Kael Varn was neck-deep in trouble, and for a guy who'd once punched a pirate captain over a bar tab, that was saying something. The Ascendant ruin shook around him, crystals pulsing like a heartbeat on steroids. The glowing orb he'd just activated hummed so loud his teeth rattled. The air crackled with energy. Voryn, the forbidden planet, wasn't just waking up. It was pissed. Kael gripped his pulse rifle, heart pounding like a war drum. Zara, the Coalition deserter who'd just stabbed him in the back, was pinned under a collapsed beam across the room. Her scar-faced smirk was gone, replaced by a grimace as she struggled to free herself.
"Kael!" she shouted, voice hoarse. "Don't be an idiot! Shut that orb down!"
"Little late for that!" Kael yelled back, dodging a chunk of falling crystal. The ground bucked, tossing him against the wall. His ribs screamed, still bruised from the crash. The orb's light flared, and visions hit him again: stars exploding, Ascendants sealing a shadow that ate worlds, a voice roaring, "You broke the cage." Kael's stomach twisted. He'd activated the orb to save Zara, thinking it'd give them answers. Instead, he'd unleashed something big. And it was coming.
"Syl!" Kael barked into his wrist comm. "What's happening?"
His ship's AI crackled, her voice glitchy. "Orb's energy is spiking. It's linked to Voryn's core. You woke something ancient. Congratulations, Captain. You broke the planet."
"Not helping!" Kael snapped. He scrambled toward Zara, boots slipping on the shifting floor. The ruin groaned like a dying beast. Crystals spread up the walls, glowing brighter, forming patterns that looked way too much like eyes.
Zara kicked at the beam, cursing. "You had to touch the shiny thing, didn't you?"
"You said it might save us!" Kael shot back, kneeling beside her. He wedged his rifle under the beam, using it as a lever. "Hold still, princess."
"Call me that again, and I'll break your face," Zara growled, but her eyes softened for a split second. Kael grunted, muscles burning as he heaved. The beam shifted just enough for Zara to slide free. She scrambled up, clutching her side, blood seeping through her torn armor.
"You good?" Kael asked, catching his breath.
"Not dead yet," she said, flashing a weak grin. "But we're screwed if you don't fix this."
The ground lurched again. A deep roar echoed, not from the ruin but from the planet itself. Kael's HUD blinked a warning: seismic activity off the charts. He glanced at the orb, still floating, now pulsing red. Shutting it down might stop whatever was waking up, but the visions hinted it held answers about his sister, Mira, missing since a Coalition mission years ago. The starlight figure from earlier had her eyes. Kael's gut said it wasn't a coincidence.
"We need to move," Zara said, grabbing his arm. "This place is coming down."
"Not yet," Kael said, eyes locked on the orb. "It's tied to my sister. I'm not leaving without answers."
Zara stared, her jaw tight. "You're an idiot. That thing's gonna kill us."
"Maybe," Kael said. "But I'm done losing people." He stepped toward the orb, hand outstretched. The hum spiked, and the air turned thick, like wading through syrup. The crystals flared, and a new figure appeared, not starlight this time, but solid. It was tall, cloaked in shimmering black, with a face hidden under a hood. It didn't move, but its presence made Kael's skin crawl.
"Uh, Syl?" Kael said, backing up. "You seeing this?"
"Bad news," Syl said. "That's not Ascendant tech. It's something older. Energy readings are insane. Run, Kael."
"Running's not my style," Kael muttered, raising his rifle. "Hey, Hoodie! Wanna talk or fight?"
The figure didn't answer. It raised a hand, and the crystals exploded with light. The floor split open, revealing a chasm glowing with molten red. A voice boomed, not in Kael's ears but in his head. "You opened the seal. The Devourer wakes."
Kael's blood ran cold. "Devourer? That sounds… not great."
Zara grabbed his shoulder. "Kael, we're leaving. Now."
The figure vanished, but the chasm widened. Something moved inside, massive and shadowy, with eyes like burning stars. Kael's instincts screamed to run, but his feet were glued. The orb pulsed faster, syncing with the thing in the chasm. Zara yanked him back just as a crystal spike shot from the floor, missing his head by inches.
"Move!" she shouted, dragging him toward the ruin's entrance. The walls cracked, crystals growing like claws. Kael fired at them, blasts doing nothing but pissing them off. The roar came again, shaking his bones.
They burst out into the canyon, the blue fog thicker now, swirling like a storm. The ground trembled, and the canyon walls shifted, closing in. Kael's HUD screamed warnings: atmospheric pressure spiking, energy surges everywhere. Voryn wasn't just a planet. It was alive, and it was mad.
"Syl, any bright ideas?" Kael panted, running beside Zara.
"Find cover," Syl said. "The ruin's energy is spreading. The whole planet's reacting."
"Great," Kael muttered. "I woke up a planet. Mom would be proud."
Zara shot him a look. "You're joking now?"
"Keeps me sane," Kael said, scanning for shelter. A jagged cave mouth loomed ahead, half-hidden by glowing fog. "There!"
They dove inside, the cave walls slick with crystals. The roar followed, louder, like a thousand beasts waking up. Kael's mind raced. The orb, the Devourer, his sister's face in the visions. It was all connected, and he'd just kicked the hornet's nest.
Zara leaned against the wall, catching her breath. "You're gonna get us killed, Varn."
"Yeah, but I'll do it with style," Kael said, flashing a grin. She rolled her eyes, but a smirk tugged at her lips.
The cave shook. Crystals pulsed, forming a barrier at the entrance. Kael's grin faded. "Trapped. Awesome."
Syl's voice crackled. "Energy surge incoming. Brace yourselves."
Before Kael could ask what that meant, the cave lit up. A wave of light hit them, and Kael's vision blurred. He was somewhere else. A city of stars, Ascendants fighting a shadow that swallowed galaxies. His sister's voice echoed. "Kael, don't let it out."
He snapped back, gasping. Zara was shaking him. "You okay? You zoned out."
"I saw her," Kael said, voice raw. "Mira. She's tied to this."
Zara's eyes softened, but only for a second. "We deal with the now. That thing's coming."
The crystals parted, revealing the cloaked figure again. It floated, its hood hiding everything but a glint of red eyes. "You cannot stop it," it said, voice like grinding stone. "The Devourer will rise."
Kael raised his rifle. "Wanna bet?"
The figure vanished, and the cave floor cracked. Something massive climbed out, a beast of crystal and shadow, eyes blazing. Kael's heart stopped. This wasn't a fight he could win.