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Tor’Vek’s expression darkened. “I know of him,” he corrected. “Selyr was a brilliant but deeply unstable scientist who disappeared centuries ago. He was obsessed with ancientartifacts and genetic manipulation, particularly as it pertained to Vettian physiology. He was part of the team that manipulated our DNA. If he has managed to create these bracelets…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implications hung heavily in theair.

Zar’Ryn shook his head. “He did not create them. He claims they came from a powerful civilization long gone.”

“Hmm. Even more dangerous.” Tor’Vek turned back to the console, activating a scanning device that projected a soft, golden light over Elara and Zar’Ryn’s wrists. The bracelets glimmered faintly under the light, their intricate glyphs shimmering like moltengold.

“Hold still,” Tor’Vek instructed, his tone clipped. “This will take a few moments.”

Elara clenched her hands in her lap, watching as the scanner moved slowly over the bracelets. Zar’Ryn sat motionless beside her, his expression unreadable, but she could feel the tension radiating off him through thebond.

“Fascinating,” Tor’Vek murmured as glyphs began to materialize in the air, projected from the scanner. “These symbols… they are not Vettian. At least, not entirely. There are elements here that predate our known history. This technology is ancient, far older than anything I have encountered. They definitely were not created by Selyr.”

Elara frowned. “If it’s so ancient, how did Selyr get his hands on it?”

“That is a question I cannot answer,” Tor’Vek said, his gaze fixed on the floating glyphs. “But what I can tell you is that these bracelets are designed to integrate with their wearers ona deeply intrinsic level. They are not merely ornamental or restrictive. They are symbiotic.”

“Symbiotic?” Zar’Ryn repeated, his tone skeptical.

Tor’Vek nodded. “They are actively interfacing with your physiology and emotions. Attempting to remove them would be… ill-advised. The consequences could be fatal.”

Elara’s stomach sank. “So we’re stuck with them?”

“For the moment, yes,” Tor’Vek said. “But there may be a way to create a means of regulating their effects. If Selyr was able to control them, it stands to reason that we could develop a similar interface.”

“How long would that take?” Zar’Ryn asked, his frustration evident.

Tor’Vek didn’t look at him. “That depends on what I uncover in my analysis. These glyphs are highly complex, and deciphering them will take time. But I will make it my highest priority.”

Elara glanced at Zar’Ryn, his tension mirrored in her own chest. She wanted to hope, but the weight of Tor’Vek’s words made it difficult. For now, all they could do waswait.

“You should leave now,” Tor’Vek said. “I feel a heat flash approaching. If you go to the end of the corridor to the left, you will find a sleeping chamber you can use while you are here. Please leave. Now.”

Elara and Zar’Ryn didn’t wait. They left the room and seconds later heard a pained cry. “What is that?” she whispered.

“It is the heat flash. It burns, growing steadily in intensity until the Final Flight.”

“And what happens then?” she asked apprehensively.

“The warrior immolates.”

Elara’s head spun as she followed Zar’Ryn down the corridor. The subtle vibration of the station’s machinery was a distant background noise compared to the roaring storm inside her chest. “Immolates? You mean, he burns up?”

“Affirmative.”

“And you would have burned up if not for the apples you ate?”

Several seconds passed before he repeated, “Affirmative.”

Her pulse raced, her skin tingling in the wake of the bond’s ever-present pull. The intensity had only grown since Tor’Vek’s examination, as though the bracelets had come alive in response to their scrutiny. Or maybe it was her horror at his revelations about this Final Flight.

Zar’Ryn’s broad shoulders were taut with tension as he walked ahead of her, his steps deliberate and rigid. She could feel the weight of his emotions pressing against her through the bond—frustration, longing, and an undercurrent of something darker, something primal that made her breath hitch. Her own emotions were no less chaotic, and the effort to keep them in check exhaustedher.

When they reached the door to their quarters, Zar’Ryn hesitated for the briefest moment before the panel slid open. The room was simply decorated with warm lighting, soft furnishings, and the dominating presence of a single large bed in the center. The moment the door closed behind them, the tension in the air thickened, almost suffocating in its intensity.

Elara hovered near the entrance, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to gather her thoughts. Zar’Ryn stood in the middle of the room, his back to her, his breathing heavy. Shecould see the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his control fraying with every passing second.

“Zar’Ryn…” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Do not,” he said sharply, cutting her off. He turned to face her, and the look in his eyes stole the breath from her lungs. The vibrant violet hue seemed to glow, darkened by an unrelenting hunger that matched the heat coursing through her veins. “I cannot do this right now, Elara. The bond… it is too much.”

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