Kael Varn had a talent for getting into trouble, like the time he accidentally insulted a warlord's pet lizard and started a bar fight that cost him a month's pay, but this was a catastrophe even he couldn't charm his way out of. The Ascendant realm was falling apart, its starry dome cracking like glass, shards of light raining down. Runes on the walls pulsed erratically, their glow fading as the chamber shook. Kael held his sister Mira, her frail body trembling, her eyes flickering with the Devourer's red taint. Zara, bloodied but unbowed, stood beside him, her scar-faced glare fixed on General Torren and his Coalition troops, their rifles trained on them. The starlight guardian, a figure of shimmering white, floated above the crystal sphere, its eyes blazing like twin suns. The Devourer's voice, a low growl, rumbled in Kael's skull. "You cannot stop what is coming."
Kael's Ascendant power-up was gone, his muscles aching like he'd been thrown into a reactor. His crystal shard, his only weapon, felt heavy in his hand. "Syl!" he shouted into his wrist comm, dodging a falling rune fragment. "Tell me we've got a way out!"
Syl, his ship's snarky AI, crackled through static. "Realm's collapsing, Captain. The sphere's your best shot. It's a nexus, tied to the Ascendants' network. Activate it, and you might teleport out. Or blow up. Also, Torren's troops are charging weapons. You're out of time."
Kael's heart pounded, his eyes on Mira. Her dark hair clung to her pale face, and her breathing was shallow, like she was fighting to stay herself. He'd pulled her from stasis, but the Devourer was using her as its key, and now they were trapped in a dying realm. "Hang on, Mira," he whispered, tightening his grip.
Zara stepped forward, her pistol shaking but aimed at Torren. "You want the Devourer free, don't you?" she said, voice raw. "That's why you're here."
Torren, tall and cold-eyed, smirked. "You're smarter than you look, deserter. The Devourer's power will reshape the galaxy. Step aside, and you might live."
Kael snorted, raising his shard. "Big talk for a guy who needs an army to feel tough. How about you and me, one-on-one?"
Torren's smirk widened. "You're no threat, Varn. The girl is."
Mira tensed, her eyes flashing red. "Kael," she whispered, voice breaking. "It's strong. I can't fight it much longer."
The guardian spoke, its voice like chiming glass. "The nexus can sever her link, but the cost is high. One must stay behind."
Kael's stomach dropped. He glanced at the sphere, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat. The chamber shook harder, cracks spreading across the floor. Torren's troops advanced, their rifles humming. The Devourer's voice laughed. "Choose, human. Her life, or yours."
"Zara," Kael said, voice low. "Get Mira to the sphere."
Zara's eyes widened. "You're not staying behind, Varn."
"Someone has to," Kael said, forcing a grin. "I'm the hero, remember?"
Mira grabbed his arm, weak but fierce. "No, Kael. I won't let you."
The guardian floated closer, its starlight form flickering. "The nexus requires a soul to anchor it. Choose, or the Devourer claims all."
Torren laughed, signaling his troops. "Enough. Kill them."
The troops fired, bolts sizzling through the air. Kael dove, shielding Mira, as Zara returned fire, her pistol sparking. The guardian raised a hand, and a wave of light deflected the bolts, buying them seconds. Kael scrambled to the sphere, dragging Mira, Zara covering their rear. The chamber's ceiling collapsed, starry shards crashing around them.
"Syl!" Kael shouted, reaching the sphere. "How do we activate this thing?"
"Touch it," Syl said. "Channel your will. But the guardian's right. It needs an anchor. Someone stays, or it won't work."
Kael's hand hovered over the sphere, its surface cold and humming. Visions flashed: Mira's smile back home, Zara's smirk in the heat of battle, his squad's faces before they died. He'd failed them all, but not this time. "Zara, take Mira and go."
Zara spun, her face furious. "Don't be an idiot, Varn! We're not leaving you!"
Mira's eyes glowed red, and she screamed, collapsing. The Devourer's voice boomed. "She is mine. You are too late."
The sphere flared, and the guardian vanished, its light merging with the nexus. Kael slammed his hand on it, his mind screaming for Mira to be free. The chamber lit up, runes blazing, and the air twisted like a wormhole. Torren's troops charged, but a pulse from the sphere knocked them back, their screams lost in the chaos.
Kael's vision blurred, the nexus pulling at him. He saw a new world: a city of floating spires, skies of endless stars, Ascendant ruins glowing with power. Then, pain. His body burned, like his soul was being torn apart. Mira's hand grabbed his, her voice faint. "Kael, don't let go."
Zara fired at the troops, her wound slowing her. "Varn, you bastard, hold on!"
The nexus pulsed, and the world shifted. Kael landed hard, Mira and Zara beside him, in a new realm: a vast city of crystal and light, its spires floating above a void. The portal behind them collapsed, cutting off Torren. But the Devourer's voice followed, softer but menacing. "You only delay me."
Kael's chest heaved, his body drained. Mira stirred, her eyes clear for the first time. "Kael," she whispered. "You did it."
Zara knelt, clutching her side, blood pooling. "Not bad, Varn. But we're not done."
Syl's voice crackled. "New realm, new problems. This is an Ascendant hub, but the Devourer's influence is here. And I'm picking up life signs. Not friendly."
Kael stood, helping Mira up. The city's spires glowed, but shadows moved in the distance, eyes glinting. A new figure emerged, not the guardian, but something worse: a humanoid of black mist, its form shifting, voice like a blade. "You brought her to me."