Chapter 15: The Signal Trap
They emerged from hyperspace above a dying planet—a scorched wasteland once known as Aezra IV. Bai Ling's voice was tight. "There's a signal down there. Guardian tech."
Li Yan leaned forward. "More answers?"
"Maybe. Or a trap."
The ship shuddered as static surged across the screen. Bai Ling slammed her hand into the console. "Something's jamming us—"
Before she could finish, red lights flooded the cockpit. Six ships blinked into existence behind them—stealth class, predatory, and fast.
Bounty hunters.
"They found us."
---
Chapter 16: Burn and Crash
The lead ship opened fire. Plasma rounds screamed past their hull, searing the atmosphere. Bai Ling yanked the controls. "Hold on!"
Li Yan was thrown into his seat as the ship spiraled toward the planet's surface. Alarms blared. Fire erupted from the left wing.
"Brace for impact!"
They hit the ground in a crash of metal and heat, plowing through ruined buildings and finally screeching to a stop inside a half-collapsed dome.
Smoke hissed from the vents.
Li Yan coughed. "We… alive?"
"Barely," Bai Ling growled, already scanning for weapons. "They'll be here in minutes."
Outside, shadows moved through the dust.
---
Chapter 17: Vorr Descends
Vorr stepped out of his sleek black cruiser, pulling his hood over his chrome mask. He walked slowly, the dust parting like smoke around him.
"They're inside."
His team nodded. Four hunters spread out in perfect silence. Each bore marks of previous kills—lasers etched into armor, bones wired into weapons.
Vorr cracked his knuckles.
"I want the boy breathing. The girl—dismembered."
---
Chapter 18: Battle in the Ruins
Inside the dome, Li Yan held a plasma blade in shaking hands. "I don't know how to use this."
"You don't need to," Bai Ling said, her own weapon glowing. "Just follow my lead."
The walls burst inward. Two hunters leaped in, firing stun rounds. Bai Ling spun, slicing one mid-air while kicking the other into a rusted beam.
Li Yan ducked, rolled, then accidentally activated the blade's energy surge—sending a hunter flying backward with a blast of blue light.
He blinked. "Did I do that?!"
"Yes. Try not to die doing it again!"
---
Chapter 19: Vorr vs. Bai Ling
Vorr entered last.
He moved like liquid death, blades forming from his wrists, eyes glowing crimson.
Bai Ling stepped forward. "He's mine."
They clashed—steel against shadow, power against precision. Bai Ling moved with elegance, but Vorr was brutal, relentless.
"You were always faster," Vorr snarled, slamming her into a wall, "but I'm not here to win—I'm here to watch you bleed."
She spat blood and fired a shockwave from her palm, sending him crashing into the ceiling.
"Then you should've brought a shovel."
---
Chapter 20: The Power Within
Li Yan ran into a storage chamber, heart pounding, blade pulsing.
A voice echoed.
"Do not run, bearer."
He looked around. The walls shimmered, and suddenly he stood in a white void—face to face with a figure robed in stars.
"You have awakened the Starcore. You cannot resist its call."
"I didn't ask for it!" he shouted.
"But it chose you. And with it comes trial, or extinction."
The figure raised a hand.
"Prove you are worthy."
The glyphs on Li Yan's arm exploded with light.
---
Chapter 21: Starflare
Back in the real world, the ruins lit up with violent blue-white energy. Every screen and weapon flickered.
Vorr turned, suddenly alert. "What—?"
Li Yan stepped from the dust, eyes burning like twin stars. His voice echoed, not just human—but more.
"You wanted the bearer?"
He raised a hand. Energy surged.
"Come and take him."
He released a wave of power that shattered the chamber, lifted Vorr off his feet, and slammed every remaining hunter to the floor.
Then he collapsed, unconscious.
---
Chapter 22: Escape and Echoes
When Li Yan awoke, Bai Ling sat beside him, bruised but alive.
"You nearly killed us all," she said, smirking.
"What happened?"
"You awakened a Starflare. A rare power surge linked to your emotions. You're not supposed to do that… for another five years."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
They limped to the backup shuttle stored in the wreckage. The main ship was beyond repair.
As they took off, Vorr's body stirred beneath rubble—but his mask was gone.
He smiled.
"The boy's becoming interesting."
---
Chapter 23: The Wanted
The bounty was updated.
Subject Li Yan: Status—Starflare confirmed.
Threat Level: Omega.
New Reward: 50 Million Credits.
Across the galaxy, warlords, mercenaries, assassins, and even Federation agents began to whisper one name.
"The Starborn."
Li Yan looked at his reflection in the shuttle window—changed, glowing faintly with unknown power.
"I'm not the same," he whispered.
"No," Bai Ling replied. "You've just been born."