The Last Spark

The hum of the ship faded as it touched down in the heart of Sehr’mana’s village. The jungle opened into a sanctuary of living nature—homes woven from vines, suspended among the towering trees, bathed in a soft bioluminescent glow. Children with wide, curious eyes stared at the strange vessel, while adults approached cautiously, gripping long spears of carved wood.
Isabella stepped onto the ground, stunned.
— "It’s… beautiful," she murmured. "Like a sanctuary."
— "A sanctuary that will burn if we do nothing," Matt replied as he climbed down.
No sooner had he spoken than a rough voice rang out from the crowd.
— "Who dares return here after being banished?"
An elder stepped forward, his shoulders weighted with authority, worn down by resentment. He was the village chief—the one who had once pronounced Sehr’mana’s exile.
— "You no longer belong here, mushtaka! You—"
He never finished. Sehr’mana, standing tall, struck him across the face.
— "This is no time for your grievances, K’harran. The danger is real."
The old man staggered, eyes wide. Isabella whispered to Sébastien:
— "She just went up in my esteem."
The murmurs died as Sehr’mana strode into the central square. Her voice, deep and resonant, carried beyond the treetops.
— "The Drakomites are coming. And they are not alone. They have human weapons. Entire villages have already fallen."
Faces tensed. The elders nodded slowly, recognizing the signs. The uneasy silence turned to listening.
Matt stepped forward, his gaze steady. He spoke Shivenar so fluently that he could have been mistaken for a native.
— "I am human, yes. But I am not here to harm you. I have a plan to neutralize their weapons… to give you a fighting chance."
He gestured toward the ship behind them.
— "An electromagnetic bomb. If we get it to the heart of their camp, they’ll be defenseless."
The villagers, impressed, chose to trust them. They gathered in the leaders’ tent.
Isabella and Sébastien unfolded their equipment—tactical maps, topographical data, vulnerability analyses. Sébastien pointed.
— "We can flank them using the forest. If they lose their technological advantage, your terrain will once again become your strength."
A murmur of hope rippled through the crowd.
Matt exchanged glances with Sehr’mana and his friends. Despite exhaustion, he saw a fire burning in their eyes.
He turned to the villagers.
— "I know this jungle. I’ve lived in it, bled in it. It is ruthless… but it protects its own. If we join forces, we have a chance."
Quickly, the village sprang into action. Under Sehr’mana’s orders, traps were set in the trees, passageways dug, foliage-walls woven to conceal weak points.
Matt and Sébastien applied their military knowledge to reinforce natural defenses. Wooden barricades were raised, makeshift watchtowers built among the branches.
A sound from the forest echoed through the camp—it was Sehr’mana, returning with others.
— "We are not alone," she announced. "The Voskovians have agreed to help us. Former rivals have become allies. Today, we fight for the same thing—survival."
Night fell, cloaking the village in a blue glow.
— "The plan is simple," Matt summarized in a low voice. "We, the humans, leave at dawn. We infiltrate their camp and plant the device. Once the electromagnetic field is activated, the Drakomites will have nothing but their brute strength. Then, it’s your turn."
— "And you?" Isabella asked. "Do you plan on making it back alive?"
— "I plan on saving her," Matt murmured, eyes fixed on Sehr’mana. "Everything else is secondary."
Meanwhile, in the military base, Ken and Clara stood in the center of a courtyard, lit by blinding floodlights. Dozens of soldiers encircled them, silent.
General Ledger approached with measured steps, his expression unreadable.
— "Final words?"
Clara clenched her fists, then lifted her gaze to the soldiers. Her voice rang out—sharp and resolute.
— "You were trained to defend humanity. But look around you… is that still what we’re doing?"
A tense silence. Then she pointed at the general.
— "This man has chosen to sacrifice an entire planet for Xenium. For what? To repeat the same mistake we made on Earth?"
Ken added.
— "Matt risked his life to save a native. To do what none of us would have had the courage to do. That is what it means to be human."
Glances were exchanged. Hands hesitated. Then, suddenly, one soldier lowered his weapon. Another followed.
A fracture had formed. Two sides emerged.
Clara stepped forward, eyes locked onto the general.
— "You can still change. You can still make the right choice. All you need… is a single spark of humanity."
Ledger remained still, silent. In his eyes, a storm was brewing.
That night, Sehr’mana came to find Matt.
She urged him to leave with his friends.
— "Thuu va gomkas’ dava Kuu." This is no longer your fight.
But Matt reassured her. He had promised to help, and he would see it through.
They kissed—gently, yet deeply. In that moment, all their love crystallized into a single instant.
The sun of Elora rose over a sky of amber and mist. Matt’s ship soared above the canopy, carrying with it the hopes of a people.
On the ground, in the sacred silence of the jungle, Sehr’mana raised her fist.
— "Prepare yourselves. Today, we do not fight to live. We fight to deserve to live."