The ship shuddered as its thrusters burned against Earth's pull. Clouds swirled on the screen, vast and white, as though the planet itself were waiting to swallow them whole.
Jonas kept his voice steady. "Re-entry sequence engaged. Hold tight."
Mara gripped the straps across her chest, her jaw locked. Liora's eyes darted across readings, double-checking what she already knew by heart. Eris sat still, hands resting on his knees, as if bracing for more than gravity.
The atmosphere roared against the hull, a fiery friction that made the ship groan.
Then—voices again.
But this time, not a chant. Not whispers. Screams.
Raw and furious, echoing through every speaker, every bolt of metal. The sound of Mars itself raging against their departure.
Liora shouted over it, "Systems are fine! This is not interference—this is inside us!"
The viewport flared crimson, showing not the curve of Earth but Mars splitting open, rivers of fire boiling across its surface. It was alive. Writhing. Reaching.
Eris slammed his eyes shut, forcing himself into the storm. His mind brushed the edge of the voices, felt their claws. Stay. Belong. You are ours.
"No," he whispered, his voice trembling but firm. "I am not yours."
The ship jolted, a violent drop that nearly threw them from their seats. Jonas fought the controls, teeth bared. "We're burning too fast—!"
And then, just as suddenly as it began, the visions broke. Earth filled the viewport again, clouds parting to reveal blue seas and sprawling land.
The screams vanished.
Only silence remained, pierced by the steady alarm of re-entry heat.
Jonas let out a shaky laugh. "Almost there."
But Eris kept his eyes on the planet below, his face pale. He knew the truth: landing would not end it. Mars was still with them—woven into their blood, their minds, their very shadows.