Edwin Lunar Chapter 60: The Devourer's Shadow

Read chapter 60 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The beam of silver light continued rising from the First Gate. Deep beneath Lunar Dominion Academy, ancient Orion machinery roared to life as systems that had remained dormant for centuries awakened one after another. Edwin stood frozen before the gateway. The final words of Wingard Lunar echoed through his mind. Its name is the Devourer. The chamber felt colder now. Heavier. Even the Astral Keeper appeared unsettled. Commander Vael stepped toward the holographic map left behind by Wingard. "The Devourer isn't a myth." Everyone looked at him. Humming folded his arms. "You've encountered evidence of it?" Vael nodded. "During the final years of the Great War." The map shifted. Ancient records appeared. Broken star systems. Entire regions of space erased from navigation charts. Not destroyed. Gone. As if they had never existed. Carl stared at the display. "...How does something erase a star system?" Nobody answered. Because nobody knew. Meanwhile, far beyond Noroel— In one of the outer Dominion colonies— A patrol fleet drifted silently through empty space. The crew had been responding to reports of strange signals. The captain sat calmly in the command chair. "Any sign of Void activity?" A technician shook his head. "Nothing, Captain." Then the sensors failed. Every screen went black. The ship became silent. No alarms. No warnings. Nothing. The stars outside the windows vanished. One by one. The captain slowly stood. "What happened?" Then they saw it. A shadow. Not a ship. Not a creature. A darkness larger than entire moons moving silently through space. The fleet transmitted one final message before disappearing. Unknown entity detected... Retreat... Retreat immediately... The signal ended. Back on Noroel, Orion Team gathered inside a private briefing room. The atmosphere was tense. For once, even Carl wasn't joking. The holographic projection of the Final Expanse floated above the table. Broken gateways. Ancient Orion routes. Danger zones marked in red. And at the center— The Final Gateway. The place where Edlin Lunar was trapped. Iris adjusted the projection. "The route is incomplete." Lucien frowned. "Meaning?" "Meaning Orion never finished mapping the Expanse." Carl groaned. "So we're planning to travel beyond reality using an unfinished map." "Correct." "Wonderful." Edwin almost smiled. Almost. His thoughts remained fixed on one thing. His mother. For years, he had believed she was gone forever. Now he knew she was alive. Waiting. And for the first time since childhood— Hope felt real. That night, Edwin couldn't sleep. The ring pulsed softly on the desk beside him. Moonlight streamed through the academy dormitory window. The campus below was quieter than usual. Military patrols moved through the streets. Defense cannons pointed toward the sky. Everyone was preparing for war. Suddenly— The ring glowed. Silver light filled the room. Edwin sat upright immediately. A familiar voice echoed inside his mind. Edwin. His heart skipped. "Mother?" Silence. Then: Not yet. The voice wasn't Edlin. It was the friendly Void being. The one who had helped him in Sector Three. A vision formed around him. Stars. Darkness. A place between realities. The being stood before him. Its glowing eyes looked troubled. The balance is changing. Edwin stepped forward. "What happened?" The being raised one hand. A new image appeared. Thousands of Void entities retreating through giant gateways. Running. Not invading. Running. Edwin's eyes widened. "They're afraid." The being nodded. The Devourer moves again. A chill ran through him. Even the Void feared this thing. When it awakens fully... It consumes everything. The vision shifted. Galaxies vanished. Stars collapsed. Entire civilizations disappeared into darkness. Not destroyed. Consumed. As if existence itself was being eaten away. Edwin felt sick. "What is it?" The being's answer came quietly. We do not know. Silence followed. Then the being looked directly into Edwin's eyes. But it is searching for som