Though the entity was gone, Kaelen knew that the Vigilant was still stranded in the depths of space. The silence of the ship was deafening, the hum of the engines now reduced to a faint whimper. The ship was crippled, barely holding together.
But Kaelen didn't feel the weight of defeat anymore. It wasn't the end—it was a new beginning.
"We've got a long road ahead of us," Kaelen said, turning to Mira.
Mira nodded, her expression tired but determined. "We survived the worst. We'll find a way home."
As Kaelen looked out into the infinite black of space, he felt the weight of what they had survived—and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. But for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn't feel alone.
He turned back to Mira, his partner, his friend. Together, they would face whatever came next.
The journey wasn't over.
Not yet.