The hum of the transport’s engines was a dull, monotonous counterpoint to the screaming silence inside the cabin. Roewi sat apart from the others, his back against the cold hull, the Crystal Orb a leaden weight in his lap. The silver filigree beneath his skin had spread, a luminous web now visible across his knuckles and climbing his neck. It pulsed in a slow, steady rhythm, a visual echo of the Orb’s heartbeat and Vextor’s constant, low-level processing. He felt like a conduit, a living wire strung between two ancient, terrifying powers.
Myra sat nearby, her gaze fixed on him, a silent vigil against the changes she was powerless to stop. Across the hold, Kaira and her two surviving teammates huddled together. The wounded one, a boy named Jax, was sedated, his leg encased in a stasis cast
