The air aboard the *Vespera* tasted like static, sharp and metallic, as Captain Mira Voss adjusted the visor of her helmet. Outside the viewport, the planet Eos-9 loomed—a sapphire sphere veiled in swirling bands of violet mist. It had been…
Dr. Veyra’s breath fogged the glass as she leaned closer, her gloved fingers trembling. The subject—Kael Vorn, the reclusive biologist—lay still beneath the sterile lights of the containment chamber, his skin a patchwork of shifting hues. The lab hummed with…
## The Static Bloom The air tasted like ozone and old pennies. Not sharp, metallic, but *layered* – a taste that clung to the back of your throat. I adjusted the regulator on my breather mask, the hiss a small…
## The Bloom Room The chipped Formica tabletop felt cold under Elara’s elbows. Steam rose from her mug, smelling faintly of lavender and something metallic, like old pennies. She traced the rim with a fingertip, watching the condensation bead. Six…