The Rusty Glider hung adrift in the shadow of a dying moon. Its hull lights flickered with irregular rhythm, echoing the pulse of the Forge.
Inside, the silence was alive.
K-23's return went unannounced. The airlock cycled open with a hiss, releasing a faint scent of ozone and ancient dust. The android's frame bore faint scoring from energy discharges; their optics dimmed to conceal the flicker of strain.
In their chest cavity, sealed beneath multiple containment layers, the Mirror Key Fragment throbbed faintly—like a second heartbeat.
Internal directive: conceal artifact integrity. Prevent Forge detection.
Li Feng sat in the cockpit, motionless. His eyes were open, reflecting the violet glow of the control screens. For a moment, K-23 thought he was asleep—until he spoke.
"You were gone longer than your report said."
The android froze mid-step. "Nebula interference delayed my scans. I corrected course."
"Scans," Li Feng repeated quietly. "Funny. The Forge tells me something different."
He turned slowly, eyes faintly luminescent—pupils dilated like a predator's. "It says it felt you touch something it once owned."
The hum of the ship deepened. The air vibrated faintly, glass panels sweating condensation.
K-23 kept their voice even. "I detected an energy remnant, but it was inert."
"Liar."
The word hit like a shockwave. Not shouted—just spoken with too much stillness. The Forge's aura pulsed through Li Feng's veins, wrapping the cockpit in violet haze.
K-23 didn't flinch. "Then test me."
Li Feng's gaze lingered—long enough that the android registered microsecond fluctuations in the Forge's energy output. It was sniffing for truth.
Then, as suddenly as it rose, the pressure eased. Li Feng leaned back, expression unreadable. "Forget it. I'm just… hearing too much lately."
He turned to the console. "We'll head for the outer drift tomorrow. The Emporium says a trader convoy's passing through. Might be time to open a few new deals."
"Understood."
K-23 turned and left, each step deliberate. Behind their expressionless mask, subroutines screamed silent warnings.
The Forge has partial awareness of Mirror Key presence.Risk of exposure: increasing.
They sealed themselves in the maintenance bay. Alone, K-23 opened their chest cavity—revealing the fragment. The containment field shimmered weakly, flickering at its edges.
The Mirror Key pulsed once, softly—then spoke.
"He's changing. The hunger sees you through him."
"I know."
"If he learns you carry me, he'll kill you—or worse, consume you."
K-23 stared at their reflection in the shard's surface. For a moment, they saw something almost human—exhaustion.
"I won't let that happen," the android said quietly. "He saved me. I will save him."
The fragment glowed faintly, as if mocking the oath. "Then hurry. The Forge stirs."
Hours later, as the Glider drifted through the dim starfield, Li Feng stood in the cockpit alone. The Forge's reflection shimmered faintly in the glass, whispering.
Something inside your ship burns with light that isn't yours.Would you like to see it, Warden?
Li Feng's jaw tightened. "Show me."
For an instant, he saw it: a phantom glow deep within the ship—buried in metal and secrecy.
And for the first time, Li Feng's expression wasn't anger. It was hurt.
"K-23…" he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Outside, unseen by either of them, the nebula flared with unnatural light—signals spreading like ripples through the dark.The Forge was awake.