The Wraithling surged through the dark, its trajectory set for the coordinates of the Throne Core. Aelira stood by the cockpit, hands resting on the cold console as the stars ahead seemed to shift, revealing a rift—an anomaly in the fabric of the void. The universe itself felt… strange here.
Ethan's voice came from behind her, low and guarded. "We're close. I can feel it."
Aelira turned, her gaze steady. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head, but his eyes betrayed him. Inside, Kaelen's echoes were still alive, flickering at the edges of his perception.
"I don't know what's worse," he muttered, "what I've become… or what I've unlocked."
The ship's systems blinked—alerting them to an incoming signal.
[Transmission Detected: Unknown Source][Encrypted Code: 'UNSEALING'][Location: Throne Core Interference Level: 99%]
Aelira's heart skipped a beat. "The seal is breaking."
Before Ethan could respond, the Wraithling shuddered. The ship's lights dimmed, then flared with strange, shifting shadows.
"Ethan… there's something—" Aelira gasped as the viewport rippled. It was like looking into a living canvas—shifting images in the void, memories not her own.
She saw him.
A robed figure, bound in chains of starlight, knelt before a towering throne. His face—long forgotten—held the weight of an entire age. And his eyes… they were Kaelen's, and not. The bound god spoke, his voice like thunder across the mind.
"It begins with a heart. But the heart must break. He will rise. Only then can you decide which side the stars fall on."
Aelira stumbled back, her breath ragged. The vision faded, but the weight of it lingered.
Ethan was at her side in an instant. "Aelira? What did you see?"
She was trembling. "The God—he's waking. And the heart… it's the throne. It's bound to him, but it's waiting for someone to claim it—to break it."
The ship's systems flickered again. Ethan gripped the console, his voice steady but a hint of dread creeping in. "We need to make a choice. Now."
Aelira looked at him, the bond pulling her closer. She knew he would never choose the throne. Not again. But there was still Kaelen's voice, still that lure.
"I'm not asking for you to carry it. But we need to understand what's down there, Ethan. Or we won't survive what comes next."
He nodded. "Then we dive in."
With a soft hum, the Wraithling descended, its hull groaning as it breached the core's atmosphere—a pocket of energy so dense, it almost felt like time itself stopped.
At the heart of it all: The Throne. And beneath it, the God… waiting.