Aedan's consciousness drifted somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, his body heavy and exhausted beyond anything he'd known. Yet a warmth surrounded him, a gentle, protective embrace that cradled him against the surreal landscape of floating azure sands and vibrant skies. He could feel a slow, rhythmic pulse, a breath, rising and falling beneath him, as if he were nestled against the heart of a great, ancient being.
The collar around his companion's neck held three empty heartspark slots, gleaming faintly in the ethereal light.
Slowly, Aedan's eyelids fluttered open, his vision filled with hues of pinks and purples, as though he'd been transported into a painting. It was then he noticed… her. A figure curled protectively around him, arms wrapped with gentle strength.
Her hair was silver and ethereal, spilling like liquid starlight over her shoulders, and where her skin met his, faintly glowing scales brushed him, soft as silk
He blinked, his mind struggling to comprehend. His heart hammered, his confusion growing as he took in the unfamiliar, distinctly humanoid form. Tall, muscular yet graceful, she radiated a presence he recognized on some instinctual level, yet her form was so unlike anything he'd seen.
As if in answer to his silent question, a sharp pang lanced through his head, jolting him awake and forcing recognition into his mind.
"Gods…" he murmured, stunned, "…Seph?"
The woman stirred at the sound of her name, her hold on him loosening just slightly, eyelids fluttering open to reveal pink orbs that held the same infinite depths he'd come to recognize.
She blinked, her expression softening as she focused on him, recognition lighting her gaze.
"...Aedan," she whispered, as if testing the sound, her voice still carrying the faint, resonant undertone of her leviathan form.
Aedan's mind whirled, trying to reconcile this new image of his friend. Seph, the ancient, space beast he'd piloted, the terrifyingly powerful creature that shielded him in battles, was now here, beside him, in this strange, almost human form. He felt his heart stumble, his gaze drawn helplessly to her bright eyes and the gentle warmth of her smile.
What in all the stars… Aedan thought, trying to shield the shock and faint warmth seeping through their mental link. His gaze lingered, unintentionally, helplessly, on her form, and the unexpected, unfamiliar softness in her expression.
Stars, she noticed. He quickly cleared his throat, averting his gaze. "Uh… yeah. Just… wasn't expecting… this." He gestured, his hand fumbling mid-air. "The… human look."
Seph tilted her head, an amused glimmer in her eyes. "Neither was I," she admitted, her voice carrying a note of unsteady warmth. "This form… feels strange. But maybe it's safer. Now, I can follow you… anywhere." There was a quiet excitement in her voice that made his pulse skip.
They lingered in silence, the otherworldly beauty around them cocooning the moment in a timeless calm. Her gaze held his, as if searching for something he wasn't sure he wanted her to find. He looked away, feeling the odd warmth settle in his chest, but it didn't fade.
He nodded, scrambling to regain his composure. "Right. Safer." A twinge of awkwardness edged into his tone as he glanced around, noticing the strange, dreamlike beauty of the floating sands and the twin suns casting a surreal glow. "Not exactly where I imagined we'd end up after… everything."
She gave a slight nod, glancing at the sky then looked at him in a daze, blinking as she sat up, her gaze slowly adjusting to her surroundings. "Aedan…? Where… are we?"
He cleared his throat, trying to steady himself. "No idea. I… just woke up. Are you hungry? I have some rations, not great but we may not have much options." He gestured towards the lonely floating sands in the distance.
Seph nodded, a flicker of a smile crossing her lips. "It's… fine. Thanks." Her voice sounded nice to his ears, resonating with a tone he hadn't heard before in her leviathan form.
Aedan felt his heart do another strange, uncomfortable jump. Pull yourself together, idiot, he thought, shoving the reaction down as best he could. But as he looked at her again, he felt a faint trickle of amusement, an echo of her own emotions filtering through their mental link. She was fully aware of his lingering gaze.
She tilted her head, studying him with a curious, half-amused expression, and he quickly averted his eyes, cursing inwardly. Great. Real smooth.
"So…" he started, desperate to change the subject, "about the Pirate King's flagship. I remember… we had to leave in a hurry. You, uh… remember much?"
Seph's gaze softened as she considered his question, folding her arms around her knees. "Bits and pieces," she replied. "Mostly just that… I felt a need to get us out. Quickly." She hesitated, glancing down at her hands with a faint frown. "When I transformed, I wasn't sure what would happen. But here we are."
The silence hung between them, charged with something unspoken. Through their link, he could feel her lingering sense of uncertainty, the echo of her vulnerability. She wasn't used to this form any more than he was used to seeing her this way.
"They're alright, right?" he asked softly, breaking the quiet. "Alina and Aunt Kayla? They… made it?"
Seph nodded, giving him a reassuring look. "Yes. They're both safe, still within me, in stasis. Nothing about their environment has changed." Her lips quirked slightly, almost self-conscious. "I'm… still carrying them. Just… condensed, I suppose."
Aedan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief washed over him, mixed with the odd sensation of empathy he felt radiating from Seph. He knew she could feel his relief and concern just as keenly as he felt her quiet strength.
Aedan didn't fail to notice the collar she wore that felt similar to his belt, this one didn't possess a core, only the slots.
He offered her a small smile, doing his best to push down the uncomfortable warmth that had taken root in his chest. "Good. I… don't know what I'd do if," He stopped, catching himself. No need to get sappy now, Aedan.
He sensed Seph's curiosity through the link, a silent question lingering in the mental space they shared. It was so easy for her to reach into his emotions, and the thought was both comforting and unnerving. She already knew him so well, but something about Aedan felt… different now.
He was acting shy and blushing at her and even dodging her glances, this wasn't normal, was he sick? The thought crossed her mind but her scans showed no signs of injuries or illness. She stored that thought, planning to look into it later.
"It was brave of you," she said quietly, her gaze unwavering as she met his eyes. "Risking everything to get us out of there. I knew you'd come through, but… still."
Aedan chuckled, though it came out a bit more unsteady than he intended as he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. "Guess I'm a little more stubborn than I look."
They lingered in silence, the surreal beauty of their surroundings making the moment feel timeless. Eventually, Seph's expression grew more serious, and she seemed to draw herself inward, as if gathering her thoughts.
"While I was… preparing to warp, I managed to retrieve data from the Pirate King's systems," she said, her tone gaining a weight that drew him back to focus. "A new planet. It's… in the core systems, the only habitable zone at the center of the galaxy. It just appeared a couple years ago, with no known explanation."
Aedan's interest sharpened. "A new planet? That close to the galactic center?" The thought of Esethia crossed his mind, the mysterious, fabled world that had eluded him. "Think it might be…?"
"I don't know," Seph admitted, her gaze thoughtful. "But… I thought you should know. I felt you'd want to see for yourself."
He nodded slowly, mulling over the possibilities. Yet even as he thought, he felt her presence in his mind, calm, steady, and unyielding. Her loyalty was a constant in his life, an anchor, but now it seemed… closer. He could feel her emotions as though they were woven into his own, a comfort and warmth that left him strangely unsettled.
"Thanks, Seph. I… don't know what I'd do without you," he murmured, half to himself, before realizing how vulnerable his voice sounded. He quickly masked it, fighting the heat that crept up his neck.
Seph's gaze softened, a gentle light in her eyes that seemed to carry a depth of feeling he couldn't quite place. "You don't have to. I'll be here," she replied simply. Through their link, he felt the echo of her sincerity, a calm, grounding presence that both soothed and left him inexplicably exposed.
After a pause, she glanced toward the horizon, her expression wistful. "We should go. The core systems… they won't wait. You will also need to resign from the earthen hall."
Aedan nodded, though he hesitated, glancing back at the surreal beauty of the beach, the dreamlike peace that seemed to cocoon them. He found himself wishing, just briefly, that they could stay a little longer.
But Seph was already rising, her form shifting seamlessly, her humanoid shape giving way to the familiar, vast outline of her leviathan body. The collar around her neck vanished, as the organic starship took form. With a steadying breath, he clambered onto her, his heart settling with an odd warmth he couldn't shake, even as he told himself it was simply the aftermath of battle.
As they warped away, Aedan cast one last glance at the strange, floating dunes, feeling an odd sense of loss at leaving it behind. But Seph's presence pulsed through their bond, steady and unwavering, and he knew that wherever they went, she would be at his side.