What Cain, Alita, and Oni saw in the Stellar Crucible was something vast and otherworldly.
The ground was a field of black crystal, a mirror-smooth surface of obsidian so deep that it seemed to drink all light. Above them was not a normal sky but a living dome, a vault of darkness studded with slow-pulsing stars. It was a perfect starry night, each star radiating its own rhythm and voice.
As the trio gazed upward, a sense of awe washed over them. The stars were unlike anything they had seen before. Some burned with the searing intensity of suns, others hummed with tones like ancient bells. Each one was distinct, each one alive.
Cain turned his head toward his companions. Alita and Oni met his gaze and nodded silently. Together, they stepped forward.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the gate behind them sealed with a sound like shattering glass.
Then the dome above them breathed.
