The air inside the subterranean chamber was thick with tension. The glow of the Astralis fragment—now pulsating faintly—cast eerie shadows on the walls, illuminating the etched runes that seemed to hum with latent power. Kyren Axalor stepped closer to the artifact, his hand hesitating mere inches from its surface.

"Don't touch it yet," Vexara Lurenthis cautioned, her voice taut with concern. "We don’t know what kind of reaction it could trigger."

Kyren exhaled sharply and stepped back. "This thing feels alive, Vex. Like it's… watching us."

Thalira Vorneth, standing guard near the chamber's entrance, tightened her grip on her plasma rifle. "We don't have time for second-guessing. If this fragment holds the key to taking down the Technokratium, we need to act fast."

Vexara crouched near the artifact, her scanner buzzing with faint readings. "It’s not that simple. The energy signatures here are… unstable. It’s like this fragment is only a piece of something much larger. If we activate it without understanding how it integrates with the rest of the Astralis system, we could trigger a catastrophic reaction."

Drayk Zenaros emerged from the shadows, his cloak fluttering slightly as he moved. His expression was unreadable, as always, but his tone carried a subtle edge of urgency. "The Technocrats are already mobilizing. If we don’t figure this out now, it won’t matter what secrets this thing holds. They’ll bury us before we get a chance to use it."

The team exchanged uneasy glances. Outside the chamber, the rumble of distant explosions reminded them of the escalating conflict on Aegis Prime. The Resistance forces were holding off the Technokratium for now, but the stalemate wouldn’t last.

"Kyren," Thalira called out, her voice steady but firm. "What’s it going to be? Do we take the risk, or do we fall back?"

He glanced at Vexara, then at the fragment. "We didn’t come all this way just to walk away empty-handed," he said finally. "If the Technocrats want this thing so badly, it’s because they’re afraid of what it can do. I say we figure it out—here and now."

Vexara stood, her gaze locked on Kyren. "Then I need time. Give me ten minutes to analyze the artifact’s patterns. If I can isolate its core function, we might stand a chance."

"Ten minutes is a luxury we don’t have," Drayk muttered, moving toward the chamber's entrance. "I'll buy you some time." Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the dimly lit corridor beyond.

Thalira raised an eyebrow. "That man is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."

"Probably both," Kyren replied with a smirk, though his expression quickly turned serious. "Let’s secure this room until Vex finishes her work."

Outside, the battle raged on. Drayk moved with precision, his shadow blending seamlessly with the environment. He dispatched a Technokratium scout with a swift, silent strike before activating a decoy beacon to draw enemy forces away from the chamber.

The beacon worked like a charm. Within moments, a squad of Technokratium soldiers converged on the decoy’s location, leaving the immediate area around the chamber temporarily unguarded.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Drayk activated his communicator. "You’ve got about five minutes before they figure out it’s a trap. Make it count."

Inside the chamber, Vexara’s fingers flew across her holo-interface as she analyzed the artifact’s energy patterns. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she muttered calculations under her breath.

"Vex, status?" Kyren asked, his voice tight with anticipation.

She didn’t look up. "Almost there. The fragment is resonating with something—likely another piece of the Astralis system. If I can pinpoint its frequency, we might be able to track the other fragments."

Thalira’s expression hardened. "And if you’re wrong?"

Vexara paused for a moment before replying. "Then we’ll probably blow ourselves to pieces."

"Comforting," Thalira deadpanned, her rifle aimed at the chamber’s entrance.

Drayk’s voice crackled over the comms. "Change of plans. They’re onto us. Reinforcements incoming—heavy ones."

Thalira cursed under her breath. "We’re out of time, Vex."

Kyren turned to the scientist. "Do it. Activate the fragment."

Vexara hesitated, her hand hovering over the activation module. "If this goes wrong—"

"We don’t have a choice," Kyren interrupted. "Do it now."

With a deep breath, Vexara initiated the sequence. The fragment’s glow intensified, bathing the chamber in blinding light. The runes on the walls erupted with energy, their patterns shifting as if coming to life.

A low hum filled the air, growing louder with each passing second. Suddenly, a pulse of energy surged from the artifact, sending shockwaves through the chamber. The team was thrown to the ground as the fragment’s power reached its zenith.

When the light finally dimmed, the chamber was silent. Vexara sat up slowly, her gaze fixed on the now-dormant fragment. "I think… it worked," she said, her voice shaky.

Kyren helped her to her feet. "What happened?"

She pointed to her holo-interface, which now displayed a map of the galaxy. Glowing markers indicated the locations of additional Astralis fragments scattered across various planets.

"We have a map," she said, a mixture of relief and disbelief in her voice. "The other fragments… we can find them."

Thalira’s expression softened for the first time. "That’s great, but we need to get out of here before the Technocrats turn us into ashes."

Drayk’s voice cut in over the comms. "You’re not going to like this, but they’ve brought reinforcements—mechs and aerial drones. Extraction isn’t going to be easy."

As the team prepared to move, a deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber, stopping them in their tracks.

"Who dares awaken the Astralis?"

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The runes on the walls glowed faintly, as if responding to the entity’s presence.

Kyren’s blood ran cold. "What… was that?"

Vexara’s eyes widened in alarm. "I don’t think we activated just the map. Something else woke up."

The chamber trembled as the voice spoke again, this time more forcefully. "You seek power, but do you understand the price?"

The ground beneath them cracked, and an otherworldly light began to seep through the fissures. The team exchanged panicked glances as the realization set in: they had awakened something far beyond their comprehension.

"Run!" Thalira shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

As the team scrambled toward the exit, the entity’s voice boomed one final time.

"You cannot escape destiny. The Astralis is alive, and its judgment is absolute."

Outside the chamber, the team emerged into the war-torn landscape of Aegis Prime, only to find the sky ablaze with unfamiliar, celestial phenomena. A massive, translucent figure loomed above the horizon, its form both majestic and terrifying.

"Is that… a ship?" Kyren whispered, his voice barely audible.

Vexara shook her head, her expression a mixture of awe and dread. "No… it’s a sentinel. The Astralis sentinels have awakened."

The ground shook violently, and the colossal figure began to move toward them. Their journey had just taken a turn they could never have anticipated.