NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Chapter Nine: Shadows of a Star
Nova Chamber – Combat Hall
The floor shook with impact as Kael hit the mat—hard.
Veyra: "Too slow. Synkris won't give you second chances."
Kael groaned and stood, wiping sweat from his brow. Across the room, the others were in similar shape—bruised, panting, focused.
Veyra didn't hold back. Her movements were precise, unrelenting—a warrior forged through war.
Rayna (grimacing): "You're not here to be nice, are you?"Veyra: "I'm here to keep you alive."
Flashback – Veyra's Memory
She stood atop the ruins of Kryon-7, once a world of shimmering crystal cities.
Her mentor stood beside her—Synkris, tall, radiant, fierce.
Synkris (then): "Courage is a light, Veyra. But wield it wrong—and it blinds you."
But courage wasn't what Synkris lost.
It was hope.
She'd watched world after world fall. She'd begged the Nova Council to act—and when they didn't, she made a different choice:
She let the Void in.
Back in the Present
Zayn: "You were there… when she turned?"Veyra (quietly): "She told me to run. Said I wasn't ready to see what she'd become."
Lyra: "What did she become?"Veyra: "A mirror of every fear we carry. And a weapon sharper than any sword."
She opened her palm—a cracked Nova Shard glowed dimly.
Veyra: "This was hers. The Shard of Vision. It still hums… with grief."
Later – School Rooftop
As the stars blinked above Orion City, the team sat in silence.
Kael: "A Ranger falling… That could be any of us."Jett: "Not if we hold each other up."Rayna: "Then we better train harder. Because whatever's coming… it started with her."
Far away, on a Void-ship hidden in orbit, Synkris stepped from her throne—her armor black, her Shard twisted.
Synkris: "I remember Earth."
To Be Continued...