The guardians closed in, their metallic limbs clattering against the walls like the drumbeat of war. Their red eyes glowed brighter, focused entirely on the intruders.
"Too many!" Jonas shouted, firing until his rifle clicked empty. He slammed another cartridge in, but his hands trembled. "We can't hold this line!"
Mara leapt, sliding beneath a swinging arm and slashing upward. Sparks rained as she severed a joint, sending one guardian staggering. "We don't need to hold—we need to end this!"
At the core chamber's center, Liora pressed both palms against the crystal. Her lips moved quickly, words flowing in a forgotten tongue. The crystal pulsed in response, a low hum growing into a resonant thrum that shook the floor.
Selene's eyes widened. "She's reactivating the ship!"
The vessel trembled as ancient systems flickered alive. Lights ran down the corridors like veins re-filling with blood. Metal plates shifted, and the sound of engines stirring rumbled beneath their feet.
The guardians froze for a fraction of a second, their movements faltering. But then they shrieked in mechanical fury and lunged harder, as if trying to silence the awakening heart.
"Keep them off her!" Selene barked. She slammed her staff down, creating a shockwave of white fire that forced three of them back.
Eris staggered forward. His body shook violently, energy spilling from the cracks along his arms and neck. He barely looked human now, but his eyes burned with clarity.
He raised both hands, and the air warped. A storm of crimson lightning burst outward, tearing through three guardians in a single blast. Their cores cracked, then shattered, leaving smoldering shells.
The effort nearly dropped him to his knees. Mara caught his arm. "Don't burn yourself out, kid!"
"I can't stop," Eris gasped. His breath came ragged. "Not now."
Another guardian charged. Jonas fired point-blank at its joints while Selene swung her staff, striking its exposed core. It screeched and collapsed, sparks flying.
The crystal in the center of the chamber pulsed again—this time brighter. The sound grew into a steady rhythm, like the beating of a heart. Liora's voice rose higher, tears streaking her cheeks as she forced the ship awake.
Then, with a deafening roar, the entire vessel shuddered. Panels retracted, lights blazed to full power, and the guardians suddenly stiffened—jerking violently as if caught in unseen chains.
Eris looked around, chest heaving. "What's happening?"
Selene's eyes widened. "The ship—it's fighting back."
The guardians screeched one final time before their bodies convulsed, cores dimming, and they collapsed into piles of twisted metal.
For the first time, silence filled the chamber.
Liora collapsed to her knees, the glow fading from her hands. "It's… awake."
Eris stumbled forward, pressing a hand to the crystal's surface. A faint pulse answered him, almost alive.
And deep within his chest, the power of the Heart resonated with the vessel—two ancient forces recognizing each other.