Urek was restrained and blindfolded. His wrists ached from the tight bindings, and the cold metal chair pressed against his spine. He had lost track of time. Seconds? Hours? The only constant was the dull throb in his jaw.
When the blindfold was finally yanked off, he found himself in a stark white room. No windows. No furniture aside from the chair he was bound to. Just walls that seemed to stretch endlessly, indifferent to his suffering.
A man stood before him, face impassive.
"What are you doing here?" the man asked.
Urek remained silent.
The man sighed, then drove his fist into Urek's face. Pain exploded across Urek's cheek, rattling his teeth.
"You put the Dome at risk," the man said. "What are you doing here?"
Urek tasted blood but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Adam continued talking to Shuxeta, searching for clarity in her unfocused mind. She sounded lost, her breaths shallow, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Did you see Sern too?" she muttered. "None of it makes sense anymore."
"Do you want to play a game?" Adam asked.
She hesitated, then rasped, "Sure, I love games. What did you have in mind?"
"Have you ever played chess?"
Shuxeta frowned. "No… I don't think so." She coughed, her whole frame shuddering.
Patiently, Adam explained the pieces, then the board, telling her to visualize it. She asked questions, slowly engaging with the rules. A small flicker of awareness returned to her.
"So who plays white?" she asked.
"You can be white this time," Adam said. "After each game, we switch."
Shuxeta considered. "E2 to E4."
Adam nodded. "D7 to D6."
"D2 to D3."
"G8 to F6."
Shuxeta's brow furrowed. "Wait… G8, that's the knight."
A pause. Then, for the first time in hours, her voice steadied. Her moves became more deliberate. The fog in her mind began to lift.
And Adam kept playing, hoping to pull her back before it was too late.
"My ship crashed on this planet," Urek gasped, his body wracked with pain. "I was running out of oxygen… I had no choice but to break your dome to stay alive."
The torturer hesitated, then stepped back. Moments later, the interrogation stopped entirely. His captors left to verify his story.
When they found the wreckage of Urek's ship, they released him.
Meanwhile, Iyan grew anxious. He sent a search team to check on them. But when they arrived, there was no trace of the spaceship.
Desperate for answers, they traveled to the Bekanna, asking about Adam, Spam, or anyone matching Urek's description.
Sern and the others only shook their heads. They had seen no one.
Empty-handed, the search team returned to D'sul and relayed their findings to Iyan.
There was no trace of them.
For five years.
As Sern had promised, exactly five years later, he visited Adam and Shuxeta. To his surprise, she was more present than he had expected. So was Adam. Their chess games had helped a lot.
And once again, when Sern left, he took the light with him.
Darkness followed almost immediately. Then, just as the blackness settled, a new light flickered into existence—a lamp, floating in midair.
At first, they thought their minds were playing tricks on them. Then Urek appeared out of thin air. Without a word, he stepped forward and removed Adam's shiroki, then Shuxeta's.
Strength flooded back into them at once. Adam could feel it—something shifting inside him. He had absorbed Baserka.
He bowed his head slightly, offering silent gratitude for the sacrifice.
Urek opened the door. They all stepped out, and he closed it behind them. Then, without warning, he grabbed them.
"What took you so long?" Adam asked.
Urek said nothing. He just kept walking.
"It's been five good years," Adam continued.
"Can't this wait?" Shuxeta muttered, glancing around.
Then she stiffened. "Someone's coming." She moved as if to hide.
"It's fine," Urek said without breaking stride. "They can't see or hear us."
"Don't ignore me," Adam said, shoving Urek.
His hand slipped.
For a split second, Adam became visible—until Urek grabbed him again, pulling him back into invisibility.
"I searched for five years," Urek said, his voice low but tense. "I followed Sern everywhere. No one knew where you were being held. I was lucky to have followed him today."
A sudden gust of icy wind cut through them.
They turned just in time to see Sern exhale a freezing mist, his breath clouding the air. He didn't know their exact location, but it didn't matter—the cold made their outlines flicker into view.
Sern moved.
In a blink, he ran straight through Urek, dismembering him on impact. In the same motion, he caught Shuxeta by the neck.
His eyes glowed. He fired.
Shuxeta screamed but retaliated, her own laser colliding with his. Their beams clashed, sizzling in the air, but Sern's was stronger. The heat intensified, scorching into her eyes. She shrieked as the pain overwhelmed her.
He was about to fire again when Adam crashed into him, shoving him back.
Sern staggered, eyes narrowing.
Adam could feel it—his body was weaker. He didn't want to merge with the invisible hand. There was a risk he would absorb it.
"How cute," Sern sneered. "Trying to save her."
He struck Adam, sending him flying.
The Bekanna watched in silence as Sern tormented them.
He fired another beam at Shuxeta. She raised a hand to block it, but the searing energy burned through her skin. It didn't stop. The beam drilled through her palm—then her head.
Adam sprinted toward her.
Sern lunged at him.
At the last second, Adam slid beneath him, reaching out—grabbing Shuxeta.
In that instant, he transferred the invisible hand to her.
Her hair turned white. Her wounds sealed instantly.
Then—
A pulse erupted from her.
A shockwave of wind blasted outward.