Days passed.
The Nova Sanctum drifted on, black steel cutting through clouds, its cannons humming with steady rhythm. Below it, villages turned to ruin one after another. Farms, towns, forts—it didn't matter. Each blast from its belly left nothing but smoking craters.
And still, Lucian did not come out.
His quarters stayed locked. The hum of his presence remained behind the door, like a storm trapped in glass. No one tried to open it.
Lucy and Karl grew restless.
One night, when the Sanctum hovered over a cluster of settlements, Karl stretched his arms, claws sparking faint fire. "I need to move. Can't sit in this tin can forever."
Lucy stood by the hangar doors, Infernal Eclipse strapped across her back. Her face was calm, but her eyes flickered faint heat. "You mean you want to kill something."
Karl grinned, sharp. "Same thing."
The hangar bay opened.
The two dropped into the night together.
