The Harbinger

The sky above Vashti-6 was an endless, swirling expanse of crimson clouds, twisting and writhing in the upper atmosphere like a wound that refused to heal. The air below was dense with heat and humidity, turning the planet’s surface into a fetid swamp. On the horizon, towering alien structures jutted from the ground, the remains of a once-great civilization now long forgotten.

Commander Ilara Ryn stood at the edge of the survey camp, gazing out over the desolate landscape. Her armored suit hummed softly, its environmental filters working overtime to keep her alive in this hostile world. She had seen many strange things in her years as a deep-space explorer, but there was something about Vashti-6 that unnerved her.

The planet was dying. That much was clear.

But it wasn’t the natural death of a world—it felt deliberate.

"Commander, we’ve finished analyzing the last of the relics," said Lieutenant Faro, walking up beside her. His face was hidden behind the visor of his suit, but the weariness in his voice was unmistakable. "There’s no doubt about it. They were wiped out."

"All of them?" Ilara asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Yes. And judging by the readings, it wasn’t long ago. Maybe a century, at most."

Ilara nodded slowly. The expedition to Vashti-6 had started as a routine survey—catalog the remnants of an ancient alien civilization, scan for any remaining technology, then move on to the next dead planet. But this wasn’t the usual slow decline of a species over millennia. Something had exterminated the inhabitants of this world, and done so with chilling precision.

"Any signs of what caused it?" Ilara asked.

Faro hesitated. "No. But the energy readings we’ve been picking up… they’re unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s as if something is still here, dormant, waiting."

Ilara’s gaze drifted to the horizon again, toward the towering spires of the alien ruins. "Keep the team on alert. I want round-the-clock scans of the area."

"Yes, Commander."

As Faro walked away, Ilara couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t alone on this planet. She had felt it the moment they landed—the faintest whisper of something watching them, biding its time.

Later that night, Ilara sat in the dim light of the command tent, poring over the data they had collected so far. The ancient structures on Vashti-6 were vast, reaching deep into the planet’s crust. Whatever civilization had built them had advanced far beyond humanity, mastering energy sources and technologies that defied comprehension.

And yet, despite all their power, they had been utterly eradicated.

A soft chime sounded from her console, and the holographic display flickered to life. It was Dr. Sira Dhari, the team’s chief archaeologist.

"Commander, you’re going to want to see this," Sira said, her voice edged with excitement and fear. "We’ve just uncovered a chamber in one of the lower ruins. It’s… well, it’s best if I show you."

Ilara grabbed her helmet and hurried to the dig site. The ruins loomed in the darkness, their massive stone walls casting eerie shadows in the flickering light of the camp’s torches. Sira was waiting for her at the entrance to one of the excavated tunnels, her face pale with unease.

"We found something down there," Sira said, leading the way. "It’s not like anything we’ve seen before."

The tunnel descended deep into the earth, the walls lined with strange, glowing glyphs that pulsed faintly as they passed. Ilara felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Something about this place felt wrong, like they were disturbing something that had been sealed away for a reason.

They reached the chamber at the bottom of the tunnel, a vast, circular room with a high vaulted ceiling. In the center of the chamber stood a massive obelisk, black as night and covered in intricate carvings. It radiated a strange, dark energy that seemed to hum in the air, making the hairs on Ilara’s arms stand on end.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"We’re not sure," Sira replied, her eyes locked on the obelisk. "But it’s giving off energy signatures unlike anything we’ve ever encountered. It’s almost as if it’s… alive."

Ilara stepped closer to the obelisk, feeling the strange energy wash over her. As she reached out to touch the surface, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her hand stopped just inches from the stone, and for a moment, she thought she could hear whispering—faint, unintelligible voices in the back of her mind.

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath her feet, and the glyphs on the walls flared to life, glowing brightly as the obelisk pulsed with energy.

"What the—" Ilara stepped back, drawing her weapon instinctively.

The obelisk began to emit a low, resonating hum, and the air in the chamber grew thick with tension. The whispers in Ilara’s mind grew louder, more insistent, as if the obelisk was trying to communicate with her.

Then, without warning, the obelisk split open.

A brilliant light burst forth, and from the center of the stone, a figure emerged—tall, humanoid, but not human. Its skin was a deep, metallic black, and its eyes glowed with an intense, otherworldly light. The air around it seemed to warp and bend, as if it existed just slightly out of phase with reality.

Ilara froze, her weapon trained on the being. The rest of the team backed away, their faces pale with shock.

"What… are you?" Ilara asked, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest.

The being looked at her, its eyes locking onto hers with a gaze that seemed to pierce through her very soul.

"I am the Harbinger," it said, its voice echoing in her mind more than her ears. "I have come to deliver a warning."

"A warning?" Ilara repeated, lowering her weapon slightly. "What kind of warning?"

The Harbinger stepped forward, its presence filling the chamber with an overwhelming sense of power. "The beings who once inhabited this world unleashed a force they could not control. They sought to harness the power of the Eternals, but they failed. And now, that same force stirs once more."

Ilara’s heart raced. "What force? What are you talking about?"

The Harbinger’s gaze darkened. "The Eternals. They are beings beyond your comprehension—ancient, malevolent, and unrelenting. They exist outside the bounds of time and space, and once awakened, they will consume everything."

The room seemed to grow colder as the Harbinger spoke, its words sending a chill down Ilara’s spine.

"The civilization here thought they could control them," the Harbinger continued, "but they only succeeded in awakening their wrath. The Eternals annihilated this world, and now they are stirring again."

Ilara took a step back, her mind racing. "Why are you telling us this? Why now?"

The Harbinger’s eyes burned with intensity. "Because you are the next. Your species, your worlds—they are on the brink of awakening the Eternals once more. You must stop, or your fate will be the same as this world’s."

Before Ilara could respond, the Harbinger raised its hand, and a wave of energy washed over the room. The obelisk pulsed one last time before shattering into a thousand pieces, and the Harbinger’s form dissolved into the air, leaving behind only silence.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Ilara stared at the spot where the Harbinger had stood, her mind reeling from what she had just witnessed. The rest of the team stood in stunned silence, the weight of the Harbinger’s warning hanging heavy in the air.

"What do we do now, Commander?" Faro asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ilara clenched her fists, her mind racing. The Harbinger’s words echoed in her head—they are on the brink of awakening the Eternals once more. If the Harbinger was right, humanity was in grave danger. But could they even stop it? How could they fight something so ancient, so powerful?

"We return to the ship," Ilara said finally, her voice hardening with resolve. "We have to warn the others. If there’s any chance we can stop this, we need to try."

But deep down, as they made their way back through the ruins and into the dying light of Vashti-6, Ilara couldn’t shake the feeling that it was already too late.

The Harbinger had come to deliver its warning.

But perhaps the Eternals were already awake.