Approaching Planet Akrit
Days pass heavily and as the vessel nears Planet Akrit outer space appears through the windows illuminated by a purple glow and Akrit looks like a point of light expanding little by little
Raymos yawning and stretching his arms
Finally only three days left to arrive I started to get bored of this journey
Elios smiling without turning around
Yes we are approaching but Arius absence lasted longer than I expected
Raymos frowning and tapping his fingers on the table
Where did that annoying guy go Is he not supposed to be with us on the ship?
Elios replies with calmness and confidence
He said he would return before arrival I believe he is somewhere training
Suddenly the ship walls shake slightly and the energy isolation gate lights up with a dark blue light then opens to reveal a mysterious silhouette Arius comes out drenched in sweat his hair wet and his muscles tense from exhaustion
Raymos raises his eyebrows in surprise
When?! From where did you come out by the sake of the stars?
Elios with a slight smile
He has returned
Arius with a tired voice while heading directly to the hallway
No time for questioning I will shower first
He enters the bathroom leaving them in silent shock Minutes pass then he comes out putting a towel on his shoulders his hair still damp He sits calmly in front of them
Elios seriously
Where were you?
Arius smiles coldly
Somewhere around Do not worry I did not leave the ship
Raymos crosses his arms
Really? And who sweats like this inside a spaceship?!
Arius ignores him then looks at the window overlooking Akrit
By the way there is something strange
Elios
What do you mean?
Arius narrows his eyes
There is a very massive energy on Planet Akrit strange different amidst small and random energies
The two look at him in amazement
Raymos
What energy? The ship devices did not detect anything like that
Elios pressing buttons to check the energy spectrum
There are no clear indicators the distance is still far
Arius replies calmly and confidently
That is because you do not feel it you do not use your hearts
Raymos looks at him mockingly
Our hearts? What are we? Monks?
Arius stands up looking at them with sharp eyes
The Raizo is our energy our pulse the essence of our existence If you do not learn how to feel it within you you will not be able to understand whom you will face on that planet
Elios
You mean you will train us?
Arius smiles for the first time since leaving the isolated room
I will teach you what I learned from my master Shao The Raizo is not just energy it is a sixth sense a weapon and a shield all at once
Inside the training room in the ship
The three Arius Raymos and Elios sat in a simple circle amidst a faint light emanating from the energy center and silence enveloped the place
Arius closed his eyes slightly then said in a calm voice full of confidence
Arius
The Raizo is not just energy but a sensation a living pulsing beat Devices measure but they do not feel But you you can feel it just as I feel it
Raymos looked at him with slight doubt while Elios placed his hand on his chin contemplatively
Raymos
You say we can feel it? Even from long distances? That sounds impossible
Arius smiled and pointed with his hand
Arius
Nothing is impossible when your souls harmonize with the energies around you The beginning is easy all you need is to feel each other energy
He extended his hand toward Elios and said
Arius
Close your eyes do not think Just focus do you feel me? Not my body but the energy of my existence?
Elios did as requested and as moments passed something began to change as if a faint pulse resonated within him
Elios in amazement
I feel something warm but deep As if it is talking to me without a voice
Arius with a slight smile
That is the Raizo the call of existence When you understand it you will know the strength of your opponent before he moves and you will feel the threat of planets before it appears
Raymos with a firm voice
If this is true then this lesson of yours is more precious than a thousand devices
The four Arius Raymos Elios and Zarion sat in an energy meditation circle surrounded by a soft field of dormant energy silent yet pulsing
For two days they did not stop trying Dozens of attempts hundreds of times of focus exhaustion interruption then returning again
And in a moment of silence the spark happened
Zarion with sharp surprise
I feel it pulses as if it is calling me from afar!
Elios opened his eyes suddenly
Elios with a slight smile
And me too I cannot see anything but I feel their presence Voices of energies some very small and some indescribable
Raymos stands up suddenly clenches his fist breathes heavily
Raymos with a faint but sharp voice
There is something or rather things on Planet Akrit massive energies but they are hiding among normal energies Exactly as you said Arius
Arius with a proud smile without vanity
This is the true feeling of Raizo You have passed the first stage Now you do not only see what is before your eyes but what is beyond the energies
Zarion with wide eyes
There is an energy I feel it as if it is looking at me from afar Do you feel it?
Everyone went silent
Raymos
An energy unlike the rest very strong but hidden malicious
Elios seriously
Arius this energy hovering between other energies did it mean us?
Arius stares through the energy window toward the purple sky of Akrit and his voice comes out calmly but loaded with meaning
Arius
The game has begun and they know we are here
With the sunrise of the third day the ship had penetrated the last boundaries of Planet Akrit atmosphere The sound of the engines faded little by little until the ship landed quietly on a soft surface covered with dark soil tending toward purple reflecting the slanted sunbeams of the planet
The ship door opened slowly and Arius stepped out walking with steady steps followed by Raymos Elios and Zarion As soon as his feet touched the soil his eyes widened in surprise
He said surprised
The this atmosphere
He continued with a tone of amazement
It is a version of Planet Earth the air humidity gravity almost everything except the sky
He raised his head to look at the sky where clouds were moving slowly surrounded by a charming purple light as if it were a painting on a fictional wall
Elios said in a cautious voice
Do not forget why we are here we are not on a picnic
Raymos added while contemplating the terrain around them
We must focus The energy we felt from afar does not seem ordinary at all
Arius shook his head slowly then said
Yes we will not rest until we find the Life Cube But that energy
A heavy silence prevailed for a moment
Then Zarion said in a worried tone
You feel it now do you not? Weak energies everywhere but there is that aura massive as if it is hiding intentionally
Arius replied coldly
We must prepare something is watching us from this planet
Between the purple trees and the mysterious Akrit fog
After they parked the ship in an isolated area amidst low hills covered with purple grass they hid it using an energy veil carefully made by Zarion that cannot be detected except by a team member
And as they began walking down toward the valley leading to the plains Elios wondered while yawning
Why do we not just fly? We would save ourselves the trouble of walking in this strange weather!
Raymos replied coldly putting his hands in his pockets
You idiot if we fly now we would be like someone raising a sign saying look at us we are strangers who possess energy!
Elios laughed lightly then looked at Arius questioning and Arius replied with a calm smile and a low voice
Raymos is right my brother On this planet energy is read like a fingerprint If we release our energy or rise into the sky some powerful creature or nearby village residents might feel us We must reduce our energy as much as possible and walk until we find the first village
Elios nodded in agreement then they began walking amidst the unique nature of this planet where purple trees swayed with the wind and light petals flew like glowing sparks in the air as for the ground it was soft and faintly glowing from under their feet as if it were breathing life
Features of tension began to appear slightly on their faces as every step brings them closer to a potential confrontation with the people of Akrit
But Arius inside himself was ready for everything
The team arrived after hours of walking to the outskirts of a small village called Nirala exactly as shown on Zarion old map The village was surrounded by gray trees wrapped around primitive wooden houses painted with a purple dye tending toward silver Everything in it was quiet
Quieter than it should be
Elios raised his eyebrows while whispering
Is this a village? Or a graveyard?
Raymos replied quickly while stepping forward
Spread out explore the place quietly do not cause a commotion Zarion position yourself on the eastern side Arius and Elios with me toward the square
Everyone nodded and began to disperse through the alleys covered with gray dust
Every house was tightly closed no sounds no smell of food not even shadows behind the windows
While Zarion was walking toward the eastern edge of the village he felt a faint energy coming from one of the abandoned houses He opened the rusty door cautiously and as soon as he entered he stopped for a second his left eye twitched
The shock was beyond expectation
In the basement there was a massacre Dozens of bodies lying on the ground
Small children torn apart women without heads and men whose bones were broken as if they were crushed from within
All of them were of the Akrit race and all were killed in a style resembling brutal experiments
Zarion who had always faced war scenes retreated for a second breathing deeply then took out the signaling device from his wrist and shouted in a coded voice
Team come immediately to my location this is urgent!
After moments Arius arrived first then Raymos and Elios
The first thing Arius saw he froze in his place for a moment His face became dark and his eyes blinked only twice
Elios said with features of disgust appearing on his face
O Creator of universes what happened here?!
Raymos replied while descending calmly toward the bodies looking at the killing method with an examining eye
This is not the work of a monster this is organized work Killing in a deliberate style as if someone is conducting experiments
Then suddenly Arius broke the silence and said in a cold voice
This is not a random attack it is a message
Arius approached one of the bodies staring with contemplative eyes before noticing something lying on the ground picking it up slowly and contemplating it carefully
Elios said while looking at the strange piece in his brother hands
What did you find?
Arius replied thoughtfully
A logo of some sort it does not look familiar
Zarion approached them and as soon as his eyes fell on the logo his features suddenly changed his face turned pale as if he saw a ghost
Arius asked him surprised
What is wrong with you? Do you know this logo?
Zarion whispered in a disturbed voice
It is the logo of the Ice Demons
The eyes of both Raymos and Elios widened immediately as if a violent shock hit their souls while Arius remained puzzled not knowing who those were whose name was suddenly mentioned in an atmosphere charged with horror
Elios said with great concern
Damn is it possible they preceded us here?
Raymos growled in anger while striking his foot on the ground
Damn! If they are truly here then the situation is much more dangerous than we imagined!
Arius turned to Zarion and asked him
Who are they? I have never heard of them before
Zarion sighed and said
The Ice Demons are creatures that resemble humans and Celestians in form but they are entirely different extremely powerful they possess physical strength and supernatural energy In the past they were in contact with our people before Baryon destroyed the Celestian planet At that time all relations were cut but we know they did not disappear
He continued in a more tense tone
The dangerous thing in the matter is that their king Kaiser is considered one of the strongest warriors of the galaxy ever Stronger than Raymos father the former Celestian king and even stronger than General Alberto himself
Everyone exchanged looks each one of them realizing that Kaiser presence on Planet Akrit might change everything
Arius asked calmly
And for example does their power depend on ice?
Zarion answered in a serious tone
No the title Ice Demons has no relation to the element of ice at all Rather they were nicknamed that because they are merciless their hearts are cold as frost they do not care for any life even the greatest mistakes they pass through as if they were a trivial detail For this reason only they were given this title
Arius nodded in silence having understood the point Then everyone agreed to set out with extreme caution and they left the village in a tense silence
After a long journey through rugged lands Arius suddenly stopped and felt something a massive energy approaching
He immediately signaled to the companions to hide Swiftly their trace vanished between the rocks and trees
After moments seven strangely shaped fighters descended before them clearly they were from the Ice Demons They were carrying devices to measure energy and began checking the place but they did not discover anything
One of them said mockingly
It seems the devices are broken again
Then they left quietly
Arius breathed slowly and stared at the horizon while thinking
Their energy each one of them their energy is nearly 300,000? And this while they are just a patrol? If these are the weak among them then how will the strong be? They are capable of destroying planets easily
Arius clenched his fist and said to himself
I must be extremely careful these are not an enemy to be underestimated at all
Afterwards they came out of their hiding place and resumed their way toward the next village hoping to find someone they could interrogate even for one word .