The ship sailed onward, gliding past countless floating islands that made up the Ashdune Vale. Lucien stood near the bow, his gaze fixed straight ahead. The space around them was steadily darkening, the very air thickening with instability as spatial turbulence grew worse with each passing second.
Any explorer with the slightest bit of sense would have turned back by now. Though this region might conceal untouched ruins or unclaimed treasures, the danger that lurked here was beyond measure. No one came to this place unless they had a death wish.
Yet the ship pressed forward, diving deeper and deeper into the volatile zone. With every meter gained, the space grew more chaotic. The ship groaned and shuddered under the pressure.
"Increase the aether output. Reinforce the barrier," Xia Zhenhua ordered, her voice calm but taut with urgency.
The command was directed at a woman clutching an artifact in her hands: a palm-sized, octagonal medallion etched with tightly interlocked runes. It dangled between her fingers, glowing brighter by the second as it fed energy into the barrier shielding the ship. The protective field shimmered, holding off the worst of the turbulence clawing at them from all sides.
A bead of sweat slid down the woman's temple. Maintaining the barrier demanded all her focus and willpower, but she bit back any sign of fatigue.
Though Xia Zhenhua appeared cold and indifferent, she was well aware that the situation was steadily deteriorating. Even with all their preparations, it was clear this journey held far more hidden dangers than they had anticipated. She cast a glance at Lucien.
"The farther we go, the slimmer our chances become."
As if echoing her warning, the ship groaned again. The noise was louder this time, more strained. Every crew member aboard, no stranger to danger, tensed at the sound. Some flinched. The threat of being ripped apart by collapsing space was one even the most hardened among them couldn't ignore.
Lucien, however, remained unfazed. The smile never left his face.
"Fret not. Everything is still going according to plan."
With that answer, the group had no choice but to press onward. The ship creaked ominously as it followed the designated course, each groan of its hull a warning.
Crack!
A loud splintering noise echoed through the vessel as a sudden surge of spatial instability caused the protective barrier to collapse. A jagged fissure tore through the hull. The woman holding the artifact screamed in agony as the backlash from the failed barrier surged through her. Her hand, the one clutching the artifact, was severed clean off. She crumpled to the deck, clutching the bloody stump.
Another member rushed forward, not to help her, but to snatch up the fallen artifact. Without pause, they reactivated the barrier.
Xia Zhenhua clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Get her patched up. We can't afford to lose a fighter this early in the mission."
A healer hurried to her side and began tending to the wound, though it was clear the woman wouldn't be as effective moving forward with her dominant hand gone.
Lucien remained completely unfazed by the chaos. He stood in silence, eyes fixed forward. Despite the jarring disturbance, the boat continued pushing ahead. As the spatial fluctuations intensified around them, he suddenly raised a hand.
"Stop," he said.
The ship halted immediately at his command.
Lucien reached for his belt and pulled out the same blade Jiang Ruiheng had once used to open a path into the Echorift. Channeling his aether into the artifact, he released it into the air. It hovered before him, humming softly with power.
With steady precision, Lucien began tracing an array into the void, his finger glowing as it etched lines of light. The array shimmered faintly in the darkness around them. Then, with a gentle flick of his wrist, he sent the completed array toward the floating blade.
The array merged with the weapon. It suddenly pulsed and flew ahead, slicing through the unstable space with a single, powerful swing. The air groaned and split open, revealing a widening tear. Through it, a hidden floating island slowly came into view, previously cloaked from sight.
When the artifact had completed its task, it returned to Lucien's hand. He caught it with ease, then glanced down at the blade. A long, deep crack now marred its surface.
"Well, it's just a replica," Lucien remarked, completely unsurprised. Sliding the blade back into its sheath, he turned to the others.
"It's time to move."
*
Everyone froze as they took in the sight before them.
Even though Han, Alwyn, and Erika knew this was just an echo, a shadow of past events, they still found themselves tense, standing face to face with the creature. It hadn't even hatched, yet the aura radiating from the egg was undeniable. Whatever it was, it wasn't something they could afford to underestimate.
Evara herself stood with her mouth agape, staring at the strange, massive egg. They had only come here expecting to explore a patch of wilderness and endure the unpleasant task of scouting a new location for an extraction tower. So how had it come to this? What exactly were they looking at?
Snapping out of it, Evara scrambled through their bag and pulled out a recording device. Whatever this was, it had to be documented, even if they didn't yet understand what they had found.
"This is Researcher Evara from Team 8," they began, their voice steady despite the fear and trepidation. "I've been separated and accidentally stumbled into a hidden area. In front of me is a massive egg containing an unknown lifeform that appears to still be developing."
With one hand holding the recorder, Evara reached into their bag again and retrieved a measuring device. After a few seconds of soft beeping, data flashed on the screen.
"The scanner indicates this area is saturated with heavily condensed aether," Evara continued. "My preliminary assessment is that this creature is highly attuned to aetheric energy."
Evara steadied themself and moved closer to the egg, bolstering their courage with each step. Their goal was to collect samples that could be analyzed later. That might offer some clue about the true nature of this creature.
Yet as they examined the structure supporting the egg, it seemed unlikely that the beast inside was connected to the invaders that had been assaulting their world. The air lacked the thick, cloying darkness those monsters radiated. Instead, the aether here was clean and tranquil, more reminiscent of nature and the untainted flow that came from the planet itself.
Still, that didn't mean the creature wouldn't be dangerous. Plenty of native beasts had no qualms about tearing through anything in their path. Ultimately, they would have to decide whether it was wiser to destroy the egg before it hatched.
With a careful hand, Evara touched the pillar cradling the egg.
"It's warm," they murmured.
From within the pillar, they could sense a steady current of aether flowing into the egg. Turning their attention to it, Evara took a slow step forward, trying to get a clearer view of the being within.
They squinted, peering through the shell. The creature inside was massive. Its body was long, almost serpentine, but along its back were strange growths that suggested wings. Curious and cautious, Evara leaned in further and gently laid a hand on the shell. Like the pillar, it radiated warmth.
Then, the beast stirred.
Evara jerked back immediately, heart pounding. They clutched their hand to their chest, staring at the egg with wide eyes, half-expecting the creature to break free at any moment.
But it didn't.
Relief washed over them in a quiet exhale. That was enough bravery for one day. They had gathered what they needed. Now, it was time to fall back.
Evara stepped back slowly, their eyes never leaving the egg. Only when they had put enough distance between themselves and it did they finally dare to turn around. One foot lifted, aimed for the exit.
Crack.
They froze.
Evara didn't dare look back. But the sound repeated, again and again, sharp and clear.
Crack. Crack.
They didn't need to see. The message was already clear.
Evara cursed silently, thoughts racing. Should they run now? Should they risk it?
But their body wouldn't budge. No matter how much they screamed at their legs to move, they remained locked in place. Maybe it was instinct. The kind of primal terror only prey feels when it knows a predator far higher on the food chain is awakening. A predator it couldn't hope to fight. Couldn't even hope to flee from.
Their body felt like stone.
Then came another snap, louder than the rest.
Finally, Evara forced themselves to turn.
They looked back just in time to see the shell split open completely. A gust of wind and smoke burst out, swallowing the chamber in a haze. Evara squinted, unable to see clearly, but they couldn't tear their gaze away.
A dark shadow moved within the smoke.
It rose.
It stood.
It towered over them.
And then, a pair of glowing green eyes locked onto theirs.
Evara couldn't breathe. Couldn't blink. They stood frozen, held captive by the creature's gaze.
The seconds stretched. Neither of them moved.
Then, when it became clear the creature wasn't going to attack just yet, Evara swallowed hard and whispered, "H-hi?"
They shifted slightly, turning to face the thing fully. Then they raised their hands slowly, palms open in what they hoped was a universal gesture of peace.
Then the creature began to slowly move closer. The smoke veiling its face faded, revealing the visage of a fur-covered beast. Long, luminous feathers sprouted from the top of its head, glowing faintly with aetheric light.
It lowered its head until it hovered just before Evara's face.
The smile on Evara's lips faltered. Seeing the creature this close, its sheer size made it all too easy to imagine it biting down on their head and grinding them to dust with those massive, razor-sharp teeth. But it was far too late to run. All Evara could do was stand still and silently await the beast's judgment.
'I'm not food. I'm not food. I'm not food. I'm not food,' they chanted in their mind.
The beast sniffed them, then tilted its head slightly.
Through its enormous, gleaming irises, Evara saw a flicker of curiosity. Perhaps even confusion.
'It's intelligent,' they noted silently. They just hoped it wouldn't use that intelligence to figure out the best way to eat them. Still, the creature hadn't shown any aggression. Evara dared to believe, just a little, that they might actually make it out of this alive and in one piece.
When the beast continued to simply stare, Evara decided to try something reckless. Slowly, they lowered one arm and began to reach out.
The creature didn't move, only watched them quietly.
Emboldened by the lack of resistance, Evara reached further and gently placed their hand on the beast's snout. Their smile twitched in disbelief. Was this really happening? How could anyone expect to touch a creature like this and not have their arm ripped off in a second?
The beast closed its eyes.
Evara froze.
A strange sound echoed in their mind. It wasn't their own thought. It was a voice. The beast's voice.
"Hello."
"...H-hi?" Evara echoed, too stunned to say anything more.
"Whoa! It can talk!" Han exclaimed, eyes wide as they watched the interaction between the beast and Evara's echo.
"It's using some sort of mental link… what the hell is this thing?" Erika muttered, frowning.
"It's not just a common beast," Alwyn said. There weren't many wild creatures capable of interacting with aether. And whatever this beast was, its control over aether was far more advanced and intelligent than any normal creature.
"Do you have any idea, Evara?" Han asked the gem. "This is your memory, so you should know something."
"I… I'm not sure," Evara said. "But I know that beast. No… they're a friend."
The echo of the past before them began to dissolve, fading as the scene of Evara and the beast disappeared. Moments later, it reformed again. This time, the beast was alone, curled up in a quiet corner, sleeping. Its nap was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Then, the echo of Evara appeared once more, running toward it.
"I'm back, Seraya!" Evara called out with a smile.
This time, there was no fear in their voice. None of the hesitation from their first encounter remained. Some time had clearly passed since the earlier memory. Enough time for a bond to form between them.
"Sorry for making you wait," Evara said, throwing their arms around Seraya's snout. "Flareen's been nagging me a lot more lately. I think she's getting suspicious about me sneaking off so often. But enough about that. Aren't you bored being stuck down here all the time? You've got wings. Don't you want to fly?"
"I'm glad to see you again, Evara," Seraya said softly, looking at them. "But you know I'd stand out too much if I left this place."
Evara knew that, but it still felt unfair. After that first meeting, after discovering how intelligent and kind Seraya was, they had quickly grown attached. Maybe it was because they were the one who named the beast, creating an unspoken connection between them. Whatever the reason, Evara felt a deep responsibility toward Seraya, even knowing full well the creature could crush them without effort.
"How's your condition?" Evara asked. "You said you left the egg too early… that it might affect your development."
"I'm alright," Seraya replied, though their gaze turned somber. "But it's going to take me longer to mature. I don't know if I'll be ready in time to fulfill my duty and annihilate the invaders."
Evara frowned. They didn't like hearing that. Ever since the invaders descended upon their world, countless lives had been lost. People rose to fight, and fell just as quickly. Everyone was tense, focused entirely on building better weapons to push back against those mindless monsters.
"You don't have to fight," Evara said quietly, looking up at Seraya. "My people can handle it. We've got prototypes ready to face them. You don't need to be on the battlefield."
"You know that's not possible," Seraya said sadly. "It's my duty to defend this planet."