Xylos was a graveyard of glittering crystal shards under a bleeding red sun. The atmosphere was thin, cold, and carried the whisper of dead minds.
They moved in silence, using crystalline ridges as cover. Echo's Error-Sight mapped Corrupted patrol routes—Tier 4 Hybrids moving in sync, their violet eyes scanning.
They reached the lab entrance—a sunken structure pulsing with bioluminescent veins.
"I'll take point," Leyla whispered, phasing into shadows.
Inside, the walls were lined with organic pods holding captured beings from a dozen worlds, suspended in nightmare-filled sleep. At the center of the lab stood the prize: a floating, pulsating spore-colony, glowing with soft pink light—the Psychic Spore.
A Tier 7 Commander stood before it—a tall, multi-limbed being with a crown of crystal spikes. Its voice vibrated in their minds:
"You are expected. The Anomaly and its pets. The Legion wishes to study your bond. How does flawed Order produce such… synergy?"
"We're not here to chat," Echo said, nodding to Leyla.
She struck from above, claws aimed at the Commander's neck. It moved faster than expected, backhanding her into a pod cluster. Mira created a spatial wedge, trying to crush it, but the Commander flexed its will and shattered the distortion.
Tier 7 was different. It didn't just fight—it analyzed.
"Bond-energy detected. Pattern: triangulated. Disrupting node… now."
It fired a beam of concentrated resentment-energy not at them, but between them—at the bond itself.
Pain erupted in Echo's mind. He felt Leyla's rage and Mira's fear magnify, twisting. The Resonance Field flickered.
It's trying to turn our bond against us, Echo realized. Using our connection as a weapon.