Kael Varn was officially out of good ideas, and for a guy who'd once bluffed his way out of a pirate blockade with a fake bomb, that was a new low. Voryn's crystal cave shook like it was throwing a tantrum, the glowing walls pulsing red and angry. The Devourer, whatever cosmic nightmare he'd unleashed by activating that Ascendant orb, was awake, and the whole planet seemed to want him dead. Kael gripped his pulse rifle, its charge blinking low. Zara, the scar-faced deserter who'd saved his ass and betrayed him in the same day, crouched beside him, her pistol ready. Her dark eyes flicked to the cave's entrance, now sealed by a web of crystals.
"Syl!" Kael shouted into his wrist comm. "You said you found a Coalition signal. Tell me it's a rescue team with a big ship and bigger guns."
Syl, his ship's snarky AI, crackled through static. "Dream on, Captain. It's a faint distress beacon, ten klicks east. Could be Coalition, could be a trap. Also, the planet's energy readings are spiking. You've got about five minutes before this cave becomes a blender."
"Great," Kael muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. His ribs ached from the crash, his head spun from visions of his sister Mira, and now the planet was trying to eat him. "Any chance this is all a bad dream?"
Zara snorted, checking her pistol's ammo. "You're not that lucky, Varn. We need to move."
"Easy for you to say," Kael shot back. "You're not the one who woke up a planet-sized monster." He glanced at her, half-expecting another betrayal. Zara had admitted to working on a secret Coalition project tied to Voryn, but she'd also pulled him out of that ruin. Trust was a gamble, and Kael was a shitty gambler.
The cave rumbled, crystals cracking like glass under pressure. The roar from before, deep and hungry, echoed closer. Kael's HUD screamed warnings: seismic spikes, atmospheric shifts, energy surges. Voryn wasn't just alive. It was hunting.
"East it is," Kael said, nodding at Zara. "Let's find that signal before we're lunch."
She gave him a look, half smirk, half glare. "Try not to touch anything shiny this time."
"No promises," Kael said, flashing a grin despite the fear clawing his gut. He led the way, picking through the crystal web blocking the cave. His rifle's barrel glowed as he blasted a path, each shot making the crystals hum louder, like he was pissing them off.
They broke into the open canyon, the blue fog thicker now, swirling like a living storm. The ground shifted, rocks sliding as the canyon walls groaned. Kael's boots slipped, but Zara grabbed his arm, steadying him. Her grip was strong, her eyes sharp.
"Don't die on me yet," she said, voice low. "I'm not done yelling at you."
"Flattered," Kael said, heart racing for reasons beyond the planet trying to kill them. He shook it off. No time for feelings when the ground was literally out to get you.
They sprinted through the canyon, following Syl's coordinates. The air buzzed, heavy with static. Crystals pulsed in sync with Kael's heartbeat, and he swore they were watching. His mind flashed to the visions: Mira's face, the Ascendants fighting a shadow, the Devourer's voice saying, "You broke the cage." He'd activated the orb to find answers about his sister, but all he'd gotten was a planet-sized problem.
"Syl, talk to me," Kael said, dodging a falling rock. "What's the signal look like?"
"It's Coalition tech," Syl said. "Encrypted, but I cracked it. Distress call from a scout ship, downed near a structure. Could be survivors. Could be bait."
"Bait?" Zara asked, keeping pace. "You think the Coalition set us up again?"
Kael glanced at her. "You tell me. You're the one with the shady Coalition past."
Zara's jaw tightened, but she didn't snap back. "I told you, I quit when I saw what they were doing here. Voryn's not just a planet. It's a weapon."
"Care to elaborate?" Kael asked, ducking under a crystal spike jutting from the ground.
"Later," Zara said. "If we live."
The canyon opened into a valley, and Kael stopped dead. A massive structure loomed ahead, not a ruin but a spire, towering like a needle piercing the sky. It glowed with the same red light as the orb, its surface carved with Ascendant symbols. The distress signal pinged from inside.
"That's our ticket," Kael said, checking his rifle. "Or our coffin."
Zara grabbed his arm. "Wait. You hear that?"
The roar came again, louder, shaking the valley. The ground split, and a shape rose from the earth: a beast of crystal and shadow, twice the size of the one in the ruin, with eyes like molten suns. It didn't move like a creature. It flowed, like liquid hate.
"Shit," Kael whispered, raising his rifle. "Syl, any tips?"
"Don't die," Syl said, deadpan.
"Thanks," Kael muttered. He fired, bolts sizzling into the beast. The shots bounced off, sparking uselessly. Zara unloaded her pistol, cursing as the beast advanced, its claws carving trenches in the ground.
"Run!" she yelled, grabbing Kael's jacket. They bolted for the spire, the beast's roar shaking their bones. The fog thickened, slowing them like mud. Kael's HUD blinked: energy surge detected. The spire was powering up.
They reached the spire's base, a massive door carved with spirals. Kael slammed his fist against it, praying for a miracle. The door hummed, then slid open, revealing a dark chamber. They dove inside, the beast's claws scraping the entrance as the door sealed shut.
Kael panted, leaning against the wall. The chamber was huge, lit by glowing lines in the floor. At its center stood a console, pulsing with red light. The distress signal's source.
"Syl, you getting this?" Kael asked.
"Signal's clean," Syl said. "But the spire's energy is tied to the Devourer. You're in its house now."
Zara scanned the room, pistol ready. "This is Coalition tech mixed with Ascendant. They were experimenting here."
Kael's stomach dropped. "Experimenting on what?"
Before Zara could answer, the console flared. A hologram flickered to life: a woman, young, with Kael's eyes. Mira. Her voice was weak, distorted. "Kael, if you're here, you're close. The Devourer's core is below. Don't trust the Coalition. Don't trust her."
The hologram cut out. Kael's heart stopped. "Mira," he whispered.
Zara's face paled. "You know her?"
"My sister," Kael said, voice breaking. He rounded on Zara. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing!" Zara snapped, but her eyes darted away. "I didn't know she was here."
Kael grabbed her collar. "Start talking, or I swear-"
The spire shook. The beast outside roared, and the walls cracked. A new voice boomed, not Mira's, but the Devourer's. "You cannot hide. I see you."
Kael released Zara, his hands shaking. The console flared again, and the floor opened, revealing a glowing staircase descending into darkness. Mira's voice echoed. "Find me, Kael."