“A miracle, perhaps,” Sydria admitted. “But I’ve no illusions. The Rosina I knew is dead. All that remains is a Daemon wearing her face. I want to stop her, but I ck the strength. My people are scattered—some suppressing your soldiers at the fortress to prevent them from causing more chaos, others hunting Rosina in the jungle. As you’ve seen, we’ve had no success.”

  Kayvaan shrugged. “From what I’ve seen, you’re the ones being hunted. So, what do you want from me? Cooperation?”

  “Exactly. A verbal ant,” Sydria said firmly. “We share a on enemy. Until that enemy is defeated, we must act as allies.”

  Kayvaan frowned. “I’m just a scout. I ’t make promises on behalf of others.”

  “And I don’t represent all Eldar,” Sydria tered. “This is merely a practical arra. A temporary truce with no formal record. When this is over, we’ll return to our separate paths. In peace, we might speak again. In war, we’ll fight for our people. But for now, we must stand together. I need you to deliver this message to the deakers at your fortress. No matter the tensioween us, they must uand the stakes.”

  Kayvaan sidered her words. “That... actually sounds reasonable. So, those are the words I’m supposed to take back?”

  “Yes, and be quick. We don’t have much time,” Sydria said, her tone grave. “Rosina’s movements have been sistent. She goes hunting every three days, then disappears, only to repeat the cycle. During these intervals, the rift above us grows more defined. I suspect she ducts a sacrificial ritual tthen the passage while she’s inactive. Today, the rift is visible to the naked eye, and she killed four of my kin i e. If we do nothing, the rift will stabilize in three days, allowing weaker Serapheas to cross over. We must aow. After three days, it will be too te—Serapheas will start p through, and this world will bee their pyground.”

  Kayvaan frowned. “I uand. But how should we stay in tace I return to the fortress?”

  “Outside Faln. If you e out alone, I’ll know. I’ll find you.”

  “Uood.”

  The return taln was swift. Without the need for stealth or trag, Kayvaan pushed himself to his limit, sprinting through the jungle. He covered the distan a single day.

  As soon as he ehe meeting room, Elizabeth greeted him with her usual impatience. “You’re alive? Wonderful. Now tell me, what the hell happened out there? And what was that psychic explosion that disrupted our unications?”

  Kayvaan wasted no time, delivering a cise report of the events. “The Eldar have set up a ritual altar,” he cluded. “They’re trying to open a rift.”

  Elizabeth’s expression darkened. “Describe the rift iail.”

  Rather than waste words, Kayvaan pulled up the photos he had taken and projected them onto the s. Elizabeth studied them in silence, her brow furrowed. After a long pause, she exhaled. “This isn’t as bad as it could be.”

  Kayvaan's frown deepened. “Not a big deal? That rift will bring Serapheas into this world. Shouldn’t we be panig?”

  Elizabeth crossed her arms, her toter-of-fact. “Because it’s a temporary rift. This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with incursions from the . Every year, Serapheas find ways into realspace—whether through natural tears caused by ic phenomena or the rituals of cultists. But these breaches are usually unstable. Ohe rift closes, Serapheas are forced back. They ’t stay indefinitely. What’s left behind is a corrupted wastend—like spoiled food in a fridge. Open the door, and the smell leaks out. Close it, and the smell lingers but fades with time.” She gestured to the image of the rift. “This crack is unstable. Even with their rituals, it won’t hold for long. I’d wager it’ll colpse within a week. Spa this sector is too stable for a perma breach.”

  Kayvaan wasn’t vinced. “What about the Eldar? Should we trust what they’ve told us?”

  Elizabeth smirked. “Trust them? Of course not. Even if the Eldar you spoke to told the truth, they’d never reveal the whole picture. They’re using us. Their internal flict has spiraled beyond their trol, and now they want us to up their mess.”

  Kayvaan nodded, agreeing with her assessment. “What’s your reendation?”

  Elizabeth tapped her thoughtfully. “We’re always on the back foot when it es to Chaos incursions. We rarely know their full objectives, so we stick to deferategies—fortify key positions, protect critical assets. But there’s nothing here worth defending. My suggestion? Evacuate immediately. Let the Eldar fight their own battle. In a week or two, the rift will colpse on its own. Afterward, we’ll e bad mop up whatever’s left.” She paused, then added, “Oh, and before we leave, capture two Eldar. That’s our inal mission, after all. This is just a border phere’s not even an Imperial y here. Frankly, I don’t uand what Chaos hopes to gain. Maybe Serapheas want to colletiques from that old outpost. Who knows? Either way, let them have it.”

  Kayvaan grinned. “I like it. The 101st Regiment evacuate with us. The Iron Hawk make a few extra trips—five hundred people is nothing for the Ebony Shadow.” Before Elizabeth could respond, the deputy ander of the 101st Regiment, Marlbh, interjected with a forced smile. “I appreciate your offer, Mr. Kayvaan, but we ’t evacuate with you.”

  Kayvaan raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “I’m sure you see for yourself,” Deputy ander Marlbh began, rubbing his hands together nervously, “that the 101st Regiment has suffered greatly. We’ve been battered by a ret battle, and we’re far from bat-ready. Teically, we were seo recive the soldiers a moment to breathe before returning to full operational status. But…” He sighed heavily, his voice tinged with resignation. “Orders are orders. Officially, we’ve been tasked to defend this Imperial border world, Aion. And until those orders ge, we are bound to hold Faln. No matter what.”

  Elizabeth snorted, her gaze flig to the sguns mounted on the wall. “You were already trapped in the fortress by a handful ers. Now you’re supposed to hold this pce against Chaos Serapheas? With what? Those ‘fshlights’?”

  Marlbh bristled but maintained his posure. “Those are not ‘fshlights.’ They are standard-issue sguns of the Imperial Defense Force. They may ck the raw firepower of your fancy onry, but they’ve served tless Guardsmen in defending the Emperor’s realm.”

  For a moment, Elizabeth looked ready to snap back, but she held her tongue, her smirk fading. She said nothing.

  Marlbh exhaled deeply, tinuing. “Even at full strength, the 101st could never hold this fortress against a Seraphea incursion. We’re ordinary men and women, unlike you. We rely on discipline and the Emperor’s orders to stand firm. But we are soldiers. And as soldiers, our duty is to obey, even if it costs us everything.” His gaze hardened as he went on. “I want to live, but my duty is to this fortress. Even if there’s nothing of value here—just a single cursed rock—we will defend it. Serapheas will learn that even for a pebble, we will fight until our st breath. This may seem foolish to you, but we’re not just proteg Aion. We’re defending the honor of Cadia itself.”

  Elizabeth turo Kayvaan, her voice cold and sharp. “Some people have no choice. What about you? What’s your choice?”