As the ship drifted closer to the mysterious entity, Kaelen couldn't shake the feeling that the pulse from the object was calling to him. Each beat of the signal reverberated in his chest, deeper than the last. It felt like the heartbeat of something ancient, something that had been waiting in the depths of the cosmos for millennia.
He had no idea what it was. But the more he listened, the more he realized it was speaking to him. Not in words, not in images, but in emotion.
Fear. Anger. Longing.
Desperation.
"We have to get to the source," Kaelen repeated, but now he wasn't speaking to the others. He was speaking to himself. The signal was inside his mind now, guiding him, pulling him.
Mira noticed the change in his demeanor. "Kaelen, are you okay?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the doors leading to the lower decks.
"We're getting closer," he said, his tone distant. "We need to go to the engine room. We need to shut down the core."
Laz was already on his feet. "You're sure? Shutting down the core could destroy the ship."
Kaelen turned to him, his eyes dark. "We don't have a choice. This isn't just a ship anymore. It's part of whatever that thing is out there. We need to cut the connection."