.

Ravenn: “What about the lower gallery? If that stays open, the swarm moves under the city.”

A silence. Key presses, distant voices…

Command: “No authorization for lower gallery action. Priority is main line. Comply and retreat.”

Serin exhaled. The order was clear, but the reality wasn’t. She glanced at Ravenn. She already knew his answer.

Serin: “You heard them.”

Ravenn: “I did. Doesn’t matter. If they pass through, they won’t stop.”

The swarm had completely entered the side tunnel. The last few Grauliths disappeared, armor scraps dragging along their bodies. Only the stench, the dark fluid, and the bulging wall texture remained.

Ardan sank to the floor, holding his head.

Ardan: “Since when did we just watch? We were here to stop them…”

Mox approached the tunnel entrance and scraped some of the black texture with his finger. It clung slightly, then crumbled.

Mox: “This thing is growing. Like it’s breathing. If it goes down there, it spreads.”

Something tightened inside Serin. The Shadowed Line lived by orders. But when orders collided with reality, the trigger finger—not command—made the decision.

Serin: “Command says fall back. Protocol says…”

Ravenn cut her off.

Ravenn: “Protocol was written to keep the line from falling. We are the line. If it stops moving, protocol means nothing.”

Serin stayed silent for a moment. She looked at the lower tunnel. Darkness spiraled downward.

Serin: “What do you propose?”

Ravenn didn’t hesitate.

Ravenn: “We cut them in the lower gallery. Bury them down there. Even if the tunnel collapses, they stay trapped. They don’t reach the city.”

Ardan: “And if we get trapped?”

Ravenn: “Then we would’ve died here anyway. Just… a little later.”

Mox let out a tired chuckle.

Mox: “So we’re dead either way, just choosing the location.”

Command spoke again in Serin’s ear.

Command: “Alpha Cell, update position. Detonation sequence for Line 7-B has begun. Fifteen minutes.”

Serin switched to internal comms only.

Serin: “Final decision. If we go down, there’s no guarantee back. If we go up, we never know where the swarm ends up. Remember who we are. Quick and clear—state your vote.”

Ardan spoke first.

Ardan: “I don’t want to go down. But if we go up, there’ll be more bodies when we return. We go down.”

Mox shrugged.

Mox: “I’m shadow. Same darkness above or below. We follow the swarm.”

Serin saved Ravenn for last, though his answer was obvious.

Ravenn: “I finish what I start.”

The decision was made.

Serin reopened the main channel.

Serin: “Command, this is Alpha Cell. We are descending to the lower gallery. Pursuing the swarm.”

A long silence. Then the voice cooled.

Command: “This action violates direct orders. Responsibility will fall on your team.”

Serin: “It always has.”

She shut the link. No turning back. The Shadowed Line had chosen its path.

The path to the lower gallery was narrow and sloped. Black texture thickened along the walls, forming bubbles. Their boots stuck slightly to the ground.

Mox led the way, scanning the surroundings.

Mox: “Feels like they greased the place from inside. This is their route.”

Ardan checked his armor temperature. His pulse spiked.

Ardan: “How do they live in this? Do they even breathe?”

Ravenn stared into the darkness ahead.

Ravenn: “Don’t know. But I saw them die. That’s good enough.”

As they descended, the sounds changed. Metal clinks above faded into deeper, wetter noises. Something large scraped against far-off walls. Occasionally, a muffled growl vibrated through the gallery.

Finally, they reached the open space of the lower gallery.

It had once been a maintenance station—high ceiling, a rail system in the center. But the metal platforms were gone. Replaced by sprawling black biomass along the floor and walls. In the dim light, something moved at the center—a cluster of shadows.

Serin signaled the team.

Serin: “Cover. First, we count.”

Mox enhanced his optical implant. Shapes sharpened.

Mox: “One… two… three… no, impossible. At least ten. Maybe more. Some aren’t moving—they look asleep.”

Ravenn looked at the center. Four massive Grauliths lay pressed together, their bodies rising and falling slowly, breathing deeply. Smaller ones wandered around. One was gnawing on something on the ground—patrol armor scraps.

Ardan swallowed.

Ardan: “It’s a nest.”

Ravenn kept his eyes on the central creatures.

Ravenn: “And we walked right into it.”

Serin laid out the plan—short and sharp.

Serin: “We hit the sleepers first. Ravenn cuts throats. Mox scatters the small ones. Ardan holds the exit. No matter what, nothing leaves this room.”

Ravenn felt the weight of his sword again. The power link in his mechanical arm warmed. His eyes locked onto the dark line along the biggest Graulith’s throat—the same weak point.

Ravenn: “Let’s begin.”

He stepped forward into the dark. He felt the breath of his three teammates behind him.

The central Graulith heard the first footstep. Its eyes snapped open. Two pale, dead points. But this time, there was a faint reflection inside them.

Ravenn froze for a heartbeat.

In that reflection, he saw his own face.

He didn’t blink. He raised his sword and charged.

3 days ago | [YT] | 5

Aeternum

AETERNUM SPIN-OFF – Shadow Line: Core War

CHAPTER 1 – The Lost Line


Sector North Line 7-B was one of Aeternum’s least-used passages. It was cold even during the day, but when night fell, the fog rising between the rusted barriers stung like needles on the skin. The smell of iron mixed with the wind. There was silence, but it wasn’t the silence of nature. That night, the entire line felt like an abandoned warehouse. As if people had left hours ago in a hurry, without touching anything, without taking anything.

When the Shadowline Wardens’ Alpha Cell arrived, the normal patrol was long overdue. Command had been out of contact for three hours. Signal loss was rare in this region; and when it happened, it usually came down to device failure. But this time, something was different. The connection was dying—but the devices still showed they were functioning. This kind of breakdown only happened when something was rippling along the line.

Ravenn Arcthale adjusted the shoulder locks of her armor. Her mechanical arm clicked softly. As she let her eyes adjust to the darkness, the metallic voice in her earpiece came alive.

Serin Hark: “Alpha Cell, coordinates confirmed. The two patrol points are empty. No thermal traces. Stay sharp.”
Ravenn: “We’re moving to the first contact point.”

The fog thickened. It seemed to swallow the light. Mox Veth moved ahead, nearly invisible—his armor’s lines blending with the dark, behaving like a thin moving shadow.

When they reached the first patrol point, there were no soldiers. Shell casings lay scattered, but there were no footprints showing movement after the shots had been fired. The casings were spread out, but their bodies showed no signs of a struggle. This was not the aftermath of a battle—this was the result of a sudden attack.

Ravenn picked one up. The metal was still warm. It had been fired maybe two hours ago.

Serin: “No bodies?”
Ravenn: “Nothing. Like a battlefield that lost its weight.”

Behind the patrol desk, a black patch clung to the wall. When touched, it hardened and cracked. It looked metallic, yet it reacted instantly to temperature changes.

Mox: “This isn’t human work.”
Serin: “Could be Ferrum.”

Ravenn shook her head. She leaned closer to the patch. The smell was mixed: iron, rotten flesh, and burnt electronics. She pressed her fingers against the surface. The material trembled slightly—almost as if it responded.

Ravenn: “Ferrum wouldn’t make something like this. This… feels alive.”

Silence fell. The four members of Alpha Cell exchanged glances. The Shadowline had dealt with unseen threats for years, but nothing like this patch was in any record—not in classification logs, not in threat lists. This trace was completely new.

As they moved toward the second patrol point, the fog thinned. Light flickered through the corridor-like passage; the energy cables were under strain. Still no signs of life. But a steel panel lay bent on the floor—curved outward, as if hit from the inside.

Ravenn crouched. The plate was covered in burn marks. The shape of the burn was circular. Not claws. Not bite. A single impact—yet the way the metal bent showed organic force.

Serin: “What could do that?”
Mox: “Not a human. Not a machine. Something in between.”

Ravenn stayed quiet. Because she recognized the pattern. The burn, the pressure—identical to a classified implant test she had kept hidden for years. But she couldn’t say that now. Not here. The Shadowline fractured the moment doubt appeared. If unity cracked, the whole team fell.

Serin: “Ravenn, you’re thinking hard.”
Ravenn: “Just reading the traces.”

Short. Direct. Serin didn’t push further.

A sound rose from the darkness. A growl—deep, layered with the scrape of metal. The Shadowline instantly shifted to defense posture. Ravenn tightened her grip on her sword. The sound came from behind the wall. They moved toward it, step by step. Mox peeked around the corner, then pulled back.

Mox: “Something’s there. Big.”

Serin signaled with his hand. Alpha Cell spread out. Ravenn stepped forward.

When she rounded the corner, she saw it.

Graulith.

For the first time, standing before her—alive.

Two and a half meters tall. A body of blackened bone and metal. Fibers under its skin pulsed. On its chest, the burnt insignia of a patrol unit—like it had absorbed pieces of their armor into its flesh.

Its eyes were not inhuman. They were pale, empty white. But there was no intent behind them—only a predator’s instinct.

The creature roared—like a scream buried under a high-frequency pulse. Ravenn raised her sword.

Serin: “Fire!”

Mox and Ardan opened fire. The bullets struck the creature’s chest but glanced off. The metal-bone surface absorbed the rounds and pushed them away. The Graulith lunged forward. Serin dodged sideways. Ardan slammed into the wall.

Ravenn pulled back, then surged forward. Her blade struck the creature’s arm hard. The sword didn’t pierce. The limb was as solid as stone. She only managed to scratch the surface.

The Graulith turned to her—fast, impossibly fast. It swung a metal-bone appendage. Ravenn rolled aside. Her armor crackled as she hit the wall.

Serin: “Ravenn! Status?”
Ravenn: “It’s attacking. No weak points.”

The Graulith charged again. This time Ravenn lifted herself and gripped the sword with both hands. She sensed something—a faint vibration at the creature’s throat. Barely noticeable, but there.

She slashed at the neck. The blade cut through. The creature recoiled. A thick stream of black fluid mixed with metal seeped out. It made a different sound now—less a growl, more a grinding thrum.

Ravenn: “Throat! That’s its weak spot!”

Serin fired at close range. This time the bullets tore through the softer tissue. The Graulith staggered and collapsed. Its metal surface cracked as it hit the ground.

The entire line trembled—like the creature’s death had sent a signal.

Mox: “Is it over?”

Ravenn looked at the creature’s head. The eyes still twitched faintly.

Ravenn: “No. This was just one.”

Serin opened the channel. The signal was back. He reached Command.

Serin: “Alpha Cell reporting. Physical threat confirmed. Class: Graulith. Evacuate the sector.”

The connection buzzed. A metallic voice answered.

Command: “Alpha Cell, leave the passage. Multiple energy signatures detected. High probability of a swarm.”

Ravenn dipped her finger into the black fluid on the creature’s throat. It was hot, dense, alive with electrical vibration.

Ravenn: “It wasn’t alone. This trace… is swarm behavior.”

Mox pressed gently on the wall. A faint clicking came from inside.

Mox: “Movement on the north side.”

Serin issued the order immediately.

Serin: “Everyone out. We’re leaving 7-B before it collapses.”

Ravenn sheathed her sword. The tunnel’s darkness pulsed behind them—as if something else was breathing between the walls.

Before exiting, she glanced back.

In the deep dark, at eye-level, a pair of white dots appeared.

Ravenn’s voice lowered.

Ravenn: “…do you see that?”

No one answered.

Because they had all realized the same thing:

The Graulith had not been alone.

The tunnel was full of eyes.

And they all moved at the same time.

1 week ago | [YT] | 12

Aeternum

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Aeternum

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Aeternum

Coming soon on Wattpad

Aeternum: Everything a City Remembers

In a dark future, machines refuse to forget.
Echoing through the steel veins of Aeternum, the Seraph Protocol stirs—no one knows whether it’s salvation or a new curse.
A mechanic, an assassin, and a soldier...
All must confront the echoes of their past within a city that no longer lives, but remembers.

Every fragment, every spark, every memory blurs the line between human and machine a little more.

Aeternum is a story of humanity reverberating through the cold silence of steel—
a tale of a city, a consciousness, and a memory that refuses to fade.

1 month ago | [YT] | 5