[Scene: Exterior of Vault 9B. The vault's exit doors groan open, but what lies beyond is not the sky.]
[The world outside is swallowed in mist the color of charred ivory. Shapes move beyond sight—never fully seen, never fully still.]
Sylrae (gun drawn):
"This isn't Aerathen anymore."
Kaelen (steadying Thane, who's semi-conscious):
"No. This is what they remember of it."
Thane (weakly):
"They see through me. I… saw them. Eyes. Like broken moons. They know we're here."
Sylrae:
"Then we move. Fast."
[They step into the mist. The terrain is warped, as if reality itself were cracking—vault remnants float midair, debris frozen in time. Light flickers in slow motion above them.]
[Suddenly, a flare arcs through the fog—sky-gold, Skyborne elite-grade. It curves and halts unnaturally, then bursts into static that speaks.]
Distorted Voice:
"Kaelen Vire. Sylrae Nerin. You're not alone."
Sylrae (raising her weapon):
"Who the hell—?"
[A figure emerges from the haze—dripping wet with aetherlight, cloaked in a fractal shimmer. Masked. Mechanical voice filtered through some corrupted relay.]
Unknown Figure:
"I am Wingbearer Myrren. Fourth of the Remnant Kin. And I've been following your wake for some time."
Kaelen:
"The Remnant Kin disbanded decades ago. What are you?"
Myrren:
"One who survived a truth too heavy to forget. The Bound didn't vanish. The Empire fed them. They were our secret weapon—until they turned."
Thane:
"He's not lying."
Myrren (tilting head):
"You've opened a vault. You've made contact. That makes you either savior—or infected."
Sylrae:
"Choose your next words very carefully."
Myrren (voice sharp):
"You're compromised. All of you. But you might also be… our last chance."
[From above, something shifts—the mist parts. A sky-ship emerges. Not one of theirs. Ornate, bearing the sigils of the Zephyrite Inquisition. Its lights flicker red.]
Kaelen (grimly):
"They tracked us here."
Sylrae:
"Perfect. Just what we needed—religious fanatics with cannons."
Myrren (activating a glyph on his wrist):
"Then let's see what you're really made of, Skyborn. Because from here on out—none of us fly alone."
---
End of Chapter Seven