Days turned into weeks. The Vigilant drifted further into the unknown, its systems continuing to fail. The power core had been fully disabled, and the ship's life support was running on fumes. But the worst part was the feeling that they were no longer alone in the void of space.
Kaelen could feel it now—the pulse, the heartbeat of the ship, beating in time with his own. It was as though the ship had become an extension of the entity itself. Every creak of the walls, every flicker of the failing lights, felt like the entity's gaze upon them, waiting.
It was inside them. It was inside everything.
Mira had become quieter in recent days, her eyes constantly darting toward the shadows. Laz was barely coherent, his actions erratic. Kaelen had tried to reach out to him, but it was like talking to a ghost. Laz wasn't there anymore.
And now, Kaelen could feel the entity pressing against him, stronger than ever before. It had taken root in his mind, in his body, and he could feel it spreading. It wasn't just trying to control him—it was becoming him.
"Kaelen…" Mira's voice cut through the darkness. She stood in the doorway of the control room, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear. "We need to do something. We can't just wait for it to finish us off."
Kaelen turned toward her, his face pale. "I don't know how to stop it. But if we don't, it will consume us. All of us."
Mira stepped forward, her hands trembling. "What if we can find a way to sever the connection? The ship's consciousness, maybe?"
Kaelen swallowed hard, his mind racing. Sever the connection. Was that even possible? The entity had entwined itself too deeply with the ship, with them.
But something in his gut told him that if they didn't act soon, they wouldn't just lose the Vigilant—they would lose themselves.