The voice echoed inside Elias's mind.
"Elias Voss. The door is open. Will you step through?"
It wasn't a command. It wasn't a demand. It was an invitation.
And somehow, he knew—this was the moment that would change everything.
---
Vanguard - Command Deck
Roarke's voice was sharp as he studied the emerging anomalies on the holo-display. "They're accelerating."
Sienna frowned. "What do you mean?"
Roarke gestured to the map. Across deep space, the unknown constructs were forming faster—massive networks of shifting energy and gravity coalescing into something structured.
"They're not just appearing randomly anymore," Roarke muttered. "They're stabilizing. Organizing."
Elias inhaled slowly. "They're preparing."
Sienna turned to him. "For what?"
Elias met her gaze, the golden glow flickering faintly in his irises. "For me."
Silence filled the room.
Roarke's expression darkened. "And what exactly does that mean, Voss?"
Elias exhaled. "They're not just evolving. They're waiting for a final step—a catalyst. And they think that catalyst is me."
Sienna's jaw clenched. "Then the question is—are they right?"
---
The Decision
Elias sat alone in his quarters, staring at the holographic star map.
The anomalies were converging—forming something vast in the deep void.
The invitation still echoed in his mind.
"Will you step through?"
He knew this was more than just contact. It was a transition—a point of no return.
Either he went forward, or he stayed behind.
There was no middle ground.
Then—his door slid open.
Sienna stood there, arms crossed, her gaze searching.
"…You're really considering this, aren't you?"
Elias didn't look away from the stars. "I don't think I have a choice."
She stepped inside, the door hissing shut behind her. "You always have a choice."
Elias exhaled. "Not this time." He turned to face her. "If I don't go, we'll never understand what's happening. We'll always be behind, waiting for the next thing to come to us. But if I do…"
Sienna's voice was quiet. "You might never come back."
Elias nodded.
She looked down, shaking her head slightly. "Damn it, Elias."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, finally, she met his gaze again. "If you do this… do it on your terms. Don't just let them use you."
Elias gave her a small, tired smile. "I wasn't planning on it."
Sienna sighed. "Yeah, well… you tend to have a habit of running straight into impossible situations."
Elias chuckled softly. "Guess I do."
She stepped forward, pressing something into his hand.
A small data chip.
"If things go sideways," she said, "you'll want a tether back to us."
Elias looked down at it, then back up at her.
And for the first time since The Nexus collapsed, he realized—he wasn't alone in this.
No matter what happened next.
---
The Crossing
At the edge of deep space, something opened.
A vast gate, shimmering with energy that defied understanding.
It wasn't a wormhole. It wasn't hyperspace.
It was a transition point.
And it was waiting for one person.
Aboard the Vanguard, Elias stood at the airlock, dressed in a reinforced flight suit. His body still hummed with the golden echoes of the Nexus, but now, something else pulsed beneath it.
Something new.
Roarke's voice came through the comms. "Elias, confirm your status before proceeding."
Elias exhaled, glancing once at Sienna before tapping his comm.
"…This is Elias Voss." His voice was steady. "I'm stepping through."
Then, with one final breath—
He launched into the unknown.
The gate embraced him.
And the universe shifted.