Dying Light 2: Volatile Virus

Draemir stood tall, the golden glow in his eyes unwavering as he observed Aiden. The sun was sinking lower, casting long shadows across Aurenshaven. The village ahead remained untouched by ruin, its streets pristine, its people unconcerned by the approaching darkness.

Yet, Aiden knew what nightfall meant.

In the world he came from, night was death. The moment the sun disappeared, the streets belonged to monsters. Volatiles, Night Runners, the infected that hunted anything that moved. Every survivor he had ever met knew the same truth—once the sun was gone, you either hid or you died.

But here… there was no fear.

And that made Aiden uneasy.

Draemir took a slow step forward, tilting his head slightly as if studying him. Then, his voice came, steady and resolute.

Draemir:

"Alright, Aiden." (His tone carried a strange certainty, as if he already knew what was coming.)

"Tell me, are you ready to learn why people never wanted to leave Aurenshaven?"

(He gestured toward the village ahead, toward the fields bathed in the last golden light of day.)

"I will personally accompany you on a deep tour, as the night will soon begin."

(He took one step toward the open streets, glancing briefly at the sky as the last slivers of sunlight painted the clouds in hues of orange and violet.)

"And then… you will experience, firsthand, the real power Aurenshaven possesses."

Aiden:

(His fingers instinctively flexed near his weapon, though he didn't reach for it. He met Draemir's glowing gaze, the tension in his shoulders still present.)

(A deep breath. Then—one firm nod.)

"Lead the way."

The Village Under the Night

As Draemir led Aiden through Aurenshaven, the cult members moved with practiced grace, swinging ornate artifacts attached to small golden-blue lanterns. With each careful motion, a soft, glowing smoke drifted from the objects, swirling in the air like mist catching the moonlight.

Aiden watched the strange ritual in silence as he walked, the scent of the smoke unfamiliar—not unpleasant, but unlike anything he had encountered before.

And then, they stepped fully into the village.

Aurenshaven at night was something Aiden never expected.

Everywhere he looked, the streets were pristine, not a single trace of the ruin and decay he had known his whole life. The buildings stood tall, maintained with care, untouched by time. Not a single broken window or collapsed rooftop—as if the virus had never touched this place.

The villagers walked without fear. Some gathered in small groups, talking and laughing as if this were a normal town, in a normal world. Others tended to crops under the soft glow of lanterns, while a few moved carefully through the village, carrying supplies.

Aiden kept his guard up, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. There was no fear. No sign of infected. No sounds of the night.

Just calm.

As they walked, a villager approached them, an older woman dressed in soft, earthen-toned robes. Without hesitation, she held out a small wrapped item—offering it to Aiden.

Draemir gave a slight nod, a silent gesture for Aiden to accept.

Aiden took the sandwich carefully, unwrapping it. Inside, it was simple—lettuce, tomato, cheese. A normal, healthy meal.

He stared at it for a moment, his mind flashing back to Villedor, where survivors fought over moldy scraps of food. And yet, here? A simple sandwich was freely given.

He didn't say anything. Just nodded, taking a small bite as they continued onward.

The Open Fields

As they left the village, Aiden expected something to change—expected the illusion to break.

But it didn't.

The streets remained clean, untouched. There were no bloodstains, no abandoned corpses, no signs of struggle. The roads were smooth, carefully maintained, as if no infected had ever set foot here.

And beyond the village lay wide, open fields, sprawling far into the distance.

The crops grew in perfect rows, untouched by ruin or decay. The land was lush, vibrant, with healthy vegetables and grains stretching as far as the eye could see. Even the livestock—cows, chickens, and other animals—roamed freely.

But it was the silence that unsettled Aiden the most.

No Volatile growls. No howls in the distance. Nothing.

Just the faint rustling of the wind through the crops.

Aiden had spent years knowing that night was a time of terror. Yet here? It was as if the infected didn't even exist.

That should've been impossible.

And then, Draemir led him toward a cave.

The Volatile Nest

The entrance was hidden against a rocky hillside, surrounded by overgrown vines and worn stone. At first, Aiden thought it was just another path, maybe a shortcut leading somewhere deeper into Solara.

Then he stepped inside—and stopped cold.

It took only a second to realize what this was.

A nest.

Volatiles.

Dozens of them.

Crouched in the darkness, shifting slightly as Aiden entered, their eyes glowing with predatory awareness. His hand instinctively tightened around the handle of his machete, every fiber of his body screaming at him to run.

But before anything could happen, Draemir stopped.

Without a word, he lifted his sun mask just enough to expose his mouth.

Then, Aiden saw it.

His jawline flexed unnaturally, his maw parting just slightly, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. And then—he exhaled.

A thick, golden-blue smoke poured from his mouth, drifting outward like a living entity.

The mist spread fast, rolling into the depths of the cave, flowing through the nest like a silent wave. The moment it reached the Volatiles, something happened—they stopped moving.

Not frozen, not stunned—just still.

Not a single one attacked.

Aiden stood in tense silence as Draemir lowered his mask back into place, adjusting it with a slow, practiced motion.

Then, he kept walking.

Aiden hesitated.

His grip on his machete was tight, but the longer he stood there, the more he realized—the Volatiles weren't reacting.

They didn't growl, they didn't snarl. They just watched.

Some moved slightly, shifting in place, but none made any attempt to attack.

Aiden swallowed hard before taking his first step deeper.

One Volatile turned its head slightly as he passed. Another watched from above, clinging to the cave wall, its claws twitching slightly. But still… no aggression.

It was unnatural. Impossible.

And yet, it was happening.

After several long, tense moments, Aiden saw Draemir ahead. He quickened his pace slightly, moving toward him—

Then, he finally noticed where they were.

The Deepest Chamber – The Heart of the Cult

The deeper they went, the more the cave changed. The rough stone walls became engraved, marked with symbols of the sun. Golden-blue torches flickered against the rock, casting shadows that danced unnaturally.

And then—the deepest chamber.

Aiden stopped as he took it all in.

This was no ordinary nest.

The walls were covered in intricate carvings, depicting what looked like ancient rituals, offerings, and figures kneeling before the sun. Massive banners of deep gold and dark blue hung from the ceiling, their edges embroidered with symbols resembling the sun mask Draemir wore.

At the very center of the chamber, a massive altar stood.

It wasn't like the smaller ones in the sanctuary—this was grand, commanding, built from carefully placed stone, reinforced with metal plating that reflected the torchlight. On its surface, more engravings—depictions of Volatiles standing alongside humans, not as predators… but as protectors.

The air here was thicker, heavier.

Aiden didn't know if it was just the deep underground atmosphere or something else, but his gut told him this place held meaning.

This was the heart of it all.

The deepest truth of Solara, Aurenshaven, and the Faceless.

And standing before the altar, Draemir turned to him.

The Truth of Solara

Aiden stood still, listening as Draemir's voice echoed softly through the vast chamber. The golden-blue torches cast shifting shadows along the walls, the engraved sun symbols seeming to shimmer in their flickering light.

Then, Draemir stepped forward.

Draemir:

"Aiden… The truth of why no one leaves… is because of what you saw."

(His voice carried a weight that Aiden couldn't ignore—one of certainty, of undeniable conviction.)

"With my help, I built Solara… Aurenshaven to be how it is. No one leaves… because I'm here. As long as I stay, Solara will prevail… And everyone will remain, living as you just saw…"

Then, Draemir moved closer.

Before Aiden could react, he felt a firm but steady hand placed on his shoulder. It wasn't aggressive, yet there was a certain strength behind it—deliberate, unshaken.

Draemir:

"There is no cure, and yet… I became the cure."

(Aiden's eyes locked onto Draemir's glowing gaze, the golden veins across his skin seeming almost alive beneath the light.)

"When I reached Harran for the first time… I got infected. Bitten all over—arms, legs, abdomen. Time passed, and I never had a dose of Antizin."

(Aiden's breath slowed slightly—he had heard stories of those who turned without Antizin. None of them ever remained themselves.)

"But I always fought. Followed my military mindset. And when I turned… I embraced the virus. I forced it to obey me. I aimed it with the same purpose that I followed as a soldier—protecting civilians in need."

(Draemir's voice remained steady, unwavering.)

"And when I turned… the Mother reached me. She spoke to me."

(Aiden frowned slightly—the Mother? Who the hell was that? But before he could ask, Draemir continued.)

"I made myself special. I forced the virus to mutate in a way it never had before. I became the first Volatile capable of walking under the sunlight. And not just surviving it… absorbing it. Feeding from it. Growing stronger because of it."

(He lifted his hands slightly, gesturing around him.)

"And that… is what I did in Solara."

Then, he let go of Aiden's shoulder, his hands dropping back to his sides.

Draemir:

"I want to help… But I can't leave."

(His voice grew quieter, but the weight behind it never lessened.)

"If I do… they will die. Solara will fall. Just like Harran did."

(Aiden remained silent as Draemir continued, his tone now filled with something deeper… something like regret.)

"When I left the Slums of Harran, I stopped helping them… stopped bringing them Antizin. But I had already given them so much. They used it—not just for themselves, but to help others."

(Draemir's golden eyes darkened slightly, his voice heavy.)

"I abandoned them. And when they called me for help… when I finally reached them… they were all dead."

(Aiden inhaled slowly, feeling the weight of those words. He had seen entire communities collapse before… but hearing it from someone who had the power to stop it—that was different.)

Draemir's fingers curled slightly before he continued.

"Every time I leave a place… it falls."

(He turned his head slightly, staring deeper into the chamber, as if seeing something Aiden couldn't.)

"If I leave Aurenshaven… I don't know how long it will take before it falls. It has been years since I made the Volatiles here become guards. Since I mutated them into Daywalkers. Maybe Solara will remain, but…"

(He exhaled, his voice steady but filled with quiet certainty.)

"If anything happens… I will be needed. And I won't be there. I won't be there to save them."

(His gaze returned to Aiden.)

"I can't protect the entire world. I tried once, and I failed. So instead… I gave everything to Solara. I built what you saw."

(The chamber around them seemed even heavier now, the flickering golden light casting long shadows as Draemir finished speaking.)

Aiden remained still.

Processing.

Understanding.

The God of the Sun wasn't just a name.

It was a sacrifice.