She could not. No tools. Heavy. Caelen, grim and silent, began the extraction. “Inside. They took her without resistance. ***
They stood in the reclusiam vault, far below the main decks of the Lux Invicta. Those who served with her never forgot. Her entire body resisted — locked up — twisted in silent torment. ***
They stood in the reclusiam vault, far below the main decks of the Lux Invicta. Her body was already tense. “We need to remove it.”
“Quietly,” she said. Power returned with a low, reverent hum. When it begins.”
Roxy took it in her teeth and lay down. The pressure was overwhelming. After long, hellish moments, the weight slid free. Still sealed.”
He said nothing. But in a galaxy that grinds even saints to dust, her greatest act of service would come not from battle — but from surrender. A relic of war never meant for flesh. “Then let me break. After endless minutes, the pressure shifted. Her will flickered — but never failed. Still sealed.”
He said nothing.
