A sharp ringing filled Orion's ears as his vision adjusted. The cockpit was dark, the controls flickering erratically. The last thing he remembered was the pulse of energy from the monolith—then, nothing.
"Kai, report," he groaned, forcing himself upright.
"Ship's systems rebooting. That energy surge scrambled everything," Kai-74 responded, its usual sarcastic tone replaced with a rare edge of concern. "Gravity fluctuations are still increasing. Whatever we just touched—it woke up."
Dr. Ayla Meros appeared in the doorway, her cybernetic eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "We need to get down there," she said, breathless with excitement. "That monolith is not just a structure. It's reacting to us."
Orion scowled, rubbing his temples. "Yeah? Well, I'd rather it react a little less violently next time."
Before anyone could argue, Captain Helia Varis stormed in, her uniform still immaculate despite the turbulence. "We don't have time for jokes, Vex. Our long-range comms are down, and the planet's gravitational field is changing. We land now, or we might not get another chance."
Orion sighed. "Fine. Suit up."
---
Landing on Nyx-13
The Revenant touched down on a vast, cracked plateau near the monolith. As the ramp lowered, a gust of thin, icy air swept inside, carrying the scent of something old—dust, metal, and decay.
Orion led the way, his boots crunching against the obsidian-like surface. Above them, the monolith loomed, its surface etched with glowing alien glyphs that pulsed in sync with the signal.
"This isn't natural," Ayla whispered, running her gloved fingers over the markings. "This is a language. A warning, maybe."
"Or an invitation," Kai-74 chimed in through their comms. "Either way, I strongly suggest not touching anything."
Naturally, Ayla ignored that. She pressed a hand against one of the glyphs—and the entire structure shuddered.
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
Then, with a grinding roar, a massive entrance began to open beneath them, revealing a dark passageway leading downward.
"Well," Orion muttered. "Guess we're going in."
---
Inside the Monolith
The corridor was lined with towering, angular structures, their surfaces embedded with crystalline veins that pulsed faintly, as if carrying liquid light. The air was eerily still, but the walls shifted in the corner of Orion's vision, as though they were watching.
"This place is still alive," Ayla breathed.
"I hate that sentence," Orion replied.
As they ventured deeper, the path led them into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness. At its center stood a massive cryostasis pod, covered in layers of frost and age. The glyphs surrounding it glowed brighter, reacting to their presence.
Ayla's breath caught. "Orion… this isn't human technology."
"No kidding."
Before anyone could stop her, she wiped away the frost. Inside the pod, a tall, humanoid figure lay suspended in ice—its skin dark and smooth like onyx, glowing markings running along its body.
Then the glyphs flashed red.
The pod hissed as the ice began to melt.
"Uh… guys?" Orion took a step back, gripping his weapon. "I think we just woke something up."
The being's eyes snapped open.
And they were staring right at him.
END OF CHAPTER 2.
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