The galaxy stretched before them like an endless web of stars and darkness. Elyra leaned over the navigation console, tracing the faint pulses that Kael had left behind—tiny signatures embedded in the energy of distant systems. Each one flickered like a heartbeat, guiding them toward the first fragment.
"The readings are faint," she said. "But consistent. Whatever Kael left is anchored on that planet."
The Marauder hovered beside her, his shadow rippling as he surveyed the display. "The planet is cloaked in constant storms. Lightning, magnetic turbulence… very few ships survive entry. The fragment will be well-guarded."
Elyra's eyes narrowed. "Then we'll be careful. Or… clever."
They exited Foldspace near the coordinates. Through the viewport, the planet loomed: a roiling sphere of black clouds and violent electric storms, punctuated by flashes of blue and green lightning. The atmosphere shimmered like a living entity, bending space around it.
Elyra swallowed. "Looks… beautiful. And deadly."
The Marauder's tendrils stretched toward the storm. "It's more than deadly. Time and energy behave unpredictably here. One misstep and the storm itself could trap you forever."
Elyra activated the ship's stabilizers and shields. "Then we make our own path. Hold the Marauder close—I don't want him lost to the storm."
As The Seraphine's Echo descended, the winds tore at the ship, lightning dancing along its hull. Sensors screamed warnings as pockets of static energy bent reality, creating illusions of massive predators and shifting terrain.
Elyra gritted her teeth. "It's not just weather—it's testing us."
"And the fragment is feeding off it," the Marauder confirmed. "It's amplifying the storm with its presence."
They broke through the upper layers, entering a valley carved by centuries of unbroken tempest. In the center, a tower of crystalline energy jutted from the planet's surface, pulsating with Kael's signature, distorted but recognizable.
"There," Elyra whispered. "That has to be it."
Lightning arced dangerously close, striking the tower and causing it to vibrate with power. The Marauder extended a shadow shield around the ship. "We can't land directly. Too much energy. You'll need to deploy the extraction drone."
Elyra activated the drone, sending it into the storm. Its sensors flared as it approached the crystal tower. Then the readings spiked violently—heartbeats, if you could call the energy that. The fragment was alive, reacting to their presence.
Suddenly, a massive wave of energy erupted from the tower, knocking the drone back and sending it spinning into the air. Elyra yelled, "It's aware of us!"
The Marauder's voice was tense. "Then prepare yourself. This is only the first trial. The fragment will fight for survival. And it knows your every move before you make it."
Elyra swallowed, tightening her grip on the controls. "Then we'll have to be faster. Smarter. And stronger."
Outside, the storm roared in approval, lightning striking closer, as if the planet itself were alive—ready to test anyone who dared touch the fragment.
The Hunt had begun in earnest.