The Star Chaser groaned, metal screeching as it strained against the thick tendrils of the cosmic beast. Shadowy appendages slithered across the hull, wrapping tighter, crushing the ship inch by inch as alarms blared through the cockpit.
Sam felt the ship buckle beneath his hands as he fought to stabilize it. "We're not going down like this!" he shouted through clenched teeth.
Nova glowed dimly, her energy flickering. "Those tendrils... they're siphoning light. If they drain me completely, I won't be able to hold my form."
Kian slammed a fist against his console. "Engines are jammed—those things are wrapping around the core!" His voice cracked, panic rising like the choking smoke from an overloaded system.
Sam knew they were out of time. If he didn't act, the beast would crush them and snuff out any chance of saving Lumen—or escaping this cursed Nexus alive.
"I'll handle this," Sam said, already rising from the pilot's seat. His voice was steel, cutting through the tension.
"Sam, wait!" Lila called, eyes wide. "You can't take it on alone!"
Sam looked back, a grim but determined smile on his lips. "I've got to try. If I don't cut those tendrils, none of us are getting out of here."
Nova hovered closer, her energy flickering weakly, a mixture of fear and trust in her glowing eyes. "Don't get yourself killed out there."
Sam gave a nod, heart hammering as he rushed toward the hatch.
The Blade of Light and Shadow
Sam reached the armory locker—a hidden compartment in the Star Chaser—and pulled free his weapon.
The blade was immense, almost too large to wield, forged from fragments of ancient starlight and tempered with void energy. It shimmered with the iridescent gleam of galaxies, colors swirling across its surface like nebulae in motion. The hilt was wrapped in dark leather, etched with symbols of forgotten constellations. The edge flickered between glowing silver and deep, bottomless black, as if it existed in two realities at once: one of light, the other of shadow.
When he gripped the sword, the energy within responded to him. Sparks of cosmic magic pulsed along the length of the blade, synchronizing with the rhythm of his heartbeat. The weapon was impossibly heavy, but it hummed with a strange familiarity in his hands—like an extension of himself, forged for moments like this.
"This'll do," he whispered, hefting the sword over his shoulder with a grunt. It felt heavier than any ordinary weapon, but there was something... alive about it. Something that made him believe this fight could be won.
The Duel Begins
The airlock hissed open, and Sam leapt out onto the hull of the Star Chaser. Around him, the writhing tendrils of the cosmic beast thrashed through the void. They twisted and churned like serpents of night, their touch leaving blackened streaks against the ship's metal plating. Below him, the massive creature loomed—an endless tangle of limbs, mouths, and shifting star-stuff, its size incomprehensible.
Sam's boots magnetized to the hull, keeping him anchored even as the tendrils lashed violently around him. One massive tendril, thick as a tree trunk, coiled around the Star Chaser's engine, suffocating the ship's life force. Without hesitation, Sam charged forward.
"Let's dance," he muttered, hoisting the blade high.
The first tendril whipped toward him, fast as lightning. Sam twisted, the cosmic sword arcing through space with a brilliant trail of light. The blade sliced clean through the tendril, severing it in a burst of stardust. The severed limb disintegrated, the darkness shrieking as it retreated into the void.
Another tendril lashed out, but Sam ducked under it, planting his feet and driving the blade upward. The sword cleaved through the writhing limb with ease, sparks of magic erupting along the cut. It was more than just steel—it was light and shadow woven together, a blade born to cut through the fabric of cosmic nightmares.
But the beast was relentless. For every tendril Sam severed, two more took its place, writhing like snakes determined to crush him. Sweat dripped down his brow, his muscles screaming with each swing. The weight of the sword pulled at his arms, but he refused to stop. He couldn't.
A Desperate Gamble
Inside the ship, Kian watched the battle unfold on the external cameras. His fingers hovered uselessly over the controls. "He's insane," he muttered. "He's going to kill himself out there."
Nova hovered beside him, glowing weakly but resolute. "He won't stop. Sam doesn't know how to quit."
"Neither do we," Lila said firmly. She scanned the ship's systems, her fingers tapping rapidly. "If we can reroute energy to the shields, we can buy him more time."
Kian nodded, a plan forming. "We hold the ship together. He frees us."
Sam's Last Stand
Another tendril lashed toward Sam, and this time, it hit him squarely. The impact sent him sprawling across the hull, his breath knocked from his lungs. He gritted his teeth, pain burning through his ribs, but he refused to let go of the sword.
The creature sensed his moment of weakness, and more tendrils surged toward him, aiming to pin him down and crush him completely.
"Not today," Sam growled, forcing himself to his feet.
He planted his feet wide, his hands steady on the hilt of the sword. The blade hummed with energy, growing brighter, hotter. Light and shadow intertwined along its edge, forming an intricate dance of power.
As the tendrils closed in, Sam swung with everything he had. The sword slashed through them in a radiant arc, each cut severing limbs with explosive force. Tendrils disintegrated into fragments of stardust and void, scattering into the void like dying embers.
The creature roared, a terrible sound that vibrated through the fabric of space. But Sam didn't stop. He leapt from the hull and drove the sword deep into the heart of the beast—a mass of dark energy pulsing beneath the writhing tendrils. The sword pierced it like a star splitting open.
A burst of cosmic magic erupted from the wound, scattering the tendrils and sending shockwaves through the Nexus. The beast shrieked and began to unravel, its limbs retreating into the void, its essence dissolving into fragments of forgotten dreams.
The Crew's Salvation
The tendrils around the Star Chaser slackened and fell away, the ship lurching as it was finally released. Inside the cockpit, Kian scrambled to stabilize the ship while Nova redirected power to the engines.
"We're free!" Lila shouted, her heart racing as the systems flickered back to life.
Kian grinned, slamming the thrusters into full. "Get us out of here!"
The Star Chaser surged forward, breaking free from the monster's grasp just as the last remnants of the creature faded into the void.
Aftermath
Sam stood atop the hull, breathing hard, his sword still glowing faintly in his hands. The silence of space enveloped him, broken only by the steady hum of the ship's engines beneath his feet.
"Sam?" Nova's voice crackled through the comm. "Get back inside. We're not losing you too."
Sam gave a weary grin and slung the sword over his shoulder. "On my way."
As he made his way toward the airlock, he glanced back at the empty space where the creature had once been. The fight was over—for now. But the darkness wasn't gone. Not completely. And he knew they'd need to be ready for what came next.
Because something told him this wasn't the last monster they'd face.
Sam collapsed inside the airlock, his boots clanging against the cold metal floor as the hatch sealed behind him. The pressure stabilized with a sharp hiss. His arms shook from the weight of the cosmic sword, and his breath came in ragged gasps, as if the battle had stolen not just his strength but part of his soul.
The Star Chaser rumbled beneath his feet as it sped through the void, the engines groaning from the strain. A few sparks flickered from overhead panels, and the walls seemed to hum with residual tension, like a ship recovering from a deep wound. Sam leaned back, trying to steady his racing heart.
He looked at the sword still gripped tightly in his hand. It gleamed faintly, the swirling nebulae on its surface dimming now that the fight was over. There was an odd stillness about it, as if the weapon was… waiting.
He felt it deep in his bones—this fight was only the beginning. The beast they had just fought was merely a taste of what lurked in the Nexus's shadows.
Reunited, but Restless
Sam limped toward the cockpit, exhaustion weighing on every step. The door slid open with a hiss, revealing the familiar chaos of his crew.
Kian was hunched over the controls, muttering curses under his breath as he smacked the dashboard to silence a flickering alarm. Lila sat cross-legged in her seat, her pale brow furrowed as she scribbled notes on a datapad, already analyzing what had just attacked them. Nova floated beside them, her light flickering weakly like a dying star, but she forced herself to smile when Sam stumbled in.
"Looks like you're still in one piece," she said, her tone light but her glowing eyes dim with concern.
Sam gave a weary grin. "You didn't think that thing could take me out, did you?"
Kian didn't look up from the console. "You were cutting it close. Next time, try not to almost die saving the ship, yeah?"
"Next time," Sam said, dropping heavily into the pilot's seat, "I'll let you do the heavy lifting."
Kian snorted. "That'll be the day."
Nova hovered closer, her energy barely holding together. She tilted her head, her light flickering in strange patterns. "That… thing. It wasn't just trying to kill us. It was… reaching for something."
Sam frowned, wiping sweat from his brow. "What do you mean?"
Nova's glow dimmed further as she struggled to find the right words. "When I was caught in its tendrils, I felt it… searching. Like it was looking for a specific frequency, a signature. Something it could use."
Lila looked up from her datapad, her expression troubled. "That's not a mindless predator. That's something with intent."
The room fell silent, tension thickening the air.
The Missing Piece
Sam leaned back in his seat, his thoughts spinning. The creature wasn't just an obstacle—they'd encountered something far more dangerous than they'd anticipated. And if it was searching for something...
"Do you think it was after Lumen?" he asked, his voice low.
Lila's expression darkened, and Nova's glow seemed to falter.
"We can't be sure," Lila answered slowly, tapping her datapad thoughtfully. "But it's possible. If Lumen's energy or presence left some kind of trace in the Nexus... that thing might have been drawn to it."
Sam's grip on the hilt of his cosmic sword tightened. "If that's true, it means we're not just running from shadows. They're hunting us."
A grim silence fell over the room. Each of them knew the truth—whatever forces were lurking in the Nexus weren't going to stop with a single monster. They were just getting started.
Into the Unknown
The Star Chaser drifted through the dark expanse, stars distant and indifferent around them. Despite the hum of the ship's engines, the silence beyond the hull felt heavy, as if the vast emptiness was pressing in on all sides.
Sam stared out at the void through the viewport, his fingers drumming restlessly on the hilt of his sword. Something wasn't adding up.
Every move they made seemed to draw them deeper into trouble—first Lumen's disappearance, then the ambush at the Nebula Gardens, and now the cosmic nightmare they'd just fought. Each encounter felt connected, but the pieces weren't fitting together.
"We need answers," Sam muttered under his breath.
He glanced at Kian, who was running diagnostics on the ship's systems. The engineer had a talent for seeing patterns others missed—his mechanical intuition often saved them when things got tight.
"Kian," Sam called, "can you pull up the star charts from the last few jumps? See if there's anything unusual in the coordinates."
Kian frowned but began tapping away at the console. "Unusual how?"
"Anything that doesn't belong. A fluctuation, a shift in the spatial signatures. Something that feels... off."
Nova floated closer, curiosity flickering in her dim light. "You think we've been following a trail?"
"More like stumbling onto one," Sam said. "And I want to know where it leads."
A Trail of Echoes
Minutes passed in tense silence as Kian worked, cross-referencing jump data with navigational charts. Lila sat quietly, her brows knit in concentration as she combed through ancient lore, searching for anything that might hint at what they were facing.
Finally, Kian leaned back, blowing out a breath. "Got something."
He pulled up a holographic map of the surrounding space. Among the familiar star systems and known routes, a series of faint distortions glimmered—almost imperceptible, like the fading echoes of a distant song.
"They're not natural," Kian said, pointing at the distortions. "It's like something's been bending space, leaving ripples behind."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "How far back do they go?"
Kian zoomed out, tracing the distortions further and further until the map displayed a sprawling network of faint echoes... all converging on one point deep within the Nexus.
Lila leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's not a star system. That's..." She hesitated, as if the words were dangerous to say aloud. "That's a void. A place where nothing should exist."
Sam's heart pounded. Whatever was waiting at the end of that trail wasn't going to be friendly. But if there was any chance that Lumen was there—or that they could stop whatever force was hunting them—they had no choice.
Setting a Course for the Unknown
Sam stood, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "We follow it."
Kian raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? We're flying into nothing. And after what we just fought, I'm not exactly eager to see what comes next."
Sam gave him a grim smile. "If we don't go now, we're just sitting ducks waiting for the next monster to show up. Better to hit first."
Nova pulsed softly beside him, her light steady despite her exhaustion. "I'm with you, Sam. Wherever this trail leads."
Lila sighed, tucking her datapad under her arm. "Guess I'd better prepare for another nightmare."
Kian shook his head but grinned. "You're all insane. But I'd rather be insane with company than alone."
Sam turned back to the viewport, staring into the infinite darkness ahead. His grip tightened on the sword's hilt, and a flicker of determination burned in his chest.
"Let's see what's waiting for us out there."
The Star Chaser's engines hummed with a steady rhythm, propelling them deeper into the void. Sam sat alone in the dim cockpit, staring at the cosmic sword lying across his knees. The blade shimmered softly, as if made from liquid starlight, swirling patterns of nebulae snaking along its length. In the dim glow, its edges pulsed faintly, thrumming with dormant power.
He rarely drew it. The sword wasn't just a weapon—it was a piece of his past. A part of himself he'd locked away, only to be pulled out when there was no other choice. Tonight had been one of those moments. The fight with the creature left scars on him—ones that ran deeper than the cuts and bruises on his skin.
A Weapon Bound to the Past
The sword, namedVoid Reaver, had come into Sam's possession years ago, back on a nameless outpost drifting on the fringe of civilization. He hadn't been looking for it; he wasn't the kind of person who sought out relics or mystical artifacts. Back then, he'd only cared about surviving, doing odd jobs on planets where no one asked questions.
He found it by accident—or maybe it had found him. The outpost where he worked was under siege by raiders, and Sam was just trying to make it out alive when he stumbled into an old vault buried beneath the marketplace. Among cracked crates and forgotten machinery, he saw it: a massive sword, glowing faintly in the dark, wedged into a stone pedestal like something out of ancient myth.
At first, he thought it was decorative—no sane person would haul a sword that big into a real fight. The blade was enormous, almost the length of his entire body, and much too heavy to wield with ease. But something about it called to him.
When the raiders found him, cornering him in the vault, he yanked the sword free in desperation. He still remembered the rush of power that surged through his arms the moment his hands closed around the hilt. The blade seemed to hum with energy, as if it had been waiting for him all along.
He fought his way out of the vault that day. The raiders didn't stand a chance. The sword responded to his will, cutting through metal and flesh alike with an ease that defied logic. But when the dust settled and Sam stood alone amid the wreckage, he realized something:
This wasn't just a weapon. It was alive, in some strange way—tied to the very fabric of the cosmos, feeding off the energy of distant stars.
A Burden, Not a Blessing
For years, Sam kept theVoid Reaver hidden, tucked away in a storage locker on the Star Chaser, wrapped in old canvas and buried beneath spare parts. He told himself it was too dangerous to use—that he didn't want to rely on something so unpredictable. But the truth was deeper than that. The sword reminded him of the things he'd lost.
It reminded him of the life he'd left behind, of the people he couldn't protect. Every time he touched it, he felt the weight of his past pressing down on him, heavy and inescapable. So he kept it hidden, pulling it out only in the direst of emergencies.
Tonight had been one of those moments. And now that the blade was back in his hands, Sam couldn't shake the feeling that he wouldn't be able to put it away again so easily.
The Void Beckons
Sam stared out at the endless stars beyond the viewport, the swirling lights of distant galaxies flickering like dying embers in the dark. The Nexus lay ahead, waiting for them, filled with threats and secrets he couldn't yet comprehend.
He thought about the creature they'd fought—how its tendrils had wrapped around the ship, how it had searched for something among them. Nova was right. The beast hadn't just been hunting; it had been probing, feeling for something specific.
Lumen.
The thought hit Sam like a punch to the gut. Was Lumen somehow tied to all of this? Had the strange star-being stumbled into something far bigger than any of them had realized? And if that was true, what did it mean for the crew—and for the universe they were drifting through?
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd fought hard to build a new life aboard the Star Chaser, to surround himself with people he could rely on—people who wouldn't leave him behind. But now, it felt like the universe was tearing those connections apart, one strand at a time.
And it all seemed to come back to Lumen.
Plans in Motion
Sam ran a hand through his hair, trying to organize his thoughts. They needed a plan—something more than just flying headfirst into the unknown.
He drummed his fingers on the hilt of theVoid Reaver, thinking. They'd follow the trail through the Nexus, of course—there was no other option. But they needed to be prepared for whatever they found there. If the beast they fought was just the beginning, they'd need more than luck to survive what came next.
The sword hummed softly, almost as if it agreed with his thoughts.
The Crew at the Crossroads
Sam knew his crew was on edge. Nova's energy was flickering dangerously low, and Kian's sarcastic front barely hid the exhaustion in his eyes. Lila was holding herself together with stubborn willpower, but Sam could see the cracks forming—she was carrying more than just the weight of her books these days.
He needed to talk to them. They had to be on the same page before they plunged deeper into the Nexus. There were too many unknowns—too many ways this could go wrong if they weren't unified.
With a groan, Sam stood, strapping theVoid Reaver to his back. The weapon weighed heavily against him, but it also felt... right. As if it belonged there.
A Meeting of Minds
Sam made his way back to the crew's common room, where the others sat in various states of exhaustion. Kian was tinkering with a broken drone, his hands moving on autopilot. Lila sat cross-legged on the floor, paging through one of her ancient texts, while Nova hovered in the air, her glow dim but steady.
"Alright," Sam said, clearing his throat. "We need to talk."
Kian raised an eyebrow but didn't stop working. "This sounds ominous."
"It is," Sam replied. "We're heading deeper into the Nexus, and we need to be ready. Whatever's waiting for us out there... it's not going to be easy."
Lila looked up from her book, her expression unreadable. "You think it's tied to Lumen, don't you?"
Sam nodded. "I do. And I think that creature we fought wasn't just a random threat—it was a warning."
Nova floated closer, her glow soft but determined. "So what's the plan?"
Sam took a deep breath. "We follow the trail through the Nexus. We stay sharp. And if anything—or anyone—tries to stop us..." He rested his hand on the hilt of theVoid Reaver. "We make sure they regret it."
Kian snorted. "Always the optimist, aren't you?"
Sam smiled, but there was no humor in it. "I've learned one thing out here: The universe doesn't give second chances. We make our own."
Sam stood in the common room of the Star Chaser, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The tension hung in the air like a storm on the verge of breaking. The ship's soft hum, normally comforting, felt too quiet. They'd fought a cosmic monster. Escaped by the skin of their teeth. But survival didn't mean safety—not in the Nexus, and certainly not with the crew teetering on the edge.
Each of them carried burdens they hadn't shared, grudges they hadn't voiced, and it showed now more than ever. Sam needed his crew to be a solid team, not a fractured mess of nerves and guilt. He knew how quickly things could unravel if they didn't clear the air—he'd seen it happen before, with other crews, and lost too much to let it happen again.
Calling the Crew to Order
"Alright," Sam said, pushing off the wall. "Everyone, sit. We need to talk."
Kian rolled his eyes from where he sat hunched over the remains of his drone, tools strewn across the table. "Here we go. Captain's orders."
Lila looked up from her corner, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. "You don't have to be sarcastic every time, Kian."
Kian shrugged, not even looking up. "It's kind of my thing."
Nova hovered silently above them, her celestial glow flickering slightly—like a dying star clinging to life. She folded her arms, though the movement seemed more habitual than practical for someone whose body was pure starlight. "We're all here. Might as well say what needs to be said."
Sam took a breath, trying to piece together the right words. "Look, I know we've been through hell. And we're not out of it yet. But if we're going to make it to the other side, we have to work together. No more skirting around things."
Lila folded her hands in her lap, her gaze shifting between her crewmates. "We've all been quiet since… well, since the beast." She hesitated, as if trying to find the right way to say what was on her mind. "I know that thing shook all of us, and I think we need to acknowledge that before we go any further."
"Yeah, it shook us all," Kian muttered, his voice laced with bitterness. "Some more than others."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kian dropped his tools, the clatter echoing through the room. "It means maybe we shouldn't just be following your instincts and waving that sword around like it's going to solve everything."
The words hit harder than Sam expected, though he didn't show it. He clenched his jaw, holding back the frustration bubbling up. Kian wasn't wrong. Sam had made some calls that could've ended much worse, and the truth was, he didn't fully understand the sword's power himself. But that didn't mean he had the luxury of doubt.
The Sword and the Burden
Nova cut through the silence. "Kian's not saying it, but we're scared. You—" she glanced at Sam, her glow brightening for a moment "—you keep holding back on us, and it's making things worse. That sword? That fight? The way you knew how to use it so easily?" She paused, giving Sam a searching look. "There's more going on, and you need to tell us what we're really walking into."
Sam ran a hand through his hair, the weight of theVoid Reaver heavy on his back. He hated being put on the spot like this, but they were right—he owed them an explanation.
He exhaled slowly. "I didn't exactly sign up to carry a cosmic weapon, alright? I didn't choose this. It was a bad situation, and I took what I could to survive." His voice softened, almost to a whisper. "And I kept it hidden because every time I look at it, I remember what I had to leave behind to keep moving forward."
The room went quiet again, but this time it wasn't with anger. It was the silence of understanding. Even Kian seemed to ease off, his posture relaxing just a bit.
Sam continued, his voice steadier now. "I know I've been closed off. And I know that sword brings more questions than answers. But right now, it's the best shot we have at surviving the Nexus." He looked at each of them in turn. "I don't expect you to like it. I just need you to trust me."
Bridges Mended in Silence
For a moment, no one spoke. Sam could feel the weight of their unspoken thoughts—doubt, fear, maybe even resentment—but there was also something else beneath it all. A shared resolve.
Lila broke the silence, her voice softer than usual. "You're not the only one carrying things from the past, Sam. Just… remember that, alright?"
Kian smirked, though there was less bite in it now. "Well, if we're doomed, at least we'll go out with style."
Nova smiled faintly, her glow settling into a gentle shimmer. "We'll get through this. One way or another."
Sam allowed himself a small grin. "Damn right we will."
A Plan in Motion
With the tension easing, Sam moved to the navigation console. The Nexus stretched out ahead of them like a labyrinth of stars and shadows. Somewhere in its depths, the truth about Lumen—and the strange cosmic forces chasing them—awaited. And if the beast they'd fought was just the beginning, they had no time to waste.
"Alright," Sam said, glancing at his crew. "We hit the next waypoint in six hours. Get some rest if you can. Kian, I need you to run a full systems check—make sure we're not dragging any more cosmic stowaways."
Kian gave a mock salute. "Aye, Captain. I'll try not to blow up the ship."
Lila rolled her eyes as she tucked her book under her arm. "Don't joke about that."
Nova drifted toward the viewport, her gaze lost in the sea of stars. "I'll keep watch."
Sam nodded, grateful for her calm presence. Even when everything felt like it was falling apart, Nova had a way of holding things together—just like the stars she carried within her. He gave her shoulder a gentle pat before heading toward the cockpit.
Thoughts in the Quiet
As Sam sat at the helm, alone with the stars, the doubts crept back in. How much longer could he keep them safe? How much further could they push before the universe decided it had had enough?
The Void Reaver rested beside him, its light dim but steady. He ran a finger along the edge, feeling the hum of energy beneath its surface. A weapon meant to cut through more than just metal. It sliced through the fabric of space, time, and destiny itself.
He leaned back in the pilot's chair, exhaling slowly. Whatever waited for them in the Nexus, he'd face it head-on—sword in hand, crew at his back. That was the only way forward.
And this time, he wouldn't run from the past.
The silence in the cockpit weighed heavily on Sam, the faint hum of the Star Chaser's engines the only sound. His hands hovered over the controls, but his mind wandered—back to the past, to the day he first held the Void Reaver. He'd kept that weapon hidden from everyone for so long, tucked away like an unwelcome memory, hoping he'd never need it again. Now, it had saved them from the cosmic beast, but it had also opened wounds he thought he'd buried for good.
His gaze drifted to the sword resting by his side. Its hilt was forged from obsidian-like metal, inlaid with swirling veins of glowing blue that pulsed with the faint rhythm of a heartbeat. It wasn't just a weapon; it was alive in some way. The blade shimmered with cosmic energy, shifting between solid steel and ethereal mist, as if existing halfway between dimensions. No ordinary blacksmith could have made this—it was a relic from another time, another place.
How Sam Got the Void Reaver
It had been years ago, back on Abyssus Station, a grim outpost at the edge of a collapsing star cluster. Sam was just a scavenger back then, chasing down leads for ancient artifacts and rare tech—anything to keep moving. He'd stumbled across the sword in a derelict vault guarded by temporal anomalies. Everything inside had flickered between past, present, and future, like echoes of moments colliding at once.
There had been others with him on that mission. Friends—at least, that's what he thought at the time. But when things went south, they ran, leaving Sam to fend for himself. He barely escaped with the sword, but not without paying a price. The weapon bonded with him somehow, choosing him. It was more than a tool—it was a burden, tied to his fate. He'd carried it ever since, unwilling to let go but too afraid to wield it openly. Until now.
Alone in the Quiet
Sam exhaled and leaned back in the pilot's chair, his gaze fixed on the swirling expanse of the Nexus outside. The stars shimmered with dangerous allure, and the strange pathways of dark matter twisted through space like invisible rivers. They were heading deeper into uncharted territory, and every instinct in Sam screamed to turn around. But that wasn't an option—not anymore. Not with Lumen missing.
Lumen... His thoughts drifted to the being of light who had once been their beacon and guide. The revelation that she had been taken, twisted into something monstrous, haunted him. The creature they'd fought wasn't just some cosmic horror—it was connected to her. Somehow, Lumen had been altered, caught between dimensions and reshaped into a nightmare.
Kian's Workshop – Tension Unspoken
Later, Sam made his way to Kian's corner of the ship. The engineer's workshop was cluttered with half-disassembled drones, scraps of machinery, and empty cans of energy drinks. Kian sat on a stool, fiddling with a small multi-tool, but his sharp eyes flicked up the moment Sam entered.
"You need something?" Kian asked without looking directly at him, as if still nursing some irritation.
Sam crossed his arms. "You know me better than that."
Kian let out a breath through his nose, halfway between a sigh and a chuckle. "You don't stop by unless it's serious."
Sam tilted his head. "It usually is."
Kian put down the tool and met Sam's gaze. "Alright, Captain. What's on your mind?"
There was no sarcasm this time—just fatigue, like the weight of recent events was finally catching up with him. Sam appreciated the shift, subtle as it was. This was how Kian worked—frustration first, honesty second.
"The sword," Sam said bluntly. "I know you've got questions about it."
Kian rubbed the back of his neck. "That's one way to put it. More like a hundred questions, but yeah. Let's start with the big one: Why didn't you tell us?"
Sam leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Because it complicates things. And because I didn't think we'd ever need it."
"And now?" Kian's brow arched.
Sam's jaw clenched. "Now, I don't have a choice. It's the only thing that can cut through whatever's holding Lumen. And I have to use it."
Nova's Watch – A Silent Reckoning
Meanwhile, Nova floated by the viewport, her glow pulsing faintly in the dim light. She'd been on edge since they escaped the beast—though she didn't show it like Kian or Sam, the tension weighed on her in different ways. Being made of stardust meant she saw things differently—felt them differently too. The creature they had faced wasn't just an enemy; it was a message.
Nova drifted closer to the glass, watching as the dark rivers of the Nexus swirled just beyond reach. She could feel their pull—an invitation to get lost in them, to let go and drift forever. But she'd made a choice, long ago, to stay with the crew. And she wasn't going to back out now.
Her thoughts drifted to Sam. She'd seen the way he fought with the sword, how it seemed to move with him like an extension of his will. There was power there—dangerous power. But Sam wasn't like others she'd met before. He carried it, but it didn't control him. Not yet.
"Still holding together?" Sam's voice broke through her thoughts.
Nova turned, her glow softening as she met his gaze. "Barely. But I'll manage."
Sam gave her a small nod. "Good. Because we're not done yet."
A Plan Forms
Back in the common room, the crew gathered. The mood was heavy but not hopeless. They were bruised, battered, and exhausted, but they'd survived. And survival meant there was still a chance.
Sam stood at the center, hands on the table where a map of the Nexus shimmered in holographic form. Paths of light wove through the dark expanse, leading toward their next destination: a hidden nebula known only as the Veil. If they were going to find answers about Lumen—and stop whatever was coming—it would be there.
"We need to move fast," Sam said, scanning the map. "The creature we fought? It wasn't working alone. There's something else in the Nexus, something pulling the strings."
Lila folded her arms, her gaze sharp. "And you think we'll find it in the Veil?"
Sam nodded. "If there's any place left that holds the truth, it's there. But the Veil's dangerous. We'll need to be ready for anything."
Kian grinned, though there was no humor in it. "Well, that's comforting."
Nova floated closer, her glow steady. "Danger or not, we don't have a choice."
Sam glanced at his crew, a flicker of pride sparking in his chest. They might be a mess—but they were his mess. And together, they could face whatever came next.
"Alright," Sam said, gripping the edge of the table. "Let's bring Lumen home."