The hologram shimmered, its voice resonating like a chorus from a forgotten age.
"We were the Vaelari. We sought to control entropy. But in our arrogance, we opened the Rift—believing we could harvest what lay beyond."
Titan stared at the flickering projection. "You summoned the Voidborn?"
"Not summoned. Invited. The breach was small, a whisper in the dark—but it answered. It twisted our minds. Consumed our worlds."
Images danced in the air—towering cities torn apart, stars dimmed by dark matter tendrils, beings screaming as their thoughts unraveled.
Kaela's voice was hushed. "And now the Council's trying to repeat that mistake."
"Worse," the Vaelari said. "They seek not just power, but dominion. They wish to bind the Void—unaware it is already inside them."
Titan exchanged a grim look with Merek and Kaela.
"Where is the Core?" Titan asked.
The Vaelari's image turned slowly, pointing to a sector deep within the Kalden Expanse.
"The last seal is buried there—beneath the scar where our empire ended. It must never be broken."
The hologram began to fade.
"You carry a fragment of what we once were, Titan. You must decide what remains."