The voice came from nowhere, yet it filled the space around them with a strange stillness, the kind that pressed down on the skin and made the breath catch without realizing why.
Xin and Wuying froze in place. Both men had heard countless things in their lives—commands barked from superiors, threats whispered from enemies, warnings shouted in panic, and bargaining cries of those about to die. But something about this voice felt different.
It was calm.
Tired.
But not defeated.
It wasn't trying to scare them away, wasn't shouting them down, wasn't desperate to hold on. It was simply… speaking.
Like someone sitting in silence for too long and finally chose to say something, not out of hope, but out of duty.
Xin tilted his head slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing at the speaker mounted on the side wall. It was a small black circle, part of the ship's interior, the kind of thing no one paid attention to because it looked as dead as the rest of this vessel.
