The ascent platform slowed as it neared the top of the shaft. The lights along the walls dimmed, then brightened again in a soft pulse—as if the sphere itself were anxious about what awaited above.
Rourke felt it too.
The gravitational field here was thick, layered, disturbed by foreign influence. The Hunters' presence left invisible scars in the air, like pressure dents that refused to heal.
Seren steadied her pistol. "Before we go up there… any idea what we're walking into?"
Rourke inhaled. "A lot of them."
"That's not helpful."
"It's honest."
The gravitational guide hovered just above the platform.
"The command core is directly above.
It was once the center of Solarii control—
a place where the Weave itself responded to thought."
Seren huffed. "And now it's a warzone."
"Yes."
Rourke placed a hand on the wall beside him. The sphere whispered back in pulses and vibrations, mapping the space above. The image forming in his mind wasn't comforting.
At least a dozen Hunter signatures.
Some faint.
Some strong.
One… overwhelming.
Rourke's jaw tightened. "There's a leader up there."
The guide dimmed.
"An Alpha."
Seren cursed. "I hate that word."
Rourke stepped forward.
"Let's get this over with."
The Command Core
The platform reached its destination with a soft chime. A circular hatch spiraled open above them, revealing a vast chamber bathed in blue radiance.
They stepped inside.
The command core was immense—a hollow sphere filled with floating platforms, swirling holographic constructs, and suspended conduits that moved like veins of living metal. Streams of gravitational energy flowed between nodes, painting the air with shifting light.
At the very center, a colossal pillar pulsed—the sphere's primary conduit, the structure that linked Rourke to the Heart.
But the beauty of the place was overshadowed by the intruders moving across it.
Hunters.
They turned at once as Rourke's group entered. Their armor reflected the chamber's light like black mirror glass, their limbs folding into combat stance.
Seren whispered, "Twelve of them. That's… excessive."
Rourke lifted his hand.
"Stay behind me."
Before Seren could argue, deeper shadows peeled away from the far wall.
Something larger approached.
The Alpha Hunter.
It towered above the others, its form thicker and more angular. Its armor had extra plating etched with faint glowing sigils. Its three eyes glowed a dull crimson instead of white—burning with intent.
The guide hovered lower.
"This one has consumed the gravitational cores of many Solarii.
Be cautious."
The Alpha spoke, its voice metallic and layered:
"Solarii hybrid.
The Heart has chosen you.
You will surrender."
Rourke stepped forward, heart calm, energy steady.
"No."
The Alpha's Challenge
The Alpha raised a hand.
Reality twisted.
A crushing wave of gravity erupted outward, warping the chamber. Platforms bent, conduits shook, light bled into spirals. Seren was thrown back—Rourke caught her before she hit the wall.
He felt the pressure tightening around him, trying to fold him to his knees.
He refused.
Rourke straightened, sending a counter-wave through the chamber. The force rippled outward, unraveling the Alpha's attack and restoring the space to its original geometry.
Seren stared. "You just canceled that like it was nothing."
The Alpha remained motionless.
Its voice rumbled through the chamber.
"Your bond has strengthened you.
But you are incomplete."
Rourke narrowed his eyes. "Try me."
The Hunters surged forward.
The Battle in the Core
The chamber erupted into chaos.
Rourke lept onto a floating platform. Hunters followed, their limbs slicing the air with lethal precision. Rourke ducked beneath one, twisting his gravity field to shove it aside. Another leapt from above—he countered with an upward burst, slamming the creature into a node that sparked violently.
Seren took cover behind a conduit, firing with perfect timing. The bullets didn't penetrate, but they diverted the Hunters long enough for Rourke to reposition.
The guide drifted between them, emitting pulses that distorted Hunter targeting fields.
"Left flank!" Seren shouted.
Rourke pivoted—
A Hunter lunged at her, claws extended.
Rourke snapped his fingers.
A gravitic thread wrapped the creature's wrist.
He yanked.
The Hunter flew sideways, smashing into a pillar.
"Nice!" Seren yelled. "Do that again!"
Another came at her.
Rourke extended his palm, pulling—
But nothing happened.
A split second too late, he realized why:
The Alpha was countering him.
It was manipulating the gravitational pathways of the room, interfering with his ability to control specific vectors.
Seren screamed as the Hunter tackled her to the ground.
"Rourke!"
He pushed harder, trying to focus—
The Alpha's red eyes burned brighter.
A crushing weight fell upon him, pinning his arms to his sides. His breath caught. His knees buckled.
Seren struggled beneath the Hunter, kicking and punching, but its grip tightened around her throat.
"Don't you dare—" she choked.
Rourke forced air through his lungs.
He reached deeper.
Not into the sphere.
Not into the Heart.
Into himself.
He let the power settle—not as a force, but as a rhythm.
A pulse.
A heartbeat.
His heartbeat.
The pressure evaporated.
Rourke straightened, eyes glowing silver.
The Alpha tilted its head.
"The hybrid awakens."
Rourke lifted a hand.
The Hunter choking Seren froze mid-motion—
mid-claw—
mid-breath.
Rourke clenched his fist.
The Hunter collapsed, inert.
Seren gasped for air. "You… took long enough."
Rourke offered her a hand.
She slapped it away and got up on her own.
"Don't look smug. You were like—two seconds from dying."
Rourke cracked a smile.
One-on-One
The remaining Hunters regrouped behind the Alpha.
But none of them moved.
The Alpha raised its arm.
Its gesture commanded silence.
"The others will not interfere.
Your evolution must be measured."
Rourke stepped forward.
Seren reached for him. "Rourke—don't."
He turned slightly.
"I have to."
The Alpha descended the nearest platform like a judge approaching a prisoner. The gravitational distortions around it were so intense the air shimmered.
"You are not Solarii."
Its voice cut like a blade.
"Not human.
Not complete."
Rourke's eyes hardened.
"I'm both."
The Alpha swung its arm—
a blast of warped gravity ripping across the chamber like a scythe.
Rourke braced—
But the blow was too strong.
He was thrown backward, slamming into a wall. The impact sent sharp pain through his ribs.
Seren screamed his name.
Rourke rose slowly, wiping blood from his lip.
The Alpha advanced, each step bending the floor inward.
"You cannot face us alone."
Rourke exhaled, steadying himself.
"You're right."
The Alpha paused.
Rourke spread his arms.
"I'm not alone."
The entire sphere pulsed—
a deep, resonant hum like a heartbeat.
The Heart answered him.
Light cascaded down the command core's walls, flowing into Rourke's body.
His eyes ignited.
His hair lifted.
Particles floated around him.
Gravity obeyed.
The Alpha's eyes brightened—
fear?
Recognition?
Rage?
"Impossible."
Rourke took a step forward.
"Let's finish this."