Chapter 8: Rising Currents

Chapter 8: Rising Currents

The atmosphere inside the command deck was heavy, filled with an unspoken tension that made every breath feel measured.

Just as Shane was processing the woman's last words, the sound of boots echoed across the chamber.

The owner of Pegasus had arrived.

He was a tall man with a powerful frame, his Federation uniform pressed to perfection. His chest bore the insignia of a Third Order warrior, a level of strength that made him a force to be reckoned with.

The moment he stepped in, he snapped into a formal salute.

"Commander Lorne." His voice was steady, unwavering.

She did not return the salute. She didn’t even look at him properly.

Just a glance. A brief flick of silver eyes—so quick, so dismissive, it was almost humiliating.

Shane, standing silently, felt the shift in the air.

"She didn’t acknowledge him. Not properly."

This wasn’t arrogance. It was something deeper—a gap in status so vast that the salute didn’t even warrant a response.

And the Pegasus owner knew it.

His posture stiffened slightly, but he said nothing.

Shane observed every small detail.

"This woman… just how high is her true status?"

A part of him was curious, but another part—the rational, survival-driven part—told him not to dig too deep. Not yet.

An Unexpected Order

Commander Lorne finally spoke again, her voice calm but commanding.

“I will be in charge of escorting you all to the Academy.”

Murmurs spread among the surrounding officers, but no one questioned her.

She continued, “Since I am headed there myself, this arrangement is convenient.”

Then, she turned her attention fully to Shane, locking him in place with her gaze.

“You will pilot your own warship. I will lead the way.”

His heart skipped a beat.

"She wants me to fly separately?"

His mind raced through possibilities. Was she testing him? Or was there another reason?

Whatever the case, he knew one thing—this was a direct order.

A Sudden Breakthrough

Shane returned to his warship, his thoughts tangled.

As soon as he stepped inside, something shifted.

His neural link with the ship deepened, a sensation like a thousand invisible threads tightening between his mind and the vessel.

Then, an alert flashed across his vision.

> Warship Core Reactivation in Progress…

Warship Level Increased

Level 0 → Level 6

His breath caught in his throat.

"What?"

He had just bonded with this ship yesterday. There was no logical reason for it to jump six entire levels in an instant.

A normal awakener would take months—years—to push their ship past even Level 1.

Yet here he was, bypassing the standard process entirely.

Shane’s eyes darted across the interface, scanning for an explanation. Then, he saw it—

> Core Synchronization: 37%

Awakened Status: Unstable

"Core Synchronization?"

It wasn’t just the warship leveling up—it was him.

The moment the realization hit, he felt his own body react.

A heat spread through his veins, an electric surge of Psionic Energy flooding every cell.

Something inside him was changing.

Driven by instinct, he rushed to the cultivation chamber—a sealed room where awakened individuals could refine their Psionic Energy.

The second he sat down, the energy inside him erupted.

His neural link to the warship pulsed violently, his body trembling under the pressure.

> First Order—Stage Two.

The pressure didn’t stop.

> Stage Three.

Stage Four.

His breath came in ragged gasps.

This wasn’t normal.

No awakener progressed this fast. No warship responded this way.

And yet, the energy inside him continued to build—until, finally, it settled.

> First Order—Stage Six.

A New Reality

Shane clenched his fists, feeling the raw power coursing through his muscles.

This wasn’t a prophecy. It wasn’t a gift from the future.

It was his power. His warship. His reality.

And now, he needed to figure out what it all meant.

Because whatever was happening to him—

It was just the beginning.

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