Thalyn stirred as the throne eased her upright, the cold metal pressing against her palms, now familiar. The chamber sharpened slowly around her, the blinding light of the dream leaving an aftershock behind her eyes, her limbs still tingling with the phantom pain of Echo's last moments. She blinked, clearing her vision, and took in the place.
Korr Draven hunched over the scanner, muttering like a man caught in prayer. His fingers flitted over the screen in jittery patterns, tapping, swiping, never resting. The device hummed with an erratic beat, like it had a pulse of its own, syncing with the energy flickering in Korr's eyes. The air trembled with the low buzz of machinery, the crackle of static like distant thunder.
Commander Hurst leaned against the wall, face drawn tight, beads of sweat glistening on his brow. Dr. Voss hovered close her expression tight with concern.
“Enough, commander,” she said, her voice taut. “You’re not well.”
He shook his head, his voice rough as gravel. “I’m fine. Just a headache.”
Thalyn pushed herself upright, her legs uncertain beneath her, a familiar tremor running through her calves. “What's going on?”
Elara glanced at her, then back to Hurst. Her fingers twitched near her side, as if ready to catch him. "He won’t say," she muttered, her eyes never leaving him. "He’s been like this since he woke."
Thalyn frowned, reading the lines etched deep on his face. “Something happened?”
Elara's jaw clenched, eyes restless. “Yes, something's wrong,” she muttered. “He’s the toughest among us.”
“It's nothing,” Hurst grunted, waving her off like a bothersome fly. “I don’t need a nursemaid.”
Thalyn moved in closer, searching his face. " How are you feeling?"
“Dizzy,” he admitted, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "Weak… but nothing I can't handle."
She nodded, almost smiling. “Just like me when I wake in the throne.”
Hurst let out a dry brittle laugh. “Maybe I’m dreaming too,” he said, eyes unfocused.
“Stuck between here and Solastis,” she replied, matching his tone.
Hurst snorted, but his face twisted with pain. Elara’s gaze sharpened, snapping to Korr. “Korr, did you notice anything happen?” she asked, voice tight as a wire. “When I was watching over Thalyn?”
Korr’s hands stilled over the device, eyes flicking up, then down. “I… might have scanned him,” he mumbled, almost to the screen. “While he was out cold. Just trying to make sense of it.”
Elara's face hardened. “What did you do, Korr?”
Korr shifted, fingers fidgeting, gaze glued to the scanner. “Just trying the diagnostics. Nothing more,” he insisted, voice trembling on the edges.
“Diagnostics,” Elara echoed, voice like ice. “You have no idea what that thing does. If it’s more than a scanner—”
Korr’s hands gripped the device tighter. "I was careful," he muttered, almost pleading. “Didn’t think it could—”
Elara cut him off, her stare searing. "No more experiments," she commanded. “Not until we know what we’re dealing with. We wait until a proper sanctum.”
Korr nodded, but his gaze stayed fixed on the screen, light patterns dancing across his face like ghosts.
Hurst straightened, eyes clearing a bit. “I feel better, now.” His gaze swung to Thalyn, a weary grin breaking through the tension. “Your turn,” he said. “What did you see in those memories?”
Thalyn closed her eyes, letting the images float up from the dark. “Droids… fighting off Nether beasts,” she murmured.
With a final glare at Korr, Elara leaned in, eyes intent. “Then?”
“I was taken,” Thalyn said, her voice a low rasp. “A malfunctioning Neurolink. They brought me in, straight to officer Larek—head of the Regulatory Directorate. He looked at me like I was a weird bug. My identity mesh was scrambled, and he didn’t like that. Got suspicious. Thought I was hiding something… and then the beasts came, everything went to hell.”
Korr’s frown deepened. “Did you learn anything useful?”
Thalyn’s gaze dropped, her hand moving to her temple as if to steady a memory. “Not yet. Just fragments. But there was a betrayal. Someone sold me out, I got caught.”
Elara’s gaze shifted to Hurst. “We should eat,” she said, breaking the quiet.
They unpacked their rations, the stale taste clinging to their tongues, chewing in silence. The consoles hummed and flickered, a constant drone in the background. Thalyn’s thought drifted back to Echo’s world, scenes replaying in her mind, the pieces never quite fitting.
Hurst stood after a while, gathering his gear. “Back to the minerals,” he grunted. “Keep an eye out.”
Elara shifted, her hand half-raised, eyes clouded with hesitation. She’d seen the pallor in him, the drag of his steps, but she held her tongue. He didn’t ask for counsel.
Thalyn gave her a knowing smile, felt her worry, but the throne called her back. The pull was strange and unyielding. With a deep breath, she settled into its cold embrace again, the weight of the crown heavy on her brow.
The chamber blurred at the edges, reality slipping away. Shadows deepened, senses dulled, and a whisper came, thin as a blade slicing through fog.
"Children shouldn’t play with the tools of their Elders…."
Thalyn tensed, recognizing Arvie’s sly tone. But the world was already gone, fading into a place where time held no meaning.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE77ZNh3l76
