Li Yan's mind was consumed by the voice—an ancient, disembodied presence that echoed through his consciousness like the whisper of the stars themselves. The strange symbols flickering across the ship's interface seemed to pulse with life, reacting to the voice's call. The Rift's distortions deepened, and the ship's systems were struggling to maintain stability.
The voice spoke again, its tone rich with a primordial weight. You dare challenge the Void itself? You who are but a fleeting spark, a mortal vessel to wield such power?
Li Yan's heart hammered in his chest. The Skymother's presence still lingered at the back of his mind, a constant pull urging him to surrender, but this—this was something else entirely. Something far older, far deeper, reaching out from the very fabric of space itself.
"Li Yan!" Bai Ling's voice broke through the fog of his thoughts, sharp with urgency. "What's happening? What is that voice?"
He looked at her, trying to steady himself. Her face was pale with fear, her hands gripping the controls of the ship tightly as they hurtled deeper into the Rift. The lights in the cockpit flickered erratically as if the ship itself were under siege by forces far beyond their understanding.
"I don't know," Li Yan admitted, struggling to push aside the weight of the voice. "But whatever it is, it's connected to the Starcore. It's as though… it's been waiting for us."
Bai Ling's eyes widened. "Waiting for you? You mean the Starcore? That's impossible. We were only supposed to—"
She stopped mid-sentence as another shudder ran through the ship. The gravitational forces within the Rift were intensifying, pulling at the vessel from all directions. The systems on the ship were barely holding together as they twisted through the anomalies of space.
Li Yan gripped the armrest of his seat. "It's not just the Skymother. There's something else here. Something that… knows us. Knows the Starcore."
A low, rumbling sound echoed from the depths of the Rift, as if the very void around them was alive. The symbols on the ship's screens swirled faster now, glowing with a fiery intensity. The fabric of reality itself seemed to shudder, like a sheet being tugged by invisible hands. The Rift was alive—and it was aware of them.
The vessel is not ready. You are not worthy, Li Yan. Not yet.
The voice cut through his thoughts like a blade, and for a moment, he wondered if it could hear his very soul. It was beyond malevolence, beyond cruelty—it was ancient and indifferent to their struggles. The void cared not for life or death, only for the cosmic balance of creation and destruction.
Li Yan's grip tightened on the Starcore, the cold metal burning against his palm. The power within him, still pulsing and unpredictable, surged again in response to the presence. He could feel it trying to invade his thoughts, trying to turn him into a puppet of the ancient forces.
You are nothing more than a child playing with fire, Li Yan. You cannot control that which is beyond you.
His chest tightened. Every word that echoed in his mind felt like a personal affront, an assault on everything he had fought for. He was no child. He was a warrior—a vessel for the power of the Starcore, and he was not going to let some ancient entity dictate his fate.
"Stop it!" Li Yan shouted, his voice hoarse with exertion. "I will control it. I will control the Starcore. I won't let you or anyone else decide my path."
For a moment, the voice seemed to fall silent, as if it were contemplating his defiance. The ship lurched again, harder this time, and the comms crackled with static. Tala's voice, always calm and collected, broke through.
"Li Yan, we are reaching the threshold. The Rift is destabilizing. If we don't get out of here soon, we won't be able to return. We'll be lost in the void forever."
Li Yan's eyes narrowed. He could feel the Starcore's power thrumming in his hand, and for a split second, he understood. This was his moment. He had been chosen not to be a slave to the power, but to wield it—to reshape the destiny of the galaxy.
"Do you feel it?" he whispered to Bai Ling, his voice low but filled with conviction. "The Rift… it's alive. It's a place of ancient power. The Starcore isn't just a relic. It's a key, a key to something far greater than we understand."
Bai Ling turned to him, her expression a mixture of fear and awe. "You mean… the Rift is connected to the Starcore?"
Li Yan nodded, his grip on the relic tightening. "Yes. And if I can control it—if I can master it—then we can use it to stop the Federation. We can break the Skymother's hold. But it won't be easy."
Bai Ling swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over her. "And if you can't control it?"
Li Yan didn't answer right away. He could feel the cold grip of the Rift tightening around them, the very air seeming to press in on them as if the universe itself was watching. The ancient presence, that voice from the void, hadn't spoken again, but Li Yan could feel its gaze, its judgment. It was waiting for him to make a choice.
"Then we will be lost," he said finally, his voice steady despite the danger closing in. "But we have no other choice. The galaxy's fate lies in this moment. We either control the Starcore, or we are consumed by it."
Bai Ling's expression softened, though the fear still lingered in her eyes. She knew the stakes—they all did. The Skymother, the Federation, the ancient power in the Rift—it was all part of a cosmic game that they had no choice but to play. And the Starcore was the piece that could tip the balance.
The ship shook again, the engines straining against the forces pulling them deeper into the Rift. Li Yan looked at Bai Ling one last time, determination blazing in his eyes. This was their only chance. He had to unlock the Starcore's true power. He had to confront the ancient presence—and he had to do it now.