Part 1
The night wind blowing across the rooftop of the Skyreach Observatory felt bone-chilling, carrying with it strange energy particles from the Lunanima Rift, which now loomed like a thorny crown over downtown Stellara. Below them, the once-bustling streets were now desolate, lit only by the flickering city lights and the unnatural indigo glow from the Rift. The sound of sirens still echoed, but it was now mixed with the faint drone of the Chronosentinel Order's flying units patrolling the air, forming a perimeter around the danger zone.
Kael stood at the edge of the rooftop platform, the communication headset fitted snugly over his ears. Rina was a few steps behind him, her posture upright and alert, one hand ready to grab the energy pistol holstered on her right thigh. They were awaiting final instructions from Commander Kirana before descending into the silent yet tense "battlefield" below.
"Vance, what's the status of your resonance link with subject 'Lyra'?" Commander Kirana's voice came through the headset, clear and calm despite the critical situation.
Kael took a deep breath, trying to focus his newly awakening senses. "I... I can feel her, Commander. Stronger than before. It's not just sadness... but also emptiness. Like... an emotional black hole that's sucking everything in." He paused, searching for the right words. "And there's... a sort of melody. Broken, very faint, but it's there. Filled with a sense of loss."
There was a moment of silence on the communication channel. Kael could imagine the analysts at the command post busy taking notes and trying to make sense of his description.
"A melody of loss..." Commander Kirana murmured. "Agent Volkov, do we have any data parallels for this description?"
"Negative, Commander," Rina replied. "Phantasm manifestation in the form of a 'melody' or 'hymn' has never been recorded in detail, especially for a Nova-class. This could be a unique aspect of subject 'Lyra' or a subjective interpretation from Mr. Vance's ability."
"Subjective or not, it's the only lead we have right now besides raw sensor data," Commander Kirana decided. "Vance, can you... follow that melody? Try to understand what it's trying to 'sing'?"
The request sounded bizarre, even to Kael himself. Following a melody from a giant Phantasm that could destroy the city. But for some reason, it felt like the only logical thing to do.
"I... I'll try, Commander."
"Good. Alpha Team, you are green to go. Remember the protocol. Agent Volkov, protect Mr. Vance at all costs. His safety is a secondary priority only to preventing escalation from subject 'Lyra'." Although the words sounded cold, Kael could detect a hint of concern in Commander Kirana's tone.
"Understood, Commander," Rina replied.
A small, hidden platform on the side of the roof slid open, revealing an emergency staircase leading to the lower levels, and eventually to the street.
"We go down this way," Rina said. "It's faster and less conspicuous than using the main access."
They descended the cold, metal stairs in silence. Every step felt heavy to Kael. The closer they got to the Rift's source, the more strongly he felt the wave of emptiness from Lyra, as if it were trying to swallow him into despair. The faint melody also grew clearer, its notes more heart-wrenching, like the cry of a trapped soul.
When they reached street level, the atmosphere felt even more palpable. The air vibrated with unseen energy. Several cars were abandoned in the middle of the road, their doors open. Small debris was scattered about, likely from the initial tremors of the Rift's emergence. There was no other sound but their own footsteps, the rush of the wind, and the distant echo of the Order's activities.
Rina moved with nimble caution, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, while Kael struggled to stay focused on Lyra's "melody," using it as a sort of internal compass in the midst of the threatening emotional storm.
"She... she hasn't moved from her spot," Kael reported, based on the "feeling" he was getting. "But the energy around her is becoming more concentrated. Like... she's gathering something."
"Sensor data confirms, Vance," Commander Kirana's voice came through again. "Her energy output is increasing exponentially. If this is a prelude to an attack, the impact will be immense."
"What is she waiting for?" Kael muttered, more to himself.
They rounded a final corner, and there, at the end of the wide street, in the middle of the intersection that was now a smoldering crater, stood Lyra. From this distance, Kael could see the intricate details of her dress of light, and her cosmic scythe that reflected the Rift's glow in a terrifying way. The blank expression on her face was unchanged.
"We stop here," Rina said, pulling Kael behind an abandoned delivery truck, giving them some cover. "This is the closest safe observation distance. How is it, Vance?"
Kael closed his eyes, concentrating fully. The emptiness was so strong, so cold. But the melody... the melody was there too, fighting to be heard amidst the storm of nothingness.
He tried to reach for it, to understand it. Not with logic, but with his heart.
Lost... everything is lost...
An emotional whisper, not words, but a clear meaning, touched his consciousness.
The light... the stars... the song... they are no more...
"She... she feels like she's lost something immense," Kael said to Rina, his voice slightly hoarse. "Something related to light, stars... and music."
Rina looked at him intently. "Can you be more specific?"
Kael shook his head. "It's difficult... it's like trying to catch smoke. But the feeling of loss is so... absolute."
Suddenly, Lyra moved. She raised her cosmic scythe high. Dark energy began to gather at the tip of its blade, swirling like a miniature nebula ready to explode.
"Warning! Massive energy spike! Subject 'Lyra' is about to release an attack!" a panicked operator's voice shouted through the headset.
"All units, prepare for maximum energy shield deployment!" Commander Kirana ordered.
"No! Wait!" Kael yelled into his headset, and also towards Lyra, though he knew the Phantasm probably couldn't hear him physically. "She's not trying to attack us! She's... she's trying to... create something!"
Part 2
At the Skyreach command post, the tension was at its peak. All operators were glued to their screens, data streaming in, showing an unprecedented energy surge from subject 'Lyra'.
"Commander, if she unleashes that, our energy shields might not be enough to protect the entire perimeter!" one of the chief technicians reported anxiously.
Commander Kirana clenched her fist, her face taut. Protocol dictated that she should order a preemptive strike to minimize damage. But Kael's words… "She's not trying to attack us! She's... she's trying to... create something!"
"Vance, what do you mean, 'create something'?" Commander Kirana asked through a private channel to Kael.
On the ground, Kael felt the incredible wave of energy from Lyra. Her scythe was now glowing with a blinding dark light. But behind it, the sorrowful melody grew stronger, more desperate.
"I don't know for sure, Commander! But my feeling is... she's not aiming this at us. She's... she's like she's trying to... call something back. Something she's lost." Kael struggled to translate the complex emotional resonance into words. "This energy... it feels like a scream of longing, not anger."
Rina, beside Kael, was already in a combat stance, her energy pistol aimed at Lyra. "Vance, if you're wrong..."
"I know!" Kael cut in, his eyes never leaving Lyra. "But I have to believe this!"
And then, Lyra swung her scythe. Not towards the Order's units, not towards the surrounding buildings. She swung it towards the sky, towards the gaping Lunanima Rift.
A tremendous wave of dark energy shot from her scythe, not as a destructive attack, but like a giant net made of shadow and dim starlight. The net shot upwards, towards the inter-dimensional tear.
At the command post, everyone held their breath.
"What is she doing?" one of the operators whispered.
The energy net reached the Rift, and instead of exploding or destroying, it began to interact with the Rift's energy itself. The indigo glow of the Rift began to pulse, drawn into Lyra's energy net.
Then, something even stranger happened. From within the Rift, from the unimaginable depths of inter-dimensional space, small points of light began to emerge, like stars being pulled out of the darkness. These points of light danced, drawn by Lyra's energy net, and slowly began to descend towards her.
"Stars... she's calling the stars..." Kael murmured in disbelief, witnessing the surreal sight.
Lyra's sorrowful melody was now mixed with a fragile note of hope. The emptiness around her subsided slightly, replaced by a kind of solemn anticipation.
The points of light grew more numerous, forming a miniature constellation that glittered above Lyra's head. They spun around, emitting a soft, warm glow that contrasted with the dark energy of her scythe.
"This... this isn't an attack," Commander Kirana said softly, her eyes fixed on the main screen. "This is... some kind of ritual? Or... a visualized song?"
No one could answer. They could only watch in awe as Lyra, the Nova-Prime class Phantasm, stood amidst the destruction she had created, surrounded by a dance of stars she had summoned from another dimension.
The blank expression on her face slowly began to change. A glimmer of awareness, a flicker of emotion, started to return to her sapphire eyes. And for the first time, Kael saw tears stream down Lyra's cheeks. Not the spectral tears of the child Phantasm, but tears that looked real, glistening under the light of her own created stars.
"She... she did it," Kael whispered, feeling the complex wave of emotions from Lyra—a still-profound sadness, but now also relief, and a fragile sliver of happiness. "She found a part of what she'd lost."
Rina slowly lowered her pistol, her face a rare mixture of confusion and awe.
However, the peace did not last long.
Suddenly, several explosions were heard from the direction of the outer perimeter guarded by the Order's units. The screens at the command post began to display new alerts.
"Commander! We have a third-party attack! Multiple unidentified units are attacking our position from the West Sector!"
"They're breaking through the defense! Their target... it seems to be subject 'Lyra'!"
In the midst of her starry dance, Lyra flinched. Her head snapped towards the direction of the explosions, the fragile expression on her face instantly replaced by a cold vigilance and anger. The stars around her began to spin faster, emitting a sharper light.
Her cosmic scythe was raised once more.
The storm was not over. In fact, the real storm had just begun.