The calm did not last.
For a brief span of time, the constellation had drifted peacefully through the anomaly field, its luminous lattice shimmering like a carefully woven net of stars. Energy currents moved smoothly through the network. Defensive structures rotated in their steady orbital paths, and repair systems quietly restored the damage left behind by the earlier clash.
But beyond the edge of that fragile calm—
something stirred in the dark.
Far outside the illuminated boundary of the constellation, where the anomaly field dissolved into deeper, colder void-space, a disturbance rippled through the silence.
It did not move like before.
The Predator's earlier advance had been chaotic, ravenous. It had expanded violently, tearing through nearby clusters and absorbing energy with the reckless hunger of a cosmic beast.
This time—
the motion was different.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Calculated.
