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Chapter 14 - Chapter Fourteen: Ashes and Answers

Nova Chamber – Underground Base

Smoke still clung to their armor. Cuts and bruises lingered beneath their suits. But they were together—and Lyra was back.

The corrupted shard hovered inside a containment field, cracked and unstable, pulsing with dark energy.

Zevor: "Its structure remains Nova-aligned… but the corruption is rooted deep. This is not an infection. It's a transformation."

Rayna: "If Synkris could twist it… can we twist it back?"

They all looked to Lyra.

She stood silent, then stepped closer to the shard.

Lyra: "I felt everything. Her hatred. Her emptiness. But… there's still light inside. I heard it calling beneath the dark."

Kael (softly): "Then we dig it out."

The Plan

🟦 Zayn began designing a containment algorithm—a harmonic resonance device to isolate the original frequency of the shard.

🟨 Rayna mapped the patterns of corruption, layering them like battle plans.

⚫ Jett volunteered to test proximity exposure, despite the risk.

🟥 Kael trained harder than ever—"If Synkris tries to take another one of us, I want to be ready."

🌸 Lyra meditated daily with the shard, her aura flickering between pink and grey—slowly syncing with its fractured rhythm.

Lyra: "It's not just about cleaning it. It's about understanding it. Forgiving it."

Veyra's Warning

Veyra (stern): "You walk a thin line. This is no ordinary power—it's a mirror. It reflects your truest self. If you're not ready, it'll twist you all over again."

Lyra: "Then I'll make sure what it sees is someone strong."

Outside, storms rumbled. Synkris watched from orbit.

Synkris (to herself): "Let them play heroes. The next shard will not bend. It will consume."

To Be Continued…

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