The station's air turned heavy, laced with the distinct energy signature of a Proxy Warden. Every instinct in Jericho's body screamed danger.
Mira was the first to react.
She drew both her shortblades, stance low, eyes fixed on the figure stepping out of the mist like a myth reborn.
The Warden's voice was calm, but absolute. "Surrender the core and the marked one. Resistance will void your final rights."
Jericho loaded his rifle. "You'll have to void a lot more than that."
The Warden didn't flinch. Her armor gleamed under the flickering station lights—crimson with silver tracing like veins. A symbol on her chestplate marked her as Warden Tessa of the Eastern Reach.
A legend.
A killer.
---
A Shifting Flame
Eli's back burned, the mark pulsing with increasing intensity.
"Guys," he gasped, clutching his ribs. "It's doing something—"
Before he could finish, Cael grabbed his shoulder. "It's syncing with the core."
"What does that mean?!"
"It means you are the core now!"
A wave of red light exploded from Eli's back, rippling across the broken walls of the station. Debris shook, dust fell, and Mira stepped in front of him, shielding him with her body.
Jericho didn't wait.
He fired.
The pulse round arced through the air—fast, precise—and hit the Warden directly in the chest.
Nothing.
The round dissolved on impact, like ink in water.
She raised a single hand, palm glowing.
"Pathetic."
---
The First Strike
She moved faster than anyone could react.
In one motion, she crossed the entire station floor and slammed her staff into Jericho's gut. He flew backwards, crashing into a wall and slumping down with a groan.
Mira dashed forward, slashing, pivoting, striking like a whirlwind. Tessa blocked each blow effortlessly, her staff moving like liquid silver.
"You are skilled," Tessa said. "But skills alone are insufficient."
With a precise twist, Tessa kicked Mira across the room, sending her blades scattering.
Only Eli remained standing.
Or rather, glowing.
---
The Surge
The mark on his back erupted.
Eli screamed—not in pain, but in sheer overwhelming energy. His hands crackled with raw Threadlight. His irises turned gold. His feet lifted slightly off the ground.
Tessa halted.
"A chosen conduit…" she whispered.
Eli raised his hand.
The energy surged forward in a beam of crimson and white, tearing across the space between them like a lance of power.
Tessa raised her staff.
The beam struck.
---
Silence
When the light faded, the entire eastern wing of the station was gone. Vaporized.
Tessa stood, scorched, one gauntlet missing, visor cracked—but alive.
"Interesting…" she said softly. "You are only just awakening."
She vanished in a flash of static light.
---
Aftermath
Eli collapsed.
Mira crawled to his side, coughing. "You okay?"
"I… don't know."
Jericho limped over, eyes wide. "That was insane. You blasted half a building without moving."
Cael checked the core—it had dimmed, as if it had given up something vital.
"She'll be back," Mira said grimly. "With reinforcements."
Cael nodded. "We need to leave. Now."
Jericho added, "And we need to find someone who knows what that mark really is."
Eli sat up, the glowing glyph slowly fading on his skin.
"Then let's find them."