The battle above Arcelis had left the skies scorched, a hellscape of twisted metal and burning debris. As the dust settled and the stars blinked back into view, the cost of war became painfully clear. The Technocrats had been forced into retreat, but their vengeance was swift and brutal.

The city of Talvoth, once a symbol of the Resistance’s strength, now teetered on the edge of collapse. The Technocrats, with their cold, calculated precision, had begun their counteroffensive. Xenith Callorn’s plan was unfolding with terrifying speed: sabotage, misinformation, and surgical strikes designed to break the morale of the Resistance and cripple their infrastructure.

Kyren Axalor, standing amidst the ruins of what was once a thriving Resistance stronghold, could feel the weight of the situation. The echoes of explosions and the groans of collapsing buildings reverberated through the air. He had seen the horrors of war before, but this was different. Talvoth was no longer just a battleground—it was a dying world.

"We can't stay here," Thalira Vorneth’s voice cut through the chaos, her hand gripping his arm, pulling him toward a hidden alleyway. Her face was lined with exhaustion, but there was no room for weakness now. "We need to regroup and plan our next move. The Technocrats are relentless."

Kyren nodded, his mind racing. There was no time to mourn the lives lost in the battle, not yet. The Technocrats were closing in on Talvoth’s heart, the capital, and once they had control of that, the entire Resistance would fall. He clenched his fists. "We can’t let them take it."

"There's nothing left to protect here," Thalira shot back, her tone hard. "If we don’t leave now, there will be no one left to fight."

They dashed through the alley, the sounds of war fading as they made their way to an underground network of tunnels. These tunnels had once been a lifeline for the Resistance, a way to move supplies and personnel under the Technocrats' radar. Now, they were their only means of escape.

Inside the tunnel, the air was thick with the stench of fear and the heavy silence of uncertainty. Kyren and Thalira joined a small group of survivors, most of them wounded, all of them worn down by the brutality of the conflict. Among them was Vexara Lurenthis, the young scientist who had once been so full of hope and determination. Now, her face was drawn, her eyes hollow.

"You made it," Vexara said softly, her voice barely audible over the clatter of the tunnel’s metallic walls. "I thought we’d lost you in the chaos."

Kyren grunted in response, scanning the faces of the others. "We’re not out of this yet. The Technocrats are coming for Talvoth. We need to move."

Thalira nodded, looking toward Vexara. "Any way to slow them down? We can't fight if we don’t have time to regroup."

Vexara hesitated. "I... I’m not sure. The Astralis technology—we’ve been trying to unlock its secrets, but the pieces are scattered. Without them, we’re just playing into their hands."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Kyren’s gaze shifted to the distant horizon, where the glowing remnants of the battle still flickered like dying stars. The Technocrats had control of the most crucial pieces of Astralis, and they were closing in on the final piece hidden within Talvoth’s ruins. Whoever controlled Astralis controlled the galaxy.

"We can’t afford to play catch-up," Kyren said. "We need to find a way to stop them, and fast. But we can’t do it alone."

A voice interrupted him, coming from the shadows at the back of the group. "You won’t be alone."

Kyren spun around, his heart skipping a beat. Drayk Zenaros, the enigmatic agent of the Phantom Syndicate, stepped into the dim light of the tunnel. His presence sent a chill down Kyren’s spine—Drayk was a man with no allegiances, a shadow who operated only on his own terms. But now, here he was, offering help in the middle of a crumbling war.

"Zenaros," Thalira growled, her hand going instinctively to the hilt of her blade. "What do you want?"

Drayk’s lips curled into a slight smirk, his piercing gaze flicking from Thalira to Kyren. "I’m here because I have something you want. And because I have a stake in this war too."

Kyren didn’t trust him. Drayk was a member of the Phantom Syndicate, a shadow organization with its own agenda. They were rumored to be manipulating events from behind the scenes, pulling the strings of both the Technocrats and the Resistance. But Kyren had no choice. The Syndicate had resources, and they knew how to get things done when the stakes were this high.

"What are you offering?" Kyren asked cautiously, stepping toward him.

"I can get you to the heart of Talvoth’s ruins, where the last piece of Astralis is hidden," Drayk said. "But there’s a catch."

Kyren raised an eyebrow. "There’s always a catch."

"You need to help me with something first," Drayk’s tone grew darker, his voice lowering as though to keep his words from being overheard. "There’s someone I need you to find. Someone important."

"Who?" Thalira asked sharply, her suspicion growing.

Drayk’s gaze flickered to the entrance of the tunnel, where the distant rumble of artillery could be heard. "A woman. Her name is Selene. She knows the true power of Astralis, and she’s the key to stopping this war. But she’s been hidden away by the Technocrats, and I have no way of reaching her without your help."

Kyren felt a shiver of unease. The Technocrats had always been secretive about their most dangerous assets, but to hide someone who held the key to Astralis’s true power—it was a revelation that could change everything.

"We don’t have the luxury of a mission to save some woman," Thalira snapped, but Kyren raised his hand, stopping her.

"I’m listening," Kyren said, his mind working over the possibilities. Selene might be the one piece of the puzzle they needed to shift the balance of power, but trusting Drayk was risky—he never helped anyone without expecting something in return.

Drayk’s eyes gleamed. "Good. We’ll need to move fast. The Technocrats will be in full assault mode soon, and Talvoth will be lost before we know it."

Kyren nodded, already preparing for what came next. As much as he hated to admit it, this might be their only chance to turn the tide. But as the group began to move, the weight of their next steps hung heavily in the air.

Just as they reached the tunnel’s exit, a blinding light illuminated the sky above Talvoth—an enormous ship, far larger than anything the Resistance had ever seen, hovered overhead. The insignia of the Technocrats burned brightly against the darkened sky.

The final assault had begun.