The Seraphine's Echo broke free from Mirath's atmosphere in a trail of light and static. Elyra collapsed into the pilot's chair, gasping as the ship shuddered violently. Outside, the frozen planet imploded in slow motion—its core collapsing inward before vanishing into a sphere of pure darkness.
The Marauder's voice echoed in the cockpit. "Mirath is gone… sealed again, but not destroyed. The Void has only shifted—moved outward."
Elyra stared at the scanners. "Moved where?"
The ship's screen flickered, static crawling like vines across the interface. One by one, red warning beacons began appearing on the galactic map—small, scattered points blinking across multiple systems.
Her eyes widened. "Those are… Void signatures. Hundreds of them."
"It's spreading through the Fold," the Marauder said grimly. "When the Keeper released time, the boundaries weakened. The Void no longer needs a single anchor—it's seeding itself across reality."
Elyra clenched her fists. "Then we'll chase it. Destroy every trace before it grows."
The Marauder's shadow darkened the room. "Elyra… this isn't just a hunt anymore. This is war."
Silence filled the cabin for a long moment. Outside, Mirath's remnants sparkled like broken glass in the void. Elyra turned toward the viewport, her reflection flickering beside the stars. "Kael's Echo bought us time. We can't waste it."
The ship's console beeped suddenly. A transmission. The signal was weak—fragmented—but unmistakably human.
"—This is Admiral Seris of the Varyn Front. To any surviving vessels: sectors 3 through 9 have fallen. Unknown energy storms are corrupting the jump routes. Repeat—Foldspace is compromised—"
Then static.
Elyra looked up sharply. "Foldspace… that's where we're flying through."
The Marauder's gaze turned toward the swirling nebula ahead. "The corruption has already begun."
Without warning, the stars around them twisted. The ship lurched, systems flaring red. Outside, reality itself seemed to warp—starlight bending into spirals as dark tendrils reached from the void. Elyra gripped the controls, struggling to stabilize the engines. "They're pulling us in!"
The Marauder's eyes glowed. "Hold steady! I'll sever the link!"
He extended his shadow into the ship's systems, energy surging through the walls like black lightning. The ship screamed in protest—but the pull loosened. Elyra slammed the throttle forward, breaking free just as the tendrils retracted back into the Fold.
They drifted in silence for a moment, breathing hard. Elyra wiped sweat from her brow. "That wasn't random. It was targeting us."
The Marauder nodded slowly. "The Void remembers you now. And it wants you gone."
Elyra looked back at the stars—now dimmer, quieter, as if watching her. "Then it knows what's coming. We're not running anymore."
She activated the navigation map, setting course toward the Varyn Front. "If the galaxy's at war with the Void… then that's where we start."
The Marauder's form flickered beside her, voice low but steady. "Then the Hunt begins again."
And as the Seraphine's Echo jumped into the storm, the shadow of the Void rippled across the galaxy—whispering Kael's name once more.