Chapter 11: The Essence Thief

I felt it before I saw it—a faint vibration in the air, like the hum of a distant engine. My fingers twitched as I adjusted the holo-tablet, trying to reestablish the feed. Nothing. Just static. My stomach twisted, and I clenched my jaw, pacing the room. The silence grated, each second stretching into an eternity. She had to be alive. She had to.

Then, a faint flicker on the tablet. My breath hitched as the feed stuttered back to life, blurry at first, then sharpening. Lyra's scanner was picking up again, faint and distorted but clear enough to see her surroundings. The camera blurred and stabilized on her face—pale, her lips parted slightly, her dark eyelashes fluttering as consciousness returned. She groaned, her fingers twitching against the cold stone floor, the sound cutting through the static.

"Lyra," I muttered, leaning closer to the screen. "Move. You need to move."

She pushed herself up on one elbow, blinking hard, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. The ruins around her were massive, ancient stone blocks carved with symbols that pulsed faintly with the same Celestial Essence she'd just escaped. The air shimmered with it, the veins of energy embedded in the walls and floor flickering like a heartbeat. The glow reflected off her face, casting her in an otherworldly light. She looked small, fragile, against the enormity of the space.

Her hand reached out, brushing against one of the veins. The energy rippled under her touch, and she recoiled, sucking in a sharp breath. I could see the realization dawn on her face—this wasn't just energy. It was alive, reacting to her presence. Her head whipped around, scanning the room, and I could almost hear her thoughts racing. Where was she? What exactly had she awakened?

My fingers tightened on the tablet's edge. "Lyra, get up. You're not safe down there."

She staggered to her feet, wincing, her hand pressed to her side. The scanner picked up a faint smear of blood on her palm, but she shook it off, her eyes narrowing as she took in the room. The ruins stretched out in every direction, the walls etched with more of those glowing veins. The air seemed to hum louder, the pulsing rhythm growing stronger, more insistent. She took a cautious step forward, her boots crunching against the debris scattered across the floor.

The room wasn't empty. Shards of broken stone littered the ground, and in the center, an altar-like structure rose from the floor, its surface also laced with Celestial veins. Surrounding it were fragments of what looked like ancient machinery—gears, pipes, and crystal shards that gleamed faintly even in the dim light. My eyes narrowed as I tried to make sense of it. What was this place? A vault? A prison? Either way, it wasn't a place anyone was meant to be.

I watched the feed intently, my chest tight as Lyra moved through the ruins. She was limping, but her gaze was sharp, scanning the surroundings like a predator. The intruders were close—I could see their shadows flickering at the edges of the feed, just out of reach.

"Lyra," I said, knowing she couldn't hear me. "Focus. You need to grab what you can and get out."

She crouched near one of the glowing veins, her fingers brushing against the pulsing energy. The Celestial Essence responded, threads of light curling around her hand like smoke. She grimaced but didn't pull away, instead channeling the energy carefully into one of the containment modules I'd sent with her. The module hummed softly as it filled, its surface glowing brighter with each passing second.

A sudden shift in the shadows made me tense. One of the intruders stepped into view, their figure cloaked and their face obscured. Lyra's head snapped up, her hand instinctively tightening around the module.

"Move," I muttered under my breath, my fingers gripping the tablet tighter.

She didn't hesitate. As the intruder lunged, she darted to the side, her movements quick despite her injury. Her other hand flashed to her belt, pulling out a small shard of crystallized fire. She hurled it at the intruder, the shard exploding in a burst of heat and light. The explosion knocked them back, and Lyra used the distraction to grab another chunk of Celestial Essence from the wall.

The feed flickered as she darted toward the altar, her movements fluid despite the chaos around her. The intruders were closing in, their shadows multiplying, but Lyra's focus didn't waver. She reached for the altar, her fingers brushing against a cluster of glowing shards embedded in its surface.

"Take it," I urged, leaning forward. "Take everything you can."

Her hand closed around the shards, and the feed erupted in a burst of light as the Celestial Essence surged. I could barely make out her figure through the glare, but I saw her tuck the shards into her pack before turning to face the next wave of intruders.

Her expression was fierce, her jaw set, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of pride. She wasn't just surviving. She was fighting back.

The feed flickered, static distorting the image as Lyra bolted through the ruins. Her breath came in sharp gasps, the sound faint but clear through the tablet's audio. I could see the intruders closing in, their movements quick and coordinated. Shadows danced at the edges of the screen, blending with the unnatural glow of the Celestial Essence. Lyra spun, her arm snapping forward as she hurled another shard of crystallized fire. The explosion lit up the ruins in a burst of orange and red, but the intruders didn't falter. They were relentless.

"Lyra, get out of there," I muttered, my voice tight. She couldn't hear me, but I kept talking anyway, as if the words could somehow reach her.

She dodged a swipe from one of the intruders, her movements quick but strained. Blood trickled down her arm from a gash I hadn't noticed before, and her steps were shaky. She was reaching her limit. My fingers clenched around the tablet, my knuckles white. There was nothing I could do but watch.

Lyra's hand shot out, grabbing whatever was within reach—shards of Celestial Essence, fragments of the ancient machinery, even a loose stone from the floor. She hurled them at the intruders in quick succession, each throw buying her a few more seconds. The air around her crackled with energy, the veins in the walls pulsing faster, brighter, as if the ruins themselves were reacting to her desperation.

One of the intruders lunged, their blade slicing through the air toward her. Lyra twisted, the blade grazing her side, and she stumbled back. Her hand hit the wall, and for a moment, she froze, her eyes wide. The veins beneath her palm flared, the energy surging into her. Her whole body seemed to glow, the light blinding even through the feed. Then, with a sharp cry, she ripped her hand away, the energy sparking as it broke contact.

"Run!" I shouted at the screen, my voice echoing in the empty room.

Lyra didn't need the encouragement. She turned on her heel and bolted, her pack bouncing against her back. The intruders hesitated, the sudden surge of energy throwing them off balance, and it was enough. She darted through a narrow gap in the ruins, her form swallowed by the shadows.

My heart raced as the feed crackled, the image of Lyra darting through the ruins flickering on and off. The Celestial Essence she'd absorbed still clung to her, casting faint trails of light as she moved. I could feel the tension in every muscle, my fingers gripping the edge of the holo-tablet until my knuckles turned white.

"Come on, Lyra," I muttered, barely audible over the sound of my own breathing. "Just a little further."

She weaved through the crumbling ruins, her steps sure despite the exhaustion etched into every line of her body. The intruders were closing in, their shadows flickering at the edges of the feed, but Lyra's movements were swift, calculated. She'd always been good under pressure—better than me, sometimes.

Her hand shot out, grabbing another shard of Celestial Essence from the wall as she ran. The energy flared for a moment, and she winced but didn't stop. She shoved it into her pack, the glow dimming as the containment module absorbed it. The pack bulged now, heavy with the harvest she'd risked everything for. My chest tightened. She'd done it. She'd actually done it.

The entrance to the forbidden zone loomed ahead, a jagged archway of stone that seemed to pulse with energy. Lyra glanced over her shoulder, her face pale but determined. The intruders were close, their forms still cloaked in shadow, but she didn't hesitate. She sprinted toward the arch, her boots slamming against the stone floor with each step.

The feed blurred as she passed through the threshold, the static momentarily drowning out the image. When it cleared, she was outside, the forbidden zone behind her. The air here was different—lighter, less oppressive. Lyra stumbled to a stop, her chest heaving as she knelt on the ground. Her hands shook as she fumbled with her pack, checking the containment modules one by one.

"Log out," I whispered, my voice tight. "Log out now

As if she'd heard me, Lyra's fingers flew to her wrist, activating the logout sequence. Her form flickered, the faint glow of the Celestial Essence fading as she disappeared from the Expanse. I slumped back in my chair, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath. She was out. She was safe. For now.