The return to base was anything but routine.
As Nam and Lan descended into Orbital Station V-6, the once-familiar structure felt distant—colder somehow. Even the light panels seemed dimmer, pulsing with an odd cadence. The Weave's presence was everywhere now, seeping into reality, folding unseen threads into existence.
They were met by an armed escort.
"Protocol 9," the squad leader barked. "All subjects exposed to anomalous technology must be quarantined until cleared by Command."
Nam exchanged a quick glance with Lan but complied. Resistance now would only raise suspicions they weren't ready to confront.
Inside the decontamination chamber, they were scanned, prodded, questioned.
"You claim to have made contact with a sentient relic," the interrogator said, her eyes cold behind a glass visor. "Yet all telemetry we received was scrambled."
Nam leaned forward, unflinching. "That's because you were listening with machines. This… thing—it speaks beyond frequency."
The woman frowned. "Explain."
Lan exhaled slowly. "We've connected with the Weave. And it's not just data. It's alive. A consciousness—multiple, maybe. It's a library, a defense system, a warning mechanism. But it's also… fragmented."
"And it's waking up," Nam added. "Because something darker is coming."
The lights flickered.
At first, everyone assumed it was a glitch.
Then the emergency klaxon blared.
"Unidentified object exiting subspace—12,000 kilometers and closing fast."
Everyone froze.
Lan stood slowly. "They followed us."
In deep orbit, sensors screamed as the anomaly grew.
A ship—black as entropy, absorbing all light—emerged.
Its surface shimmered with echoes of dead civilizations. No insignia. No heat. No signals.
Only silence.
And then—without warning—it spoke.
Not through radio. Not through waves.
But through thought.
All across the station, people collapsed. Screaming. Crying. Some bleeding from the ears.
Nam clutched his head, barely able to remain standing.
"Lan… it's them. The First Shadow."
Lan's eyes widened in horror.
"They're already here."