The Odyssey lurched again as the anomaly's energy rioted through the ship, sending sparks flying from damaged consoles. Kael gritted his teeth and steadied himself against the railing of the bridge.
"Rift, report!" Kael barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Good news: we're still alive. Bad news: our core is destabilizing faster than I can calculate, and unless you've got a genius plan, we're about to become cosmic debris.
Kyra Vantor cursed under her breath, fighting to keep up with the failing systems of the ship. "Captain, we need to get out of this anomaly, now! Engines are barely functional, but I can try to—"
"Hold that thought," Rift cut in. "Something new just popped up on sensors. An energy signature matching… well, nothing in my database. It's close, and it's pulling us in."
Kael's fists clenched. "Where's it coming from?"
Dead ahead," Rift replied. "It's some kind of structure inside the anomaly. I hate to be dramatic, but it's either our salvation or the thing that'll finish us off."
Kael turned to Lyra, who had just entered the bridge, her face set in grim determination. "Thoughts?
"If there's a structure, someone-or something-built it. It might have answers about the virus or how to stabilize our systems. It's a gamble," Lyra said.
Kael nodded. "A gamble's better than nothing. Kyra, plot a course. Get us there in one piece."
Exhaling shakily, Kyra adjusted the controls, and the Odyssey limped toward the mysterious structure.
As they approached, the structure came into view—a massive, crystalline construct floating within the swirling chaos of the anomaly. It pulsed with a soft, rhythmic light, as if alive.
"Is that… a ship?" Raylan Korr asked, stepping onto the bridge with his weapon holstered but ready.
"Not like any ship I've ever seen," Lyra replied, her voice laced with awe. "It's ancient, but… it's intact. How is that possible?"
"Don't ask me," Rift said. "I'm too busy recalculating the laws of reality."
Kael peered at the structure through the viewport. "Kyra, bring us in closer. Dock if possible. Lyra, Raylan, you're with me. Rift, keep an eye on the ship while we investigate."
"Gladly," Rift quipped. "Just don't touch anything glowing and ominous. That's my expert advice."
A moment later, the gear was on, and they entered the structure. The air inside was thin but breathable, and the inside was an incredible maze of glowing corridors and ancient symbols etched into crystalline walls.
"This place… it feels alive," Lyra whispered, running her hand over one of the symbols.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Stay alert. We don't know what we're dealing with."
A gentle hum was suddenly heard and reverberated through the complex, as their footsteps took them closer. Soon, it stopped in the large central chamber; above the rounded platform hung an enormous, throbbing crystal.
Before anybody was able to act, there burst an enormously bright flash from the crystal; a holographic figure stood forth-a tall stately being, its eyes appearing to pierce the veil of times past.
Travelers," he said, the sound of his voice carrying round the chamber. "You seek answers, yet to know one must first bear a price in payment. What faces you with infection is naught but shadow, cast off by an entity whose design upon consumption embraces all things within its existence."
Kael came forward. "Who are you? Where is this place?
I am the last remnant of the Akryon, the architects of the multiverse," he replied. "This structure is a beacon, a warning, and a gateway. You stand at the edge of realities, where your actions will shape the fate of countless worlds."
Lyra's breath caught. "A gateway to what?
"To the heart of the infinite," Akryon said. "A place where the virus was born… and where it must be ended."
---
Kael exchanged a look with Lyra and Raylan. It was bigger than any of them could have ever imagined.
"Then show us," Kael said. "Show us how to fight it."
The Akryon's eyes seemed to narrow. "Very well. But let this be your warning-what lies beyond the threshold cannot be returned to."
The crystal started to hum louder, and the chamber shook as a swirling portal opened before them.
Kael took a deep breath. "This is what we came for."
Without hesitation, he stepped into the light, followed by Lyra and Raylan.
Whatever lay beyond, there was no choice but to face it head-on.