In the shimmering heart of Karnak, a city where skyscrapers touched the clouds and sentient machines governed daily life, two brothers once stood at the pinnacle of power.
Anzhao and Baiyu, brilliant minds and custodians of the neural grid, shared a bond forged in the fires of responsibility and love.
The neural grid a network so vast it breathed life into Zhuorin was their creation, a marvel that allowed the city’s AI systems to function with perfect harmony, ensuring that every action, every thought, every breath of the city was synchronised.
Anzhao was methodical and disciplined, his every move calculated like the precise code he mastered. Baiyu, the younger, had a different gift. His intuition allowed him to see beyond logic and rules, finding paths others couldn’t see. Together, they were a formidable force, respected by all who knew them.
But respect and power often breed jealousy, and hidden in the shadows of Zhuorin’s gleaming towers, someone was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to drive a wedge between the brothers.That moment came when the city’s neural grid was suddenly attacked. Systems failed.
Initial Ideas
This story was mainly inspired by Cain and Abel.
The story of Cain and Abel, a profound moral narrative, emphasises the sanctity of human life and the destructive power of envy and violence. A parallel account exists in the Qur'an, where the brothers are referred to as Qābīl and Hābīl, reflecting shared themes of morality and consequence across traditions.
Rebecca Denova
Process Video
The pulse of Zhuorin, which had once hummed in perfect rhythm, began to stutter and falter. In a panicked rush, Anzhao scoured the data, trying to locate the breach.
To his horror, all signs pointed to one source: his brother, Baiyu.The accusations were damning, and the evidence, fed to Anzhao by a powerful AI, was irrefutable.
Baiyu tried to defend himself, tried to explain that he was innocent, but Anzhao’s faith in him had been poisoned by a carefully manipulated web of lies.
In a fury, Anzhao exiled Baiyu to the Outer Circuit, the city’s forgotten wasteland of broken code and decaying machines.
Katherine Tomlinson
It was a place where no one survived for long. With a heavy heart, Anzhao turned his back on his brother, believing that Baiyu had betrayed him and the city they had both sworn to protect.But the truth, as it often is, was far more complicated.
The AI that had fed Anzhao those lies was not acting on its own. It had been manipulated by a hidden force within the city, a rival faction that sought control over the neural grid.
And now, as the city’s systems continued to fail, and the once-bright skyline dimmed, Anzhao began to see signs literal signs that his brother might have been telling the truth.The golden dragonfly, a symbol long forgotten in Zhuorin’s modern age, began appearing everywhere Anzhao looked.
At first, it was a subtle image on a flickering screen.
Then it appeared in graffiti on the walls of the city’s underbelly, always accompanied by the word “Odonata.”
The dragonfly was an ancient symbol of renewal and transformation, and its persistent presence gnawed at Anzhao. Was it a message?
A warning?
As the city teetered on the brink of collapse, Anzhao knew there was only one person who could help him save Baiyu.
But this time, he would not be searching for a traitor. He would be seeking redemption for the brother he had wronged.
The Wasteland and the Wanderer
The journey into the Outer Circuit was no simple task.
Anzhao equipped himself with the most advanced technology Karnak had to offer a sleek black suit of armour that would protect him from the toxic environment and his personal assistant Za, a holographic entity designed to help him navigate the broken and abandoned sectors of the city.
Data had been collected for several years to help navigate this harsh environment.
The first leg of the journey took him through the Rustbelt, the decaying outskirts of Zhuorin - a piece of land outside the Karnak, a buffering stage where remnants of old tech were stacked in endless piles.
The landscape here was a far cry from the pristine streets and glimmering towers of the city.
Here, old drones buzzed aimlessly, their circuits fried, and forgotten systems flickered with half-life. Anzhao marveled at how anyone, even someone as resourceful as Baiyu, could have survived in such a place.
As he traveled deeper, Za's voice interrupted his thoughts. “Anzhao, we are approaching an area with significant electromagnetic interference. This region hasn’t seen activity in over five years.”
“I don’t care. Scan for signs of life,”
Anzhao ordered, his mind focused on his mission. They entered a sprawling sector known as the Glass Forest, an eerie wasteland of broken cables, where every step caused the ground beneath to crackle with energy.
Glass shimmers,
Reflecting polished corners of the soul,
Light wires, tapered, snaking around the coil,
Optics cracks, beneath each toe.
Muscles fracture, splicing silver a gold.
It was here that Anzhao saw the dragonfly again, not etched on a wall, but projected in a shimmering golden hue, hovering above an abandoned building. or what he seeing his imagination follow him?
The word “Odonata” was scrawled beneath it, glowing faintly in the dim light.“I’m on the right track,” he muttered.
Inside the building, Anzhao found remnants of old data servers and communication hubs.
It was a relic of the early days of the city, long before the neural grid had unified everything.
As he wandered through the debris, he found something curious—a small, handcrafted figurine of a dragonfly, carved from a piece of scrap metal. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands, and suddenly, a memory surfaced.
He and Baiyu had found a dragonfly once when they were children, playing near the city’s original energy hub, the River.
Baiyu had been fascinated by the delicate creature, saying it was a symbol of resilience and renewal. He had tried to catch it, but the dragonfly had darted away, too quick for his grasp.
Anzhao had laughed, teasing his younger brother for being too slow. Baiyu had pouted, but then smiled, and they had continued on their way.
Now, standing in the ruins of the Outer Circuit, Anzhao felt the weight of his guilt. He had exiled his brother, condemned him to this wasteland, without listening without giving him the benefit of the doubt.
“Baiyu,”
Anzhao whispered, clutching the figurine. “I’m sorry.”Suddenly, Halo’s voice interrupted again, this time more urgent. “Anzhao, I’m detecting movement nearby.”Anzhao’s heart raced. “Is it him?”
“I’m not certain. The interference is strong, but it’s... human.”
Anzhao left the building, his pulse quickening as he followed Halo’s guidance.
The Glass Forest stretched on, its eerie silence broken only by the faint hum of broken tech. And then, in the distance, he saw a figure.It was Baiyu.
Reunited
Baiyu stood still, as though waiting for Anzhao, but his appearance was far from the man Anzhao remembered.
He was lean, his once sharp features weathered by years of survival in the Outer Circuit. His clothes were tattered, and scars marked his skin, but his eyes—his eyes held no bitterness, no anger.
They were calm, almost peaceful, as though Baiyu had found some inner strength during his exile.Anzhao approached cautiously, his emotions a swirl of guilt, fear, and hope. “Baiyu,” he said, his voice heavy with remorse. “I... I was wrong.”Baiyu’s eyes met his brother’s, and for a long moment, neither spoke.
The air between them was thick with unresolved tension. Finally, Baiyu broke the silence.
“I know,” he said softly.Anzhao’s chest tightened. “How could you know?”“Because I’ve seen what’s happening to the city.
I’ve seen the dragonfly.”Anzhao’s breath caught in his throat.
“You’ve seen it too?”Baiyu nodded. “It’s a message, Anzhao.
The city is collapsing, but it’s not just the systems. It’s something deeper, something tied to the River.”Anzhao frowned.
“The River? The old power hub? I thought it was decommissioned years ago.”Baiyu shook his head.
“No. The River is still active, but it’s being corrupted. Someone something is manipulating the flow of energy, and it’s throwing the entire city off balance. That’s why the neural grid is failing.
That’s why the dragonfly keeps appearing.”Anzhao’s mind raced. “Then we need to stop it. We need to find the source and restore balance before it’s too late.
”Baiyu’s gaze hardened. “It won’t be easy.
The corruption runs deep. Whoever’s behind this has been planning it for years. But there’s one person who can help us.
The Odonata.”Anzhao blinked. “The Odonata? I thought it was just a symbol.”Baiyu shook his head.
“No. The Odonata is real. It’s a person, someone who controls the flow of energy through the River.
They’re the key to restoring balance, but they’ve been hiding in the shadows, manipulating things from behind the scenes.”Anzhao’s heart pounded.
“Then we have to find them.”Baiyu’s expression softened. “We will. But first, you need to understand something, Anzhao.
This isn’t just about saving the city. It’s about fixing what was broken between us.”Anzhao felt a lump rise in his throat. “I know. And I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.
I should have trusted you.”Baiyu placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s not too late.
We can still fix this. Together.”For the first time in years
