Consciousness returned in fragments.
The smell of antiseptic and ozone. The beep of biomonitors. The soft, steady hum of a medical frigate's engines. The warmth of bodies pressed close.
Echo opened his eyes. He was in a clean, white med-bay cot. Leyla was curled at his feet like a guardian panther, asleep but with one ear twitching at every sound. Mira dozed in a chair beside him, her hand wrapped around his. Ryn sat against the wall, awake, her cybernetic eye dimmed to a soft blue glow as she monitored his vitals on a display only she could see.
He tried to move, and a wave of profound, cellular exhaustion washed over him. He felt… hollow. Drained not just of energy, but of something fundamental.
Ryn was at his side in an instant. "Don't try to sit up. You've been out for thirty-six hours. You pushed your core systems past the redline. The medics called it 'Metaphysical Burnout.' Your bonds are the only thing that kept your heart beating."
"Nox?" Echo's voice was a dry croak.
"Dead. Fleet engagement was a total victory. The Corrupted armada is scattered, Astra Prime is secure. You're a hero." She said the last word without inflection, as if stating a problematic fact.
"And?"
"And Command is… thrilled. And terrified." She glanced at the door. "They've been scanning you nonstop. Your bloodline activity during the event spiked off their charts. They have questions. A lot of them."
The door hissed open, and Commander Selene entered, followed by Scholar Varia and a stern, unfamiliar man in the stark black uniform of the Internal Security Directorate.
"Awake," Selene said. "Good. This is Director Kael of Internal Security. He has… concerns."
Director Kael had a face like etched stone. "The destruction of a Nightmare-Class entity is an unprecedented victory. The method, however, is a black box. Your biometric data shows you invoked a power signature that shares 74% congruence with known Corrupted ascension patterns. Explain."
Echo met his gaze. He had prepared for this. "I used my bloodline to amplify the resonance of my bonds. It was a feedback loop of our collective will against his control. If it felt like corruption, it's because we were fighting fire with fire."
"A poetic dodge," Kael said coldly. "You unleashed an unknown, high-order biological command wave in the heart of a Corrupted flagship. We need to understand it. Replicate it. Control it."
"He is not a lab specimen," Leyla growled, now fully awake, her eyes glowing in the sterile light.
"He is a soldier of the Ordered Multiverse," Kael countered. "His capabilities are assets of the state. Effective immediately, Squad Echo is hereby placed on mandatory research detail. You will report to the Aethelgard Forge for deep-system analysis and power calibration. This is not a request."
Selene's jaw was tight. She clearly disagreed but was bound by the chain of command. Varia looked troubled.
"You will have two days to recover," Kael said, turning to leave. "Then the work begins. Your heroism has earned you a closer look, Sovereign. See that you remain worthy of the title."
He left. The room felt colder.
Selene let out a slow breath. "The political winds are shifting. Your success has made you the most valuable—and most dangerous—soldier in the armada. There are factions who want to put you in a cage and study you, and factions who want to put you on a throne and worship you. Neither is good for you. Or for the war."
"What do we do?" Mira asked softly.
"You go to the Forge," Selene said. "You play along. And you learn to hide your true potential even better. Varia will be your liaison. She can… soften the tests." Selene gave Echo a long, measuring look. "And for stars' sake, get your strength back. The war isn't over. It's just entered a new phase, and you're at the center of it."
She left, leaving them with Varia.
The Scholar approached the bed, her expression one of deep concern. "The Forge is where we push the limits of bloodlines and system integration. It is not a gentle place. But I will be there. And I have something for you." She handed Echo a small, opaque data-crystal. "From Kassius. He said you'd know what to do with it."
Echo took it. He could feel a faint, familiar sanguine warmth emanating from it.