The wind on Mars screamed.
It wasn't the kind born of weather—it was something deeper, ancient, angry. The red dunes shifted as if breathing, and from the distance, a column of sand rose high into the thin sky, twisting into a massive storm.
Eris stood before it, motionless. His suit was cracked, the oxygen filters nearly gone, but his eyes burned brighter than the storm itself. Around him, the ruins of the Martian temple trembled with unseen power—the same energy that had once drawn the crystal to this planet.
Behind him, Kai and Nova worked desperately to stabilize the ship's power systems. Sparks flew, their voices drowned by the howling dust.
> "Eris! We're running out of time!" Kai shouted through the comms.
"The reactor's overheating—we can't stay here!" Nova's voice broke with fear.
Eris didn't move. His gaze was locked on the storm's heart, where flashes of violet light flickered like lightning behind the dust. Something was coming. Something alive.
He pressed a gloved hand to his chest where the fragment of the crystal pulsed faintly beneath his armor.
> "It's waking," he muttered.
The storm roared louder, and the ground split apart, revealing ancient machinery buried beneath centuries of Martian soil. Vast bronze rings began to spin, humming in resonance with the crystal's pulse.
Then—silence.
A blinding flash tore through the storm, scattering dust like ash in the wind.
When it cleared, a figure floated where the light had been.
She was cloaked in white, her eyes burning with gold flame—the Herald.
> "The first link is restored," she said, her voice echoing in Eris's mind. "The Crystal remembers its creator."
Eris raised his weapon. "Who are you?"
> "Not your enemy. Not yet. But if you seek to wield what you do not understand, I will become your end."
He steadied his stance. "Then you'd better pray I don't understand."
The Herald extended her hand—and every grain of Martian dust around them rose into the air, swirling like a cosmic tide. The ship behind Eris began to vibrate violently.
Kai screamed into the comms. "Eris, move! The storm's destabilizing the reactor—if we don't leave now, it's over!"
Eris turned slightly, the storm reflected in his visor.
He could feel it—Liora's presence faintly echoing through the crystal's pulse. She was alive.
> "Get the ship ready," he said. "I'm not done here yet."
Then he sprinted forward—straight into the heart of the storm.