Above them, hidden within the vents, Starfania slowly tightened her grip around Cosmry. The furious overseer stormed out of the control room, barking orders at the remaining technicians as alarms and machinery filled the compound with noise.
Lyam waited silently above the vent, counting the seconds carefully. One. Two. Three. Then he lifted his head. Now. Without hesitation, all three of them dropped from the vents at once. Starfania landed first, rolling smoothly across the metal floor before driving the hilt of Cosmry into a technician's shoulder hard enough to knock him unconscious. Aeron followed immediately after, swift and precise as he swept another worker's legs out from beneath him before knocking him out cold with the flat side of his blade. Lyam moved like a storm through the room. Silent. Efficient. Ruthless when necessary. Within seconds, the entire control room had fallen quiet. Only the low hum of machinery remained.
Starfania quickly moved toward the central control panel while Aeron scanned the nearby pipes running throughout the room. Massive steel tubes twisted through the walls and ceiling, carrying the poison directly toward the rocket chamber outside. Lyam's sharp eyes studied the schematics glowing across the screens.
" We need the cure to spread through the entire system," he muttered. " If we place it wrong…"
" …then only part of the poison will be neutralized."
Starfania tightened her grip around Cosmry. One mistake could doom Avalon. Aeron suddenly pointed upward toward a large pipe connected directly to the central filtration system.
" There," he whispered urgently. " That line connects to every chamber feeding the rocket."
Lyam's eyes narrowed as he followed the pipe through the machinery. Then realization flashed across his face.
" He's right." Aeron stepped closer to the glowing blueprint display. " If we release the cure, there…it'll spread through the entire poison supply before launch."
Starfania looked between them before nodding firmly. " Then that's where we go."
Keeping low, the three of them slipped from the control room and into the deeper sections of the compound. The eclipse shadow stretched further across the camp now, plunging most of VulcanFire's fortress into eerie darkness illuminated only by torches and glowing machinery.
Soldiers marched overhead. Boots echoed through the nearby corridors. Every step threatened discovery. Yet they kept moving. Silent. Focused. United. Starfania could feel her heartbeat thundering beneath her armor as they navigated the maze-like corridors toward the main distribution chamber. Then suddenly—a faint shimmer caught the darkness. The Dragon Savior insignia engraved into Starfania's armor briefly reflected the dim eclipse light bleeding through the fortress windows. For only a second, the symbol glowed softly against the shadows. Ancient. Powerful. Watching.
Lyam glanced toward her briefly. Even now, beneath all the fear and uncertainty…she looked every bit like the Dragon Savior from the old legends. Far away from the compound, deep within VulcanFire itself, another figure watched events unfold from the darkness. The Caste Keeper stood alone inside a dim chamber lit only by crimson firelight. His long cloak pooled across the stone floor while an enormous black orb floated before him, swirling with mist-like shadows. Within the orb, images shifted rapidly. Starfania. Lyam. The poison. The eclipse. His lips slowly curled into a devilish smile.
" Right on schedule," he murmured softly. With one pale hand, he touched the surface of the orb. The images shifted instantly.
Racing across the skies beneath the growing eclipse was a massive dragon unlike any Starfania had ever seen before. Its scales gleamed gold—but not natural gold. The color looked almost artificial beneath the moonlight, like forged metal painted over something far darker beneath. Thin streaks of emerald green pulsed between its scales whenever it moved, glowing faintly like cracks beneath fake treasure. Its eyes burned with unnatural intelligence.
Upon its back sat a lone rider clad entirely in gold armor. A helmet concealed his face completely, leaving only darkness behind the visor. The Golden Hunter. Silent. Motionless. Watching the horizon ahead with terrifying focus. The Castle Keeper's voice echoed softly through the chamber. " My Golden Hunter…your mission remains unchanged."
The orb reflected the masked warrior's stillness.
" Do not kill the Dragon Savior."
" Fight her."
" Test her."
" Learn her."
His smile widened further. " I need to understand what makes little Starfania Night truly function."
The Golden Hunter gave no verbal response. But his dragon suddenly accelerated through the darkness with frightening speed. Straight toward the compound.
Back inside the fortress, Starfania suddenly froze mid-step. A strange chill crawled down her spine. Like something was catching. Watching her. Hunting her. She slowly glanced toward the dark, eclipse sky visible through the distant windows. Then tightened her grip around Cosmry. Somewhere beyond the shadows…danger was already approaching.