In the base's command room, the silence was absolute. Only the sound of the machines and Aria's racing heart filled the room. She was standing in front of a holographic projection of the blade that Ashen had driven into the ground. The image, captured by the base's drones, showed a living sword, pulsing in a strange pattern — as if it were breathing.
"AI, increase energy amplification by 500%," Aria ordered, her eyes fixed on the data that multiplied before her.
The artificial intelligence responded promptly, revealing a network of black filaments extending from the point of impact to the subsoil. Like roots. Like poison.
"That's not just a blade. It's a seed…" she murmured.
The AI completed:
— Vibrations detected: gravitational instability at a microscopic level. The sword seems to distort the density around itself.
Aria frowned.
— As if it were anchoring something... or waiting for something to be born.
She typed in a new sequence. The system simulated the expansion of the vibrations over time. The result was unsettling: in a few days, the dark pulse would spread for dozens of meters, generating a field that nullified any form of vital energy in the vicinity.
— He is creating a death zone... where none of us will be able to safely access it, — he concluded. — Not sunlight, not the energy of the earth... not the moon.
From afar, Kael watched through the half-open door. He didn't want to interrupt, but he could feel the tension in the air. Something in that dark presence seemed to poke at the depths of his soul. As if the Sun inside him were shrinking.
Aria saved the data and spoke in a low voice:
— Ashen is not just a soldier. He is the harbinger of a new phase for HelionTech. They are testing our response. Measuring our fear. And this blade is just the beginning.
She turned, finally facing Kael.
"We're going to need to grow stronger faster than ever. This war… it's just changed levels."
Kael nodded seriously.
"Then let's study everything we can about him. Because next time… I want to be ready."
Aria smiled, even if her eyes were tired.
"And I want to make sure he can't plant anything else in any soil."