Chapter 1: The Cradle of Eternity
The air inside the excavation site felt alive, thick with anticipation and the faint hum of machinery. Aela adjusted her oxygen mask and peered into the swirling darkness of the chamber. The dim lights of her suit reflected off walls that weren't walls at all—pulsing, organic surfaces that shifted like breathing skin. This wasn't just another dig. It was the discovery that would define humanity's place in the cosmos.
"We're almost there," said Dr. Khorin, his voice crackling through the comms. He stood a few feet ahead, holding a scanner that emitted an eerie green glow. "The readings are spiking. Whatever this thing is, it's alive."
Aela tightened her grip on her plasma torch. Her gaze darted to the crew behind her—six scientists and engineers, all brimming with a mix of terror and awe. This sector of the galaxy, known as the Rift, was infamous for its anomalies, but no one could have imagined finding something like this.
They called it the Cradle, a colossal structure buried deep beneath the surface of the barren moon. Initial scans showed its age as immeasurable, predating any known civilization. Yet it thrummed with energy, like a heart waiting to beat.
"Careful, Khorin," Aela said, her voice steady despite her unease. "We don't know what's inside."
"Exactly why we're here," he replied with a grin, stepping closer to the pulsating barrier that marked the entrance to the inner chamber.
Aela hesitated, her instincts screaming at her to turn back. But instinct didn't fund expeditions. Discovery did. She glanced down at her wrist monitor, where her vitals blinked erratically. The genetic disease eating away at her cells was relentless, and time wasn't on her side. If this was her last mission, it had to matter.
Khorin activated the scanner, and the barrier dissolved like mist, revealing a vast, glowing space beyond. The team gasped in unison.
Inside the chamber, suspended in translucent cocoons, were forms that defied comprehension. They weren't human, yet their shapes hinted at something familiar—humanoid figures, each one distinct, incomplete, and shimmering with an inner light.
"Unborn gods," someone whispered.
The words sent a chill down Aela's spine. The figures seemed to pulse in time with her own heartbeat, as though acknowledging her presence. One of them, larger than the rest, twitched.
"It moved!" shouted a crew member, stumbling backward.
Before anyone could react, the chamber filled with a deafening hum. The figures began to glow brighter, their shapes writhing as if struggling to awaken. Aela staggered under the weight of a sudden pressure in her mind—a voice, vast and ancient, speaking without words.
You are the spark.
Her knees buckled, and the world tilted. In that moment, she understood. These weren't just remnants of a forgotten past. They were waiting. And somehow, impossibly, they had been waiting for her.
The chamber plunged into darkness, and Aela's scream was swallowed by the void.