Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent! - Chapter 458

Chapter 458: Turning back
Alex’s heart raced as the oppressive fog tried to choke out the last remnants of clarity.

He couldn’t afford to lose it—not now.

He stood frozen in place for a split second, a battle waging within him, as the cold metal walls of the cockpit seemed to close in.

The whispers of doubt clawed at his mind, but that deeper voice, the one that had screamed in defiance, surged with renewed strength.

Without hesitation, he bolted toward the ship’s control panel, his fingers trembling as they danced across the console.

The ship’s hum, steady in warp, filled the silence, but in Alex’s mind, the sound felt louder—an unrelenting reminder of the direction they were headed.

Away from the truth.

Away from Gorath.

“No!”

Alex muttered through gritted teeth.

“I need to go back!”

He slammed his hand down on the manual override, the ship lurching as its velocity slowed.

The stars that had been streaking past the viewport abruptly halted, and for a moment, everything felt still, too still.

His breath came in ragged gasps as the silence of space pressed against him, broken only by the faint hum of the ship.

With a sudden, shaking command, he barked at the ship’s AI.

“Turn the ship around! Set a course back to the Telorn system—back to Gorath.”

The AI’s calm, monotonous voice responded.

“Captain, returning to the Telorn system without proper clearance—”

“Override!”

Alex snarled, his voice rising with urgency.

“We’re going back, and I don’t care about clearance. This is a priority. Now, turn us around!”

The console flickered for a moment, and then the course was recalculated.

The stars outside began to shift, realigning as the ship turned back toward the Telorn system, and more importantly, Gorath.

His pulse pounded in his ears, but for the first time in days, something felt… right.

Alex slumped back into his chair, but the relief was short-lived.

He knew that in moments of clarity, he would continue second-guessing himself.

The fog could return, insidious, poisoning his resolve.

He had to prevent that from happening.

“King.”

He said, his voice low but resolute.

“I want you to lock me out of the system.”

“Captain?”

The AI responded, a hint of uncertainty in its otherwise even tone.

“Lock me out of all manual control until we reach the Telorn system.”

He ordered.

“Add an extra few days as a buffer. I don’t trust my judgement right now, but I know this is the right course. Don’t let me change it. Don’t let me touch anything. Not until we’re there.”

There was a pause, a calculating silence as the AI processed the request.

“Understood, Captain.”

It finally said.

“You will be locked out of all controls until arrival in the Telorn system. Estimated time: five days, including buffer.”

As soon as the AI confirmed the order, Alex felt a surge of panic.

He wanted to trust his own decision, but the fog in his mind was relentless, always circling, waiting for its chance to pull him under again.

What if he was wrong?

What if he was sending them back into a trap?

No.

He couldn’t think like that.

The ship hummed to life again as it entered warp, speeding them toward Gorath.

Alex sat in his chair, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrests.

He was locked out now.

There was no turning back.

His thoughts flickered to Mira, her coldness, the distance that had grown between them ever since they had left Gorath.

Had she noticed the changes, too?

Or had she embraced the shift, become one with it?

The silence of the cockpit felt suffocating, and Alex’s mind was once again a battleground between certainty and doubt.

His heartbeat was the only thing grounding him, keeping him tethered to the reality he was clinging to.

He closed his eyes, the weariness of it all threatening to overtake him, but he couldn’t rest.

Not now. He had five days—five long, agonising days before they returned to the planet that had started it all.

He just hoped he was strong enough to face whatever awaited them there.

As the ship raced toward Gorath, Alex felt the fog encroach again, but this time, he was ready for it.

He clung to that single spark of defiance, the whisper of truth that had cut through the confusion.

He wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Not again.

Not until he knew for sure what Gorath had done to them—and why.

***

Mira sat in her chambers, staring blankly at the dimly lit screen of her console.

The isolation of space had become something of a comfort to her—a quiet reprieve from the chaos that had consumed her life ever since they left Gorath.

But even in the silence, there was no peace.

There hadn’t been for a long time.

Something inside her had shifted.

She felt it, but couldn’t name it.

A coldness had settled into her bones, a distance that separated her from everything and everyone, even Alex.

He had noticed.

He had to have.

But he hadn’t said anything.

Neither had she.

Mira leaned back in her chair, her fingers tracing the edges of the console.

A faint vibration thrummed beneath her feet, the steady pulse of the ship’s engines in warp—a sound she had grown accustomed to.

Then suddenly, the ship jerked, lurching forward as the hum abruptly stopped.

The stillness that followed felt deafening.

Mira shot up from her chair, her instincts immediately on high alert.

“What the hell…?”

She whispered, her mind clearly racing.

They were in the middle of warp.

Stopping now was dangerous.

Her hand flew to the wall, steadying herself as the ship groaned under the sudden deceleration.

Just as quickly as the engines had cut out, they roared back to life, and the familiar sensation of the ship accelerating once more filled the chamber.

Mira narrowed her eyes, her muscles tensing as suspicion settled over her.

Why had the ship stopped?

And why so suddenly?

She turned on her heel, making her way toward the door to the cockpit.

She needed to check on Alex, to find out what was going on.

Her hand reached for the control panel to open the door, but nothing happened.