His gaze fell to the Watcher's Cover around his neck. It was his only shot, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. Desperation overrode hesitation as he tied it tightly over his eyes. The world dimmed into murky shadows, and then—there. A dense, swirling cloud hovered before him.

  Auron yanked the blindfold off and gripped the controls like they were his last lifeline. "C'mon, c'mon," he muttered through clenched teeth, frantically jabbing at buttons and switches. Nothing. The ship teetered on the edge of the abyss. The metal groaned under its weight.

  As the ship keeled over and began its fall, Auron shoved the blindfold back on. He needed help, now more than ever. The darkened world blurred as shapes melted into one another—except for a lone figure.

  The Unpredictable.

  Leaning casually over the pilot's seat, he was calm, unbothered by the sheer chaos swallowing the ship. His glowing form tilted its head, a hint of amusement glinting in his eyes as he looked past Auron at the chasm ahead.

  "I'm guessing they didn't find my tracking beacon?" the Unpredictable asked, his tone so nonchalant it felt borderline smug.

  "Uh, you think? Duh!" Auron blurted, his voice cracking under the pressure.

  The Unpredictable chuckled, the sound low and warm like he had all the time in the world. "Good. That means we're still in the game."

  "Game?" Auron sputtered, gripping at the edge of the seat as the ship jolted violently. "Pretty sure we're about to die."

  The Unpredictable ignored his outburst, his expression softening into something oddly reassuring. "Relax. I've got this."

  He reached out and squeezed Auron's shoulder—not roughly, but with a force that sent an electric jolt through him. Auron's body froze as his mind flooded with visions. It was like watching a highlight reel of the Unpredictable's most daring maneuvers: narrow escapes, dizzying dogfights, impossibly perfect landings. He felt every adrenaline spike, every moment of razor-sharp focus.

  His senses sharpened as the ship's controls suddenly felt familiar in his hands. It wasn't just knowledge; it was instinct.

  Auron's grip tightened on the controls, the weight of the Unpredictable's presence steadying him. His mind cleared, the panic receding just enough to make room for action. He could feel the ship responding to him now, alive under his touch.

  The Unpredictable straightened, his gaze fixed on the cockpit window. "Time to fly, rookie."

  It was like the Unpredictable was using Auron's body as a conduit. Every move felt alien yet instinctual. His hands danced across the controls with a precision that wasn't entirely his own. The Watcher's Cover pulsed faintly against his skin. Then, as if the universe wanted to test his skill, the first thing that came into focus was the gaping maw of a titanic creature—wide enough to swallow their entire ship in a single bite.

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  "Teeth! Big!" Auron yelled, his voice cracking.

  The beast surged upward, its iridescent scales rippling like liquid metal. Its maw shimmered with energy, glowing faintly as if preparing to vaporize anything that dared to get close. Reacting purely on instinct—or perhaps guided by the Unpredictable—Auron yanked the controls, sending the ship veering sharply upward. The engines roared as they skimmed along the beast's armor-plated spine, so close Auron could see the intricate weapon emplacements embedded in its flesh. Tiny figures darted across its surface, soldiers and mages alike firing at the chaos around them.

  "Flying over a space dragon. This is my life now," Auron muttered, his knuckles white on the controls.

  Despite the turmoil outside, there was an eerie clarity in the cockpit. The battlefield raged, but Auron felt oddly in sync, the Watcher's Cover merging his consciousness with the Unpredictable's. His movements were precise, deliberate, and perfectly timed to evade the blasts of energy and waves of debris ripping through the void.

  The bright light of the artifact's containment unit stole Auron's focus. Below, the planetoid's surface was a churning sea of combat. Ground forces collided in a savage melee, their desperate battle illuminated by discharges of electricity and magic. Auron winced as the containment field gave way, shattering into fragments of energy that dissipated into the chaotic battlefield. The artifact, now exposed, pulsed ominously like a dangerous heartbeat that seemed to count down to something catastrophic.

  That's bad. That's so, so bad, Auron thought, the voice in his head either his own or the Unpredictable's. It didn't matter. What mattered was the overwhelming sense that time had just run out.

  "Keep climbing!" the Unpredictable snapped.

  "Wasn't planning on stopping!" Auron shot back, pulling the ship into a steep ascent. The craft shuddered violently, groaning under the strain as it cut through the pandemonium. Enemy fire and debris streaked past, too close for comfort, but somehow Auron weaved through it all.

  The atmosphere thinned, giving way to the infinite black of space. Auron's heart pounded as unending fleets appeared on the horizon, converging on the Vault World from every direction. Every instinct screamed for him to keep running, but the reality of the artifact's collapse loomed behind him like a dark promise.

  Then, it happened.

  A crack split across the fabric of reality, jagged and unnatural, clawing outward like a hammer striking a sheet of ice. Space itself warped and twisted with the Vault World at its epicenter. Auron yanked up the ship's display, watching in disbelief as the planet began to swell. Its core brightened until it outshone the surrounding chaos.

  "Uh oh," Auron muttered, his voice trembling. He slammed his hand down on the hyperdrive controls. "Get me out of here!"

  The Vault World erupted into a blinding supernova, a tidal wave of obliteration radiating out in all directions. Auron's ship lurched violently, chunks of its outer hull tearing away under the force. The cockpit lights flickered, and warning alarms blared in a relentless cacophony.

  "C'mon! Move!" Auron screamed, gripping the controls with everything he had. The ship's frame groaned as it stretched toward hyperspace, the nova's fiery tendrils nipping at its tail.

  The last thing Auron saw was the blackness of the void giving way to the unbearable brilliance of the explosion. With his teeth clenched in defiance, he let out a final, unheard scream into the unrelenting darkness.