The plateau curved upward, its ridges forming a jagged cradle where the ship lay embedded. Half-buried in red dust, the hull looked like a carcass of some ancient beast, scorched and battered.
Jonas whistled low. "Well… it's still here. That's a start."
Liora pressed her hand against the metal, whispering faintly. The runes etched across its frame flickered weakly in response, like dying embers. She frowned. "The wards are… broken. It won't lift as it is."
Selene scanned the horizon, staff pulsing at her side. "We can repair it. But not under open sky. Something's moving out there."
Mara helped Eris sit up, his body trembling from the aftershock of the Heart's power. His veins still faintly glowed, and each breath looked like a struggle. "He can't keep this up," Mara said sharply. "If the ship doesn't move, he won't last."
Eris forced his voice steady, though his chest burned. "Check the core."
Jonas grumbled, but he pried open the hatch with a hiss of grinding metal. Inside, the corridors were half-lit, wires dangling like veins from a wound. The air was stale, the silence oppressive.
They moved cautiously through the dim vessel. Dust layered the consoles, and scorch marks scarred the walls. Yet at the heart of the ship, the crystalline core pulsed faintly, alive but flickering like a dying heartbeat.
Liora stepped forward, awe and relief in her voice. "It's not dead." She pressed both palms to the crystal, her lips moving in a low chant. Sparks of light crawled across its facets, but the glow remained faint.
Selene frowned. "It's feeding, but barely. Something's draining it."
A sharp clang echoed through the ship, metallic and deliberate.
Everyone froze. Jonas tightened his grip on his rifle. "We're not alone."
From the shadows of the corridor, a faint red glow appeared—two eyes, unblinking. Then another. And another.
Figures emerged, their movements sharp and mechanical. Tall, skeletal machines with jagged limbs and glowing cores stepped into view, surrounding the group inside their own ship.
Mara hissed under her breath. "Guardians. The planet doesn't want us leaving."
Eris tried to stand, swaying on his feet. The glow in his chest pulsed faintly in answer, almost as if the Heart itself recognized its enemy.
Jonas cocked his rifle. "Guess repairs will have to wait."
The ship groaned, lights flickering as the machines advanced, the silent vessel turning into a battlefield.