Chapter 17 – The Collapse of Morsil
The control chamber of the Sentientes shook violently as Sissy's voice cut through the alarms.
"Charlie! Do you have his position?" she barked, gripping the edge of the radar console.
Charlie's fingers danced over the holographic screen, sweat dripping down his brow. "Negative…! No signal—he's gone completely off the grid. It's like Marl vanished into thin air!"
Sissy slammed her fist against the steel wall, the shockwave reverberating. "Damn that traitor…!"
Ren stood silent, his fists trembling, his heart heavy. Marl… why? The smirk, the mockery in Marl's eyes as he stole the ship, burned itself into Ren's mind like a scar.
But before Ren could dwell longer, the entire base lurched.
The atmosphere of Morsil warped violently, gravity suddenly intensifying like a crushing fist. The lights flickered red as sirens wailed louder.
Charlie's face went pale. "Commander… the planet's core—it's destabilizing!"
"What?!" Miya gasped, clinging to Ren's arm as the floor beneath them cracked like breaking glass. The once-gleaming electric planet of Morsil began trembling violently, bolts of energy bursting out of the ground.
The walls buckled. Pillars of light shot into the skies like unstable reactors ready to detonate.
"The planet is collapsing!" Charlie shouted, horror in his tone. "The core is overheating! If it detonates—everything here will be annihilated!"
Sissy drew her gun, not in rage, but in grim resolve. "All units—evacuate! NOW! Head to the ships! MOVE!"
Men and women of the Sentientes scrambled, alarms echoing through every corridor. The metallic platforms buckled under the sheer weight of shifting gravity.
Ren grabbed Miya's hand tightly. Their eyes met—his filled with guilt, hers filled with quiet, unyielding faith.
"Come on! We can't stop this anymore!" Miya urged.
Together, they sprinted across the shaking base as chunks of debris crashed down. Sparks rained from overhead wires. The air itself seemed to crackle, oxygen burning away under the surging energy.
Ren could feel it—Morsil's heartbeat quickening to its final breath.
Suddenly—
BOOOOOM!!!
The ground split apart, erupting with a catastrophic explosion of pure electric fury.
The shockwave tore through the skies. Whole cities of steel crumbled into the abyss. The planet of Morsil—once a bastion of life and advancement—was tearing itself into oblivion.
Ren screamed, shielding Miya with his body as the explosion swallowed everything.
And then—
His pendant glowed.
The crystal pulsed with blinding light, a force beyond mortal understanding. The collapsing flames froze in mid-air. Time itself stuttered. Reality cracked like glass.
A colossal surge of light engulfed Ren, Miya, Sissy, Charlie, and the rest of the Sentientes. In the blink of an eye, they were torn away from the destruction.
When Ren opened his eyes, he was on his knees, his chest heaving.
The metallic floors beneath him gleamed—not the ruins of Morsil, but the shining headquarters of the Sentientes. They had escaped… barely.
Ren looked down at the pendant in disbelief. His reflection shimmered across its glow.
"Why… why did you save us?" he whispered to it, though he knew no answer would come. His heart weighed with despair. His mission had failed. Morsil was gone. Marl had betrayed him. The guilt carved into his chest like a dagger.
He turned away from the others, ashamed, silent.
But then—
"Miya…"
The warmth of soft arms wrapped around him from behind. Miya pressed herself against him tightly, burying her face into his back. Her chest squeezed against him, her warmth grounding him.
"Ren," she whispered. "You're not alone… don't carry this burden all by yourself."
Her voice trembled, but there was no hesitation. Slowly, she turned him around, holding him by the collar. Their eyes met. His filled with pain, hers with burning devotion.
Before he could speak, Miya's lips pressed against his.
The world froze.
Ren's eyes widened in shock, his heart stopping for a beat. Miya kissed him deeply, pouring her everything into that single moment. She wasn't just comforting him—she was declaring something.
Ren's trembling hands slowly reached up, resting on her shoulders.
When the kiss broke, Ren stood stunned, words fumbling at his lips. "…M-Miya, I…"
She smiled faintly, her cheeks flushed, eyes glistening. "Don't apologize. Just… accept it."
Ren lowered his head, the weight of sorrow still heavy but pierced by her warmth. "Thank you… I'm sorry… I failed everyone."
"No." Miya gripped his hand firmly. "You're still standing. That means you haven't failed yet."
Ren swallowed hard, the despair in his chest softening for the first time since Marl's betrayal.
And then—
A piercing sound cut through the silence.
DING!
A holographic window materialized in front of Ren's face, glowing with strange cybernetic glyphs.
His eyes widened. The pendant was glowing brighter, feeding into the projection.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]
Congratulations, Ren.]
You have unlocked: The Cybernetic Reality Protocol.
Ren's breath caught in his throat. The pendant… was alive. A system hidden deep within it had awakened.
His fate had just shifted into something far greater.
The others stared in awe, while Ren's eyes burned with shock, confusion—and a flicker of hope.
And as Miya tightened her grip on his hand, Ren knew—
This was only the beginning.
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