The dropship pierced the storm-laced skies of the Core planet. Lightning arced across the clouds in unnatural patterns, drawn to the rift scar that split the surface like an open wound.
Titan stood at the front of the ramp, staring down at the ruins embedded in the earth—Vaelari constructs twisted by time, towering obelisks half-submerged in glowing black stone.
Kaela checked her rifle. "Ground's unstable. Energy readings are off the charts."
Merek tapped his wrist display. "There's a structure beneath the surface—something pulsing. Could be the last seal."
Lira's voice came through the comms. "I've linked Titan's biometric signature to the resonance field down there. Whatever's inside... it's waiting for him."
They descended carefully, their boots crunching over fractured crystal paths. Titan could feel the hum of the planet—alive, ancient, remembering.
In the heart of the ruins, they found it: a sealed chamber, circular, carved with living light. At its center floated a crystal shard—identical to the one that corrupted Arcadia-7, but inert.
When Titan approached, the shard pulsed—and the chamber lit up.
A voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.
"The blood of the First returns."
The seal began to react, tendrils of energy reaching toward Titan.
Kaela raised her weapon, tense. "This feels like a trap."
Titan shook his head, eyes focused. "It's not a trap. It's a choice."
And then the chamber split open—revealing a vast chasm below, with something colossal stirring in its depths.