The Isvallan Enclave
The Isvallan Concord's enclave floated in a pocket of dead space, hidden behind a nebula of prismatic dust. Their city was a relic of Isvalla's era—spires of iridescent crystal humming with dormant energy, bridges of solidified starlight connecting floating gardens where flora from extinct worlds bloomed. The Elysian Dawn docked at a skeletal pier, its crew met by a delegation of winged humanoids with eyes like fractured galaxies.
"Welcome, Phoenix Core," their leader intoned, her voice harmonizing with the enclave's ambient hum. "We are the Last Chorus. And we have waited millennia for your reckoning."
Kai stepped forward, his mark pulsing under his sleeve. [Synchronization: 50%.] "We're here to stop the vanished gods. Not start a holy war."
"They are one and the same," the Chorus replied.
The Echoes of Isvalla
Li Na's scars ignited as they entered the enclave's central spire. Murals depicted Isvalla's reign—her wings eclipsing suns, her hands cradling fledgling civilizations. But the final mural showed her downfall: the Precursors tearing her wings, the Concord fleeing into the void.
"She was never a goddess," the Chorus leader said, tracing the mural's cracks. "She was a general. And we… her abandoned soldiers."
Anara scowled. "So you hid here? Let the rest of the galaxy burn?"
"We preserved," the Chorus snapped. "While your kind corrupted. But now, the Phoenix Core's return heralds her final campaign."
Li Na's voice merged with Isvalla's, gold bleeding into her irises. "Where is the Argent Nexus?"
The Chorus stilled. "You are not ready."
The Trial of Wings
The Argent Nexus was Isvalla's armory—a vault holding weapons that could scorch galaxies. To unlock it, Li Na had to endure the Trial of Wings: a ritual where the enclave's elders channeled shards of Isvalla's fractured essence into her body.
"This will kill her," Cassian warned, gripping his axe as elders surrounded Li Na.
"It will remake her," the Chorus said.
Li Na's scream echoed through the spire as starlight seared her veins. Visions overwhelmed her: Isvalla leading fleets against the Precursors, her wings shedding feathers that became supernovas. The Concord's betrayal, their retreat as she fell.
[New Ability: Supernova Burst.]
Li Na collapsed, her scars now glowing constellations. "The Nexus… is a trap. Isvalla knew the Precursors would come for it. She rigged it to annihilate them… and us."
The Fractured Alliance
The Chorus refused to believe. "The Nexus is our salvation! You are too weak to wield it!"
Tensions exploded. Anara and Cassian barricaded the Dawn as the enclave's warriors turned on them, their starlight blades clashing against sun-forged steel. Kai fought to Li Na's side, his mark burning as he deflected attacks.
"We need to leave!" Anara shouted, dragging Li Na aboard the Dawn.
"No," Li Na gasped. "The Nexus… it's the only way to bait the vanished gods. We have to steal it."
[The enclave's shields faltered. The vanished gods' scouts pierced the nebula, drawn by the Nexus's energy.]
The Bait and the Blade
The Nexus was a singularity core—a black hole forged into a weapon. Li Na interfaced with it, her body flickering between mortal and divine. "It's a timer. Once activated, it'll detonate in 12 hours. We need to lure the armada into its radius."
"How?" Cassian demanded.
"By giving them what they crave," Kai said, staring at his crystallized hand. "Me."
He activated a Veil-powered distress beacon, his synchronization spiking. [65%.] The vanished gods' fleet veered toward the enclave, reality warping in their wake.
The Flight of the Dawn
The Dawn streaked through the enclave's corpse, the Nexus secured in its hold. The Chorus's ships pursued, flanked by the vanished gods' fractal armada. Anara piloted through asteroid fields and dying stars, her hands steady but her voice fraying.
"They're herding us! We need to jump!"
"No," Li Na said. "The Nexus needs proximity. We draw them deeper."
Kai's body cracked under the Veil's strain, amber light bleeding from his eyes. "Just… a little farther."
[The mark reached his collarbone. His thoughts blurred with Isvalla's memories.]
The Detonation
The armada closed. The Nexus hit critical mass.
"Now!" Li Na unleashed a Supernova Burst, hurling the Nexus into the armada's heart.
The blast was silent. Beautiful. A sphere of annihilating light consumed ships, gods, and starlight. The Dawn rode the shockwave, its hull disintegrating.
"Hold on!" Anara triggered the Veil drive.
They crashed into a derelict Precursor station, its gravity well anchoring them. The enclave, the armada, and the Nexus were gone.
The Cost
Li Na's scars dimmed. Cassian pried Kai from the wreckage, his body half-crystallized. Anara limped to the viewscreen, staring at the void where the enclave once floated.
"We won," she whispered.
"No," Li Na said, Isvalla's voice lingering in hers. "We bought time. The vanished gods will send more. And the Concord's survivors will hunt us."
[The comms crackled. A voice, young and trembling: "This is Lira Veyra… anyone out there? The gods are here. They're eating the sky."]