Thalora

Chapter Five: Secrets

The hike back to the base camp was long and quiet, as Alyssa and Kai were lost in their thoughts. The landscape of Thalora stretched out around them—vast fields of strange, bioluminescent plants, towering rock formations, and the ever-present hum of unseen energy beneath the surface. The planet felt alive in ways Alyssa had never experienced anywhere else, as if the land was charged with some ancient force.

The silence between them had a strange weight, and Alyssa couldn't help but steal glances at Kai as they walked. He was different now—less cocky, more guarded. His usual arrogant confidence was still there, but something had shifted. The way he had reacted in the temple, the way he had caught her when she nearly collapsed—there was more to him than the cocky jock everyone else saw.

"What?" Kai asked, catching her mid-glance. His tone was half-annoyed, but there was a softness that hadn't been there before.

Alyssa shook her head, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "Nothing."

Kai raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the horizon, where the Academy's gleaming towers were barely visible in the distance. "You really think the Academy's going to believe what we saw back there? That you were hearing voices from some ancient race?"

Alyssa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. But it doesn't matter if they believe it or not. Something happened in that temple, something real. And we have to figure out what it means."

Kai let out a long breath, his expression unreadable. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff since coming here, but this? This takes the cake."

As they approached the base camp, a low hum filled the air—the sound of the Academy's drones circling overhead, scanning the area. The drones were sleek, black machines that patrolled the outskirts of the Academy's grounds, ensuring the safety of the students and maintaining security. Alyssa's heart sank as she realized they were close enough for the drones to have picked up their crash.

"Looks like we're in trouble," she muttered.

Kai smirked. "Guess we're about to find out just how much Vasquez values rules over survival."

They reached the camp just as a team of Academy personnel arrived, led by Officer Vasquez herself. Her sharp eyes scanned them up and down, taking in their bruised and battered appearances, the dust and debris still clinging to their clothes.

"What the hell happened out there?" she demanded, her voice cold and unyielding.

Alyssa glanced at Kai, who gave her a barely perceptible nod. They had agreed on a version of the story that wouldn't get them thrown out of the Academy. Or worse.

"We had a system malfunction during the flight exercise," Alyssa said, keeping her voice steady. "The jet crashed near the ruins. We were able to make it out, but the temple collapsed."

Vasquez's eyes narrowed. "You were in the ruins?"

Kai stepped forward, his expression as serious as Alyssa had ever seen it. "The crash landed us right next to it. We were trying to figure out where we were when part of the temple collapsed. It was an accident."

Vasquez studied them for a moment, her gaze sharp and calculating. Alyssa could feel her heartbeat quicken as the silence stretched out. She wasn't sure if Vasquez believed them—or if she even cared.

"Get yourselves checked out at the med bay," Vasquez said finally, her voice clipped. "And stay out of the ruins from now on. You're lucky to be alive."

Alyssa let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Yes, ma'am."

As they walked past Vasquez, heading toward the med bay, Alyssa felt Kai's hand brush against hers. She glanced at him, surprised, but his face was unreadable, his eyes focused straight ahead. The brief contact, however, sent a jolt through her that she couldn't quite explain.

Maybe it was just the adrenaline from the crash, or perhaps it was something else. Either way, her mind was still racing with thoughts of the temple, the Eldarii, and the voices that had spoken to her. There was more to Thalora than anyone at the Academy realized, and Alyssa was starting to suspect that she wasn't the only one with secrets.

***

Later that night, Alyssa sat alone in her dorm room, staring out the window at the Academy's gleaming towers. The medics had cleared her and Kai with only minor injuries, but the real damage—the visions and the overwhelming sense of being watched—lingered.

She couldn't stop thinking about the voices she had heard in the temple. The Eldarii. Their power was still alive, still present in the ruins. And somehow, they had chosen her. Why? What did they want from her?

A sudden sharp pain shot through her temples, and she gasped, clutching her head as the room blurred around her. The voices returned, louder this time, more insistent.

"... You are the key... You must awaken the Colossals..."

Alyssa's breath quickened as visions flooded her mind—images of the Eldarii's colossal forms rising from the earth, their eyes glowing with an ancient, destructive power. She saw cities burning and the sky darkening as the Colossal Gods unleashed their wrath upon the world.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, this can't be real."

But the images wouldn't stop. The voices grew louder, their words echoing in her mind, threatening to overwhelm her.

"... Awaken the Colossals... Awaken..."

Alyssa screamed, the pain in her head intensifying, and then—just as suddenly as it had begun—the visions stopped.

Gasping for breath, she fell to her knees, trembling. The room was silent again, but the echoes of the voices still lingered.

She needed answers. She needed to know why the Eldarii had chosen her and what they wanted her to do. And she needed to figure it out before it was too late.