The Seraphine's Echo tore through Foldspace, streaks of light and distortion warping the void around it. Elyra sat at the helm, her eyes fixed on the map projected by the fragment. Each pulse guided her toward the red-marked sector—the first of the Void's targets.
"The station's readings are stable," she murmured, fingers dancing over the controls. "We'll drop out of Foldspace in five minutes."
The Marauder hovered near the viewing port, its silhouette blending with the stars. "Be cautious, Elyra. The Void rarely acts without layers of deception. The glyphs warned us of convergence points—traps hidden within lures."
Elyra smirked faintly. "Then let's spring their trap before they realize we know it's there."
When the ship exited Foldspace, silence enveloped them. Before them drifted a derelict station orbiting a dying star. Wreckage floated in every direction—ships torn apart, their hulls shimmering with a faint black residue. Elyra's stomach turned.
"This… wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispered. "There were colonies here. Signals. Trade routes."
The Marauder extended a tendril, scanning the debris. "All gone. The Void's presence lingers. It consumed the station and everything around it. The glyphs were right—this sector was the first to fall."
Elyra's jaw tightened. "Then we stop it here."
She guided the ship closer to the station, activating the containment field. The fragment pulsed brighter, responding to the Void's energy. The air seemed to thicken; the lights dimmed. Something was watching them.
A whisper slithered through the comms.
"Welcome back… Elyra."
Her pulse spiked. "Kael?"
The Marauder's voice sharpened. "No. That's not him. That's the Void—echoing his voice to break your focus."
The whisper became laughter—soft, cruel, and familiar. The wreckage began to move, debris assembling itself into monstrous, shifting forms. The black residue congealed into tendrils, wrapping around the station's framework.
Elyra gritted her teeth. "They're feeding on the remains."
"Then we starve them," the Marauder growled. "Activate the containment pulse. Now."
Elyra slammed her hand on the console. The fragment's containment field expanded outward, a sphere of blue light clashing with the spreading Void. For a moment, it worked—the dark tendrils recoiled, the voices fading. But then the light fractured.
A shape emerged from the wreckage—a colossal, shadow-wrapped figure resembling Kael's armor but twisted, hollow, its eyes burning like dying suns. Elyra froze.
"That's impossible…"
The Marauder's form darkened. "It's a phantom—an echo the Void created from Kael's energy. It's not him. It's bait."
The phantom raised a hand, and the wreckage shuddered. The containment field wavered. Elyra gripped the controls, struggling to hold it steady.
"Then we destroy the illusion," she said, voice steady. "And whatever's behind it."
The Marauder's eyes gleamed. "Together."
They unleashed the fragment's full energy, the shockwave tearing through the debris. The phantom screamed, dissolving into a cloud of dark light. But even as it faded, Elyra saw something beneath the illusion—an ancient symbol glowing faintly in the wreckage.
The same glyph she'd seen in the abandoned station.
Her breath caught. "Marauder… this wasn't just a trap."
"No," the Marauder replied grimly. "It was a message."
And as the light of the fragment dimmed, the glyph burned brighter—marking the next phase of the Void's plan.