The Martian air was thin, but it carried weight—a tension that pressed against the lungs, as though the planet itself resented their every breath.
The group moved across the rocky expanse, their boots crunching against red stone and powdered dust. The horizon stretched in endless crimson dunes, jagged cliffs cutting the skyline like broken teeth.
Their ship was still miles away. A shimmer on the horizon, small, fragile, and desperately far.
Jonas led the way, rifle ready. Mara walked beside Eris, stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Selene kept to the edges, her staff tracing arcs in the dust to sense shifts in the energy around them. Liora lagged behind, whispering protective verses under her breath, fingers weaving light between them like invisible threads.
For a time, only the wind spoke. Then the ground trembled.
A low rumble rolled beneath their feet. Rocks tumbled down from the nearest ridge.
"Quake?" Jonas asked, steadying himself.
"More than that," Selene muttered, her eyes narrowing. "The Heart is pulsing harder. The planet's responding."
The rumble grew louder. A crack split the earth ahead of them, dust exploding into the air. The group halted, coughing, shielding their faces.
When the dust cleared, the crack stretched wide—a jagged wound tearing across the ground, glowing faintly from within. Red light pulsed like veins beneath the crust.
Mara stared, eyes wide. "It's alive…"
"No," Eris said softly, his voice grim. "It's waking up."
The ground shook again, stronger this time. A boulder rolled down from the cliffs, slamming into the earth just meters away. Liora nearly lost her footing, but Mara grabbed her arm in time.
"Move!" Jonas barked. "If we don't reach the ship now, we're done!"
They pressed on, forcing their way across the unstable ground. Each step sent more dust into the air, each rumble threatening to split the land beneath them.
At one point, a fissure tore open at their side, belching heat and light. Eris turned instinctively, shielding Mara and Liora as shards of rock blasted into the air.
The glow beneath the surface flickered again—faster, brighter, in rhythm with the pounding in Eris's chest.
Selene caught it, her voice cutting through the chaos. "It's resonating with you! The Heart knows you touched it!"
Eris's face hardened. "Then it wants me back."
The ground cracked again, forcing them to scramble across a rising slope. Their ship was closer now—still far, but visible, its metallic frame a fragile promise against the wild, angry landscape.
They pushed forward, lungs burning, dust stinging their eyes, the weight of Mars itself pressing down with every step.
Behind them, the fissures spread. The planet groaned like a beast roused from slumber.
And though none of them said it aloud, the thought clawed at all their minds:
Would Mars even let them leave?