The ship's monitor flickered, and the image of a familiar blue planet appeared.
For a long moment, Emery simply stared, lips parting as an unbidden smile curved across his face. It had been too long. To the people of Earth, he had been gone for a little over twenty years. But for him, the years had stretched differently—ten long years trapped in the belly of a world beast, followed by the timeless seasons his soul endured within Skyroot's Heaven and Earth Scales. By his count, nearly three decades had passed since he last set foot on his homeworld.
A deep longing stirred within him, heavy with expectation and unease. The sight of the planet brought comfort, yet his mind strayed to darker thoughts—rumors carried by Minerva, whispers from Thrax.
"Has it really been taken over by the Nephilim?" he muttered under his breath.
The answer came swiftly, not from memory but from the comms system. A cold, metallic voice crackled through, carrying no warmth of familiarity.
