Location: Aegis, Section Four — Outer Corridor
The alarms weren't just blaring now — they were screaming. Red light pulsed down the long corridor, painting the walls like they'd been soaked in blood. Somewhere ahead, metal groaned under an unseen force.
Lucien's grip on Aeris's hand was unyielding, his steps long and fast, pulling her with him. They didn't have time to think — but that didn't stop her from feeling every brush of his fingers against hers, every deliberate squeeze that told her he wasn't letting go for anything.
They rounded the corner.
The breach wasn't subtle — a yawning, jagged hole ripped into the hull, frost hissing in from the void. But it wasn't just vacuum pressing through. Shadow poured in — thick, twisting, almost alive.
The Forgotten had arrived.
Lucien shoved Aeris back against the wall just as a clawed tendril lashed out, slicing through the air where her head had been. His body covered hers, his arm braced against the wall near her face. The moment should've been pure adrenaline — but his scent, the heat of him, the way his eyes locked onto hers for just a heartbeat before he turned to fire — it made her pulse trip for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
"You know I won't," she shot back.
His mouth curved — not quite a smile, but close. "That's what terrifies me."
The tendrils came again, faster. Lucien's rifle barked light and heat, each shot precise. Aeris pressed close, her hands moving over the smaller sidearm at her hip. When she fired past his shoulder, the recoil jolted her back into his chest, and his arm instinctively wrapped tighter around her waist.
The shadows recoiled, but more poured in, swirling, seeking.
Lucien's voice was low against her ear. "We're boxed in. If we don't push through now, we're done."
"Then we push." Her words were steady, but her heart wasn't. Being this close to him — in the middle of chaos — felt like stepping into the center of a storm and finding it warmer than safety.
He nodded once, his gaze locking with hers in that unspoken language they'd developed — the kind only forged in fire and blood. And then they moved.
Aeris kept pace with him, their shoulders brushing, every turn and pivot synchronized like they'd been born to fight as one. The corridor became a blur of shadow and gunfire, of harsh breaths and the press of bodies when the space narrowed.
A tendril lunged low, curling toward her legs. She stumbled, and instantly Lucien was there, catching her, his arm hooking under her thighs to lift her clear.
Her breath caught — not from the danger, but from the sheer effortless strength of him, the way he held her close for a split second longer than necessary before setting her down behind cover.
"You okay?" His voice was rougher now, edged with something more than battle.
"Yes," she breathed. "You?"
His smile was brief, wicked. "Not until we're alone again."
She didn't have time to answer — the shadows surged again. This time, Lucien was the one pulled back, and Aeris didn't think, didn't hesitate — she threw herself into the fray, dragging him clear. Their momentum sent them tumbling into the narrow alcove by the breach door, his weight pinning her to the cold wall.
For a moment, the world outside their little space ceased to exist. His breath was hot against her cheek. The darkness around them seemed to lean closer, but his presence was a solid barrier, his arm tight around her.
"You saved me," he said quietly, as if he wasn't used to needing it.
She managed a faint smile, her fingers curling in his shirt. "Guess I'm terrifying too."
The comm crackled again — "Hull integrity falling — close that breach now!"
Lucien's jaw tightened. "We're not dying here." He pressed something small and warm into her palm — an override key. "On my signal, seal it."
"What about you?"
"I'll be right behind you." His hand lingered on hers. "I'll always be right behind you."
The way he said it — raw, certain — sent a different kind of shiver through her. Then he was moving, a blur of precision and fury, clearing the path for her to reach the controls.
When the breach door finally slammed shut with a thunderous clang, sealing out the shadows, Aeris turned — and Lucien was there, close enough that she could feel his heartbeat through the space between them.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The war outside could wait. This… whatever this was… couldn't.
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