The Stardust Drifter emerged from hyperspace as if wading through resistance rather than empty space. The Rigelian Nebula stretched before them, no longer a celestial marvel but a wounded expanse, its colors dulled and warped into unnatural spirals. Fragments of the Lumina Federation's once-glorious research complex drifted silently in the void, their pristine architecture torn open and twisted into impossible angles. Some sections appeared pristine, frozen in a moment before catastrophe, while others bore the scars of violent collapse. It was as though the Nebula could not decide which version of itself to present.
Lyra stood at the helm, her cybernetic eye flickering uncontrollably as it attempted to process overlapping streams of data. Temporal anomalies flooded her sensors, each reading contradicting the last.
"This region isn't unstable in the conventional sense," she said slowly, her voice stripped of sarcasm. "Time itself has been wounded here. The Nexus did not simply fail. It fractured causality."
Kaito listened in silence. The Astro Blade rested against his shoulder, its glow subdued, its presence heavy.
"This place is saturated with unresolved intent," the Blade murmured within his mind. "Pain, ambition, and fear have all left their mark. Time remembers what the living try to forget."
Jax stood near the armory, methodically securing his armor, though the movements lacked their usual certainty. Zephyr's absence pressed down on him like gravity. This mission would have suited the young scout perfectly. Instead, they carried his memory with them, a reminder of what hesitation and recklessness alike could cost.
Elara remained behind in the medical bay, suspended within fragile energy fields. Her breathing was shallow, her connection to the Life Weave stretched thin, as though her spirit hovered just beyond reach.
Before the crew sealed their helmets, Kaito paused at the threshold. He looked back through the corridor, past steel walls and humming conduits, toward the room where Elara lay.
"I will return," he said quietly, unsure whether the words were a promise or a plea. "I will not fail you."
The airlock opened, and they stepped into a place where time no longer respected the rules of the universe.