Test story

The rain never really stopped on Caelum. It just thinned into a heavy mist that made the neon signs bleed together in the puddles.

Elara adjusted her collar against the damp air. She held the small, metallic orb tightly inside her coat pocket.

It was humming against her palm.

"You shouldn't have brought that here."

Kael stepped out from the deep shadow of an abandoned noodle stand. His coat was slick with rain, and his eyes were locked on her pocket.

"I didn't have a choice. The archive is compromised."

"Then we're both targets now."

The interior of Kael's ship smelled like ozone and old coffee.

Elara placed the orb gently on the navigation console. It pulsed with a soft, azure light, casting long shadows across their faces.

"Do you know how to open it?" she asked.

Kael leaned in. His calloused fingers traced the faint, glowing seams on the artifact's surface.

"Not yet."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because I know who does."

Chips and salsa