Nebu-9 drifted in the heart of a system untouched by time, its engines humming softly against the silence. The crew had crossed the threshold of an ancient alien construct, following the echoes of a long-lost civilization. Now, they found themselves orbiting a darkened pnet, its surface riddled with sprawling ruins and enigmatic structures that pulsed with a faint, almost imperceptible energy.

  Commander Elias Vance stood at the observation deck, his gaze locked onto the looming world below. "Nova, run a full pnetary scan. I want to know what we’re dealing with."

  Nova’s synthetic voice resonated through the bridge. "Atmosphere is breathable but thin. Surface temperature varies significantly. Energy readings indicate subterranean activity. The ruins appear to be millions of years old. However…"

  Elias narrowed his eyes. "However?"

  Nova hesitated—a rare occurrence for the AI. "There are faint biosignatures."

  Aria Soce, the second-in-command, turned from her console. "You’re saying something’s alive down there? After all this time?"

  Kieran Locke, their resident astrophysicist, adjusted his gsses. "If life has persisted this long in a dead system, we need to understand how."

  "We need to understand what," Elias corrected. "Sienna, prepare a nding party. We’re going down."

  DESCENT INTO THE UNKNOWN

  The shuttle cut through the atmosphere with a controlled burn, nding in the midst of an immense cityscape, its monolithic towers broken and weathered by eons. Vines of a bioluminescent nature coiled around the ruins, pulsating in the twilight.

  Lucas Holt, the ship’s engineer, stepped onto the cracked stone, his boots crunching against ancient debris. "I hate to say it, but this pce feels... haunted."

  Amara Vesquez, their xenolinguist, examined alien glyphs carved into the walls. "More like abandoned. The question is: why?"

  A sudden tremor rumbled beneath them, causing dust and fragments of stone to rain from above.

  "That’s not normal," Sienna Rell muttered, hand resting on her holstered sidearm.

  Elias tapped his communicator. "Nova, report."

  "Seismic instability detected. The energy fluctuations are increasing. Additionally… I am detecting movement beneath the surface."

  The team exchanged gnces.

  Lucas sighed. "Of course, there’s something beneath us. There’s always something beneath us."

  THE AWAKENING

  As the team moved deeper into the ruins, the air thickened with an almost tangible tension. Massive doors, sealed for untold millennia, loomed ahead. Strange inscriptions covered their surface, glowing faintly at their approach.

  Amara ran her fingers across the markings. "This writing… it’s a warning. It speaks of something called The Forgotten."

  Before she could eborate, the ground gave way beneath them.

  The team plummeted into darkness.

  They nded hard in what appeared to be a vast underground chamber. Massive statues of alien figures lined the cavernous walls, their hollow eyes staring into eternity. In the dim light, an eerie chittering sound filled the air.

  Then, the shadows moved.

  Aria flicked on her weapon’s light, revealing skeletal, elongated beings emerging from the darkness. Their eyes—if they could be called that—gleamed with an unnatural light, and their forms seemed caught between existence and oblivion.

  "THEY’re not attacking," Kieran noted, his voice barely above a whisper.

  One of the beings stepped forward, its head tilting as if studying them. Then, it spoke—not in sound, but directly into their minds, with echoes.

  "You(You) are(are) not(not) them(them). You(You) are(are)… new(new)."

  Elias steadied himself. "Who are you?"

  THE ENTITY’s form flickered, as if it were struggling to remain whole. "We (we) were (were) once (once) THE (THE) ARCHITECTS (ARCHITECTS) of (of) this (this) pce (pce)… before (before) the (the) betrayal (betrayal). We (We) are (are) THE FORGOTTEN."

  The word sent a chill through Elias. "What betrayed you?"

  The chamber trembled as the entity’s presence darkened. "THE (THE) ONES (ONES) who (who) came (came) before (before). THE (THE) ONES (ONES) who (who) opened (opened) The (The) Gate (Gate). THEY (THEY) left (left) US (US) … incomplete (incomplete)."

  Lucas exhaled. "I really hate where this is going."

  THE FORGOTTEN turned its gaze toward Amara. "YOU (YOU)… seek (seek)… the (the)… echoes(echoes)…. You (You)… follow (follow)… the (the)… path (path)…. But (But)… the (the)… path (path)… leads (leads)… only (only)… to (to)… oblivion (oblivion)… unless (unless)… you (you)… change (change)… course (course)…."

  Elias clenched his jaw. "What do you mean?"

  THE ENTITY’s form began to unravel, its final words echoing in their minds.

  "You (You)… are (are)… not (not)… too (too)… te (te).... But (But)… THE (THE)… VEIL (VEIL)… is (is)… thin (thin)…. And (And)… IT (IT)… is (is)… listening (listening)…."

  Then, the chamber colpsed into darkness.

  RETURN TO NEBULA-9

  The crew awoke in the shuttle, their heads throbbing. The ruins above them were unchanged, but their gear recorded an absence of time—no missing hours, no evidence of what had transpired.

  Amara stared at the ancient inscriptions, now dim and lifeless. "Did that… really happen?"

  Elias exhaled. "If it did, we just got our biggest warning yet."

  Nova’s voice crackled through the comms. "Commander, long-range sensors are detecting an approaching VESSEL. It’s… enormous."

  Elias looked to the sky, his stomach twisting.

  "IT knows we’re here."

  CHAPTER’s NOTE:This chapter delves into the mystery of The Forgotten, an ancient civilization lost to betrayal. The crew uncovers cryptic warnings about the dangers ahead and experiences a surreal encounter with an entity bound between existence and nothingness. Their journey takes a darker turn as a massive, unknown vessel approaches—an ominous sign that something, or someone, has taken notice of them.