The void of space stretched infinitely above him, a silent abyss dotted with the cold shimmer of distant stars. The wreckage of the ship — the one he had barely escaped from-was nothing more than debris scattered among the heavens, left to drift endlessly. He had survived. Somehow. But at what cost?

The force of reentry burned against his battered body as he plummeted toward Earth, limbs too torn and weakened to stabilize his descent. His crimson eyes, half-lidded with exhaustion, remained locked on the night sky, watching as the stars blurred together, their glow distant... unattainable. He could feel the searing pain from his wounds, the sharp sting of open gashes, the deep ache in fractured bones. It should have been enough to silence him. To make him close his eyes and surrender. At least, it would’ve been if he was mortal.

But he wasn’t.

With a violent crash, Shadow struck the ground, the impact splitting the earth beneath him, sending dust and debris into the air. He lay there, motionless, the weight of his injuries anchoring him to the cold soil. His chest rose and fell in slow, labored breaths, each inhale sharp, each exhale heavier than the last.