The Seedkeepers were securing their camp when a young man stumbled out of the ruins, his body crackling with violet energy, eyes wide with terror. He was a Touched, barely twenty, his clothes torn, his skin laced with glowing veins pulsing erratically.
"Who's that?" Gray asked, his hand hovering near his blade, dark eyes narrowing.
"He's a Touched," Lucas said, stepping forward, his voice tense. "Careful—he's unstable."
"Stay back!" the young man shouted, his voice raw, trembling as he raised his hand. Energy flickered unpredictably between his fingers. "They're coming! They see us!"
Emma took a step forward, calm but deliberate. "Who's coming?" she asked, keeping her voice steady despite the warning signs. "We're here to help. What's your name?"
"Kael," he whispered, his gaze flickering around as if searching the shadows. "They're watching… from the void… they see us!"
Before Emma could respond, Kael convulsed—then released a blast of energy. The force sent Gray sprawling, his blade skittering across the ground.
"Gray!" Chloe rushed forward, her hands igniting in golden light. She reached for Kael, wrapping him in the glow of her healing aura. He collapsed, gripping his temples, his cries sharp and fragmented.
"They're coming! They see us!" His scream ripped through the tense air.
Emma knelt beside them, her heart pounding. "Chloe, is he okay?"
"He's stable—for now," Chloe said, her voice tight with strain. "But his mind's fractured. The K'tharr biotech—it's doing something to him, pushing him toward some kind of breakdown."
"What did he mean, 'they see us'?" Ethan asked, his gauntlet humming as he scanned Kael's body for anomalies. "Who's watching?"
Lucas exhaled sharply, jaw tense. "The Touched often ramble about 'watchers' in the void," he said. "We don't know what it means—but it's consistent."
Markus let out a frustrated breath, grabbing Emma's arm and pulling her aside. "This is what I've been saying, Emma," he hissed. "We're wasting time while something out there watches us. We need to leave—now."
Emma met his gaze, steel in her voice. "We can't abandon them, Markus. Not again. Kael needs us—these people need us."
"And what about the galaxy?" Markus snapped, his gray eyes burning with urgency. "The Void Rangers, the Quantum Schism—they're not waiting for us to play hero on Earth."
"We'll deal with those threats when we have to," Emma said, her tone unyielding. "Right now, we help Earth. That's the priority."
"You're risking everything," Markus warned, his voice low and firm. "If we stay too long, there might not be an Earth to save."
"I know the risks," Emma said. "But I won't leave them to suffer. Not again."
Markus clenched his jaw, then turned away, frustration emanating from his tense posture. Emma looked back at Kael, still trembling in Chloe's arms, his words echoing in her mind. The storm on the horizon churned darker, its violet lightning carving jagged lines across the sky. The hum of the WoodDust deepened, whispering warnings beneath the chaos.