The hangar vibrated with tension.
Hundreds of soldiers lined the catwalks and docking platforms, weapons leveled at Kael and his battered team. Above them, the Ark floated like a phantom, its alien cannons glowing with restrained fury.
Lyra's voice thundered through the comms. "Lower your weapons. Now."
The soldiers hesitated, torn between Venra's command and the threat looming above.
Venra stood at the forefront, blade in hand, her face a mask of steel. "Do not falter! Fire, and burn them all!"
But not a single trigger pulled. Fear radiated through the hangar.
Kael's chest heaved as he stepped forward, blood on his armor, blade still dripping from the council chamber battle. His voice cut through the silence.
"You see what this has become. We came here to fight Taren, not each other. Venra would rather kill me than face him. Ask yourselves—who truly serves Havenreach? The one who divides you? Or the one who bleeds for you?"
The murmur of voices rippled among the soldiers. Confusion. Doubt.
Venra's lips curled. "Do not listen to his lies! He is a shadow, a weapon turned against us! I will prove it with his blood!"
She leveled her blade at Kael.
And the hangar erupted.
A squad fired—not at Kael, but at the Ark. Bolts seared into its shields, sparking across its hull.
The ship answered. A pulse of energy fired past the squad, striking a fuel container on the far side of the hangar. The explosion roared, flames surging, alarms screaming.
The soldiers panicked. Some fired on the Ark. Others turned their weapons on Kael's team. And others froze, unwilling to choose.
Venra charged, her blade gleaming silver. Kael met her with steel. Their clash rang through the hangar, sparks flying with every strike.
"You are a disease, Ardyn!" Venra snarled, her blade driving forward in ruthless precision.
Kael parried, teeth clenched. "And you are blind!"
Their duel spilled across the platform—Kael's unorthodox, wild strikes colliding with Venra's disciplined, surgical style. She pressed him hard, every movement honed from years of command. But Kael's unpredictability, his refusal to fight like anyone else, kept him alive.
Still, she was relentless. Each blow drove him back, each step closer to the edge.
Meanwhile, Rhea covered the flank, dropping soldiers with deadly efficiency. Joran tore through enemies like a storm, his improvised door-shield shattering under the onslaught but his rage undimmed.
Darius fought like a man reborn, his blade holding back two guards at once, his voice booming with commands. "Hold the line! Do not let them surround us!"
Lyra guided the Ark with precision, its cannons firing stun pulses instead of lethal blasts, disabling fighters and scattering troops. But every shot shook the hangar, the structure groaning under the strain.
"Kael," Lyra's voice crackled through his comm, tight with fear. "The hangar won't hold if this keeps up!"
Kael's blade locked with Venra's. Sparks hissed between their faces. "Then end this!"
Venra disengaged with a sudden twist, her blade flashing down toward the hangar floor. Sparks burst as she struck a control panel. Alarms screamed.
Kael's eyes widened. She wasn't trying to kill him. She was venting the hangar.
The great blast doors above began to rumble open. Air howled, pulling at Kael's armor, tugging at loose debris. Soldiers stumbled, some clinging to rails, others sucked toward the growing void.
Venra's voice carried, triumphant even in the storm. "If Havenreach burns, you will burn with it!"
Kael lunged, grappling with her as the pull intensified. They struggled at the edge of the platform, steel scraping, breath tearing from their lungs.
Venra's blade nicked Kael's shoulder, blood spraying into the air like crimson mist. Kael roared, slamming her against a support pillar.
The chamber shook as the Ark fired again, this time blasting the hangar control panel. Sparks erupted, the doors freezing halfway open—but the damage was done. Half the atmosphere was gone, the hangar a roaring wind tunnel of chaos.
Kael clung to a railing, Venra clutching his arm, their blades locked between them.
"This is your end, Ardyn!" she spat, eyes blazing.
Kael met her gaze, his own voice steady despite the void clawing at them. "No. Havenreach doesn't need your chains. It needs freedom."
With a surge of strength, he twisted their blades, knocking hers free. The silver weapon spun into the void.
Venra's eyes widened. For the first time, fear cracked her mask.
Kael drove his blade through her chest.
Her lips parted, a final breath escaping as the void pulled her body free. She vanished into the stars.
The hangar groaned, fire still raging. Soldiers broke, some throwing down their weapons, others fleeing into corridors. The civil war wasn't won, but Venra's fall had shattered its heart.
Kael staggered, his team rushing to him. Darius clasped his shoulder, pride burning through his exhaustion. "You did what had to be done."
Kael's voice was hoarse. "No. I did what she forced me to."
Lyra's voice cut in. "The hangar's failing. Get aboard. Now."
They sprinted across the platform, leaping into a docking ramp as the Ark descended. The ship sealed behind them, the hangar collapsing in fire and steel.
The Ark blasted free into space, Havenreach shrinking behind them, flames flickering across its surface.
Kael stood in the Ark's command chamber, armor scorched, blade heavy in his hand. He stared at Havenreach on the viewport—still intact, but fractured, scarred, burning with civil war.
Rhea broke the silence. "We saved ourselves. But Havenreach…"
Kael shook his head. "We didn't save it. We tore it apart."
Lyra stepped beside him, her hand brushing his. "Sometimes things must break before they can be rebuilt."
Kael closed his eyes. Venra was gone. Havenreach was bleeding. Taren was still out there.
And the galaxy had never felt more fragile.