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With eight functional ships remaining, Beacon’s pilots gather sunheart shards and launch. Nomad rides on Dawnchaser’s deck as the convoy pushes hard to stay within the mountain’s shrinking shadow while dawn melts the peaks. A water-tower transport lags, threatening to fall into open sunlight.

Spotting a fragment of his lost armor, Nomad gauges his remaining Skip capacity and sprints ship-to-ship to reach the straggler. As the sun crests, he manifests Auxiliary as an enormous shield powered by a sunheart, absorbing the first blast of dawn and sheltering the entire ship until it regains the shadow. Drained to emptiness, he collapses.

Recovering, Nomad notes the sunlight’s force is drawn into the planet like an electric current, explaining Canticle’s melting surface and sunheart charging. The convoy reaches night safely, landing beneath ringlight to offer a communal, tearful prayer. Contemplation quietly thanks Nomad for saving them.

The Greater Good—Compassion, Contemplation, and Confidence—summon Nomad. He shares his birth name, Sigzil, and his chosen name, Nomad. They declare he now belongs with Beacon, bestowing the name “Zellion,” after the original Lodestar, meaning One Who Finds. Nomad accepts, acknowledging the Intent behind their words.

In turn, every Beaconite touches him, gifting slivers of warmth Investiture; though meager in units, it feels profound after his depletion. Revitalized, Nomad—now Zellion—confirms he has a plan to reach the Refuge, then asks for a moment to gather himself, which Compassion grants.