Azazel’s mind raced, calculating the sheer power required for such an effortless display. His psychic senses caught faint ripples of energy radiating from the being—controlled, focused, unrelenting.
His eyes narrowed as the being disappeared into the corridor, the faint chime of his movements fading.
For a moment, the room was still, save for the soft hum of the machinery.
Exhaling, he let go of his invisibility and hung his head to catch his breath and regain his strength.
JR14 whispered in his ear, his tone sharp and analytical. “Opinion: current intervention is not advisable.”
Azazel nodded and straightened. “Agreed,” he murmured. His gaze lingered where the pod used to be, a flicker of awe at the Krystalii’s strength warred with his hardening resolve. “Inform your father, JR10, that the Krystalii are already here in our dimension.” He didn’t dare communicate with his older brother, Adapa, telepathically on the chance the Krystalii would pick it up. “And that we are going to infiltrate their mothership. Send whatever schematics you can to aid them.”
“Affirmative,” confirmed JR14. “I will apprise you upon completion of my communication.”
In the meantime, Azazel closed his eyes and concentrated on formulating a viable plan to not only rescue Toni but get them out of the forbidding psychic mothership.
Azazel managed to teleport inside the docking bay on the Krystalii mothership while keeping himself invisible. Glancing around to make sure no one saw him, he scurried through a closing doorway. Because the walls were composed of clear crystals, glass, and mirrors, he watched the Ozevroc ship float back into space, empty and free. His heart thundered at the narrow escape. If he hadn’t left when he did, he’d be stuck on that floating ship, far from where he needed to be.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he paused and took in his surroundings. The purity of the oxygen was a pleasant surprise, even with its strange, subtle scent. It reminded him of damp stones after a rainstorm with a faint mineral-like undertone. Not seeing or sensing anyone around, he released the tension between his shoulders, satisfied he was as safe as possible. At least for now.
The corridor stretched out, the crystal walls a mesmerizing blend of cool blues, deep purples, and ghostly whites with vein-like streaks of colored glass under dim, pulsing lights. Since he was at a dead end, he turned around and moved the other way. As his feet touched the ground, the colors on the floor shifted and shimmered, creating a kaleidoscope of corresponding hues where his feet touched. The surrounding silence was dense, like a weight pressing against his senses. The only sound was a faint hum of energy that radiated through the crystalline walls. The shifting shadows and fractured reflections made him feel both boundless and claustrophobic.
He strengthened the block on his psychic senses.
JR14’s metal limbs clung to Azazel’s shoulder, the spider-like AI turning his red-and-gold body to survey their surroundings. A faint whir signaled he was analyzing the area. “Environmental parameters indicate an 84% risk of immediate detection if we proceed in this direction. Conclusion: The direct path is statistically unwise. Suggest optimizing stealth through evasive patterns.”
Azazel’s mouth curved into a grin as he whispered back, “Noted. That’s what we’ll do, then.” Taking in the surroundings, he adjusted his psychic energy to blend in with the surroundings. Hopefully, he wouldn’t stand out since he let go of his invisibility shield to save energy. With each step, he kept alert as his gaze swept over the corridors, every muscle tuned to potential threats. The crystal walls reflected distorted versions of him and JR14—flickers of movement that vanished as quickly as they appeared, creating a chilling spectral mirage.
With every step, he sensed her—Toni. The thread was faint, but familiar. The psychic echo he’d first touched of her at FiPan, and then again on the Ozevroc ship, remained locked in his mind. Her unique signal tugged him in a specific direction.
“I sense the woman is close,” he whispered to JR14. He narrowed his focus to the psychic trace. Her energy threads wove through the corridors like a shimmering web, pulling him deeper into the ship’s heart.
JR14’s wings flicked open before retracting. “Survival probability is now at 54.3% if you continue this course. Recommendation: revise our approach to ensure continued existence.” JR14’s tone was blunt.
Azazel’s brow lifted. “Are you suggesting we abandon the reason we’re here in the first place?”
“Negative. Suggesting an alternative operation. However, a recalculated direction may yield a better outcome on the current course.”
Azazel’s only reply was a single, low chuckle as he continued forward.
A thrum of energy shifted around him, as if the ship’s crystalline walls reacted to his physical presence. He stopped and steadied his breath, which gave him a chance to reach deep inside to mask his energy, except for the minuscule hold he had on the woman. But with the perceived outside threat, his inner demon started to struggle, trying to emerge.
Dammit!He didn’t have time for this. This, what he called his inner beast, rose at the worst times and wrestled him for dominance. A flicker of unease surged as Azazel struggled with it once again.
The effort to suppress the beast took its toll, draining him mentally and physically until his hands trembled. Since he’d stepped onto this alien ship, it was harder to cage the thing clawing inside him. For some reason, being here made his inner beast stir harder. Hungry, angry, and ready to break free. That he couldn’t allow—not here, not now. If he lost control, he wouldn’t just destroy himself, he’d end up costing Toni her life. Her fate depended on him. And if anything happened to her because of him, he couldn’t live with that.
If he was honest with himself, his greatest fear was that this uncontrollable part of him would cause unmitigated horror and destruction, and in the process, he would lose himself forever. It was a fear he’d never shared with anyone, especially not his brothers.
Throwing his shoulders back, Azazel tightened his resolve. Failure was not an option. Not for him, and not for what had to be done.
Narrowing his gaze, Azazel turned his concentration on what was in front of him. Ahead, the lights dimmed, and the corridor narrowed as the surrounding shadows stretched in distortion. Daring to snake a small thread of his psychic tendrils ahead, he caught on to marching footsteps in the distance. Sounded like it could be a contingent of the ship’s guards. Too bad dulling his own psionic energy made it hard to tune in to others, which forced him to rely on JR14’s non-organic abilities.
“Alert.” JR14 noted in a soft hum. His wings buzzed before settling on his shoulder. “Three Krystalii on a westward trajectory in this direction. Suggest proceeding with caution. Even with your psionic safeguards in place, the probability of interception remains at 42%. Deviate from current course to avoid detection.”
Azazel nodded. JR14 was right. He’d better go in a different direction. “Please analyze the best route we should take.”
“Affirmative.” “I will connect to the ship’s schematics and analyze several outcomes to determine the best course, as well as confirming where they are containing the human woman. Stand by.”
Resting his hand against the cool crystal wall, Azazel waited, perfectly still, until he sensed the guards fading away. A small bead of sweat rolled down his temple. While his general nature was to embrace silence and stillness, doing so during this dangerous situation without accessing his strong psychic senses tested his faith in his abilities. Especially since being here was the first time in his life he was alone. Even when the Akurn scientists did their separate experiments on him away from his brothers, they were only a thought away. Best of all, they had a contingency plan in place if things ever got to the point they couldn’t survive whatever was being done to them. If any of them faced death, all five of them would disappear at the same time, teleporting far away from the Akurn base.
