The air in the deep Underground was thick . Valkhyre stood at the edge of the abyss, his fingers trembling—not with fear, but with a cold, sharpening rage. He could no longer feel Xerxes' presence . For 500 million years, that golden energy had been a constant. Now, there was only a hollow silence.
"Damn it," Valkhyre hissed, his voice like grinding stones. Xerxes wasn't just a commander; he was one of the oldest zethrians, and most respected.
To see him extinguished by a human boy... it defied the "Balance" they had spent eons maintaining. "How could they have known? According to Princexx, the Xenocides were already waiting. And that boy, Elias... he is going to cause a lot of trouble if not eliminated."
Adjusting his silk tie and gripping his obsidian staff, Valkhyre strode toward the center of the underground.
Gold himself sat atop a throne of compressed diamonds, his golden teeth catching the dim light in a predatory grin.
"Hello, Valkhyre," Gold purred, not even looking up from his fingernails. "You look like a man who just lost a very expensive bet."
Valkhyre walked towards a seet holding one of gold enforcers head.
He held the head over a crystal glass, squeezing the skull until the dark, rich blood filled the cup. He tossed the discarded "jug" onto the floor with a wet thud and sat across from Gold.
"Good to see you, Gold," Valkhyre said, taking a slow, crimson sip. "How did you know? Who told you? And don't try to play dumb. I can just kill you."
Gold chuckled, the sound like coins clinking in a bag. "I'll be honest, Valkhyre. I just gambled. I knew taking over the border would benefit you and we'll seriously affect me.
In mathematics, we call it the Elimination Method. I eliminated every strategy that wouldn't benefit your long-term goal and narrowed it down to one." He flashed his golden teeth. "Logic is far more reliable than spies."
Valkhyre sighed, the "Clever as ever. It looks like you won this round. The only reason the Border is still intact is because of you He stood up, his cloak billowing like smoke. "But remember this, Gold. Your weakness is your Queen. Once he's removed from the board, you lose everything. The King is nothing without his most mobile piece."
He walked out into the shadows, leaving Gold alone with his smile.
Two weeks had passed since the incident in sector 1, The news reports were a frantic blur of "unexplained atmospheric phenomena" and "terrorist insurgencies."
"The entire Sector 1 was destroyed," the broadcaster's voice crackled through the speakers in the Xenocide HQ. "The destruction bled into the residential zones of Sector 2, yet miraculously, no lives were lost during the incident involving the unidentified extraterrestrial entity. Reconstruction is underway, funded by the flare family..."
In the sterile cold of the xenocides HQ, Dock Von stood before a reinforced glass tube. Inside, suspended in stasis fluid, was the body of the Prime Minister.
"I'm surprised he would do this," Dock Von muttered, his eyes tired
"I'm not," a voice drawled from the doorway. Zane stood there, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "I've always known he was a son of a bitch. Power doesn't change people, Dock. It just unmasks them."
"Yeah , but still... turning against your own kind," Dock Von said, rubbing his temple.
"We always turn against ourselves," Zane said, his eyes dark and distant. "We just haven't realized it "
"You never change, Zane," Dock said with a faint, sad smile.
Zane pushed off the wall. "Who defeated him?
From what we know, and what we heard
Dock Von's eyes narrowed. "Someone from the 10th Division. A girl named vela."
" I didn't know they had someone like that in their ranks."
"Zane," Dock Von said, turning back to the monitors. "There are a lot of things we don't know anymore."
In the white, sterile silence of the medical wing, Elias slowly opened his eyes. His body felt like it had been put through a trash compactor and then frozen.
"Ouch... everything hurts," Elias groaned, trying to sit up. The movement sent a spike of lightning through his spine.
"Looks like you're finally awake," a voice snapped. Nyx was sitting in a chair by the bed, her arms crossed. She looked like she hadn't slept in the full fourteen days. "Don't scare us like that, you idiot!"
WHACK!
She reached out and punched his shoulder.
"OW! Seriously?!" Elias yelled, clutching his arm. " That's painful".
Suddenly, the door didn't just open—it exploded inward.
"HE LIVES!" Jaxen shouted, stumbling in with a stack of comic books. "Elias! Man, I thought you turned into a statue or something! You looked like a burnt marshmallow when they brought you in!"
"Move aside, jaxen," Vela said, stepping in and eating a bag of chips." Oh yeah this are for you"
" Then why are you eating them ".Elias said, looking at Vela
"oh it accidentally my mouth Vela said . Cipher chimed in, hovering near the ceiling with a tablet. "I've analyzed the 'True Evolution' or whatever you call it data from your fight. Elias, do you realize you broke three laws of thermodynamics in under six minutes? My processors almost melted just watching the playback."
"Can we talk about the science later?" Sloane pushed past them, her hands already glowing with green healing energy. "He needs a cellular recharge. Honestly, you boys have no respect for biological limits."
Renji stood in the corner, nodding solemnly. " Don't think you've beaten me yet , but good fight
Kealen laughed, leaning against the bedframe. "I've never seen a Zethrian look that scared. It was beautiful."
Mikasa walked up and handed Elias a small, wrapped protein bar. "Eat. You lost twelve pounds of muscle mass , don't ask how I know".
Elias looked at all of them—his loud, chaotic, brilliant team. He felt a lump in his throat. "Thanks, guys."
Far beyond the borders of creation, in a dimension where the stars are black and the silence has a weight, sat a being that threatened reality and even gods fear.
Gratus sat upon a throne made of dead realities. He smiled—a slow, terrifying movement of features that weren't quite human.
"Looks like things are about to get interesting," Gratus whispered.
Behind him, a heavy, dragging sound echoed through the hall. King Orlox of the Zethrians approached. He was a mountain of a man, his body covered in the ichor of creatures that shouldn't exist. He had spent the last month fighting through —beings that threatened reality itself.
Orlox coughed, spitting silver blood onto the floor. "Now... I have to kill you, Gratus."
Gratus laughed. It wasn't a loud sound, but it felt like a mountain collapsing. "Hahahaha! Orlox, you are amazing. No mortal has ever made it this far. You truly are special, ."
Orlox lunged, But before he could even take two steps, Gratus spoke.
"Kneel."
The word didn't just carry sound; it carried the mass of a billion suns. Orlox was slammed into the ground, the floor beneath him cracking. He couldn't even lift his chin. The sheer gravity of Gratus's voice was enough to stop orlox
"I'll spare you for now, King," Gratus said, "But if you can't even stand up to my voice, you aren't strong enough to bring your so-called 'peace' to the universe.
Elias walked slowly down the hallway, leaning on a cane Rook had carved for him. He reached Room 402 and paused. He took a deep breath and knocked.
"Come in," a soft voice called.
Elias pushed the door open. Lyra was sitting up in bed, looking out the window at She looked pale, but she was alive
"Hey, Lyra," Elias said, his voice cracking slightly. "Looks like you're alright."
Lyra turned and smiled. "Yeah. I heard you won, Elias."
Elias sat in the chair " yeah I guess so ..but I ..."
"Elias," she interrupted, ."he's gone".
"Yeah," Elias whispered. "I'm glad you're ok"
Lyra looked at him then she began to blush,
" He cares" she thought to herself.
Authors note
Your character is not what you do when you are weak; it is what you choose to do when you finally have the power to do whatever you want.
The prime minister is a great example.
He just showed he's true character after receiving he's power