Location: Starforge Nexus - Central Hub → Armory District
Time: Day 366, Morning
Jayde woke to silence.
Not the oppressive kind. Just quiet—the gentle hum of the Nexus maintaining itself, crystal walls pulsing faint bioluminescent blues and greens through the dimensional space. Her recovery chamber was small but comfortable, a far cry from the cave in the Dark Forest or the slave pits before that.
Final day. Tomorrow we deploy into the deep forest. Time to ensure we don't die from lack of proper equipment.
She sat up, muscles responding smoothly after a year of White's brutal conditioning. The aches were still there—would probably always be there after the trauma this body had endured—but functional. Strong enough.
(One more day,) Jade whispered, and the excitement in her voice was almost tangible. (Then we get to really test everything we've learned.)
Test. Right. That's one word for "potential death in hostile territory."
