Kael unlocked the front door of his spacious bungalow, dragging his feet inside. The moment he saw the living room sofa, he collapsed onto it, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
Looking around the quiet house, a sudden memory flashed in his mind. He remembered his father coming home just like this, calling out to him to bring a glass of water. A soft, bittersweet smile touched Kael's lips as he stared at the high ceiling.
"I miss you, Mom. Dad," he whispered to the empty room.
"Here," a gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.
Sara stepped out from the kitchen, holding a cold glass of water. Kael sat up, taking it from her with a grateful nod.
"Can I cook something for you?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.
Kael shook his head, taking a sip. "Don't worry about it today. Let's just order something from a restaurant."
Sara's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
"Yeah. My treat," Kael smiled, pulling out his phone.
As he unlocked his screen, Sara hesitated. She fidgeted with her shirt, looking down at her shoes. "Kael... back there. You only called me your girlfriend to save me, right?"
Kael's hand paused over his phone. An awkward silence filled the room. "Yeah..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "It was the quickest way to get them to back off."
"Oh... Right. Yeah..." Sara muttered. She tightly clenched her fists against her sides, trying to mask the sudden sting of disappointment.
To break the tension, Kael quickly unlocked his phone and handed it to her. "Here. Order whatever you want."
Sara looked at the screen, took a deep breath, and began scrolling. To distract herself, she ordered a massive feast—far more than the two of them could ever finish.
A few hours later, a sharp knock rattled the heavy front door of the bungalow.
Kael opened it to find the estate's security guard standing on the porch, looking slightly confused. "Sir, did you order food? There's a delivery driver at the gate with a massive load."
"Yes, that's mine," Kael replied.
A moment later, the delivery boy arrived, carrying several large, steaming bags. Kael took the food, pulled out his phone, scanned the QR code on the receipt, and transferred the payment.
Setting the heavy bags on the dining table, Kael noticed Sara sitting quietly on the sofa. She looked incredibly small, her eyes fixed on her lap.
"Hey," Kael walked over and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know..." Sara whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I just... suddenly felt like you would leave me behind, too."
Kael looked at her. He wasn't good at this. He didn't know how to comfort someone, let alone a girl who had been through so much. But he knew he couldn't let her feel this way.
"Sara," Kael said softly but firmly. "I honestly don't know how to take care of a girl. But I can promise you this: I will never leave you alone."
Sara looked up, her eyes wide.
"And I promise," Kael continued, his gaze turning deadly serious, "I won't let anyone touch you or harm you. Anyone who tries will have to go through me."
A genuine, bright smile finally broke across Sara's face, and she let out a soft laugh. "Thanks, Kael. You really know how to make me feel better."
They sat down and unpacked the food, enjoying the quiet warmth of the meal. As Kael wiped his hands, a sudden thought struck him.
"Sara, what do you think if I create an AI assistant?"
Sara paused, a piece of food halfway to her mouth. She pouted slightly. "Why? Am I not helpful enough for you?"
Kael's face instantly flushed bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears. "N-No! That's not what I meant at all! Actually... I want you to be the CEO of my company."
Sara pointed a finger at herself, her eyes wide with shock. "Me?! A CEO?"
"Yeah, you," Kael nodded, his composure returning.
"But Kael... that's a massive decision for your company. Are you sure?"
"I trust you, Sara. More than anyone else."
Sara's heart fluttered. She smiled warmly. "Thank you for trusting me, Kael."
Kael stood up to gather the empty food boxes, clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment. "There's no need to thank me for that."
He threw the trash away and turned back to her. "But I still need an AI assistant. I need something that can handle the heavy, repetitive workloads so I can focus on other things."
Suddenly, a dark, ethereal mist gathered in the living room. Drakes, one of the ancient souls residing within Kael, materialized.
"Leave this task to the five of us," Drakes said, his deep voice echoing through the room.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Really? You guys can do that?"
"Yes," Drakes replied smoothly. "Now, go to sleep. We will handle the rest."
Before Kael could argue, the other four cosmic souls emerged, their powerful presence filling the room. Without giving Kael a choice, they practically ushered him into his bedroom and shut the door.
Throughout the night, the spacious bungalow hummed with strange, celestial energy and the clicking of advanced calculations.
At dawn, Kael walked out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes. The moment he stepped into the living room, his jaw dropped.
"What in the world is this?!" Kael shouted.
Everyone—including the five cosmic souls—turned to look at him.
Standing in the center of the room was a sleek, high-tech robot. But what made Kael's blood run cold was its face. It was an exact, identical replica of Kael Redgrave.
Sara walked around the machine, completely mesmerized. "Unbelievable... Who would have thought cosmic entities could build a state-of-the-art robot?"
Drakes smirked proudly.
"He is not just a machine," Vajr added, crossing his arms. "We programmed him with the ultimate business intelligence. He can analyze market trends and even predict future financial shifts with perfect accuracy."
"He is ready," Azune said, stepping forward. "We just need to turn him on. Kael, do you want to name him?"
Sara leaped forward eagerly. "Can we name him Rexon?"
The souls turned to Kael. "Is that fine with you, Kael?"
Kael shrugged, still trying to process the fact that he was staring at his own mechanical twin. "Sure, Rexon is fine. I'm too tired to argue about names right now anyway."
While Kael went to the bathroom to freshen up, Xiyan nudged the other souls, a sly grin on his face.
"Hey, look," Xiyan whispered. "I think Sara is totally in love."
"Really?" the other souls muttered, crowding together to gossip like teenagers.
Xiyan subtly pointed his eyes toward the kitchen. Kael had just walked out of the bathroom, carrying a basket of dirty laundry. Across the room, Sara was standing at the kitchen counter, holding a knife over a chopping board.
She wasn't chopping. She was staring at Kael, her eyes filled with absolute admiration and warmth.
"See?" Xiyan whispered. "She's completely head over heels."
Vajr placed a hand over his face, shaking his head with a small smile. "Yeah... you're definitely right about that."
Kael walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. As he drank, he felt an intense gaze on him. He quickly turned around to see who was watching.
But Sara was faster. The moment Kael turned, she immediately looked down, frantically and loudly chopping vegetables on the board.
Kael shrugged his shoulders, completely oblivious, and walked back to the living room sofa to review his business documents.
He turned on the television in the background for some noise. Suddenly, a breaking news anchor's voice caught his attention. Kael froze, his eyes locked on the screen.
"No way..." Kael breathed out. "How is this possible?"
Sara ran out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on an apron. "What happened?"
Before Kael could answer, Rexon stepped forward, his systems fully online. The robot's voice was perfectly modulated, sounding exactly like Kael.
"The project you recently acquired has just been approved by the global coalition. Its market value is currently skyrocketing."
Sara gasped. She looked at the TV, then at Kael. Overjoyed, she grabbed Kael's hands, squeezing them tight. "Kael! I'm so happy for you! We did it!"
Kael smiled back at her, his heart warming at her excitement.
But behind them, Rexon stood completely still.
The robot's arms were flat against his sides, but his mechanical hands were clenched into tight, rigid fists. His artificial eyes, devoid of any light, stared blankly at Kael and Sara's joined hands.
Over the next few weeks, Rexon took over the daily operations of Kael's company.
Initially, Kael was highly skeptical. He watched the robot like a hawk, waiting for a glitch or a security breach. But Rexon was flawless. He handled billions of dollars in assets, managed public relations, and executed trades with cold, calculating perfection.
With the company completely secured under Rexon and Sara's management, Kael finally had the freedom to focus on his true calling: the cosmic balance.
One quiet evening, Kael sat on the edge of the bungalow's flat roof, looking out over the glowing city skyline. Sara sat beside him, enjoying the cool breeze.
Kael closed his eyes and called out internally. "Drakes. Can you teleport me to Renjiro? I need to check on him."
Drakes' spirit floated out, sitting cross-legged in the air. He closed his eyes, entering a deep state of cosmic meditation to locate their ally.
A moment later, Drakes snapped his eyes open. The calm look on his face was gone, replaced by sudden tension.
"Renjiro is in grave danger," Drakes reported. "He is currently locked in battle with the Shadow Lord."
Kael frowned. "Is the Shadow Lord that strong?"
"It is not just his strength," Drakes said grimly. "He is utilizing the forbidden power of the Shadow Monarch."
Kael bolted to his feet, his heart dropping. "What?!"
He didn't hesitate. "Drakes, teleport me and Sara immediately!"
"Hold on tight," Drakes warned.
In a flash of blinding violet light, the rooftop empty space distorted. Kael and Sara vanished into thin air.
The cold, silent vacuum of deep space greeted them.
Kael instantly projected a localized oxygen and gravity barrier around himself and Sara. They materialized directly behind a massive, drifting asteroid, using it as cover.
Down below, in the ruins of a shattered moon, a cataclysmic battle was unfolding.
Kael peered over the edge of the asteroid, his eyes narrowing. "You're dead, Shadow Lord," he whispered, his voice dripping with venom.
Before Kael could leap into the fray, a desperate, bloodied Renjiro screamed from the battlefield below, his voice echoing through spiritual transmission:
"You arrogant bastard! You think you've won? Someone is coming to end your life!"
The Shadow Lord stood floating in the air, surrounded by a swirling vortex of pitch-black, agonizing darkness. He let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Let them come," the Shadow Lord sneered, raising his hand as thousands of dark soldiers rose from the dust. "The Shadow Monarch power does not belong to the weak voids. Today, Renjiro... you die."
CLANG—!!!
Before the Shadow Lord could strike, the deafening, bone-shattering sound of two massive swords clashing erupted, sending a shockwave through the cosmos that split the very stars around them.