readAloudAudio_chapter97|||||||||clean this chapter up of any formatting / punctuation issues but dont change any text, return only the chapter with CHAPTER number at the start ok here is the chapter. also dont start with any other text just give the chapter back as instructed: "CHAPTER 97: \n\nThe faint hum of the bioluminescent moss pulsed gently, casting an eerie glow on the crumbling stone walls of Kralkis' subterranean depths. Rylan Quinn's gaze lingered on a shattered console embedded in the rock\u2014a relic of a long-forgotten civilization, its cracked screen flickering as if trying to transmit a message from the past. The ruins around him seemed alive, breathing with the weight of history, as if the very stones were witnesses to the impending confrontation.\n\nFrom the shadows, the haunting symphony of the Skurrian people reverberated through the cavern, a mixture of dread and defiance that sent chills down Rylan\u2019s spine. Their voices, echoing from unseen corners, sounded like the earth itself was speaking. He adjusted the cloak around his shoulders, the air growing colder as the depth of the cavern intensified.\n\n\"Do you hear that?\" Doran's voice was a low whisper, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade as his body crouched low to the ground. His ears strained to catch the faint vibrations emanating from beneath the stone. \"They\u2019re close. The Skurrians are moving.\"\n\nRylan glanced at him but said nothing. His thoughts were already far away, torn between the orders he was bound to follow and the gnawing uncertainty about the righteousness of The Order's plans. Every step they took in these caverns brought him closer to a confrontation with Lyra\u2014and closer to the moment he feared most: choosing between duty and empathy.\n\nLyra, standing a few paces away, appeared unbothered by the encroaching danger. Her green eyes, sharp and unyielding, scanned the horizon of the jagged terrain. \"Let them come,\" she said, her voice calm but laden with the weight of command. \"The Skurrians know these lands better than we ever will. But we stand ready.\"\n\nRylan's heart twisted at her words. The Egits had always stood defiant, resisting The Order\u2019s ambitions with every ounce of their strength. Yet, the sheer determination in Lyra's tone resonated within him. She wasn't fighting just for survival\u2014she was fighting for an ideal, a vision of the universe that rejected the cold, calculated designs of The Order.\n\n\"Lyra,\" Rylan finally spoke, his voice quieter than usual, as if he feared the very walls would hear him. \"This isn\u2019t just about us. The Order\u2019s plans... they aren\u2019t just about control. They\u2019re about a cosmic reset. A rebirth that can save countless lives.\"\n\nLyra\u2019s gaze hardened. \"A rebirth?\" She scoffed, the dim light catching the edge of her sharp features. \"You mean destruction. You believe in the artificial, the manufactured. But nature\u2014\" she gestured around the cavern, the moss glowing brighter with each pulse, \"\u2014has its own cycles. You cannot reset what you don\u2019t control.\"\n\nBefore Rylan could respond, the ground beneath them shuddered. A cascade of pebbles tumbled down the side of the ravine, and Doran tensed, his blade half-drawn. From the shadows, figures began to materialize\u2014Skurrian warriors, their bodies cloaked in darkness, their eyes glowing with the same bioluminescence as the moss. Their movements were silent, almost ghost-like, as they emerged from the jagged rock formations, their intricate tattoos glistening in the dim light.\n\nThe leader of the Skurrians, tall and imposing, stepped forward, his staff\u2014carved from sacred heartwood\u2014glowing faintly. His voice, resonant and unwavering, filled the cavern. \"We are the last bastion against The Order\u2019s tyranny. To forsake our ways is to forsake the earth itself.\"\n\nRylan took a step forward, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him. \"I understand your fear,\" he said, trying to keep his tone measured, though his heart raced. \"But fighting in isolation... it won\u2019t save you. It won\u2019t save any of us. Together, we can end the violence. We can find a way.\"\n\nThe Skurrian leader\u2019s eyes narrowed, his suspicion palpable. \"And what way is that, Quinn? Submission to an empire that seeks to erase us? The Order\u2019s vision is one of extinction, not rebirth.\"\n\nBefore Rylan could answer, Salaris, ever the voice of reason, stepped from the shadows. Her presence was serene, cutting through the rising tension. \"We don\u2019t need war,\" she said softly, her eyes scanning the gathered warriors. \"Balance can be achieved without the bloodshed you fear. The cosmos calls for unity, not destruction.\"\n\nDoran\u2019s snort of derision echoed through the cavern. \"Balance? Your Order has brought nothing but chaos. How can we trust you now?\"\n\nRylan\u2019s fists clenched. The tension was rising fast, and he could feel the entire situation teetering on the edge. His thoughts drifted briefly to the nexus gates being constructed across distant planets\u2014gateways capable of teleporting small ships across vast distances, under a hundred light-years. The technology was vital for The Order\u2019s expansion, a promise of hope for new colonies that would sustain humanity.\n\nOne such colony, Thalassa, lay just beyond the horizon of Kralkis, scarred by a cataclysm that had nearly wiped out its people. Its history was steeped in prophecies of doom, warnings that had gone unheeded. And now, as Rylan stood on the edge of his own precipice, he wondered if those same warnings were ringing in their ears.\n\nSuddenly, a movement from above caught Rylan\u2019s eye. He looked up to see a figure descending from the shadows\u2014a man dressed in dark armor, his face obscured by a helmet. Rylan\u2019s pulse quickened. Captain Danger.\n\nThe infamous outlaw, once a hacker named Carlos Montoya, had become a ghost in the machine, his name whispered in fear and awe across the galaxy. His ship, The Relentless, was said to be the fastest in existence, capable of slipping through minefields and teleporting across impossible distances in a matter of seconds.\n\nCaptain Danger stepped forward, his voice a low growl. \"Looks like a party I\u2019m late to,\" he said, eyeing the Skurrian leader. \"You all playing nice, or do I need to make this more interesting?\"\n\nRylan exchanged a glance with Lyra. The game had changed. What had begun as a skirmish in the depths of Kralkis had now spiraled into something far greater\u2014something that would ripple across the cosmos and alter the course of history forever."