Page 30 of Alien Hunter's Prize

I pushed my perception further, searching for what Mateha had asked for -- weakness. Control. "There!" I gasped, spotting them near the core chamber, shielded but distinct against the chaotic background.

"Access points! Control nodes! Their resonance signature is different... separate from the main broadcast!"

I held the connection, absorbing every detail, mapping the energy flows, the structure, the potential vulnerabilities, until the sheer volume of information threatened to overwhelm even the amplified harmony. Slowly, carefully, I withdrew my hands, breaking the interface.

The visualization remained sharp, imprinted on my mind.

I swayed, leaning back against Iros, who was instantly there, his hands warm and steady on my shoulders. The intensity had left me drained but exhilarated. We knew the source. We knew the target.

And now, thanks to the perilous journey into the Crystal Depths, we had the tools and the clarity needed to face it.

"It's worse than we thought," I repeated, looking at Mateha, then Iros. "Weaponized resonance. Failing catastrophically. But there are control nodes. Near the core."

Mateha's face was pale. "The ancestors' folly," she whispered. "Playing with forces beyond mastery."

"But control nodes mean potential access," Iros stated immediately, his tactical mind seizing on the crucial point. "A way to stabilize? Deactivate?"

"Perhaps," I said, hope warring with the memory of the core's terrifying power. "If we can reach them. If I can interface directly, shielded by these stones, and input the counter-harmonic sequence I found on the terminal..."

The path forward was clear, terrifyingly so. We immediately sought out Elder Vairangi. I described the core, the weaponized signature, the unstable conduit, the crucial control nodes -- all revealed with clarity thanks to the harmony stones we'd risked so much to retrieve.

Vairangi listened in grim silence, the weight of generations seeming to settle on her shoulders.

"The legends warned us," she murmured finally. "Forbidden ground. Shattered minds. Yet... the Shardwings die. The mountain sickens." Her gaze met mine, ancient and resolute.

"Hope demands action, however perilous. The risk of inaction is now greater."

She rose, her voice ringing with authority. "The expedition to the Echoing Caves is confirmed. Nirako, Pravoka, your knowledge of the outer paths remains vital. Iros, Warrior of the East, your strength will protect the Sound-Seer."

Her eyes locked onto mine. "Jen, Sound-Seer, your perception, guided now by the pure harmony stones you retrieved, is our only guide, our only key. Lead them to the core. Identify the nodes. Tread carefully."

She turned to Mateha. "Provide them with all necessary support. Protective gear woven with trace crystals. The harmony stones they retrieved -- the Sound-Seer must carry them; they will be crucial for the interface." Her gaze swept over us. "Prepare yourselves. You depart at dawn."

The decision, grounded now in clear analysis made possible by the Crystal Depths mission, felt absolute. Trepidation warred with determination within me. We were heading into the heart of a dying, ancient weapon.

But now, we had a map, a target, and the tools we needed.

As we left Vairangi's dwelling, stepping back into the quieter, torch-lit passages of the Aerie, the adrenaline from the Harmony Circle interface and the weight of Vairangi's command left me feeling shaky but strangely exhilarated.

We had answers. We had a path.

Iros walked close beside me, the energy humming between us almost palpable after the intensity of the analysis and the shared relief of the council's approval.

My markings thrummed in response to his hand like they remembered him—his voice, his heat, the moment he held me like I was a prayer he hadn’t dared whisper.

Our hands brushed, and this time, the contact wasn't fleeting. His fingers instinctively intertwined with mine, his grip strong and grounding.

"You were incredible," he murmured, his voice pitched low for my ears only, the sound vibrating pleasantly through our joined hands and up my arm. "The clarity... the focus... even Mateha was astonished."

"The stones helped," I deflected, though his praise warmed me. "They made it... clearer. Less painful." I squeezed his hand. "The real test comes tomorrow."

"We face it as one," he stated simply, stopping as we reached a shadowed alcove just off the main passage, slightly removed from the few Aerie Kin still moving about.

He turned fully towards me, pulling me gently closer, his free hand rising to cup my cheek.

Looking up at him, bathed in the soft glow of a nearby wall crystal, seeing the fierce protectiveness mixed with something deeper, more intense in his gaze, the world seemed to narrow.

The fear of the Echoing Caves, the weightiness of the mission -- it all momentarily receded, overshadowed by the undeniable pull between us, the connection that had been tested and proven in the Pass and the Depths.

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