Chapter 21: Echoes in the Ruins II

The airship's roar split the sky, relic-bolts raining through the ruins—stone shattered, dust exploding as Kai hauled Tali over a slab, her frail frame trembling but moving. The stash glowed faint in his grip, his mark sparking—gray hair, wrinkled hands—aging him with each flare, but he pushed on, the relic-sky flickering red overhead.

"Run!" he yelled, shoving Lena ahead—her dagger slashed falling beams, her bandaged arm steady as she cursed, "We're pinned!" Debris flew, their path crumbling under the barrage.

Markus limped behind, his cane cracking stone—bolts grazed him, aging his coat to threads before snapping back. "Too many!" he rasped, his aged leg buckling—he fell, gasping, as quiet woman grabbed him, her knife slashing a scout's drone mid-air.

Tali stumbled, her breath short—Kai caught her, the stash flaring as he pressed it to her chest—her color steadied, eyes wide. "I—I can't…" she whispered, but he shook his head, firm.

"You can—go!" he barked, pushing her toward a gap—relic-lights swept closer, scouts shouting, airship looming, its hull a black scar against the sky.

Lena kicked a slab aside, her voice raw. "Path's shrinking—move or we're dust!" She dodged a bolt—stone aged to ruin beside her, snapping back with a crack.

Quiet woman dragged Markus, her whitened hair wild—bolts cratered the ground, dust choking the air. "No cover—straight shot," she said, her knife up, eyes sharp.

Kai's mark burned, time bending—he swung at a drone, dust bursting as it crumbled, but his arm grayed, trembling. "North—Kael's north," he panted, the beacon's coordinates locked in his skull—Mara's vision fueling him, her sacrifice a fire.

The airship fired—a bolt slammed near, aging a wall to collapse—Kai dove, rolling Tali clear as debris rained. "Keep moving!" he roared, scrambling up—the gap loomed, a narrow thread through the ruins.

Lena reached it first, slashing vines—quiet woman shoved Markus through, Tali staggering after. Kai brought up the rear, his mark sparking, stash dim—the airship's hum deafened, bolts tearing their trail.

They broke through, the ruins thinning—open ground ahead, Kael's path a faint pulse. "We've got him," Kai muttered, his voice hard, meeting their eyes—Lena's glare, Markus's grim nod, quiet woman's steady grip, Tali's frail resolve. The airship loomed, but they ran, the chase alive.

Kai skidded down a crumbling ledge, the breach-chasm yawning below—a glowing tear in reality, its edges rippling, time bending visibly as rocks aged mid-air, dust swirling in reverse. The stash burned in his hands, its light flickering, his mark sparking—gray hair, wrinkled skin—as the airship's hum roared overhead, relic-bolts screaming past.

"Run!" he yelled, shoving Lena ahead—her bandaged arm swung, her dagger slashing a vine as she slid, boots grinding stone. "They're gaining!"

Markus stumbled behind, his cane catching—bolts grazed him, aging his sleeve before snapping back. "Too close—chasm's our shot," he rasped, his aged leg dragging, breath short.

Quiet woman hauled Tali, the frail girl's gray hair whipping—her steps faltered, but she clung tight, eyes wide. "It's—it's alive," Tali stammered, staring at the breach—light pulsed, warping the air.

Kai glanced back—the airship loomed, black and jagged, its relic-guns glowing red. A bolt slammed near, stone shattering—time twisted, the ledge aging to dust, then reforming with a crack. "Move—edge!" he barked, his mark flaring, slowing a bolt mid-air—dust burst, but his arm trembled, graying.

Lena hit the chasm's lip, peering down—glowing mist swirled, the breach humming, a pull like gravity gone wrong. "This it?" she snapped, her voice sharp, dagger up.

"Yeah," Kai said, catching up—the stash pulsed, syncing with the breach's glow. "Kael's tied to this—went through."

Markus limped over, squinting. "Origin—stash's source," he muttered, his cane tapping. "Syndicate's secret—dangerous."

Quiet woman steadied Tali, her knife glinting. "Airship's locking—warning shot," she said, nodding up—a bolt fired, cratering the ledge, dust exploding.

Kai's mark burned, time bending—he swung, the bolt bursting, but his legs aged, knees buckling before snapping back. "No time—down!" he roared, leading them over the lip—the chasm swallowed them, airship's hum fading, the breach's glow alive.