The air inside the command chamber was charged with an uneasy energy as Kyren Axalor studied the holographic display of Aegis Prime. Vexara Lurenthis stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the ever-shifting patterns of the Astralis Cube fragments. Each fragment was a key to an ancient, unfathomable power, but the closer they got to unlocking its secrets, the more perilous their path became.

"Kyren," Vexara whispered, her voice laced with urgency. "The energy readings... they're spiking. Something's happening beneath the surface of the ruins."

Before Kyren could respond, a sharp jolt shook the chamber. The lights flickered, and the hologram distorted. Moments later, the voice of Thalira Vorneth crackled through the comm system.

"Kyren, Vexara, we have a situation," Thalira said, her tone grim. "The temporal distortions around the ruins are intensifying. We’re losing contact with our forward teams."

Kyren’s jaw tightened. "How is that possible? Those ruins have been dormant for centuries."

"Apparently not anymore," Thalira replied. "Get down there and find out what’s going on before the Technokratium sends reinforcements. We don’t have time to waste."

The descent into the ruins was treacherous. Kyren and Vexara moved cautiously through the crumbling corridors, their path illuminated by the pale glow of their wrist-mounted lights. Strange glyphs adorned the walls, pulsating faintly as if alive.

"This place feels... wrong," Vexara murmured, her voice echoing in the stillness. "The distortions aren’t just affecting our instruments. It’s like they’re warping reality itself."

Kyren nodded, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his plasma blade. "Stay close. If anything moves, we don’t hesitate."

As they ventured deeper, the air grew heavier, and an otherworldly hum resonated through the corridors. Finally, they emerged into a vast chamber dominated by a massive, glowing structure at its center—a crystalline obelisk, radiating waves of energy.

"The Astralis Core," Vexara breathed, her eyes wide with wonder. "It’s... active."

Before Kyren could respond, a deafening roar filled the chamber. Shadows coalesced around the obelisk, forming into humanoid figures with glowing eyes and twisted, skeletal frames.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Guards of the past," Kyren muttered, drawing his blade. "They won’t let us take this easily."

The battle was fierce. The shadowy figures moved with unnatural speed, their attacks relentless. Kyren’s blade flashed in the dim light as he fought to protect Vexara, who frantically worked to analyze the obelisk’s energy patterns.

"Kyren, I need more time!" Vexara shouted, her voice barely audible over the clash of energy and metal.

"We don’t have time!" Kyren snapped, slicing through another enemy. "Whatever you’re doing, do it fast!"

Just as another wave of shadows emerged, a blinding flash of light erupted from the obelisk. The shadows dissolved instantly, leaving the chamber eerily silent.

Vexara staggered back, her face pale. "I didn’t do that... something else activated it."

The obelisk began to shift, its crystalline surface rearranging into a new form. A deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber, speaking in an ancient tongue neither Kyren nor Vexara could understand.

"What the hell is it saying?" Kyren demanded, his voice edged with panic.

"It’s a warning," Vexara replied, her voice trembling. "A warning about something buried even deeper within Aegis Prime."

As they exited the ruins, the atmosphere outside was chaotic. The Technokratium had arrived in force, their ships hovering menacingly over the site. Thalira’s forces were already engaged in a desperate battle to hold them off.

Thalira’s voice came through their comms again. "Kyren, Vexara, report! Did you find anything?"

"We found more than we bargained for," Kyren replied. "The Astralis Core is active, and it’s broadcasting... something. We need to regroup before we can figure out what’s going on."

"Regrouping might not be an option," Thalira retorted. "The Technokratium just deployed orbital cannons. They’re preparing to level the entire site."

Vexara’s face turned ashen. "If they destroy the Core—"

"They won’t," Kyren interrupted, his voice firm. "Not while we’re still here."

But even as he spoke, a massive explosion shook the ground, and a fiery plume erupted in the distance. The Technokratium had begun their assault.

Kyren turned to Thalira’s holographic image, his expression grim. "We need to stop those cannons, or everything we’ve found here will be lost."

Thalira nodded. "I’m sending reinforcements, but it might not be enough."

Before Kyren could respond, the crystalline obelisk back in the ruins emitted another blinding pulse of energy, this time engulfing the entire area.

When the light faded, Kyren and Vexara were gone.

"Kyren? Vexara?" Thalira called out desperately, but there was no response.

The comms fell silent, leaving the battlefield eerily quiet as the ruins of Aegis Prime seemed to shimmer with an unnatural light. The obelisk’s voice echoed faintly once more, its cryptic message now a haunting refrain.

Deep within the ruins, an ancient mechanism began to stir, its activation sending ripples across the galaxy.

To Be Continued...