The ship hummed softly as it sailed through the void, carried only by the silent push of the stars. They had no heading, no destination—only escape. The battle behind them was finished, but the weight it left on their shoulders pressed heavier than any victory could bear.

  In the dim glow of the cabin, Lassie lay motionless on one of the resting pods. Her breathing was steady but faint, her body utterly still as though in some dream she could not awaken from. Auren sat at her side, unmoving, one hand tightly clasped around hers. His eyes, normally sharp with fire and conviction, were rimmed red, his face pale from exhaustion.

  He hadn’t left her once. Not since they fled. Not since she collapsed after unleashing that… whatever it was.

  Across the room, the others gathered. Selira leaned against the ship’s bulkhead, arms crossed, her expression caught between worry and calculation. Dren paced restlessly, boots echoing against the metal floor. Veyra hunched over the console, trying—and failing—to mask her frustration at their wandering drift.

  “She shouldn’t be alive,” Dren muttered finally, his voice low but heavy. “What she did back there… no one should’ve survived that.”

  Selira’s eyes narrowed. “And yet she did. Which means there’s more to her than any of us realized.”

  Veyra slammed a palm against the console, spinning her chair to face them. “You’re both missing the point! Did you not feel it? That surge wasn’t hers—it was something else. Something ancient. And it was aimed at them.” She jerked her chin toward Auren, sitting silently beside Lassie. “Whatever those beings are, they fear him. They want him gone.”

  A heavy silence fell over the crew. The ship’s hum filled the gap.

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  Auren didn’t look up. His thumb brushed slowly over Lassie’s knuckles, his voice hoarse when he finally spoke. “I don’t care who they are… or what they want. They will not take her from me.”

  The words hung, fragile but sharp, like broken glass.

  Selira softened for a moment, stepping closer. “Auren… we’re not saying we’ll let them. But we need answers. We need to know what Lassie awakened in herself—and what it cost.”

  “She…” Dren hesitated, running a hand through his hair, “…she looked like she was talking to someone. Did you see it? Her lips moving, her eyes unfocused—like she was somewhere else entirely.”

  “Yes,” Veyra agreed quickly. “Not madness. Communication. She was speaking to something only she could see.”

  At that, all eyes fell on Lassie’s still body.

  Auren’s jaw tightened. He remembered the faint whispers that had echoed from her lips during the chaos. Strange sounds, unlike any tongue he had ever heard. Runes carved into air itself, vanishing before anyone could grasp them. He had thought it was delirium. Now he wasn’t so sure.

  “She saved us,” Auren said, voice trembling between gratitude and grief. “And it nearly killed her. Whatever power that was—it was too much for her body to bear.” He bowed his head, pressing his forehead gently against her hand. His voice cracked as he whispered, “I’m sorry… I never wanted to do this. They’re the ones who forced me to act. I’m sorry, Lassie. I’m sorry, Auren…”

  The others froze.

  “…He spoke his own name,” Selira murmured, brows knitting together.

  Veyra leaned forward, eyes wide. “Not his own. That was a message. From her. From whoever—or whatever—was speaking through her.”

  Dren growled, slamming a fist into the wall. “Damn it, this isn’t just some cosmic accident, is it? They’ve been watching him. Hunting him. And Lassie—she’s their key.”

  The ship suddenly lurched, pulling them out of their grim thoughts. Warning lights flickered across the console. Veyra snapped back to work, fingers flying across controls.

  “We’ve been caught in a drift current,” she muttered. “It’s pulling us toward… something.”

  The stars ahead distorted, stretching into a shimmering haze. Auren finally looked up, eyes narrowing, his hand never leaving Lassie’s.

  “Then wherever it takes us…” he said quietly, “…we’ll find the truth.”

  The ship vanished into the rift of light, carrying them deeper into the unknown.

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