Minutes passed, but the Feran vessel didn't move. It hung there in the void, silent and massive, like a predator crouched in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Then, without warning, light burst from its side hatches, and figures began pouring out, first a few, then dozens, and then hundreds. Within moments, the space around the ship swarmed with nearly three hundred Ferans, all radiating the oppressive pressure of Grandmasters.

My chest tightened as I watched the scene. I hadn't expected them to bring such an overwhelming force. A single Grandmaster could level a city, three hundred was an army of nightmares. And above them all was Vaelix himself, the Transcendent beast in crimson robes.

The Ferans began spreading out in all directions, surrounding the half-formed mirror. Even without probing their intent, I could sense what they were planning.

"Old man," I muttered, eyes narrowing, "they're doing what I think they're doing, aren't they?"

Before Dante could respond, several Ferans stopped mid-flight. They raised their hands, and glowing yellow rods materialized around them, each about six feet long, etched with pulsing runes. The rods floated upright, humming softly before releasing a ripple that distorted the nearby space.

Dante's serious voice spread in the room. "Yeah. They're trying to seal the artifact. Those rods are sealing devices, once activated, they'll cage the mirror completely."

"Then we can't allow that." I replied.

He nodded. "Exactly. I'm not sure how powerful the seal will be once it's complete, but if it locks that thing down, we lose the chance to claim or study it. We'll need to break our cover and intervene before they finish."

I clenched my fists. "Let's wait until at least seventy percent of them spread out. That way, they won't be able to gang up on us all at once."

Dante gave a short chuckle. "Kid, we've got bigger problems than being surrounded. You've got a Transcendent out there, Vaelix alone could flatten us, maybe except you, if he gets serious. No need to wait. We move now."

He turned toward the controls, his fingers already dancing across the interface. The hum of the engines deepened as our ship powered up.

I took a deep breath, steadying the Essence flowing through my body. "Fine," I said, my voice calm. "Let's do it your way."

One by one, my summons appeared beside me except Silver, their presence filling the room with a mix of excitement and tension.

Steve and North readied themselves; Steve drew his sword, lightning flickering along its edge, while North summoned her blades.

Primus's body glowed in deep crimson, his demonic aura flaring to life, and Anjee was shifting nervously on his feet.

"I'm… nervous," he muttered under his breath.

Steve shot him a glance. "No, you're a traitor. Accept it and move on."

Anjee growled softly, but he didn't argue.

The next second, the ship's camouflage dropped. The hum of the engines deepened as Dante pushed the controls, and the vessel burst forward, cutting a sharp arc through the void to stay as far away from the Feran mothership as possible.

But the moment we left the asteroid's cover, I felt it, a sharp pull on my senses, the unmistakable feeling of being locked onto. Someone had marked us.

"I'll move out," I said instantly.

Dante didn't hesitate. The hatch slid open, and I shot out into the void, landing on the top of the ship as it sped through the darkness. Essence crackled faintly beneath my feet as I stabilized my stance.

My gaze turned toward the Feran ship and there he was. Vaelix. Floating calmly before the massive vessel, crimson robes billowing in the void. His tiger-like face was unreadable, but I could feel his eyes on me.

His mouth moved slightly, forming a command I couldn't hear. A second later, the Feran ship lit up, then an intense beam of light erupted from its front.

"Incoming," Dante's voice rang through my mind.

"I can see it," I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

The beam roared toward us, faster than we were moving, growing larger until it threatened to swallow the entire ship whole. The pressure alone made the space around it tremble.

I lifted my hand, Essence swirling violently through my channels. The air shimmered around my palm as a rotating sphere of light formed there, dense, radiant, and heavy. Then, with a small flick, I released it.

A beam of pure Essence shot forth, cutting across the void like a spear.

BOOM!

The two beams collided head-on, shaking the very space. The shockwave tore through the airless void, distorting the stars for a brief moment. Ripples of raw Essence energy spread out in every direction as both beams scattered into fragments of light.

We'd managed to break through, our ship still moving forward but before I could even exhale, three more beams lit up from the Feran vessel.

"Tch," I clicked my tongue and raised both hands this time. Essence surged from within, roaring like a storm through my channels. Three rotating spheres of light appeared in front of me, each one smaller but sharper, more focused.

In the next second, I fired them one after another.

Three brilliant streaks of light shot forward, cutting through the darkness, meeting the incoming beams head-on.

Another wave of explosions lit up the void, each burst of light rolling across space like a silent thunderstorm. The shockwaves shimmered through the darkness, scattering faint trails of Essence dust.

Our ship didn't stop. Dante pulled hard on the controls, and we veered sharply before coming to a halt in an area where no Feran grandmasters had yet spread, still close enough to the mirror to keep it within range.

The Feran grandmasters, who had been fanning out across the sector, froze mid-flight. No new beams came from their mothership. The silence that followed was eerie, broken only by the constant crackle of red lightning around the still-forming mirror.

The hatch behind me opened with a hiss. One by one, everyone stepped out.

For a few seconds, no one spoke. The void around us was heavy with tension, and even the lightning seemed to pause in the air.

Then a startled voice cut through the silence. "Anjee Sharka?"

I turned my gaze toward the sound. One of the Feran grandmasters, standing to Vaelix's right, was staring directly at Anjee. There was genuine confusion and maybe even disbelief on his tiger-like face.

"Speak," came another voice, calm but commanding.

That one belonged to Vaelix himself.

Anjee's body trembled. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. His aura was unsteady, and I could sense fear bleeding through his Essence.

"Anjee, come here and report to Lord Vaelix right this instant!" the same grandmaster barked again, his tone sharper now.

"I... I have..." Anjee stuttered, his voice breaking mid-sentence.

I took a slow step forward, my eyes fixed on the Feran grandmaster who had shouted.

"Who the hell are you?" I said, my voice echoing through the emptiness.

I infused my tone with the Law of Resonance, letting the sound ripple through Essence itself. The vibration spread like a deep hum across the void, shaking the particles of energy floating between us.

The effect was immediate. Vaelix and the two grandmasters behind him turned their attention fully toward me, their auras flaring slightly as their eyes locked onto mine.

"What did you say, human?" the grandmaster growled.

"I said," I replied calmly, "stop shouting and stay patient. I don't want you to disturb the creation of the artifact."

The space between us rippled faintly as our energies pressed against each other.

"Since when did humans become so daring in this galaxy?" the same grandmaster snarled, his eyes shifting from me to Anjee. "It looks like you've betrayed us, Anjee Sharka."

Anjee's trembling worsened. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another voice cut through the tension.

"Why did you stop?"

Vaelix's tone was calm but cold. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing at the halted Feran grandmaster.

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