The night air carried the acrid scent of burning metal and scorched earth as Yuki and Mei struggled to maintain their combined barrier. Their makeshift sanctuary—a dome of starlight over a platform of gathered water—had protected them from the immediate aftermath of Solaris's fiery transformation and the Anunnaki's retreat with his unconscious form.

  "I can't... hold this much longer," Mei gasped, hands trembling as they fought to keep the water cohesive beneath their feet. Their face was flushed with exertion, sweat beading despite the cooling temperature.

  "Just... a few more minutes," Yuki replied, her own voice strained as the starlight dome flickered ominously. The rain continued to pound against their barrier, each impact draining more of their already depleted reserves.

  All of them had pushed well beyond their limits helping Eli maintain her golden shield during Solaris's transformation. The memory of channeling their energy into her protection while their skin blistered from the heat remained fresh and painful. Now, with Solaris taken and Eli barely clinging to consciousness, their exhaustion was reaching critical levels.

  Maron stood in the center of their failing sanctuary, Eli's form cradled carefully in his arms. Her body was a horrific testament to what she'd endured—skin blackened and charred in large patches, blood vessels ruptured beneath whatever skin remained intact. What little was left of her white nightclothes clung to her devastated flesh, stained dark with dried blood and fluid from her wounds. Her breathing came in shallow, irregular gasps, consciousness flickering as infrequently as her physical form.

  "We need to find shelter," Eleanor stated, her normally composed voice rough from dehydration and heat exposure. Her silver hair was singed at the edges, her elegant features marred by angry red burns. "The compound is destroyed, but we need to reach New Tara."

  Akira nodded grimly, his disciplined demeanor maintained despite the exhaustion evident in his amber-brown eyes. "Which direction should we—"

  His question was cut short as Mei's water platform suddenly collapsed, the liquid splashing down as their concentration finally broke. Simultaneously, Yuki's starlight dome flickered once more and dissolved, leaving them fully exposed to the torrential downpour.

  "No!" Yuki cried, reaching instinctively toward where her barrier had been, but finding nothing left of the starlight patterns she'd created.

  The rain hit them with physical force, cold water against their heat-damaged skin creating a painful contrast that drew gasps from several of them. But there was no time to adjust—the real danger became immediately apparent as water began rushing past their feet, quickly rising to their ankles.

  "Flash flood!" Maron shouted over the roar of water, his military training immediately assessing the situation. "The mountain runoff—we need higher ground now!"

  The scorched mountainside couldn't absorb the sudden deluge, creating the perfect conditions for catastrophic flooding. Water streamed down the slopes in ever-growing torrents, carrying ash and debris in a blackened flow that gathered force with each passing second.

  Eleanor moved toward what appeared to be a more elevated section of ground, but the footing was treacherous. A surge of water caught her ankles, sweeping her legs out from under her with shocking force.

  "Eleanor!" Akira lunged for her, managing to grab her wrist as she fell. But the current was already too strong, pulling them both into its churning path before he could secure his stance.

  "IYAAA! AKIRA!" Yuki screamed, watching in horror as Akira and Eleanor were swept downslope, their forms quickly obscured by the mist rising where cold rain met superheated ground.

  The flood continued rising, the current strengthening as more water poured down the mountainside. Yuki reached for Mei, their hands clasping desperately as they tried to maintain balance against the strengthening flow. It was futile—another surge caught them mid-movement, tearing them away from each other as both were pulled into the rushing torrent.

  “I’ll try to bring them back!” Era yelled and then bolted after them.

  Only Maron remained standing, somehow finding secure footing between two partially buried rocks. He clutched Eli's flickering form against his chest, his face a mask of grim determination and vulnerability as he watched his fellow Sovereigns swept away in different directions.

  "Terran."

  Kira's voice came from beside him. Her presence was unexpected but immediately grounding.

  "They're going to die," Maron growled, his voice tight with an emotion he rarely allowed himself to experience—fear. Not for himself, but for those under his protection. "I have to—"

  "You cannot save them alone," Kira stated, her eyes fixed on a point just beyond his shoulder.

  Maron turned his head, following her gaze, and found himself facing something impossible—a girl, no more than 5'5", with ginger hair and flawless porcelain skin dotted with freckles. Her green eyes watched him with amusement, a flower wreath crowning her head as she swayed playfully side to side.

  "What the—" Maron began, immediately understanding yet refusing to accept what he was seeing. "Really? NOW??"

  The girl said nothing, continuing her playful swaying while maintaining unnerving eye contact.

  "Get over here and help!" Maron demanded, his normally controlled voice cracking with urgency. "They're being swept away! Use your magic, stabilize the ground, do SOMETHING!"

  The girl's expression remained unchanged—a slight smile and those unblinking green eyes, totally at odds with the catastrophe unfolding around them.

  Across the churning water, Un'Claye appeared, their opalescent form barely visible through the mist and rain. The being had clearly come in response to the disaster, but now stood stranded on the opposite side of the rapidly forming canyon carved by the floodwaters.

  Maron felt something break inside him—a rigid control maintained through decades of military discipline and survival scenarios. Hot tears mixed with the cold rain on his weathered face, his voice dropping to a raw, vulnerable tone he'd never allowed himself before.

  "Please," he begged, holding back sobs and looking at the ginger-haired girl. "They're going to die. The Sovereigns will be swept off the mountain. I don't know what you want from me, but whatever it is—"

  "She won't respond to fear or orders," Kira said gently beside him. "That's not how shadows work, Terran."

  Maron looked up at the storm-darkened sky, then down at Eli's devastated form still cradled in his arms. Her breathing had become even shallower, each subtle rise and fall of her chest a fragile promise that might soon be broken. He laughed—a short, broken sound that dissolved into quiet sobs.

  "Fine," he whispered, shaking his head as rain plastered his salt-and-pepper hair to his skull. "Fine."

  He looked directly at the ginger-haired girl, vulnerability naked on his face for the first time in decades. "I don't understand you," he admitted. "I've spent my life controlling everything—planning, preparing, building walls. But I'll try. If you help save them, I'll genuinely try to understand what you represent. What... parts of myself I've been suppressing. Deal?"

  The girl's smile widened, her eyes sparkling with something that might have been approval. "That's more like it, Terran," she said, her voice melodic and light. "My name is Daisy. And you're finally starting to get it."

  She stepped forward, bare feet somehow remaining dry despite the rushing water. With a graceful wave of her small hands, the earth itself responded—rising and reshaping like clay beneath a skilled potter's touch. The soil and rock flowed upward, forming arched tunnels that extended in two directions—one creating a bridge to Un'Claye across the flood, the other stretching downslope toward where the other Sovereigns had been swept away.

  "Let’s save them together," Daisy said with a wink.

  Akira had never lost control of a situation so completely. One moment he'd been reaching for Eleanor, the next they were both tumbling through churning black water, helpless against its overwhelming force. His disciplined mind cataloged their situation with brutal clarity—velocity increasing, visibility near zero due to the mist, unknown obstacles ahead, and his energy reserves critically depleted.

  He maintained his grip on Eleanor's wrist through sheer determination, pulling her closer until he could wrap a protective arm around her frail shoulders. She was saying something, but her words were lost beneath the roar of the water carrying them down the mountainside.

  "Just hold onto me!" he shouted, hoping she could hear him. The torrent was deafening as it crashed over rocks and uprooted trees.

  Akira tried to summon his flame abilities—even a small manifestation might create enough steam to propel them toward the flood's edge—but his depleted state yielded nothing more than faint wisps of heat that dissipated instantly in the cold torrent. The energy he'd poured into Eli's barrier had left him running on fumes, his normally reliable powers reduced to mere sparks.

  "Mou ikkai," he grunted, concentrating so hard that veins bulged at his temples. A finger-sized flame flickered briefly between his knuckles before the rushing water extinguished it. "KUSO!"

  Through breaks in the mist, he caught glimpses of Yuki and Mei similarly swept along, perhaps fifteen meters to their right. Mei was trying to manipulate the water around them, their hands moving in increasingly desperate patterns, but their exhaustion left them with insufficient control over their tribe's element. The water briefly parted before crashing back over them with redoubled force.

  "Hold on!" Akira shouted to Eleanor, uncertain if she could even hear him. She nodded against his chest, her silver hair plastered to her skull, determination evident despite her physical frailty. She wasn't panicking—her eyes remained clear and focused as she clung to him. "YUKI! MEI!" he yelled desperately. "OSORENAIDE!"

  The flood carried them around a bend in the ravine, and Akira's stomach dropped as he sensed rather than saw what lay ahead—a significant drop where the mountainside fell away completely. At their current velocity, the impact would likely be fatal for all of them.

  "Yabe," he breathed, his disciplined mind calculating their trajectory and odds of survival in an instant. "Ano gake…"

  He tried once more to summon his flame, channeling his desperation into focused will, but produced only the faintest flicker between his fingers before it extinguished in the rushing water. The flames that had once come to him as naturally as breathing now refused his call.

  "Gomen," he thought, closing his eyes briefly as they approached the precipice. For the first time in years, Akira felt true helplessness—all his training, all his discipline, all his capabilities rendered useless by circumstance and exhaustion.

  Era scrambled down the side of the mountain, her form moving with predatory efficiency on all fours. The obsidian-like matrix beneath her skin shifted fluidly, allowing her to maintain traction on the treacherous slope where any normal human would have slipped and fallen.

  "There!" she hissed, her eyes tracking the figures being swept away in the flash flood below. She could see them clearly despite the mist—Akira clinging to Eleanor, Yuki and Mei struggling to stay above water, all of them rapidly approaching a deadly precipice.

  They will die, rumbled Draco's voice in her mind, darker and deeper than her own thoughts. The Sun God will grieve.

  "No, he won't," Era replied grimly, feeling the familiar sensation of Draco surfacing—the slight burning where her veins traced blue-black patterns at her wrists, neck, and temples. "Because we won't let them die."

  She launched herself forward with superhuman speed, but even her enhanced reflexes couldn't outpace the raging floodwaters carrying the Sovereigns toward the cliff edge. They would reach the drop before she could reach them.

  Not fast enough, Draco observed coldly. Need more power.

  Era stumbled, catching herself against a jutting rock, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "I'm already at my limit!"

  No, Draco countered. There is more. Deeper.

  "What are you talking about?" Era demanded, watching in horror as the Sovereigns drew ever closer to the precipice.

  The memories, Draco said. Sarah's memories. Her feelings for the Sun God. They are still inside, buried deep. Draw upon their power.

  Era hesitated only a fraction of a second. "Show me."

  She closed her eyes despite the urgency, allowing Draco to guide her consciousness inward, past her recent memories, past the fragments of her identity as Era, down into something older and more fundamental—Sarah Dylan's memories, preserved like fossils in the obsidian matrix of her being.

  Suddenly she was flooded with images, emotions, sensations—Sarah watching Tris from afar during her surveillance, experiencing not just professional interest but genuine fascination with his resilience. Sarah's unexpected respect when Eli appeared. Her fear when facing Veldt. Sarah's decision in the alley, choosing to save Tris by kicking him beyond the Black Zone's boundary, her first truly autonomous choice. Each memory carried not just information but emotional energy, a power source Era had never accessed before.

  "He saved me," Era whispered, feeling Sarah's gratitude and determination flow through her system like liquid fire.

  Her eyes snapped open, now completely transformed, blazing with newfound power. The obsidian matrix beneath her skin rippled and flowed, energy coursing through her body at unprecedented levels. She launched herself down the mountainside with impossible speed, her form blurring with acceleration as she tapped into Sarah's buried emotional reserves.

  The cliff edge approached with terrifying speed. Akira could see it clearly now—a sheer drop of at least sixty meters onto jagged rocks below. He held Eleanor tighter, positioning his body to take the brunt of the impact, though he knew it would make little difference at this velocity.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Yuki and Mei had spotted the danger too—he could barely see them struggling with renewed desperation, Mei attempting to create some kind of water barrier while Yuki tried to manifest star energy despite her depleted state.

  Then something black and impossibly fast shot past Akira's peripheral vision—a blur that moved counter to the current, against the flood's direction. Before he could process what he'd seen, strong hands grabbed him and Eleanor, yanking them upward with jarring force.

  "Gotcha!" Era's voice, but different—distorted with Draco's deeper tones overlaid.

  Akira twisted to see Era, her form partially transformed—obsidian-like skin rippling with blue energy patterns, eyes blazing with preternatural light. She had one arm around him and Eleanor, with another third arm made from that one, stretched impossibly to grasp Yuki and Mei, who looked equally shocked at their sudden rescue.

  "How—" Akira began, but Era cut him off.

  "No time!" she shouted over the roaring water. "Climbing!"

  Using her free arm and legs like grappling hooks, Era began scaling the ravine wall with her four passengers in tow, her limbs digging into the stone with impossible strength. The obsidian matrix that comprised her form strained under the weight, blue-black cracks appearing across her skin as she pushed herself.

  Too heavy, Draco warned inside her mind. Structure compromising.

  "Just... a little... further," Era grunted, hauling them upward through the pelting rain and rising mist.

  They had nearly reached a ledge that might offer safety when the stone beneath Era's hand crumbled. For one terrible moment, they hung suspended, Era's grip on the cliff face failing as the obsidian structure of her arm began to fracture under the combined weight.

  "No!" she screamed, fingers digging deeper into the rock, but physics was unforgiving. The weakened stone gave way completely.

  All five of them were suddenly in free fall, plummeting toward the raging waters below. Era tried to position herself beneath the others, hoping her obsidian body might cushion their impact, but the fall was too chaotic, their bodies tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

  Then, impossibly, the mountainside itself seemed to reach out to them—stone flowing like liquid to form a tunnel that intercepted their fall. They crashed into a smooth stone slide that carried them inward, away from the cliff edge and the deadly drop.

  Inside the mountain, darkness enveloped them as they slid through the newly formed passage, the roar of the flood replaced by the strange acoustics of their bodies moving through the stone tunnel. After what seemed like minutes but was likely only seconds, they came to rest on a stone shelf, the rushing water diverted beneath them through a separate channel.

  "What... just happened?" Yuki gasped, her soaked hair plastered to her face as she helped Mei sit upright.

  "Not me," Era admitted, her form gradually returning to normal as Draco's influence receded. Blue-black fracture lines still traced across her skin where the obsidian matrix had nearly failed. "I couldn't hold us."

  Eleanor, her analytical mind functioning despite their ordeal, touched the smooth stone wall beside them. "Earth manipulation. Extremely sophisticated. But who—"

  A soft golden glow began to emanate from the tunnel walls, providing gentle illumination that revealed the extent of the passage—not a rough cave but a carefully crafted corridor leading upward through the mountain.

  "Someone's helping us," Akira observed, his tactical assessment immediately identifying the tunnel as an extraction route. "And guiding us back to the top."

  As they caught their breath, Era examined the hairline fractures across her arms and torso. "I almost had you," she said, frustration evident in her voice. "Tapping into Sarah's memories—her feelings about Tris—Solaris—gave us a boost. But I’m sorry… I couldn't maintain structural integrity with all of you."

  "You got us away from the cliff edge," Eleanor pointed out pragmatically. "That gave whoever created this tunnel the opportunity to intervene."

  They rested for several seconds, gathering strength before beginning the journey upward through the gently sloping tunnel. The golden light guided their way, seeming to brighten ahead of them as if encouraging their progress.

  After what felt like several minutes of steady climbing, the tunnel began to widen, eventually opening onto a familiar section of the mountainside. Standing there, expressions a mixture of relief and astonishment, were Maron, Eli's barely-conscious form still cradled in his arms, and Kira, her manifestation unusually solid.

  Beside them stood a ginger-haired girl with a flower wreath and an impish smile, and just beyond, the familiar opalescent form of Un'Claye from New Tara.

  "Welcome back," Maron said gruffly, though his red-rimmed eyes suggested emotion beyond his typical stoicism. "Meet Daisy. Apparently my shadow decided now was the perfect time to manifest."

  Era stepped forward, the fractures across her obsidian form gradually healing as she studied the ginger-haired girl with immediate understanding. "You created the tunnel," she stated, not a question but recognition.

  "You did the hard part," Daisy replied cheerfully, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "I just provided a little redirection. The mountain is quite accommodating once you ask it nicely."

  "Thank you," Era said simply, her normally guarded expression open with genuine gratitude. "Draco thanks you too."

  "And I thank both of you," Eleanor added, her silver hair still dripping from their ordeal. "Your combined efforts saved our lives."

  Akira moved immediately to check on Eli, his concern focused on the most critically injured among them. Her condition appeared even worse up close—skin blackened and charred, her physical form occasionally flickering between solidity and dispersing golden particles.

  "We need to get her to New Tara," he stated urgently. "She requires immediate attention."

  Un'Claye stepped forward, their opalescent eyes dimmed with concern. Yes. The Council awaits. There is much to discuss, and time is precious beyond measure. Follow me, quickly.

  As they prepared to descend through the secret passage Un'Claye indicated in the rock face, Era cast one final glance at the devastation surrounding them—the scorched mountainside, the remnants of Maron's compound buried beneath the crashed Anunnaki vessel, the strange new waterways carved by the flash flood. Her eyes met Daisy's briefly, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

  Whatever happened next, nothing would ever be the same.

  The damage is catastrophic, Un'Claye reported as they led the battered group down the narrow passage they had opened in the rock face. Our sensors detected the Anunnaki vessel's impact only moments before your compound was destroyed.

  Their descent through what Un'Claye had described as an emergency access point proved challenging—a nearly vertical chimney requiring careful navigation even with the handholds Un’Claye continuously manifested from the living stone.

  Maron led the way, still carrying Eli despite her increasingly insubstantial form. Her physical manifestation flickered more frequently now, golden motes of light occasionally dispersing before reluctantly reconstituting. Behind him came Daisy, moving with an effortless grace that seemed to defy physics itself, occasionally touching the stone walls and causing flowers to bloom briefly from the solid rock before fading.

  Eleanor and Akira followed, both moving with determined focus despite their exhaustion and injuries. Yuki, Mei, and Era came next, supporting each other through the difficult descent, with Un'Claye bringing up the rear, directing them.

  "What about Solaris?" Mei asked, wincing as they navigated a particularly tight section of the chimney. "Do you know where they've taken him?"

  Our instruments tracked unusual energy signatures leaving Earth's atmosphere, Un'Claye replied. The Council is analyzing the data now. We should proceed directly to them once we reach the city.

  The passage eventually opened into a small chamber where crystalline light fixtures activated automatically. From there, they entered the maintenance tunnels connecting to New Tara's primary transportation network. Their progress through the tunnels created ripples of shocked recognition among the maintenance workers they encountered—whispered conversations spreading ahead of their group like a wave.

  When they finally emerged into the city proper, they found it transformed from their ceremonial visit days earlier. The magnificent crystal metropolis hummed with coordinated prayer, screens throughout the public spaces showing continuous ceremonies while citizens gathered in plazas, heads bowed in synchronous meditation.

  Harmonic Prayer, Un'Claye explained, noting their expressions of surprise. Our most ancient response to existential threat. The entire city prays for the Sun God's return.

  The crowds parted silently as they made their way to the palace at the city's center. None of the ceremonial trappings of their previous visit remained—no honor guards, no floating platforms—just the solemn reverence of a civilization confronting potential apocalypse.

  The Council of Keepers awaited them in the throne room, clustered around a holographic display showing Earth's moon in extraordinary detail. Their normal ceremonial formation had been abandoned for this crisis situation.

  "The Sovereigns return without the Sun God," the Lead Keeper stated as they entered, sorrow evident in their ancient eyes. "Our worst projections manifest."

  "The Anunnaki took him," Maron reported without preamble. "Nergal, Enki, and Inanna. Complete destruction of our surface compound."

  "And the Light Bearer diminishes," another Keeper observed, indicating Eli's increasingly transparent form still cradled in Maron's arms. Her eyes fluttered open briefly at the mention, though she appeared unable to focus properly.

  The Lead Keeper approached, studying Eli with eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations. "Your injuries are beyond our conventional healing capabilities," they observed gravely. "Your physical manifestation is failing."

  "Solaris…" Eli managed, her voice barely above a whisper. Blood bubbled at the corners of her mouth as she spoke, her charred lips cracking with the effort. "Where..."

  The Lead Keeper exchanged glances with their fellow Council members before nodding toward the holographic display. "The crown we placed upon the Sun God's head contains ancient tracking elements. His current location is confirmed."

  They gestured, and the holographic display zoomed dramatically, focusing on the moon's far side. A pulsing red marker indicated a specific location within a large crater.

  "The Anunnaki outpost on your moon's dark side," the Keeper explained.

  "How do we get there?" Akira demanded, entirely focused on rescue possibilities.

  The Keepers' troubled expressions told the story before words were spoken. The Lead Keeper eventually confirmed: "New Tara possesses no craft capable of lunar transit. Our civilization remained deliberately contained within Earth's boundaries after the Great Fracturing."

  "Then what options remain?" Eleanor asked.

  "The Dimensional Transition Array," a younger Keeper suggested, earning concerned looks from several elders.

  "Untested for destinations beyond our city's boundaries," another objected.

  "What is this array?" Maron asked, shifting Eli's flickering form carefully in his arms.

  "A teleportation system utilizing principles salvaged from Taran technology," the Lead Keeper explained. "Used within New Tara for instantaneous transit between city sectors, but never beyond our contained environment. The energy requirements for extra-planetary teleportation would be... prohibitive."

  Eli stirred in Maron's arms, her form becoming momentarily more solid as she focused her remaining energy. "I’m… energy…" she stated, her voice slightly stronger despite blood continuing to seep from her open mouth.

  "Absolutely not," Eleanor objected immediately. "You're already on death’s door."

  "If you attempt to provide the necessary energy," the Lead Keeper warned, "your physical manifestation will be completely extracted. There would be no return."

  "For Solaris… anything…" Eli replied, determination momentarily burning through her devastating injuries. "Anything…"

  A heavy silence fell as this truth settled among them. After a moment, Maron nodded his grim acknowledgment. "Where is this array located? How quickly can it be prepared?"

  The Lead Keeper closed their eyes briefly, communicating telepathically with others beyond the throne room. "The Solar Adept engineers have been summoned. Preparation will require approximately thirty minutes."

  "Even with the Light Bearer's energy contribution," another Keeper added, "the array cannot transport everyone present. The mathematics are unyielding—three individuals maximum for lunar transit."

  "I'm going," Maron stated without hesitation, his tone allowing no argument. "And Akira—we have the combat capabilities needed."

  "And me," Era volunteered, stepping forward with unusual confidence. "Draco and I want to help. We need to help."

  Maron hesitated, his tactical mind assessing the unexpected volunteer.

  "Are you certain?" Eleanor asked, concern evident in her voice.

  "Draco says we're the perfect weapon against them," Era replied, her voice carrying unusual confidence. "And I agree. Solaris helped us—now we help him."

  Maron studied Era's determined expression, then nodded decisively. "Three, then. The Mountain Sovereign, the Flame Sovereign, and Era."

  He turned to his newly manifested shadow, who stood watching with that impish smile. "Daisy, I need you to remain here. If you're my shadow, you must be pretty strong—strong enough to protect the others if something happens."

  Daisy simply smiled and waved, neither confirming nor denying his assumptions about her capabilities. The gesture carried an ambiguity that might have troubled Maron had circumstances been less dire.

  "How will they return?" Yuki asked, voicing the practical question weighing on everyone's mind.

  "Getting there is the priority," Maron replied with military pragmatism. "We'll figure out the rest once Solaris is secure."

  As they followed the Keepers to the Transition Chamber, Maron continued carrying Eli's increasingly insubstantial form. Her physical manifestation flickered constantly now, golden motes of light dispersing and reconstituting with concerning frequency.

  "You don't have to do this," he told her quietly.

  Her charred face somehow still conveyed absolute conviction. "Move, soldier…"

  The Transition Chamber proved to be a magnificent circular space dominated by a platform of intersecting crystal arrays forming complex geometric patterns. Solar Adept engineers worked frantically, adjusting components and calibrating energy flows with focused intensity.

  "The array has never been configured for extra-planetary transit," the Lead Engineer explained anxiously. "We're implementing theoretical protocols established during New Tara's founding."

  "What are our chances?" Akira asked directly.

  "With conventional energy sources, approximately eleven percent," the Engineer replied honestly. "With the Light Bearer's energy contribution... theoretical models suggest eighty-seven percent."

  "Those are better odds than Solaris has right now," Maron concluded, carefully placing Eli in a specialized crystal chamber adjacent to the main platform. The chamber appeared designed to channel and amplify energy, with conduits connecting directly to the teleportation platform.

  "Once the process begins, it cannot be interrupted," the Lead Engineer warned. "Energy transfer will continue until either successful transit is achieved or... failure occurs."

  "And if it fails?" Mei asked, their voice betraying their concern.

  "Atomic dispersal for those on the platform," the Engineer replied clinically. "And for the Light Bearer... complete extraction regardless."

  Eli nodded from within the crystal chamber, her expression showing both determination and acceptance. "Hurry…"

  Maron, Akira, and Era took their positions on the teleportation platform—each uniquely prepared for the rescue mission. Maron stood with military bearing despite his exhaustion and injuries. Akira maintained his disciplined stance, his focus absolute. Era's eyes occasionally flickered with Draco's influence, suggesting an internal conversation with her other aspect.

  "Thirty seconds to initiation," the Lead Engineer announced, the Solar Adepts around the chamber completing final calibrations with increasingly urgent movements.

  Eleanor approached the platform edge, her normally composed features showing rare emotional intensity. "Bring him back," she instructed simply. "Whatever it takes."

  "Count on it," Maron replied, his weathered face set with grim determination.

  Era closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, they had stabilized in their transformed state, glowing with determination. "We won't fail the Sun God," she said, Draco's deeper tones overlaying her voice slightly.

  "Ten seconds," the Engineer called.

  Inside the crystal chamber, Eli's form began to glow with increasing brilliance, golden light flowing from her increasingly transparent body into the conduits connected to the teleportation platform. Her expression transformed from determination to excruciating pain as the energy transfer accelerated.

  "Five seconds."

  "For Solaris," Eli whispered, her voice barely audible as her physical form began dissolving completely into golden light.

  "Initiation."

  The crystal chamber erupted with blinding intensity as Eli's remaining energy surged into the teleportation system. Her scream—a sound of both determination and agony—filled the chamber as her body dispersed completely into golden particles, flowing like liquid sunlight through the conduits toward the platform.

  The three figures on the platform were surrounded by a sphere of golden light, their forms becoming increasingly transparent as the teleportation sequence engaged. The very air vibrated with energy, crystal components throughout the chamber resonating at frequencies that created harmonic patterns audible to everyone present.

  "Transit sequence engaged," the Lead Engineer announced, their voice barely audible above the mounting energy cascade.

  Eli's scream faded as her physical form disappeared entirely, transformed into pure energy feeding the teleportation process. The golden sphere surrounding Maron, Akira, and Era intensified beyond comfortable viewing, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

  Then, with a sound like reality itself tearing, the golden sphere collapsed inward, leaving nothing on the platform but lingering motes of light that gradually faded into nothingness.

  The chamber fell silent except for the fading resonance of crystal components. Where three determined rescuers had stood moments earlier, only empty space remained. Where Eli's form had been, not even golden particles remained—her energy completely consumed by the teleportation process.

  The Lead Keeper approached the platform slowly, their ancient features conveying both hope and profound grief. "May the founders guide their path," they intoned. "May the light prevail against deepest shadow."

  Eleanor moved to stand beside the Keeper, her analytical mind already calculating the next steps despite the emotional weight of what they had just witnessed. "What can we do from here?"

  "The Harmonic Prayer continues," the Keeper replied. "Our entire civilization focuses their consciousness toward the rescue effort. Beyond that..." They hesitated. "We wait. And we prepare."

  "Prepare for what?" Yuki asked, joining them at the platform's edge, her hand finding Mei's for comfort.

  The Keeper's expression turned grim. "For every possible outcome. Including the worst."

  Daisy stood silently still at the edge of the platform, her youthful face uncharacteristically serious as she watched the lingering golden particles fade away. Her green eyes reflected an understanding far beyond her apparent years.