The wasteland temple loomed under the Aether storm's violet lightning, its bone gate pulsing with runes that glowed like open wounds. Kael stood at the rig's edge, shard-pistol trembling in his bloodied hand, the Red Veil shard scorching his chest. Its hum merged with his own shard's, a deafening pulse that shook his bones. Rhea crouched beside him, shock-knife sparking, her implants glinting with sweat. Mira clutched the original shard-case, her analyzer whining as its screen flashed chaotic readings. The air was heavy with dust and the sharp crackle of Aether, the storm's wind howling like a living thing.
The hunter faced them, their black armor etched with faint runes, a star-like shard glowing in their grip. Their violet eyes burned through the haze, locking onto Kael with unnatural focus. Harbingers circled, their twisted forms snarling, Aether-blades gleaming. Protocol drones hovered above, their scanners cutting through the storm, but they held fire, as if wary of the gate. Kael's shard surged, a vision slamming him: a bone gate splitting open, the hunter's shard blazing, a woman's voice whispering, *The key unlocks.* He gasped, pain flaring in his shoulder, and steadied his pistol.
"Last chance, Varn," the hunter said, their voice cold and resonant, echoing over the storm. "Surrender the shards, or I take your spark."
Kael's jaw clenched, blood dripping from his arm. "Not big on surrendering. Who are you?"
The hunter tilted their head, armor glinting under lightning. "A servant of the cycle. You're just its pawn."
Rhea snorted, knife ready. "Fancy talk for a glorified bounty hunter. Back off, or I carve those eyes out."
Mira's voice was low, urgent. "Kael, the gate's active. The shards are syncing with it. If we don't act, it'll pull them in. Or us."
Kael glanced at the gate, its runes pulsing in time with his shard. The Red Veil shard in his jacket felt alive, tugging him forward. "Pull us in where?" he asked, keeping his pistol on the hunter.
"I don't know," Mira admitted, her cyber-lenses flickering. "But the gate's a machine, pre-Fall. It's built to channel Aether. The shards are its keys."
The hunter stepped closer, their star-shard flaring, its light searing the air. "The cycle demands the shards. Resist, and you break."
Kael fired, the Aether-shot streaking toward the hunter. They raised their shard, a violet barrier deflecting the blast, sparks showering the dust. The Harbingers charged, their roars drowning the storm. Kael moved on instinct, kinetic energy surging through his hands. He unleashed a wave, slamming two Harbingers into the temple's spires, their bodies crunching against bone. Pain tore through his shoulder, his vision swimming, but he stood firm.
Rhea lunged, her shock-knife sinking into a Harbinger's chest. Sparks flew, but another tackled her, its Aether-blade slashing her thigh. She cursed, rolling free, her implants flaring as she jammed its movements. Mira scrambled behind the rig, her analyzer sparking, trying to dampen the shards' resonance.
The hunter advanced, their star-shard pulsing, Aether coiling like a whip. Kael parried with his shard-blade, its violet glow clashing against their energy, sparks blinding him. Their strength was relentless, pre-Fall tech amplifying every move. He ducked a lash of Aether, his blade grazing their armor, but they didn't flinch, their violet eyes unyielding.
"You can't stop it," the hunter said, their voice cutting through the chaos. "The gate opens. The cycle begins."
Kael's shard burned, another vision hitting: *the gate splitting, a void beyond, the woman's voice: The spark is yours.* He staggered, his blade slipping. The hunter's Aether-whip snapped, grazing his chest, searing flesh. He roared, channeling kinetic energy to shove them back, but the effort left him gasping, blood soaking his shirt.
Rhea's knife flashed, dropping another Harbinger, but her leg bled, slowing her. "Kael, we're getting slaughtered!" she shouted, dodging a drone's blast as it finally opened fire, its Aether-shot scorching the ground.
Mira's analyzer screamed, its readings off the charts. "The gate's pulling the shards! We need to enter it or lose them!"
Kael's eyes flicked to the gate, its runes now blazing, the air rippling like water. The Red Veil shard in his jacket pulsed harder, as if eager. He didn't trust it, didn't trust Mira's desperation, didn't trust the hunter's cryptic bullshit. But the Harbingers kept coming, and the drones' blasts were closing in. No way out but through.
"Rhea, cover us!" Kael yelled, grabbing Mira's arm. He sprinted for the gate, pain screaming in his limbs, his shard-blade humming. Rhea fell back, her knife sparking as she held off a Harbinger, her implants flickering under strain.
The hunter's star-shard flared, Aether lashing out. Kael dove, pulling Mira with him, the blast scorching the earth behind. They hit the gate's base, its bone surface warm and pulsing, runes crawling under his touch. Mira's analyzer sparked, its dampening coil failing, the original shard glowing wildly.
"Open it!" Kael growled, his pistol aimed at the hunter, who stalked closer, unbothered by the storm or drones.
Mira fumbled with the shard-case, pressing the original shard against the gate. Its runes flared, a low hum shaking the ground. The Red Veil shard in Kael's jacket burned, and he yanked it out, its violet light blinding. He slammed it into the gate, instinct guiding him. The bone surface cracked, violet Aether spilling out, the air warping into a vortex.
The hunter froze, their violet eyes narrowing. "You don't know what you're doing," they said, but their voice held a flicker of doubt.
Kael's vision overwhelmed him: *the gate open, a void of stars, the woman's voice: Step through.* His shard pulsed, the Red Veil shard merging with the gate's energy. The vortex widened, pulling at him, at Mira, at the shards. Rhea stumbled to them, blood dripping, her knife still sparking.
"Go!" Kael shouted, shoving Mira toward the vortex. She hesitated, then stepped in, her analyzer vanishing with her. Rhea followed, her grin defiant despite the pain. Kael turned, firing a final shot at the hunter, who raised their star-shard, deflecting it.
The Harbingers surged, drones firing, the storm's lightning striking the temple. Kael's shard burned, the gate's pull irresistible. He stepped into the vortex, the world dissolving into violet light. His last sight was the hunter, their star-shard blazing, stepping forward as the gate sealed behind him.