Synthesis Loom chamber.
Vanessa stood at the main console, her face brightened by the blue light of many holographic screens. She looked very focused, but also a bit nervous. Seraph stood by the closed door, her hand resting on her sidearm. Draven stood on the other side with his arms crossed.
Over the room's comms channel, an open line crackled. On the other end, miles away in the Silver Phoenix Empire, Princess Ariana was watching and waiting.
The heavy door opened with a hiss, and Jonah walked in. Something about him had changed.
He still looked worn out, the tiredness plain on his face. But something was different now. A calm fire burned in his eyes. He seemed to carry a piece of the silent space he had just visited below the city. Even the way he carried himself wasn't the same anymore.
In the middle of his chest, visible even through his shirt, a small, bright spark of light pulsed slowly and steadily. The Dragon's Star-Chart. The gift from a captive god.
