They did not head straight for the Raxton location.
That would have been stupid.
Xin knew it. Rion knew it. And somewhere far above the planet, Zane would have laughed if they tried.
Instead, they zigzagged.
Old highways. Collapsed tunnels. Dead cities where maps no longer matched reality. Every stop left a trace just loud enough to be noticed and just messy enough to look unplanned.
Xin wanted Zane curious, not suspicious.
They camped inside the shell of an old transit hub that night. The roof was gone, stars visible through twisted beams. Rion set perimeter sensors using scavenged tech while Xin sharpened a blade that had already seen too much blood.
"You're doing it again," Rion said without looking up.
Xin shrugged. "Doing what."
"Turning yourself into the weapon instead of the plan."
Xin smirked. "Worked so far."
Rion finally looked at him. "It has also nearly killed you every time."
Xin did not answer.
The silence stretched.
"You are not alone anymore," Rion said quietly. "If you rush Zane, Raxton or not, he will tear you apart."
Xin stared at the blade. "I know. That's why I'm not rushing."
Rion nodded. That was enough.
The next day, the message came.
Not through a device.
Through pressure.
The air thickened. Heat climbed for no reason. The horizon shimmered like it was melting.
Xin stopped walking.
"He's close," he said.
Rion's hand tightened around his sword. "Not attacking."
"No," Xin replied. "He's sniffing."
Then the voice came.
Soft. Amused. Everywhere.
"Running already," Zane said. "And here I thought you were braver than that, Xin."
Xin looked up at the empty sky. "You talk a lot for someone who eats people."
Zane laughed. The sound cracked glass miles away.
"I eat what screams best," Zane replied. "You are saving yourself for later. How polite."
Rion stepped forward. "You want us, come down."
"Oh I will," Zane said. "But not yet."
The pressure vanished.
Xin exhaled slowly. "Good. He took the bait."
Rion raised an eyebrow. "That sounded like he was mocking us."
Xin grinned. "Same thing."
By nightfall, they reached the edge of a restricted zone.
No Dive markings. No signs. Just land that felt wrong to step on. Alaric's coordinates pulsed faintly on a handheld device.
"This is it," Rion said.
Xin stared at the ground. "Parents really picked creepy places."
They descended into an underground facility hidden beneath collapsed earth and old shielding. Power flickered on as they entered, ancient systems waking reluctantly.
At the center of the chamber stood it.
Raxton.
Not assembled. Not glowing. Just a frame suspended in a magnetic field, unfinished plates hovering like pieces of a broken god.
Xin stopped breathing for a second.
"That's… it," he said.
"Yes," Alaric's recorded message echoed from the chamber. "If you are hearing this, then everything went wrong. Which means everything went right."
Xin swallowed.
The message continued. "Raxton will not make you invincible. It will only keep you alive long enough to decide who you are."
Rion glanced at Xin. "Heavy."
Xin stepped forward. "Figures."
The lights dimmed.
Far away, Zane hovered above a burning city, eyes glowing brighter.
He smiled.
"They found it."
And this time, he did not wait.