Commander Jaxon Hurst stood by the window, his steely gaze fixed on the jagged cliffs outside. His hand hovered near the strange doorway that Korr had accidentally opened earlier—a doorway that blocked the miasma but let his hand pass through as if it were nothing more than mist.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, decisions forming. The detector at his side beeped, the cliffs were rich with quadrivium thalorite. His thoughts turned to what he needed, the steps to take, and the hope that the Nether beasts would keep avoiding of the ruins.
Korr Draven crouched by the towering machine in the corner, his fingers hovering above the faintly pulsing runes, tracing their shapes as if seeking answers hidden within. His lips moved in a low murmur, lost beneath the device’s erratic hums and clicks. Dr. Elara Voss stood beside him, holding a scanner, though her eyes kept drifting back to Thalyn on the throne.
When the throne eased upright, Thalyn gasped, the sharp sound cut through the hum of machinery. Elara was beside her in a blink, her cybernetic fingers brushing the edge of Thalyn’s temple, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thalyn, what did you see?"
Thalyn blinked, her eyes flickering as she adjusted to the present. “I was there. The city... it was gutted, shattered. Bodies, debris, and twisted metal everywhere. The dome above was cracked. The miasma seeping in, smothering everything in that toxic haze.”
Jaxon turned away from the window, the set of his jaw tight, his interest piqued. "And then?"
"I descended into the city," Thalyn continued, her words measured. "The streets were filled with debris, and the only sound was the crunch of it underfoot. I saw them—Nether beasts, grotesque, fighting over remains. Eyes like embers."
Korr's head jerked up, eyes narrowing, his fingers pausing mid-air over the machine. "Beasts? You got close?"
She shook her head. “No, kept my distance. There was... a building still standing, barely. A medical facility. Found a safe inside. Arvie helped me crack it.”
Elara leaned closer, the scanner forgotten in her hand, a spark in her eyes that had not been there before. "What was inside?"
Thalyn’s hand brushed against her side, a gesture almost unconscious, feeling for the phantom weight of a satchel she no longer carried. “Mutacell,” she said, the word heavy with significance.
Elara’s breath caught, a rare spark of excitement in her usually calm demeanor. "Mutacell? By the divines, Thalyn, do you know what that means? It’s ancient tech. It can unlock abilities, enhance us in ways we’ve only dreamed of!"
Korr’s gaze sharpened, his mind already racing. " That city," He stepped forward, ghostly in the dim light. “I know that city. It’s called Solastis. A fortress-city built to withstand the worst the Nether could throw at it… or so they thought.”
Thalyn’s eyes flicked toward him, intrigued. “Solastis? What brought it down?”
Korr’s gaze drifted into some unseen past. “Nobody knows,” he said, voice low. “That was generations ago. The city was a marvel, the pride of our kind. But something went wrong. The records are broken—lost in time. All that’s clear is the city fell, taking a chapter of history with it.” He exhaled. “This... this could be the key to understanding it.”
Elara glanced from the throne back to Thalyn. “Perhaps it’s time we gave it a turn,” she said, her voice a blend of hope and caution.
Korr stepped forward, drawn by the lure of the unknown. "My turn," he said, a rare eagerness in his voice. "If this throne allows us to see the past, I need to see for myself."
Jaxon crossed his arms, his gaze hard. " We all take a turn. We need to know what we’re dealing with."
One by one, they attempted to use the throne, but each time, nothing happened. The ancient device remained inert, unresponsive to their touch. Frustrated, they discussed the possibilities, their theories clashing in the dim light of the chamber.
In the end, they agreed on one thing: Thalyn would try again. Whatever this thing was, it had chosen her. As she settled back into the seat, a sense of unease settled over the group. Elara hovered close, her hand resting lightly on Thalyn’s shoulder, her face a mask of unreadable thoughts. Korr returned to his machine, his eyes distant, yet alive with calculations.
Thalyn closed her eyes, the crown’s cold weight pressing down on her. The chamber around her blurred, sounds thinning to whispers, until they disappeared altogether. A new scene took shape, the past pulling her deeper, spinning her back into the shadows of a life she had never known, a story waiting to be uncovered.
The last thing she heard before everything went black was a soft whisper in her thoughts. “Ready to continue our grand adventure?”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLtFVsxwSZ
