Emma stood resolutely on The Arbor's bridge, her gaze fixed on the anchoring device. It pulsed rhythmically, perfectly synchronized with the swirling WoodDust around her hands. The faint golden fractals reflected the distorted light from the anomaly visible beyond the viewscreen, casting eerie shadows across the bridge. Nearby, the three Seedkeepers stood unnaturally still, their biomechanical forms drawing both fascination and unease from the crew.
Gray's holographic form materialized beside her, flickering briefly before stabilizing. His tone carried an edge of skepticism as he muttered, "This thing gives me the creeps. Are we sure bringing them aboard wasn't a mistake?"
Emma shifted her attention to him, her voice calm but firm. "Right now, they're our best shot at understanding this anomaly. We don't have the luxury of turning them away."
Gray's holographic form flickered again, more violently this time, as he glanced at the Seedkeepers. "They're too comfortable around that device," he said warily. "Almost like it's part of them—not something they're using."
"It's like they recognize each other," Aisha observed, her scanner hovering between the anchor and Emma's glowing particles. "The energy signatures—they're almost identical."
"That's impossible," Lucas interjected, his disbelief evident. "WoodDust is unique to Earth. It came from our forests, from the Zogarian invasion—we've studied it for years. There shouldn't be anything else like it anywhere."
The most human-looking Seedkeeper let out a sound somewhere between a brittle laugh and mechanical whirring. "Nothing is unique. All paths converge eventually."
Gray's hologram fragmented briefly, splitting into distorted versions of himself—each echoing the Seedkeeper's ominous words. "All paths converge…" the fragmented images repeated in haunting unison before his form stabilized.
"Speak plainly," Markus demanded, his Bastion shield magnetized to his back, ready to deploy. Standing near the bridge's viewport, he looked as ready for action as ever. "What is the Quantum Schism? What does it want with us?"
"It is the architect of suffering," the most mechanical Seedkeeper answered, its voice distorted and unsettling. "It believes species transcend through pain—evolution through agony."
The viewscreen displayed the anomaly looming closer with every passing second. Stars spiraled unnaturally in its wake, light bending into fractal patterns that made the void pulse like a living entity. The fluid black mass—the Leviathan—had disappeared into the Schism's heart after consuming the K'tharr station. Now the tension hung thick in the air.
"And this anchor," Emma gestured toward the device, her tone measured, "how does it work?"
"It creates stability within chaos," replied the second Seedkeeper, whose form revealed biomechanical components overtaking flesh. "It generates a coherent spacetime bubble within the Schism's domain."
Gray's hologram shimmered faintly. "So, a shield?"
"Not a shield," the third Seedkeeper corrected, its biomechanical hand almost reverently touching the device. "It's a window. A means of observing the Schism's work without being unmade."
Chloe's voice cut through the eerie atmosphere, her words sharpened by urgency. "Commander, the anomaly's outer boundary is approaching rapidly. Expansion rates are increasing exponentially."
Emma's brow furrowed. "Pull us back. Maintain safe distance."
"That's the problem," Chloe admitted, her fingers flying over controls. "I've been compensating, but it's expanding faster than the engines can outpace."
Emma turned toward the Seedkeepers, her voice demanding. "Can this anchor protect the entire ship?"
The Seedkeepers exchanged cryptic glances, their expressions unreadable beneath layers of implants. "Perhaps. For a time. But the Schism wants you. It will not be denied."
Lucas stepped forward, his gaze dark with skepticism. "What exactly lies beyond that event horizon?"
"A universe within a black hole," the most human Seedkeeper answered. "Where the Schism crafts perfection through endless trials. You are part of its experiment now."
Emma felt the WoodDust around her hands pulse faster, responding to the rising tension. Her voice came out measured, but firm. "The K'tharr called the Schism gods. Were they wrong?"
"They were one of many experiments," the Seedkeeper replied flatly. "They failed—as all eventually do."
The Arbor shuddered violently as spatial distortions cascaded over its hull, rippling through every deck. Warning lights flickered across Chloe's console.
"Shields at forty percent," Chloe reported. "Structural integrity holding—for now—but these waves are intensifying."
"Activate the anchor," Emma ordered decisively.
Aisha moved to the controls, adjusting the device carefully in accordance with the Seedkeepers' instructions. The anchor flared, its blue glow expanding outward in an increasingly steady pulse. Soon, the light formed a perfect sphere around the bridge.
"Energy field stabilizing," Aisha confirmed. "It's extending through the entire ship."
The shuddering stopped. Outside, space continued twisting and folding unnaturally, but The Arbor remained cocooned within the anchor's field.
"It's holding," Lucas murmured, relief evident in his voice.
"For now," the Seedkeeper cautioned. "But the anchor wasn't designed for a vessel this size. Its energy will drain quickly."
Gray's hologram flickered erratically before multiplying into distorted versions of himself. One sneered coldly. Another trembled in fear. A third stared at Emma, its eyes sharp and calculating. "You led us here on purpose, didn't you, Doc? You knew all along."
"That's not him," Lucas warned, stepping closer. "The anomaly is affecting his programming."
Ethan crossed to the console, swiftly shutting down the holographic projectors. Gray's voice continued through the ship's speakers, strained but coherent. "Sorry. Hard to maintain. Too many quantum states overlapping…"
Chloe interrupted, her tone cutting sharply through the tension. "Massive energy surge detected—Commander, the anomaly is opening."
The viewscreen displayed the fabric of space tearing apart, revealing a swirling maelstrom of light and darkness. From its depths emerged the Leviathan, larger than they had ever seen, its form pulsing like liquid, infinitely vast.
One Seedkeeper whispered, their tone trembling with awe. "The Leviathan comes. It hunts."