Page 4 of Second

“We need to keep moving. Do so without speaking.”

Elara hesitated but followed. The silence stretched again, broken only by the faint vibration of the spaceship and the distant echo of footsteps that could have been Marauders—or worse.

The corridor widened into an open chamber, the walls lined with crude weaponry and scraps of alien machinery. Zar’Ryn scanned the room, his sharp gaze picking out every detail. He gestured for Elara to stop, holding up a hand as he stepped forward.

“What is it?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Stay here,” he murmured. His hand brushed the hilt of his blade, aweapon forged for precision and efficiency. The bond hummed with her unease, her emotions clashing with his own steady determination.

He moved silently, his boots making no sound on the damp floor. The chamber felt wrong. Too open, too quiet. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but he needed to ensure the path ahead was clear. As he stepped farther into the room, afaint click echoed behindhim.

“Zar’Ryn!” Elara’s warning came a second too late. The floor beneath him shuddered, and he leaped back just as a section collapsed, revealing jagged metal spikes below. He landed in a crouch, his blade drawn, and spun to face the source of the threat.

Marauders emerged from the shadows, their grotesque forms illuminated by the flickering light. They were humanoid but twisted, their features exaggerated and alien. One let out a guttural snarl, raising a crude weapon that sparked with electricity.

Elara pressed herself against the wall, her fear slamming into Zar’Ryn through the bond like a physical blow. He straightened, his focus narrowing to the enemies before him. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice sharp.

“What about—”

“Just do it,” he snapped, cutting her off. There was no time for argument. The Marauders charged, their movements erratic but driven by a feral intensity.

Zar’Ryn met them head-on, his blade a blur of motion. He moved with lethal precision, every strike calculated to disable orkill. Sparks flew as his weapon clashed with theirs, the sound sharp and metallic.

The bond thrummed with her fear and awe, her emotions slamming into him with unrelenting force. It was as if her terror coiled around his instincts, pulling at his focus and throwing off the precision he had honed over centuries.

He faltered, his blade narrowly missing its mark as a Marauder’s claws grazed his side. The pain hit sharp, but it was the dissonance in his mind that shook him more. Elara’s emotions were raw, acacophony of panic and desperate determination that blurred the edges of his control. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push through the chaotic storm flooding his senses. This bond wasn’t merely a distraction—it was a liability he didn’t yet know how to manage.

One Marauder lunged at him from the side, its claws raking the air. Zar’Ryn sidestepped smoothly, driving his blade into its chest. The creature let out a strangled cry before collapsing, its body convulsing.

Another Marauder advanced, this one larger and more heavily armed. It swung a massive club, the weapon’s weight denting the floor where Zar’Ryn had stood a moment earlier. He dodged and countered, his movements fluid and unrelenting. The bond pulsed with Elara’s terror, but also something else—aspark of determination.

“Elara, go!” he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

“I can’t just leave you!” she retorted, her voice trembling but resolute.

“Now!” he growled, his blade slashing through another Marauder. Blood sprayed across the chamber, the metallic scent mingling with the acridair.

Elara hesitated for a fraction of a second before darting toward the corridor. Her emotions surged through the bond—fear, guilt, and an overwhelming need to survive. He gritted his teeth, using her determination as fuel. He couldn’t let herdown.

The last Marauder fell with a gurgling snarl, its body crumpling at his feet. Zar’Ryn turned, his chest heaving. The chamber was silent again. He wiped his blade clean on the fallen creature’s tattered clothing before sheathingit.

“Elara,” he called, his voice echoing through the corridor.

“Here,” she replied, stepping cautiously back into view. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, but she held her ground. “Are they…?”

“Dead,” Zar’Ryn confirmed. He studied her for a moment, the bond revealing the turmoil she tried to hide. “You did well.”

She blinked, clearly surprised. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You did not panic,” he said simply. “That is more than most could manage.”

Elara glanced away, her cheeks flushing. “Thanks, Iguess.”

Zar’Ryn nodded, turning his attention back to the path ahead. “We need to keep moving. The others won’t have much time.”

As they continued deeper into the facility, the bond between them seemed to grow stronger. Zar’Ryn could feel Elara’s emotions with startling clarity, each one resonating within him like an echo. He found it disorienting, but also grounding in a way he couldn’t explain.

“This… thing between us,” Elara said suddenly, her voice breaking the silence. “The bracelets. Do you know what it is?”

---