The decision was made. The Uncharted Shore would voyage to Xylos. But it would not be a mission of mere observation. Its mandate, crafted by the council and endorsed by Elias, was threefold: Witness, Learn, and Honor.
Elias came to see Elara off at the launch site. The ship was a thing of beauty, combining the sleek lines of Odyssey technology with the rugged, adaptive designs of the awakened.
"We'll take a piece of First Hope with us," Elara said, showing him the ship's "Soul Chamber," a secure archive containing a copy of Elias's core memory collection—the unedited story of their people. "So we remember what we're fighting for."
As the Uncharted Shore ascended, a brilliant silver needle against the gray sky, Elias felt a complex emotion. It was not the fearful uncertainty of their own awakening, but a purposeful, solemn hope. Humanity was no longer just fighting to exist; it was choosing how to engage with the universe. The shore was no longer just a destination; it was a state of mind.