The crater was no longer silent. A low hum pulsed from below — steady, alive, like a heart that had just remembered how to beat. The crew's lights danced over the frozen edges of the pit as steam rose into the thin Martian air.
Luna stood at the rim, her breath visible inside her helmet. "The Sentinel went down there."
Kael checked his scanner, brow furrowed. "There's movement… faint, like a pulse signature. But it's deep — maybe three, four kilometers below the surface."
Eris stared into the darkness. His body still ached from the encounter, but the whispers in his mind had not stopped.
They called to him softly: "Below the bloodstone lies the memory of gods…"
"We have to go," he said quietly.
Mara stepped forward, shaking her head. "You almost died out there. Whatever's under that ice doesn't want us."
"Maybe not," Eris said, eyes glowing faintly again, "but it needs me."
There was no argument left. The crew knew that when Eris spoke in that tone — calm but distant — something greater had already claimed him. They began assembling the descent gear.
Ropes, thrusters, scanners. The cold bit deep as they lowered themselves down, lights cutting through the fog. The walls shimmered faintly, ancient symbols etched into the ice — moving, shifting like they were alive.
Liora brushed a gloved hand across one. "It's not just carving… it's memory. The ice remembers."
Hours passed as they went deeper, until the light from above disappeared completely. Only the faint luminescence of the runes remained.
Then, suddenly — open space.
They stepped onto a vast metallic surface. The chamber stretched endlessly, a cathedral buried beneath Mars. Monolithic pillars rose high, each engraved with sigils of stars and gods — and at the center, a massive structure pulsed with slow, rhythmic energy.
Eris walked toward it, drawn by something primal. Luna followed, whispering, "What is this place?"
He stopped before the structure. His reflection rippled across its mirrored surface — and then the mirror changed. It no longer showed him, but seven figures in ancient armor standing together before a blazing light.
"The Clan…" he breathed.
The vision flickered — one of the seven turned, a woman with eyes like galaxies. She spoke through the echo of time:
"Our war began here, Eris. And it will end where it began."
The mirror shattered into light. The chamber shook. Ancient machinery awakened — gears turning, symbols flaring to life. A deep rumble rolled beneath their feet.
Kael grabbed his communicator. "Base, this is Kael! We've found… something alive down here!"
Static.
No response.
Mara cursed under her breath. "The comms are gone."
Then, from the far end of the chamber, a shape moved — tall, humanoid, cloaked in molten gold. It carried a spear carved from crystal and flame. Its voice was neither male nor female, yet it filled the space like thunder:
"The Heir stands upon sacred ground. The oath-bound shall awaken."
Eris stepped forward. His eyes met the being's glowing gaze. "Who are you?"
"A Watcher," it said. "Last of the Thirteen. We guard the Heart until the Sovereign's return. But the seal weakens, and the old war stirs again."
The crew froze as energy rippled through the air. The being's form began to fade, leaving only its voice:
"When you leave this world, the others will follow. The One Being watches through the stars."
Silence fell again. The hum returned to a steady rhythm.
Eris clenched his fists. "We need to record everything. This changes everything."
Mara looked around. "Eris… what if this isn't discovery?" she said softly. "What if it's resurrection?"
The words hung in the cold, and for the first time, Eris had no answer.
Above them, on the surface, the red dust began to shift — as if something beneath Mars had begun to move once more.