"The Hive’s vanguard has cleared the lunar orbit," Morgan reports, her voice tight. "They are decelerating rapidly and pulling back toward the Oort cloud. They aren't leaving the solar system, but they are establishing a perimeter at the edge of the heliosphere."
"They’re analyzing," Lilith says, her voice carrying the weight of centuries. "The Hive is a distributed consciousness. It does not feel fear. It feels data. It just learned that this planet possesses a physical amplifier—Asher—and a magical blueprint—Elara. It is currently processing how to counter both."
General Croft leans forward, her military bearing rigid. "Luna Isla, with respect, my government needs to know what the hell we just fought. Those weren't drones. They were geometric constructs of negative mass. They ate our r
