The first rays of dawn crept over the canyon, casting the camp's wreckage in pale, unrelenting light. Elaine sat by Ferran's resting place, her fingers absently brushing the fused crystal. It pulsed faintly, its light dull compared to the weight of grief pressing against her chest.
"You should be resting," Kael said quietly, approaching with a canteen in hand.
Elaine shook her head, her voice hoarse. "We don't have time for rest. The Convergence will be back, and the ruins won't wait."
Kael crouched beside her, his face shadowed with exhaustion. "Ferran wouldn't want you to burn yourself out."
Elaine's jaw tightened. "He wouldn't want us to give up, either."
Kael hesitated, then nodded, his gaze drifting to the horizon. "Then we move. But you're not carrying this alone. None of us are."
Preparing for Departure
The group gathered near the edge of the canyon, their supplies hastily packed and their expressions grim. Lira lingered by the fire, her movements slow and mechanical as she adjusted a tangle of wires on the portable field generator.
"Are you sure that thing will even work?" Ardyn asked, eyeing the device skeptically.
Lira glared at her, her tone sharp. "It's all we've got. If it overloads the next time they find us, it might buy us a few minutes. Maybe more."
Rivan emerged from the shadows, their armor newly patched but still bearing the scars of battle. "You'll need more than minutes where you're going. The southern ruins aren't just dangerous—they're alive. Nexus energy flows through every inch of them."
Elaine looked up from the crystal, her brow furrowed. "Alive? What do you mean?"
Rivan folded their arms. "The ruins were one of the Nexus's primary nodes before it fell. If there's any fragment of its intelligence left, it'll be waiting for you there."
Kael frowned. "So we're walking into another trap."
"Not a trap," Rivan said. "A proving ground. If the Nexus still considers you its Custodian, it won't kill you. But it will test you."
Elaine stood, slipping the crystal into her satchel. "Then we'll pass. Whatever it takes."
The Crystal's New Power
As the group made their way out of the canyon, the fused crystal began to glow brighter, its energy sparking faintly against the air.
"Is it supposed to do that?" Lira asked, eyeing the satchel nervously.
Elaine slowed, pulling the crystal into her hands. The whispers in her mind had grown quieter, replaced by a faint hum that resonated through her body.
"You are ready," the Nexus's voice murmured. "Reach out."
Elaine hesitated, then closed her eyes and focused on the crystal's energy. A web of glowing threads appeared in her mind's eye, stretching outward in every direction. She could see distant points of light—some faint, others pulsing brightly—as though the shards were calling to her.
"What are you seeing?" Ardyn asked, her voice cutting through the silence.
Elaine opened her eyes, her breath quickening. "The shards. The Convergence. It's all connected. The crystal is showing me their movements."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "And we're supposed to trust that?"
"It's not about trust," Elaine said, her tone firm. "It's about staying ahead of them."
Ardyn's gaze was sharp. "Then we'd better start moving. If they're connected to you, they might already know where we're going."
The Convergence's Shadow
As they pressed southward, Elaine's unease grew. The crystal's energy was no longer chaotic; it felt deliberate, as though it were guiding her steps with precision. But the faint hum of engines in the distance reminded her that the Convergence's pursuit was relentless.
"They're not far," Kael said, scanning the horizon. "A few miles at most."
"Then we pick up the pace," Elaine replied, her voice steady despite the tension in her chest.
Lira stumbled over the uneven terrain, her exhaustion clear. "I'm not sure how much farther I can—"
A sharp crack echoed through the air as a sniper's shot struck the ground inches from her feet.
"Down!" Kael shouted, dragging Lira behind a rock as another shot rang out.
Elaine crouched low, the crystal glowing faintly in her hand. "They've found us."
Ardyn's blade was already in her hand. "How many?"
Kael peeked around the rock, his sharp eyes narrowing. "A sniper to the north, and a scouting party closing in from the east."
Rivan unslung their rifle, their expression grim. "We split up. Half of us take out the sniper, the rest hold off the scouts."
Elaine nodded. "Kael, Ardyn, you're with me. Lira, stay with Rivan and the field generator. Keep them off us as long as you can."
Taking Out the Sniper
Elaine and her team moved quickly, darting between rocks and shallow ravines as the sniper's shots echoed around them. The crystal pulsed in her hand, its energy humming faintly as they closed in on the shooter's position.
"There," Kael whispered, pointing to a rocky outcrop where the sniper was perched.
Ardyn nodded. "We can flank them, but we'll need a distraction."
Elaine raised the crystal, its light flaring. "I'll draw their fire. Be ready."
Before anyone could protest, she stepped into the open, the crystal's glow catching the sniper's attention. A shot rang out, narrowly missing her as she sprinted toward the outcrop.
Kael fired in return, his arrow striking the sniper's cover and forcing them to duck. Ardyn moved swiftly, scaling the rocks with precision and striking the sniper down in one fluid motion.
"Clear," she called, lowering her blade.
Elaine joined her at the top, her chest heaving. "One problem down. Let's get back to the others."
A New Warning
When they regrouped with Rivan and Lira, the air was heavy with tension. The scouting party had been repelled, but the faint hum of approaching engines was growing louder.
"They're sending reinforcements," Rivan said grimly. "Bigger ones."
Elaine glanced at the crystal, its light flickering faintly. "Then we keep moving. The ruins are close. If we can reach them before the Convergence does…"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "And if they reach them first?"
Elaine's grip on the crystal tightened. "They won't."
The group pressed on, the weight of Ferran's absence heavy in their steps. Above them, the sky darkened, the faint glow of the ruins appearing on the horizon like a beacon—and a warning.