The cut was clean. Cleo''s energy de hummed faintly as the head of the humanoid creature rolled off its shoulders, a grotesque stench filling the room as thick, ck, mud-like blood oozed from the wound.


    "Shoot them, Sharon." Cleomanded, twisting her body gracefully to avoid the razor-sharp ws of another creature that leapt at her from the corridor.


    To Cleo''s surprise, Sharon reacted immediately. Without hesitation, she raised herser pistol and fired. The searing beam of energy struck the creature squarely in its head, burning a hole clean through its skull.


    The creature copsed to the floor with a heavy thud, its limbs twitching for a moment before going still.


    Sharon''s hands trembled, but her aim was true.


    "Don''t stop! Keep shooting!" Cleo yelled, cutting down another iing creature with a swift swing of her de. The energy de sliced through its torso with ease, the ck sludge sttering across the floor like oil.


    The creatures didn''t stop. They kept crawling in through the door, their sharp limbs ttering against the floor and walls as they pushed forward. Sharon gritted her teeth, firing rapidly at anything that moved. Her shots found their marks, dropping several of the grotesque monsters in quick session.


    But they kepting.


    Cleo moved like a force of nature, her golden eyes glowing with cold focus as she danced through the chaos. Her energy de carved through the creatures with precision, the hum of her weapon punctuated by the sound of Sharon''sser shots.


    After what felt like an eternity, the pile of bodies began to clog the opening in the door. The creatures struggled to push through, but the narrow space worked against them.


    Cleo seized the opportunity, cutting down thest few that managed to squeeze through.


    Finally, the assault slowed to a halt. The pile of mangled, disfigured bodies now blocked the entrance entirely, sealing the medical bay.


    Sharon slumped against a nearby desk, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "What... what are these things?" she asked, her voice shaky. She gave one of the severed heads a small kick, sending it rolling across the floor like a grotesque ser ball.


    Cleo kneeled beside one of the corpses, her expression calm but focused. "I don''t know," she admitted, her golden eyes scanning the creature''s form. "But I''m going to find out."


    She reached for the head of one of the creatures, intending to interface with its organic brain and extract any information she could. But before she could make contact, a sudden, deafening explosion shook the entire cruiser.


    The floor vibrated violently, sending both Sharon and Cleo sprawling to the ground. Medical supplies and debris floated through the air as the ship''s artificial gravity faltered briefly before stabilizing again.


    "What the hell was that!?" Sharon cried, gripping the edge of a desk to steady herself.


    Cleo''s golden eyes darted toward the reinforced medical bay window. Her expression turned grim as she saw the view outside; the cruiser was tilting, its massive frame veering dangerously close to the shimmering, unstable walls of the wormhole.


    Sparks and debris floated around the ship as the faint glow of the engine trails behind them disappeared entirely.


    Her voice was sharp and urgent. "The engines are offline. We''re falling into the wormhole wall."


    Sharon''s eyes widened in horror. "Falling!? What does that even mean? Are we going to—"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Die? Yes. Unless we get to the hangar bay immediately," Cleo interrupted, her calm yetmanding tone snapping Sharon out of her panic. Cleo moved quickly, helping Sharon to her feet.


    "Why the hangar bay? What''s going on!?" Sharon asked, her voice frantic as she grabbed herser pistol and oxygen mask.


    Cleo spoke quickly while scanning the room for supplies. "Without the engines, the ship can''t stay in the center of the wormhole. If it touches the wormhole wall, we''ll be torn apart. The only chance we have is to evacuate and get to a smaller vessel in the hangar bay. Now move!"


    She turned to the medical bay door, which was still partially sealed by the backup systems. "Of course," Cleo muttered under her breath, her voiceced with irritation. She mmed her foot into the bent metal door repeatedly, each kick denting the reinforced material further.


    With a final, powerful kick, the door groaned and bent open just enough for them to squeeze through.


    "Let''s go, Sharon," Cleo said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I''ll control the remaining creatures while we run. Just stay close."


    Sharon nodded, her fear momentarily ovee by Cleo''s confidence. She clutched her pistol tightly and followed Cleo through the door.


    The corridor outside the medical bay was a scene of utter chaos. Dim emergency lights flickered sporadically, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Floating debris and blood smeared the floor, evidence of the carnage that had already unfolded.


    Cleo''s radar pinged faintly in her HUD, disying a new set of iing signals. More creatures, lots of them, were moving rapidly through the ship''s corridors, converging toward their location.


    "They''reing," Cleo said, her voice calm but firm. She crafted a second energy de, holding it in her left hand while her right hand adjusted Sharon''s gravity boots. "You''ll need these to keep your footing. The hull integrity won''t hold for much longer."


    Sharon looked down at the boots, her face pale as she tried to focus on fastening them quickly. "What about you?" she asked.


    Cleo smirked faintly. "I don''t need them. Now let''s move."


    As they ran through the corridor, Cleo moved with precision, her dual des cutting down any creature that crossed their path. Sharon stayed close behind, firing her pistol with surprising uracy whenever one of the creatures got too close.


    The ship groaned ominously as another explosion rocked its frame. The lights flickered again, plunging the corridor into brief darkness before the emergency systems sputtered back to life.


    Sharon nced at Cleo, her voice trembling. "How far is the hangar bay!?"


    Cleo''s golden eyes flickered as she calcted the distance. "Too far forfort," she admitted. "But we''ll make it."


    Suddenly, her radar pinged again, this time showing a massive, fast-moving signal ahead of them.


    Cleo stopped abruptly, holding out an arm to block Sharon''s path. "Wait."


    Sharon froze, her eyes wide. "What is it now?"


    The sound of skittering ws grew louder, echoing through the corridor ahead. Cleo narrowed her eyes, her des humming softly as she readied herself.


    "Something big," Cleo said coldly.


    Cleo''s radar shed ominously in her HUD, the glowing outlines of her enemies bing clearer with each passing second. Apart from the massive signal ahead, she could see smaller ones scattering around it, it were more of those humanoid spider creatures from earlier.


    Her golden eyes narrowed as her internal systems kicked into overdrive. The soft hum of her energy core grew louder, and with a faint shimmer, her beautiful white wings extended outward. Their glowing edges refracted the dim emergency lights, creating an ethereal shield in front of her.


    Sharon, standing just behind Cleo, gripped herser pistol tightly, her eyes darting nervously between the radar and the dark corridor ahead. "What is it now? What''sing this time?"


    Before Cleo could respond, the humanoid spiders emerged at the far end of the corridor, their grotesque forms scuttling along the walls and ceiling. But before Cleo or Sharon could act, the corridor darkened further as something massive appeared behind them.


    A deep, guttural hiss echoed through the air as the creature lunged forward, swallowing two of the humanoid spiders whole in a single, effortless motion. The massive ck serpent glowed faintly, its body sleek and sinuous, covered in glossy ck scales with streaks of luminous green running along its length.


    Two sharp horns protruded from its head, and its glowing green eyes pierced through the darkness.


    But what caught Cleo''s attention the most was the creature''s butterfly-like ears, glowing green and fluttering faintly as it moved.


    The massive serpent paused, its head lowering slightly as it regarded Cleo and Sharon. Its glowing eyes narrowed as if studying them.


    "Wait," Cleo muttered, her eyes widening in sudden realization. She retracted her wings, letting them fold seamlessly back into her body. "So it''s you… Ys, isn''t it? Did you find Carlos?"


    Sharon''s head snapped toward Cleo in shock, her fear momentarily reced by confusion. "Wait—what!? Who are you talking to!?"


    Cleo ignored her, her golden eyes locked on the massive serpent as it began to shrink and shift. The glossy ck scales receded, and its glowing green eyes softened, taking on a more humanoid shape. Within moments, the serpent had transformed into a petite, naked female figure with glowing butterfly wings and pale, wless skin.


    The girl''s wings fluttered softly, their luminous green glow casting a gentle light across the corridor. She stood nonchntly, using her wings to cover her otherwise exposed body as ck clothing materialized across her frame, forming a dark, elegant outfit.


    "Nope," Ys said casually, brushing her long light green hair back as her piercing green eyes met Cleo''s. "When I got to Carlos''s location, these ugly creatures were already there, but there wasn''t a trace of him."


    Sharon, still clutching herser pistol, stared at Ys with her mouth slightly open, her fear now reced by utter disbelief. "What… what are you?" she whispered.


    Ys gave Sharon a yful smirk. "I''m someone who doesn''t like exining things to people who can''t keep up." She nced back at Cleo. "Do you think Carlos is dead?"


    Cleo''s expression remained neutral, though her golden eyes sharpened slightly. "Unlikely. If he was dead, I''m sure we would''ve found his body or parts of it by now. Did you track his scent?"


    Ys nodded, her glowing green wings shifting behind her. "Yeah, I can still smell him. He''s definitely alive. I was following his scent before I ran into you two." She tilted her head slightly, her smirk widening. "Oh, and good job fixing the emergency lights, Cleo. You really outdid yourself this time."


    Cleo shook her head. "That wasn''t me," she said, her voice calm but firm.


    Ys blinked, her expression briefly puzzled. "Huh. Well, that''s… interesting."


    Cleo turned to Sharon, who was still staring at Ys in shock. "We don''t have time to stand around. Follow me. We''re heading to the hangar bay."


    Sharon snapped out of her daze. "Hangar bay? Why?"