The hum of the Helios Station had never sounded so sharp. Every vibration, every flicker of light carried tension. The crew had returned, but they were no longer simply explorers — they were witnesses to something cosmic.
—Research Bay, Helios Station—
Dr. Helena Voss stood before the containment chamber, her eyes locked on the shard floating within a transparent field. Its glow pulsed faintly, synchronizing with the beats of her heart. Around her, the station's best minds gathered, their faces pale with awe and confusion.
"Quantum stabilization is failing every twenty seconds," one of the scientists reported. "It's… alive, in some way. The energy output matches the resonance from the Indian Ocean."
Helena nodded. "The shard is talking to its twin."
Mara leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Talking? You mean this thing can communicate?"
Helena didn't look away from the glass. "Not in words. In frequency. It's trying to awaken the other Gate."
Liora's voice trembled slightly. "If it succeeds?"
Helena turned to her. "Then the ocean opens — and we don't know what's waiting on the other side."
---
—Earth Surface, Indian Ocean—
Beneath miles of pressure and darkness, cameras from a deep-sea drone cut through the abyss.
And there it was — the Second Gate.
A colossal ring of obsidian stone, covered in markings that pulsed faintly with blue light. Around it, the water churned as though time itself was bending.
The operator's voice cracked through static. "We're receiving interference, ma'am. There's movement — something around the Gate!"
On the screen, shadows shifted — like silhouettes gliding across the edge of the abyss.
And then, a voice came through the comms — faint, distorted, and impossible.
> "The Heir has returned."
The feed went black.
---
—Helios Station—
Helena slammed her hand against the console. "Cut transmission lines to the Gate site. Full isolation protocol!"
One of the analysts looked up, panicked. "Too late! The frequency's spreading through the global relay. The shard's amplifying it!"
Alarms blared. The containment field flickered.
Eris rushed forward, shouting, "Shut it down!"
"It's not responding!" Helena yelled. "The shard's overriding the circuit!"
Before anyone could move, the shard flared — a pulse of white light flooding the chamber. The glass walls cracked, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.
In that stillness, Eris heard something.
A voice, familiar and ancient, whispering through his mind.
> "Child of the Seven… awaken the bridge."
When the light faded, the shard floated freely in the air — orbiting around Eris. It burned brighter with each second.
Liora grabbed his arm. "Eris, stop it!"
He clenched his jaw, fighting the pull. "I'm not doing anything — it's reacting to something else!"
On the observation screen, the Indian Ocean Gate began to glow.
---
—Underwater, The Gate Awakens—
The ocean boiled. Currents reversed, creating whirlpools that stretched for miles. The ring beneath the surface split open, and from its core, a column of light erupted upward — a beacon reaching space.
Fish and debris were drawn into the current, vanishing into the radiance.
On Helios Station, the scientists watched in horror as the energy spike surpassed every known threshold.
Helena whispered, "It's not just opening. It's answering."
Mara gritted her teeth. "Answering what?"
Eris looked toward the stars. "The Herald."
---
—Deep Space—
Far beyond the Moon's orbit, the Herald of the Void stirred. The beacon from Earth reached it like a thread of light, pulling it closer.
Its red eye opened fully now, and from its body, countless tendrils of black mist stretched out — feeding on the light of distant stars.
> "The cradle calls. The Gate sings. The Heir must be tested."
It began to move, accelerating toward Earth.
---
—Back on Helios—
Helena turned from the screen, face pale. "Something's coming."
Eris's voice was low, calm. "Then we prepare."
Liora looked at him. "For what?"
He gazed at the shard, its pulse merging with his heartbeat. "For the first war between worlds."
Outside the viewport, the stars seemed to darken, one by one.