The sandstorm had finally stopped.
A pale light stretched over the broken dunes, dim and trembling beneath the shroud of red dust that forever hung above Mars.
Jonas sat beside the wrecked rover, his suit torn, his helmet off. His face was streaked with blood and exhaustion. "We're alive," he muttered, spitting out dust. "Barely."
Mara was kneeling a few meters away, her hands glowing faintly blue as she pressed them to Eris's chest. His pulse was weak but steady. The strange silver veins across his skin had dimmed, though faint traces of light still pulsed beneath.
"His body temperature's stabilizing," she said softly. "Whatever that thing did to him, it's fading."
Liora sat nearby, hugging her knees, staring out at the distant spire of light that now dominated the horizon. "It's still there," she whispered. "Even from here, I can feel it."
Selene didn't answer immediately. She stood with her cloak fluttering in the dry wind, eyes locked on the faint beam that rose from the ruins of the fortress. When she finally spoke, her voice was grim.
"That's no ordinary structure anymore. It's a conduit — one that links directly to the planetary core. The Heart of Mars has begun its awakening cycle."
Jonas frowned. "And that means?"
"It means," she said slowly, "that Mars itself is now alive… and aware."
Silence fell. Even the wind seemed to pause.
Eris stirred slightly, mumbling incoherently. Mara leaned closer, brushing dust from his hair. His voice cracked — barely a whisper. "The… chains… breaking…"
Selene turned sharply. "He's dreaming through the link."
Mara frowned. "Link?"
Selene knelt beside Eris, her expression unreadable. "When he touched the Heart, it recognized him. His lineage, his frequency, his bloodline — all tied to the beings who first sealed it away. The moment they connected, he became part of the Heart's memory."
Jonas rubbed his temples. "So you're saying he's sharing thoughts with that thing? Great. Fantastic."
Selene's eyes narrowed. "Mock all you want, Jonas, but this bond might be the only thing keeping us alive. The Heart didn't kill him — it spared him. That means it needs him."
Mara looked between them, anxiety twisting her tone. "Needs him for what? To break the rest of the seals?"
Selene's silence was answer enough.
The sky above them cracked faintly, thunder rolling across the high atmosphere. Faint flashes of crimson lightning danced along the horizon — the planet's magnetic field realigning itself.
Liora shivered. "This isn't over, is it?"
"No," Selene said. "It's just begun."
They worked in silence for the next few hours, salvaging what little equipment had survived the shockwave. Jonas managed to bring the comms drone online, though the transmission back to Earth was unstable.
"Signal's weak," he muttered, adjusting the dials. "MarsNet's completely fried. Best I can do is a burst relay every ten minutes."
"Do it," Selene said. "They need to know what we found here."
He hesitated. "You mean what we unleashed."
Her gaze softened, but her words were cold. "Either way, they'll learn soon enough."
Mara helped Eris to his feet. He was pale, trembling slightly, but conscious now. His eyes — normally deep brown — glowed faintly silver under the Martian dawn.
He looked toward the spire, his voice low. "It's still calling. Even from this far."
Selene approached him slowly. "Can you ignore it?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "It's not just a sound. It's like… a memory inside me that's trying to surface."
Liora stepped forward. "Maybe if we leave the region, it'll weaken."
Selene nodded. "Agreed. We regroup, travel north toward Valles Marineris Base, and contact the orbital team. The Heart isn't going anywhere — and if we stay, neither are we."
They began loading what they could into the rover, the red sun rising behind them, casting long shadows across the dunes.
As they moved, none of them noticed the faint tremors returning beneath their feet — soft at first, then rhythmic.
Far behind them, at the heart of the spire, the colossal being stirred once more. Chains clinked faintly in the wind, and from the dust came a whisper carried across the dying air:
"The bearer walks the path again… and the dawn returns with him."