Dying Light 2: Volatile Virus

Settling In – The First Steps of a New Life

The new survivors of Aurenshaven followed Draemir through the village, their eyes filled with awe and uncertainty.

The golden-lit streets, the flourishing fields, the tranquility of it all—it felt impossible.

And yet, it was real.

Draemir walked at a steady pace, his presence alone commanding silence and attention.

As he guided them, villagers stepped forward to help.

They greeted the newcomers, offering food, showing them homes, teaching them how to live in Aurenshaven.

Some survivors were hesitant, still struggling to trust.

But others?

They were already adjusting.

Aiden watched as families were led into homes, as children saw real food for the first time in years, as exhausted survivors collapsed onto beds they never thought they'd have again.

This… was hope.

And Draemir had given it to them.

After a short while, when the villagers had fully taken over helping the newcomers—Draemir shifted.

His focus changed.

There was something else that needed to be done.

He turned to Aiden.

And his voice dropped into something far more serious.

Draemir:

"You will stay here. If anything happens… tell me instantly, and I'll come as fast as I can."

Aiden nodded slightly. He understood. Draemir had other priorities now.

This wasn't over.

Draemir:

"There are multiple ways of entering Solara." (His golden gaze flickered slightly.) "Through the sewer entrance in the sanctuary, through the sewer entrance from the Slums of Harran, and through the rails of the trains from far away."

Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly.

Harran.

The place where it all started.

And the fact that there was still a way inside meant one thing—danger could come from anywhere.

Draemir:

"I will prepare all my arsenal to defend."

(His voice grew heavier, laced with a cold certainty.)

"And I will go after Crane."

Aiden felt his breath steady.

He had seen Crane's power.

He had seen what he was becoming.

And yet—Draemir's voice didn't waver.

Draemir:

"This time… I will make sure he is dead."

No doubt. No hesitation.

Just a statement of fact.

Then—his tone shifted slightly.

Draemir:

"Also, I will prepare cults of evolution for you."

Aiden's expression twitched slightly.

Cults of evolution.

Whatever that meant… it was for him.

Draemir then turned, his robes shifting slightly, his presence still heavy.

He gestured for Aiden to follow.

Without a word, Aiden obeyed.

And together—they entered the sanctuary once more.

The Cults of Evolution – Aiden's Transformation Begins

As Aiden stepped deeper into the sanctuary, the air grew thicker, heavier, charged with an energy he couldn't explain. The golden-blue mist curled through the air like living tendrils, its scent both intoxicating and overwhelming.

Draemir moved with purpose, preparing the rituals. These weren't just simple tests—they were acts of transformation.

Aiden wasn't just going to change.

He was going to evolve.

The First Cult – Flesh of the Sun

Draemir led Aiden to a stone altar, where a ceremonial plate had been placed. On it—pieces of flesh.

But not just any flesh.

This was mutated flesh. Flesh touched by Draemir himself.

Aiden couldn't catch how Draemir prepared it. One moment, it wasn't there. The next—it was.

Beside the plate, golden-blue smoke swirled, filling the air.

Draemir (firmly):

"Eat."

Aiden hesitated.

His instincts screamed at him.

This was wrong.

But… he had already come this far.

Taking a slow breath, Aiden grabbed a piece of flesh. It was warm, almost pulsing in his hands.

He took a bite.

The moment the flesh hit his tongue, something inside him snapped.

A burning sensation rushed through his veins, spreading fast, twisting through his body.

His vision flickered, his breath hitched.

His mind screamed at him to stop.

To reject it.

To tear his own skin apart just to rid himself of whatever was happening inside.

But then—he took a deep breath.

Mia.

Her face flashed in his mind.

His mission. His purpose.

He clenched his jaw, fighting through the pain, forcing himself to accept it.

The golden-blue smoke seeped into his lungs, fueling the change, mixing with the burning sensation of the flesh inside him.

He endured.

And he won.

The Second Cult – The Liquid of Evolution

Draemir guided Aiden to another ritual chamber.

In its center—a stone bath filled with blue liquid.

Aiden knew this substance.

It was the same blue liquid that had created the Night Hunter.

Draemir's voice remained calm, unwavering.

Draemir:

"Immerse yourself. Completely. Let the virus take in what it must."

Aiden stepped forward.

The liquid was thicker than water, heavier.

As he lowered himself in, inch by inch, it clung to his body like a second skin.

When he was finally covered up to his neck, the real pain began.

The blue liquid forced itself into his pores, into his bloodstream, into his very bones.

It didn't just infect.

It rewrote.

Aiden gritted his teeth, his body tensing.

He could feel his muscles shifting, adapting.

His skin tingled, his nerves burned.

But he didn't fight it.

He accepted it.

The Third Cult – The Dual Vials

As Aiden remained in the bath, his body still processing the change, Draemir handed him two vials.

One contained the pure blue liquid. The other contained golden-blue liquid—the essence of Draemir's evolution. Draemir:

"Drink. Both. At the same time."

Aiden hesitated for only a moment.

Then—he did as he was told.

The two liquids mixed the moment they hit his throat.

And then—everything blurred.

Aiden's Transformation – The Unknown Path

The world around Aiden shifted, twisted, pulsed.

His body felt like it was being torn apart—

Then rebuilt.

Again. And again.

The blue liquid fought to shape him like the Night Hunter.

The golden-blue essence pushed back, guiding his body to evolve like Draemir's.

And then—the mutated flesh, the unknown factor, it altered everything.

The transformation was no longer predictable.

It was no longer linear.

Aiden was becoming something unique.

Something unseen before.

His bones stretched, reshaped.

His muscles thickened, reinforced themselves.

His skin darkened slightly, faint veins glowing underneath—some blue, some golden.

His hands shifted—his fingers slightly longer, his nails blackened and sharper, resembling claws, but not fully monstrous.

His face remained human, but his jawline became more defined, his teeth slightly elongated—not as extreme as Draemir's, but enough to hint at the predatory nature awakening within him.

His eyes flickered.

First his natural color.

Then—a deep, glowing blue.

Then—golden.

Then—both at once, shifting and merging.

Aiden was no longer just evolving.

He was choosing.

The path he walked was no longer set in stone.

He was not fully Night Hunter.

He was not fully Draemir's successor.

He was something else entirely.

Something only he could define.

Under Watchful Eyes

The cult members remained close, watching Aiden's transformation with careful precision.

They didn't interfere.

But they were prepared.

If something went wrong, they had everything ready.

If he lost control, they had measures to subdue him. If his body rejected the change, they had ways to stabilize him. If the mutation became something dangerous, they had Draemir's orders to ensure it didn't consume him.

But for now…

They observed.

Watched as Aiden evolved before their eyes.

Because whatever he was becoming…

It was something new.

Aiden's First Evolution – The Dawnborn

The sanctuary was silent.

The cult members stood in patient observation, their expressions unreadable beneath their ceremonial masks. They had seen transformations before.

But this?

This was something else.

The golden-blue mist continued swirling through the chamber, the blue liquid bath still rippling from the energy left behind. The mutation had finished its first cycle.

Aiden was no longer a Lumen.

He had taken his first true step beyond human and infected alike.

He was something in between.

Something new.

Something that would be known as—

Dawnborn.

The Dawnborn—a being balanced between light and darkness, a creature reborn under both the blue and golden glow, walking a path never before tread.

Aiden's New Form

Aiden slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed—his vision was different.

It wasn't just clearer.

It was layered.

He could see normal light, the way any human could.

But beneath it, **he sensed energy—**heat signatures from the cultists, veins of movement within the air, even the golden mist that still lingered around him now appeared alive, pulsing in slow waves.

His eyes were different now.

They shifted between two distinct colors.

A deep, glowing blue—the color of the Night Hunter, the virus itself. A burning gold—the power of the Sun's Blessing, the mutation guided by Draemir.

At times, his irises flickered, shifting between the two like they were fighting for dominance.

But then—they settled.

Blue with a golden ring.

A fusion.

A balance.

His skin was still human—mostly. But it was more resistant, slightly textured, almost like a thin Volatile's carapace over the surface, though barely noticeable unless touched.

His arms were stronger, veins subtly glowing beneath the surface. The energy inside him was alive, constantly flowing, waiting to be called upon.

His fingers had changed. Not fully claws, but sharper, stronger, blackened at the tips. They could still function as hands—but if he needed, they could be deadly weapons.

His teeth were different too. Not as pronounced as a full Volatile or even Draemir's, but sharper, stronger, built for survival.

He ran his tongue over them, feeling the difference.

Then, he inhaled.

The air was richer.

His senses were sharper.

He could hear the faintest movements of the cultists, their heartbeats steady but observant.

He could smell the golden mist, the lingering scent of the blue liquid, the very energy within the sanctuary itself.

And then—he moved.

A slow, cautious motion. But the moment he did, he felt it.

His body was lighter. Faster. Stronger.

Not as powerful as a Volatile. Not as controlled as Draemir.

But somewhere in between.

His transformation wasn't just physical.

It was instinctual.

He didn't just feel stronger.

He felt different.

Like something deep inside had awakened.

Something waiting to be explored.

Something waiting to be pushed further.

And this?

This was only the beginning.

The Path of Evolution

Draemir had undergone seven stages of mutation.

Aiden?

His path would be different.

Three stages.

Three distinct evolutions, each taking him further from what he was, shaping him into what he was meant to be.

The Dawnborn was only the first.

What lay beyond it?

That was something only time would reveal.

For now—he was reborn.

And the world would soon learn what that truly meant.