The Rift Drive surged to life with a roar of pure power. Myrrha barely held on to the controls as the Zephyr Wasp tore through the storm like a beast unchained. The hunter ships were still coming, but now the playing field had shifted. The air hummed with energy as the ship's sensors calibrated for the Void, a shift in perception that let her track her enemies even in the storm's eternal chaos.
"Hold on," the boy said, his voice a whisper against the tempest. "You've just released a chain reaction."
"Too late," Myrrha grinned. Her hands were steady now. "I'm done running."
The first enemy hunter loomed larger in the viewport, its dark, sleek form gliding toward her with an eerie silence. But Myrrha wasn't afraid. She was different now. The Rift Drive, the ancient force that had powered this ship into the unknown, had unlocked something in her — a fire.
Her pulse was steady, her thoughts clear.
The ship's weapons systems powered up, responding to her intent.
One tap on the controls, and a plasma turret burst from the ship's bow, firing a rapid barrage of violet beams. The shots tore through the air, slicing through the hunter's thin hull. The first ship exploded, breaking apart in a shower of molten metal and fire.
"That was fast," the boy remarked.
"Guess I'm better than I thought," Myrrha muttered, her eyes focused on the chaos outside.
The remaining ships scattered, trying to break formation. But the Zephyr Wasp wasn't finished yet. She turned the ship sideways, diving in between the enemy ships at breakneck speed, the Rift Drive amplifying her movements like a dance.
She wasn't just flying anymore. She was feeling the ship — connected to it, as if it were an extension of herself. The power was intoxicating.
"Myrrha," the boy's voice turned urgent. "You can't keep this up forever."
She didn't reply. Another hunter ship was coming in fast. It was large, with a jagged silhouette, its engines glowing with the promise of destruction.
She was already in its path.
She activated the Rift Drive again, and the Zephyr Wasp split open its wings, letting the air rush in. The ship accelerated, the hull vibrating under the sudden strain, and Myrrha slammed her fist down on the main control panel, launching herself and the ship into a full-powered rift jump.
The ship's surroundings blurred, the storm flashing with lightning and dark sky. They skipped across the fabric of reality for a brief moment, the space between worlds.
And then, they landed.
The hunter ship overshot them, unable to react in time, and Myrrha's finger was already on the firing trigger.
The ship's guns exploded with force, and the hunter ship crumpled under the barrage, breaking apart in mid-air. She'd barely blinked.
"All dead," Myrrha said, her voice a low growl of satisfaction.
The boy didn't flinch.
"That's not the worst of them," he said quietly.
She glanced at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"Nullborn aren't just ships. They're hunters. But there's worse. They're part of a much larger force. They've only been watching you. It's the ones behind them that will come after us now."
Myrrha's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
He didn't move for a long moment, his gaze distant. "I'm from beyond the Rift," he said finally, his voice laced with regret. "They'll stop at nothing to bring me back. And when they do... it won't just be the Nullborn. It will be everything they've unleashed in the Void."
She stared at him, realizing the gravity of what he was saying. It was no longer just about running. It was about survival — on a scale she had never imagined.
Suddenly, the ship's sensors went wild. A massive distortion in space-time flickered on her screens, as if something was bending reality itself.
"Myrrha, get us out of here!" the boy shouted.
But she was already moving, flipping switches, her heart pounding as the Rift Drive began to wind up again. But this time, something was different.
A force, darker and colder than any storm, gripped the ship. The world outside the viewport twisted, the stars warping, and Myrrha felt the intense pressure of a rift closing in on them.
It wasn't the Nullborn. It was something far worse.
The Rift was opening for them.
"Hold on!" Myrrha shouted, slamming her hand down on the controls as she prepared for the unknown.
The ship groaned in protest, the hull buckling under the strain. But Myrrha wasn't afraid. She wasn't running anymore. This was where she was meant to be.
The Zephyr Wasp shot forward, and reality tore apart in front of them. Space and time bent, stretched, and then...
Silence.
She blinked, taking in the new world she found herself in.
Everything was wrong.
The stars were larger, their light dim and flickering, like dying embers. The sky around them was a twisted mess of colors, rippling like the surface of a disturbed ocean. She could feel the energy in the air, raw and wild, vibrating under her skin.
The boy beside her didn't say a word. He was staring out at the broken world they had entered. His eyes were wide, almost fearful.
"This is it," he said softly.
Myrrha didn't need to ask what he meant. She knew.
She had crossed the threshold into something deeper. Something older.
Something that had been waiting for them.
And there was no going back.
"Ready for the next part?" she asked, eyes fixed on the shattered world outside.
The boy nodded, his hand already reaching for the ship's controls.
"Let's go," he said.
And together, they dove deeper into the unknown.