The Aurora's Spear groaned as though the ship itself felt the crushing presence of the Architect's Avatar.
Kaelen slammed against a bulkhead, barely deflecting another swing of the creature's taloned arm. Sparks cascaded from ruptured conduits, bathing the corridor in strobing light.
"Lyra!" he shouted, forcing himself upright. She lay slumped by a shattered console, blood streaking her temple, but her eyes fluttered open.
"Kaelen…" she whispered, her voice weak but steady. "You can't kill it. Not like this. You have to—"
A roar drowned her out as the Avatar struck again. Kaelen's phaseblade clashed against its claw, the impact sending him skidding back. Through the shimmering haze of energy around the creature, he caught a glimpse of something behind it—a pulsing rift tearing open in midair.
"It's breaching the veil," Ceyra's voice crackled over the comms. "Kaelen, if that rift stabilizes, the Architect will have a permanent foothold in our reality!"
"Then shut it down!" Kaelen barked, twisting to evade another attack.
"Working on it," Ceyra replied, though her tone was strained, panicked. "But Kaelen… something's wrong. The rift isn't just opening—it's drawing everything in. Ships, debris, entire systems…"
As if to prove her words, the viewport flickered on, showing the space beyond: stars bending inward toward a spiraling vortex, like the galaxy itself was being swallowed.
Elsewhere – The Oraculum War Council
Alarms blared as Azhira convulsed mid-prophecy. Her silver tears burned trails down her face.
"The veil is cracking!" she screamed. "It's not just here—it's everywhere!"
Selene Drae snapped orders into her wrist console. "Deploy the Helix fleet to the coordinates now. If Kaelen falls, we need contingency control of the Seed."
Vorak's massive warship prepared for jump. "Then we fight beside him. Or die trying."
Azhira's voice turned eerie, almost inhuman: "He cannot do this alone… but if you reach too soon, you will all be consumed."
The factions paused, realizing for the first time what she truly meant: they weren't just fighting an enemy—they were fighting the very unraveling of existence.
Back aboard the Aurora's Spear
The Avatar stopped suddenly, its head tilting.
"It begins," it whispered.
Kaelen felt the temperature drop as the rift behind it blossomed wide. Shapes moved inside—colossal silhouettes, ancient and wrong. He felt his mind fray at the edges just looking at them.
"Kaelen…" Lyra's voice steadied again, barely audible. "…trust me."
She reached for the Infinity Seed, still embedded in the core of the ship. It pulsed under her touch, and the whole vessel shuddered with raw, blinding light.
The Avatar recoiled.
Kaelen saw his chance—and leapt.