The shuttle ride back to Earth was dead silent.
Russ sat strapped in his seat, still pale from the memory overload. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. The vision of Quinn Talen tearing through eldritch gods burned into his mind—but it was that other figure that haunted him most.
A being cloaked in stars. Eyes older than time. Power that made even Quinn look like a shadow.
And it saw him.
> [Legacy Sync Rate: 28.6%]
[New Objective: Locate Memory Fragment – "The Starborn One."]
[Warning: Astral contamination detected.]
"Minny," Russ said quietly, "did Dad ever mention… a being made of stars?"
Minny gave him a sidelong glance. "A few cryptic things. Said he sealed away more than just gods. Creatures from before systems were born. Stuff even the Celestials feared. Why?"
Russ hesitated. "Because one of them just looked at me like I was dinner."
Kai leaned forward from across the shuttle, casually eating a protein bar. "Y'know, you should've led with that before we went to the moon."
"Do you ever shut up?" Vee muttered, eyes locked on her datapad.
"Not when I'm nervous."
Vee's goggles flared. "Guys… we've got a problem. We weren't alone on the Broken Moon. Another shuttle landed 15 minutes after we did. No Federation ID."
Minny stood. "Hostiles?"
Vee nodded. "Tracking their signal. They're tailing us. And they're fast."
Russ blinked. "Who are these people? Why now? What do they want from me?"
Minny's jaw clenched. "Some cults believe you're the key to Quinn's return—or his destruction. Either way, they're not going to stop."
As if summoned by her words, the shuttle rocked violently.
"INCOMING!" Kai shouted.
A plasma bolt slammed into their left wing. Alarms blared.
Vee yanked on the control stick. "Strap in or get spaced!"
They veered sharply, crashing through Earth's upper atmosphere like a falling comet.
---
The shuttle crashed into a desert outside the New Lumen borders, sending sand and debris flying for kilometers. Metal groaned. Flames licked the cracked hull.
Russ coughed, dragging himself from his seat. "Everyone—alive?"
Minny emerged, bleeding but upright. "Yeah. Kai?"
"Concussed but still handsome," he groaned.
"Vee?"
"Still hacking the targeting system that tried to vaporize us. You?"
Russ stood, swaying. "System says I'm stable. Barely."
Then the shadows arrived.
Figures stepped through the smoke—dozens of them. Hooded. Masked. Weapons glowing with corrupted system energy.
And at their head was a tall man with white hair and a grin that didn't match his hollow, obsidian eyes.
"Russ Talen," the man said, voice smooth like oil. "The so-called heir. I was beginning to think you didn't exist."
Russ braced himself. "You a fan or a stalker?"
The man chuckled. "Neither. I'm the first-born of the Starborn One. And I've come to welcome you back to the fold."
Russ blinked. "The what now?"
> [Legacy System Warning: Astral Presence Detected. Initiating Emergency Combat Sync.]
[Skill Upgrade: Shade Claw Lv. 2 → Void Rend Lv. 1]
Russ's hands ignited in black-purple flame. Power surged through him again—but it was harder to control this time. More primal. More hungry.
Minny stepped beside him, blades drawn. "Russ. Whatever happens—don't let them touch you. Astral taint spreads like poison."
The man raised his hand.
The sand behind them rose—shifting, warping into monstrous shapes with mouths where eyes should be.
Russ felt fear crawl up his spine.
Then the Legacy System spoke once more.
> [Secondary Trial Unlocked: Survive the Starborn Cult.]
[Objective: Defend. Resist. Remember.]
Russ growled, dropping into a stance his body seemed to remember on its own.
"I'm not my father," he whispered. "But I'm done running."
And with that, the battle began.