Twilight's Wake
The world never truly slept here.
Even at its darkest, the red supergiant above painted the horizon in dim gold, a twilight that breathed but never died.
Ryu yawned loudly, stretching his arms behind his head. The grass beneath him shimmered faintly with residual cosmic dust, and the air smelled like ozone and forge smoke. His back ached. His eyelids felt heavy. He had spent the entire "night" feeding energy into Luto's newest obsession.
A soft tap on his shoulder.
Saelara. "You're going to burn out before he does."
Ryu groaned into the dirt. "He said it was the last adjustment five hours ago."
She smirked faintly. "He's your brother. You should know that means nothing."
Before Ryu could answer, a sharp voice rang out across the plain:
"About time you woke up, generator."
Ryu blinked, turning his head—and froze.
Luto and Onyx stood near the edge of the worksite. Behind them, framed against the endless twilight, floated a vessel of silver-black alloy, sleek and luminous. Energy threads pulsed faintly across its hull, feeding through circular engravings that resembled glowing constellations.
The Cradle Ark.
It wasn't massive, but it radiated power—its form both elegant and dangerous, like a blade made for the stars. Twin engine conduits glowed with coiled lightning. Aether veins traced along its spine, faintly humming with folded space. The bow was etched with runic lines that danced in rhythm with Luto's pulse.
As Ryu slowly stood, his jaw dropped. "You… actually finished it?"
Luto brushed his hands against his coat, exhausted but proud. "Finished might be generous. She's flight-ready, but we'll need stabilization recalibrations once we're out of atmosphere."
Onyx stepped forward, studying the vessel in silence. His reflection rippled across the metal. "You built this from debris and dust," he murmured. "You really did train like hell those ten years."
Ryu whistled low. "And you didn't even blow yourself up this time."
Luto rolled his eyes. "Not for lack of trying. The frame's bound by an adaptive flux-core—it runs on my cosmic energy. That means—"
Ryu interrupted with a grin. "You get tired, we crash?"
"Essentially," Luto replied flatly. "So we'll stop at intervals to recharge. The Ark can fold short distances across systems, but nothing beyond a few sectors without a stabilizer. Think of it as… borrowing the universe's patience."
Ryu smirked. "Man, you really are the nerd of the apocalypse."
Onyx chuckled under his breath. "Don't tease him too much. It might be the only thing keeping us alive."
Luto adjusted his gloves, eyes narrowing in mock irritation. "You both keep talking like that and I'll program the atmosphere filter to eject you mid-flight."
That was when the first of the Scourged emerged from the base.
Rha'vess, Vaelyra, Zha'Kor—followed by several dozen others. They stopped in unison, their eyes widening at the sight of the ship gleaming under the fractured light of the broken Belt.
"The Architect truly lives up to his title…" Rha'vess breathed.
Zha'Kor's gaze softened, resting on the vessel, then on the brothers. "You would take the stars by storm, wouldn't you?"
Ryu grinned. "One burnt planet at a time."
Vaelyra tugged on his sleeve, smiling faintly. "It's beautiful."
Ryu winked. "You should've seen his first one. Looked like a teapot with wings."
Luto groaned. "You're lucky I'm too tired to vaporize you."
Saelara folded her arms, watching as Luto activated the ship's control seals. Arcs of lightning raced along the ground, linking each hovering piece until the Cradle Ark locked into place with a low, satisfying thrum.
The sound was alive.
Like a heartbeat.
Like something ancient remembering how to move again.
Onyx stepped forward, his voice low but certain.
"Our destination hasn't changed," he said. "The Cindervault—wherever it is."
Luto glanced up from the ship's console, eyes glinting beneath the twilight haze. "Then we'll need to reach the more populated stretch of this expanse first. Someone out there knows where to start looking—and I'd rather find them before the gods find us."
Ryu stretched his arms, grinning. "So, adventure first, existential danger later. Sounds about right."
Luto smirked faintly. "For once, your summary isn't wrong."
The Farewell of the Freed
The twilight plains shimmered faintly under the fractured sky, the glow of the broken Belt still visible like a scar of light above. The wind carried the scent of scorched metal and strange blooming grass.
Saelara moved between crates, helping Rha'vess and several Scourged load the last of the supplies onto the Cradle Ark. Energy containers hummed softly, resonating with the ship's growing pulse.
A few meters away, Luto stood beside Zha'Kor, who still carried his arm in a pale sling of cosmic-thread bandages. Onyx sat cross-legged nearby, quiet as ever, watching Ryu chase Vaelyra through the field as tiny creatures—foxlike and iridescent—darted between their legs.
For a moment, the world almost felt… normal.
Luto gestured to a set of crystalline tablets stacked beside Zha'Kor. "These are knowledge cores. They'll help you establish irrigation systems, communication links, and basic shielding if you ever have to defend yourselves again. Rha'vess should be able to interpret them easily—he's sharp."
Zha'Kor nodded slowly, the orange glow of his eyes reflecting gratitude and weariness in equal measure. "You've given us what no one else ever has—hope."
Luto looked away, feigning indifference. "Hope's overrated. Just make sure you don't blow up the cores. They're… sensitive."
Onyx smirked. "That's Luto for 'you're welcome.'"
Zha'Kor chuckled softly, then his tone grew somber. "You and your brothers changed the fate of the Scourged. For sixty years, we believed we were cursed to die in silence, adrift among the dead. When the Crimson Fervor fell, we thought the gods would come for us next. We were… ready for it."
He paused, looking at the ground before continuing.
"The Fervor used us as decoys. The larger Scourged were left behind on the planet so their smaller ships could escape. But the gods noticed, and the battle moved to the Belt. We were forced to fight—for enemies who would've killed us anyway."
Luto and Onyx exchanged glances as the weight of his words settled.
"When the gods finally left," Zha'Kor said, "we hid in the wreckage. Over time, the hunger faded. Our bodies changed—mutated again, learning to survive without food, without warmth. Then… she was born."
He turned his gaze toward Vaelyra, who was laughing as Ryu spun her around.
"Scourge pregnancies last two years now," Zha'Kor said quietly. "Slower heartbeats. Slower growth. Our children… age differently."
Onyx tilted his head. "Then how is she still so young? It's been more than fifty years since the battle."
Zha'Kor's expression grew distant.
"It's because of the Belt," Luto murmured, finishing the thought. "Low oxygen, no sunlight, minimal nutrients—it forced your biology into stasis. The children grew in slow motion."
Zha'Kor nodded faintly. "Yes. And her mother, Koria…" His voice wavered. "She tried to descend. She wanted to see the world below—said she couldn't bear to have her daughter live in darkness forever. She never came back."
The silence that followed was heavy, even the wind seeming to hold its breath.
"I thought Vaelyra would never see the sky," Zha'Kor said, his voice breaking slightly. "But now… look at her."
They turned to see the girl sitting cross-legged beside Ryu, holding a glowing insect in her hands, whispering in awe.
"She's not afraid anymore."
Zha'Kor straightened as much as his wounds would allow and looked at both brothers. "You gave that to her. To all of us."
Luto shook his head lightly. "We didn't do it for thanks."
"No," Zha'Kor said softly, "but you did it anyway."
He shifted his gaze between them, his tone firm despite his exhaustion.
"I saw what your brother did up there, against Aurelian. How he stood back up, again and again. You three… you might truly be the ones who can challenge the gods. And when that day comes…"
He glanced at Vaelyra, smiling faintly. "The Scourged will stand ready."
Luto's reply was simple—a nod, small but sincere.
Then Saelara's voice carried from near the ship:
"All clear! Supplies loaded—energy cores stable!"
Ryu turned toward her, waving. "We're really doing this, huh?"
Vaelyra ran up beside him, her eyes shimmering. "Will you come back?"
Ryu knelt down, resting his hand on her head. "Count on it. Someone's gotta teach you how to throw a proper fireball."
She giggled, the sound light and pure against the endless twilight.
Zha'Kor stepped forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over them all. "Then go, Flame of the Crownless Sky. Carry our thanks to the stars."
As the brothers climbed aboard the Cradle Ark, the engines began to hum—a deep, melodic sound that blended with the wind like the first breath of a new dawn.
The Scourged watched in silence as the vessel lifted from the ground, trailing faint ribbons of gold and violet light.
The Belt above was broken now, but through that fracture, they could finally see the stars.
The Ascent of the Cradle Ark
The engines awoke with a low, thrumming pulse that rippled through the plains.
Lightning coiled across the hull like veins of a living storm as the Cradle Ark rose from its landing struts, drawing wind and light into its frame.
"Stabilizers holding," Luto said, hands dancing across the runic interface. His eyes flickered gold as the ship synchronized with his pulse. "Altitude increase… ten-thousand feet… twenty-thousand… good."
Outside, the Scourged gathered in clusters across the fields. Rha'vess shielded his eyes from the glare, his voice trembling. "They're ascending."
Vaelyra clutched Zha'Kor's uninjured arm. "Papa—it's so bright!"
"It's the sound of freedom," he rumbled, watching the ship climb higher. The reflection of the Ark shimmered across his eyes like a second sun.
Inside the cockpit, the brothers watched the twilight world shrinking below. The fractured Belt stretched across the sky like a wounded halo; its broken pieces glowed faintly, whispering the story of a curse finally ended.
Saelara leaned beside the viewport, her hands clasped together. "They're free because of you," she said quietly. "Because of what you did up there."
Onyx's gaze stayed on the planet. "Freedom's fragile. The gods will notice this breach soon enough."
Luto adjusted a dial, then rested one hand against the glass. "Then we'll make it count while we can. The coordinates for the southern edge of the Auralis Expanse are locked in. Once we hit open void, we'll start tracking rumors of the Cindervault."
Ryu, slouched in his seat, grinned tiredly. "And maybe find something edible that doesn't taste like scorched metal."
Saelara laughed softly. "You'd complain even after saving a world."
"Hey," Ryu replied, flashing a lopsided smile, "heroes still need breakfast."
The cockpit shook gently as energy built beneath the hull.
"Altitude—seventy thousand feet," Luto announced. "Engaging trans-fold ignition."
He pulled a lever carved from Astral Ferrite.
Outside, the air split with a deafening crack of thunder. Bolts of violet lightning spiraled outward, painting the clouds in prismatic color. The Cradle Ark flared brighter—then vanished in a streak of light that tore across the heavens.
On the plains below, wind swept through the Scourged ranks. The grass bowed in rippling waves as static hummed in the air.
Rha'vess whispered, "They're gone…"
Zha'Kor lifted his gaze to the empty sky. "No," he said softly. "They've simply gone where even the gods will have to look twice to find them."
Vaelyra smiled faintly, the lightning still fading in her wide eyes. "They'll come back. I know it."
As the echo of the thunder faded, the Scourged turned toward the open fields—their first dawn as free people rising under a fractured sky.
And far above, cutting through the endless void, the Cradle Ark shimmered between stars—carrying three brothers, a healer, and the spark of a rebellion yet to come.