Eventually, the rock gave way to ancient, deep blue stone, the substance that made up most of the Soleran landscape beneath all the ice and snow. As they journeyed deeper underground, Andi began to notice rough carvings on the walls, driven deep into the stone by hands long since buried in the grave.

“I haven’t been to this planet in years,” Dex said. “But we studied all the planetary systems in Guardian training. I never knew there were tunnels like this one on Solera.”

“Every planet has their secrets,” Andi said, thinking of the hidden tunnels within Averia that she’d learned of when she became Kalee’s Spectre. How much her life had changed, since those days.

The symbols on the stone walls only grew in number as they walked, until they came upon fresher carvings gouged deep into the blue. Spidery etchings, arrows leading downward, words scratched in a language that Andi had never seen. They looked like constellations, and yet they were different, somehow.

As if someone had swapped the angle of the Godstars.

Andi reached out a hand, inexplicably drawn to the images.

“The boss doesn’t like the carvings being touched,” Soyina said. “The boss doesn’t even like people looking at them, actually. Art is a private thing. Even more so when it’s been your greatest companion for so many years.”

“Where are these symbols from?” Andi asked, running her fingertips over them, as if she hadn’t heard Soyina’s warning—or didn’t care about it.

Soyina sighed, but didn’t scold her further. “Patience, my dear. Answers will soon follow.”

As if in response, a voice called out from the darkness. “Back so soon? And with stragglers, I see.”

The tunnel finally came to an end at a heavy silver door, nestled into the rock and firmly shut. On its front was an archaic keypad, the kind that only existed in stories of a time long before the Cataclysm. A blue lantern, housing the same cool flames from the ice pub on the surface above, hung beside the door, revealing the fact that no one was there.

But the voice had come from someone other than Andi, Dex or Soyina. For a moment, Andi assumed it was just an external com.

Then the voice spoke again, loud and clear, only a pace from her. “Where’s Klarisa?”

Dex yelped as a young woman suddenly materialized before the door, like a spirit from another world. She wore a tight-fitting suit of purple and black, her curves outlined for all to see. Her hair was a perfect mixture of metallic strands interwoven with natural brown, bangs splitting the two right down the center of her forehead.

Andi had reached for her swords at the woman’s sudden appearance, but slowly lowered her hands when Soyina nodded in greeting. “Klarisa sent them.”

“As she does,” the girl acknowledged. She grinned at Andi with all her teeth.

Then disappeared entirely.