Three days.
That's how long I'd been aboard the Eternal Vigilance, and I was already going stir-crazy.
Not that I could do much about it. My infant body was frustratingly weak, I could barely manage more than a few minutes of activity before exhaustion hit like a freight train. Most of my time was spent sleeping, eating (some kind of nutrient paste that actually tasted decent), and observing.
Observing everything.
Rayna's quarters were... not what I'd expected for the daughter of a Grand Admiral.
I'd imagined something opulent, gold trim, expensive art, the works. Instead, her rooms were surprisingly modest. Two main spaces: a living area with a small kitchen module, and a bedroom separated by a sliding partition. The walls were decorated with star charts, holographic displays of ancient ruins, and shelves crammed with books, actual physical books, which seemed like a luxury in this high-tech universe.
She's a scholar at heart, I realized, watching her pore over a datapad while I lay curled on a cushion nearby. Not a spoiled princess. She actually cares about learning.
That made me like her even more.
[SOUL IMPRINT RESONANCE DEEPENING]
[CURRENT BOND STRENGTH: 34%]
[EMOTIONAL SYNCHRONIZATION: INCREASING]
The system notifications had become almost constant over the past few days. Every interaction with Rayna, every moment spent in her presence, strengthened our connection.
I could feel her more clearly nowx not just emotions, but thoughts on the surface of her mind. Her curiosity about me. Her concern. Her determination to figure out what I was.
And apparently, today was the day she'd get some answers.
The door chimed, a melodic sound, and Rayna looked up from her datapad.
"Come in," she called.
The door slid open to reveal a woman I hadn't seen before. She was tall and willowy, with silver hair pulled back in an intricate braid and eyes that seemed to shift between violet and gold. She wore a long coat over form-fitting attire, and carried a medical scanner that hummed with energy.
[SCANNING...]
[IDENTIFICATION: DR. YSMENE VEL'SARA]
[PROFESSION: XENOBIOLOGIST / COSMIC LIFE SPECIALIST]
[RANK: CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER]
[THREAT LEVEL: LOW]
[NOTE: POSSESSES EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF PRIMORDIAL ERA BIOLOGY]
The doctor who scanned me when I first arrived, I realized.
"Lady Rayna," Dr. Ysmene greeted with a slight bow. "Thank you for agreeing to this examination. I promise to be as non-invasive as possible."
"It's fine, Doctor," Rayna replied, standing. She glanced at me with a reassuring smile. "Xiane's been very calm so far. I don't think he'll give you any trouble."
Xiane. She's been using that name consistently. It actually feels... right.
Dr. Ysmene's eyes locked onto me, and I saw her expression shift, from professional detachment to barely contained fascination.
"Remarkable," she breathed, approaching slowly. "Even after three days of study, I still can't believe what I'm seeing."
"What do you mean?" Rayna asked, moving to stand beside my cushion.
The doctor activated her scanner, and a holographic display materialized in the air between us. It showed... me. But not just my external form, this was a complete biological breakdown.
"Your companion," Dr. Ysmene began, her voice taking on a lecturer's cadence, "is unlike anything in our current xenobiological databases. His cellular structure is... extraordinary. Each cell contains what I can only describe as 'adaptive matrices', microscopic structures that can reorganize themselves based on environmental stimuli."
Rayna leaned forward, her scholar's curiosity fully engaged. "Meaning?"
"Meaning he can evolve," the doctor said simply. "Not over generations, like normal species. Not through genetic manipulation or augmentation. He can adapt in real-time, rewriting his own biology to suit his needs."
Damn. She figured that out just from a scan?
[DR. YSMENE VEL'SARA POSSESSES GENIUS-LEVEL INTELLECT]
[ANALYSIS ACCURACY: 87%]
[WARNING: FULL CAPABILITIES SHOULD REMAIN CONCEALED]
Yeah, no kidding. If they knew I was a literal cosmic weapon...
"But that's not all," Dr. Ysmene continued, her excitement growing. "His energy signature is impossible. He's generating what appears to be void energy, pure, stabilized void energyz without any external source. That shouldn't be possible for an organism this small."
She manipulated the hologram, zooming in on what looked like a network of glowing channels throughout my body.
"These pathways... they're not quite circulatory, not quite nervous. They're something else entirely. Energy conduits that connect to—" She paused, her eyes widening. "By the Progenitors. Is that a dual-core system?"
"Dual-core?" Rayna asked.
"He has two hearts," the doctor explained. "But they're not just pumping blood. They're generating and circulating cosmic energy throughout his entire body. It's like he's a living reactor."
Two hearts. Right. I noticed that when I was born. Weird, but I guess it makes sense for a cosmic murder-beast.
Rayna reached down and gently picked me up, cradling me in her arms. I felt her wonder through the bond, mixed with a protective concern.
"Is he... dangerous?" she asked quietly.
Dr. Ysmene was silent for a long moment, studying the holographic data.
"Potentially," she finally admitted. "His biology suggests he's designed for combat and survival. Those retractable claws aren't decorative, they're monomolecular edge weapons. His teeth, once fully developed, could probably bite through ship hull plating. And those energy pathways... if he reaches maturity, his power output could be devastating."
I felt Rayna's arms tighten around me slightly, not from fear, but from protectiveness.
She's not afraid of me. Even knowing what I might become.
"But right now," the doctor continued, her expression softening, "he's just an infant. Weak, vulnerable, and completely dependent on you. The soul bond you've formed with him... that's actually the most fascinating part."
"You can detect the bond?" Rayna asked, surprised.
Dr. Ysmene nodded, adjusting her scanner. The hologram shifted, now showing two intertwined energy signatures, one was clearly me, a swirl of dark void energy shot through with starlight. The other was Rayna, a brilliant azure flame that pulsed with steady strength.
Where they touched, the energies merged into something entirely new, silver and luminous, like liquid moonlight.
"A true soul imprint," the doctor murmured. "I've read about them in ancient texts, but I never thought I'd see one. You're connected on a fundamental level, your life forces are intertwined. If one of you were to die..."
"The other would suffer immense trauma," Rayna finished quietly. "I know. I felt it the moment we bonded. I can feel him, even now. His emotions, his presence."
And I can feel you, I thought, projecting the feeling through our bond.
Rayna gasped softly, her eyes widening. "Did you... did you just respond to me?"
Holy shit. She heard that?
[SOUL BOND TELEPATHY: UNLOCKED]
[BASIC EMOTIONAL/INTENT COMMUNICATION NOW POSSIBLE]
[VERBAL COMMUNICATION WILL UNLOCK IN LATER FORMS]
I focused, trying to project again. *Yes. I can hear you. Understand you.*
"He's... he's communicating with me," Rayna breathed, staring down at me in wonder. "Not words, but... feelings. Intent. He understands what we're saying."
Dr. Ysmene's eyebrows rose. "Remarkable. Most bonded creatures take weeks or months to develop basic communication. He's doing it in days." She made a note on her datapad. "This accelerates my timeline significantly."
"Timeline for what?" Rayna asked.
"For figuring out what he is," the doctor replied. "I've been cross-referencing his biology with every database I can access, Dominion records, Primordial Era fragments, even restricted Void War archives." She paused. "I found something. A reference, buried in a classified file from fifty thousand years ago."
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
"There was a project," Dr. Ysmene continued carefully. "Codename: NYXION. A series of bio-weapons engineered during the height of the Void Wars, creatures designed to adapt, evolve, and survive in any environment. They were supposed to be the ultimate soldiers."
Rayna's hand tightened in my fur. "What happened to them?"
"The project was terminated," the doctor said grimly. "The Nyxions were too successful. They evolved beyond their creators' control. Most were destroyed. The rest... disappeared. Scattered across dead worlds and forgotten vaults."
She looked directly at me, and I saw understanding in her eyes.
"I believe your companion is one of them. Possibly the last."
Bingo. She figured it out.
Rayna looked down at me, her expression complex, shock, concern, but also fierce protectiveness.
"A weapon," she murmured. "You're a living weapon."
*I'm YOUR weapon,* I projected, letting her feel my absolute conviction. *I exist to protect you. That's my choice. My purpose.*
Her eyes glistened slightly. "Xiane..."
"The good news," Dr. Ysmene interjected, "is that the soul bond has fundamentally changed his base programming. Nyxions were designed to imprint on a master, someone they'd protect and obey absolutely. But it was supposed to be tactical, strategic. What you two have..." She gestured to the still-visible hologram showing our merged energies. "This is something else. Something deeper. He's not obeying you out of programming. He's chosen you."
Damn right I did.
[QUEST UPDATED: PROTECT RAYNA AZURIEL]
[PRIORITY LEVEL: ABSOLUTE]
[REWARD: ???]
"What do we do now?" Rayna asked.
Dr. Ysmene deactivated her scanner. "Now? You let him grow. Feed him, care for him, train him when he's ready. And most importantly—keep this information classified. If word gets out that you have a Nyxion..." She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
*People would try to take me. Study me. Weaponize me.*
"Or kill him," Rayna added, her voice hard. "Because he's dangerous."
"Precisely," the doctor confirmed. "I'll report to your father that Xiane is a rare but harmless exotic species. Nothing more. The truth stays between the three of us."
"Thank you, Doctor," Rayna said sincerely.
Dr. Ysmene smiled. "Thank me by keeping him safe. And by keeping yourself safe. The soul bond works both ways, if something happens to you, he'll feel it. And given what he's capable of becoming..." She trailed off meaningfully.
If someone hurts Rayna, I'll tear them apart. Simple as that.
After the doctor left, Rayna carried me to the viewport. We stood there in silence, looking out at the vast expanse of space and the gleaming planet below.
"A weapon," she finally said. "Created for war. Does that bother you?"
I considered the question. *No. I'm not defined by what I was made to be. I'm defined by what I choose to become.*
She smiled, understanding flowing through our bond. "Good answer."
*Besides,* I added, *every weapon is only as dangerous as the person wielding it. And you're not someone who'd use me to hurt innocents.*
"No," she agreed softly. "I'm not."
She stroked my fur, her touch gentle and warm.
"We'll figure this out together," she murmured. "You and me. Whatever you become, whatever power you gain... we'll face it together."
*Together,* I agreed.
[SOUL BOND STRENGTHENED]
[CURRENT BOND STRENGTH: 42%]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: SHARED VITALITY]
[RAYNA'S HEALTH AND ENERGY WILL BOOST YOUR RECOVERY SPEED]
[YOUR PRESENCE WILL PROVIDE RAYNA WITH ENHANCED RESILIENCE]
I settled against her, feeling safe and content despite the revelations of the day.
Iwas designed to be a weapon.
But I choose to be her guardian.
And soon, I'll have the power to make that choice matter.
---
[STATUS UPDATE:]
- Bond Strength: 42%
- New Ability: Shared Vitality
- Communication: Basic Telepathy Unlocked
- True Identity: Partially Revealed