The Xenocides Council:
The central council chamber of the Xenocides Headquarters was shaped like an amphitheater, built from polished obsidian and lit by floating holo-screens. At the center sat a massive, circular iron table.
Dock Von sat heavily in the master chair, his fingers laced together. To his right sat Zane, with his arms crossed, his cloak casting a sharp shadow across the floor. Around the table, twenty seats were occupied by the true military weight of the continent.
Dock Von looked up, his tired eyes scanning the room. "I'm sure you all know about the incident in Sector 1... and also what actually happened to the Prime Minister."
"A complete disgrace," Reid Gedion Swallow (1st) rumbled, his massive arms crossed over his chest, his voice shaking the light fixtures. "A leader turning himself into a mutated aberration. I see why it wasn't public doesn't know the truth"
"The public trust is always a fragile thing, Captain ," Kylo (1st VP) added, leaning forward over his knuckles. " But I didn't trust him from the beginning".
Liora (2nd) placed her hand on the table
"What drove him to doing something like that ".
"Power maybe," Cryo (2nd VP) muttered, his fingers leaving a thin trail of frost on the table. "Though I'm still trying to figure out how a single squad from the 10th managed to be in the kitchen when it happened."
"Does it matter who killed the beast?" Lady Ness (3rd) asked, her voice sharp as she sat straight in the chair that once belonged to Kaizen Flux. Her uniform was pristine, but her knuckles were tight. "The threat was neutralized. We should be focusing on reinforcing our borders, not gossiping like merchants."
"Ness is right," Tessa Sol (3rd VP) agreed quietly from behind her chair. "What if they launched a surprise attack, we should be prepared just in case."
"Let them rise," Zarek Solis (4th) sneered, . "The 4th Division can burn through whatever crawls out of those holes. But what I want to know is how the Zethrians got into sector 1, and bypass our force field."
"It means we have a leak," Zorin Lyx (4th VP) whispered, his slit-like eyes darting around the table. "Or perhaps I should say a mole."
Zainab Virel (5th) didn't look at the others. Her eyes were fixed on the empty space near Drakye Void. Her voice was flat, devoid of its old warmth. "The leak isn't the only problem. We have a boy running around named Elias who just kill Xerxes, on he's own, A High Commander. If a rookie can do that, what are we even doing here?"
"Elias isn't just a rookie anymore, Captain Zainab," Temi Nova (5th VP) said softly, placing a hand near her captain's shoulder. "He's a variable no one accounted for."
"A dangerous one," Zarek Myron (6th) grunted, tapping his heavy metallic gauntlet against the table. "An uncontrolled weapon is just a bomb waiting to go off in our own backyard."
"Oh, come off it, captain," Arix Calder (6th VP) laughed, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "The kid saved the sector. Give him a medal or buy him a drink."
"Medals don't fix broken sectors, Arix," Lenny d mic (7th) said, his voice carrying a rhythmic, bass-heavy tone as he tapped a stylus against the table. "The structural damage to the economy of Sector 1 is going to take months to repair .
"I agree ," J.J. (7th VP) chimed in.
"But no one died Lenny," Torin Kez (8th) stated bluntly, his heavily scarred face hardening. " Those buildings can be brought back, but lost life can't and We don't care about the boy's power, as long as he points it at the Zethrians."
"Agreed," Alina Icter (8th VP) nodded, her expression equally grim. "We need every blade we can get."
From the darkest corner of the room, Shadow (9th) seemed to materialize out of the wall itself, his voice a dry whisper. "This is why I hate meeting always so boring
" Well that's our captain for you ," Dr. D (9th VP) added, had he smiled
Drakye Void (10th) remained quiet until every eye finally landed on him.
He looked at Dock Von,
"I have a theory," Drakye said, his voice deep and gravelly. "Zainab didn't just find magals on her own, someone told her and maybe wipped her memory
We only knew about the attack on sector 1 and bola because of ..... An anonymous tipper."
The table went completely quiet.
Zane's eyes flickered from the pillar, a small, unreadable smirk touching his lips as he looked down at Drakye, but he said nothing.
King Orlox's Palace:
In the grand strategic hall of King Orlox's palace,
General Xylo, General Vaxas, and Valkhyre sat together. Valkhyre was idly holding a deck of ancient, ornate cards, his fingers moving with a practiced fluid grace.
"So we can move forward with our new plan, but we have a problem," Valkhyre said, his voice entirely calm as he played a card onto the center of the dark stone table.
"And what is that?" Xylo asked, his eyes following the movement of the card before he played his own hand.
"The man called Zane," Valkhyre said, not looking up.
Vaxas's eyes instantly narrowed to sharp slits. "Yes... I've heard of him. They say he's the strongest human alive. His strength rivals the legendary Paul Walker... or even surpasses his."
Xylo's hand stopped completely in mid-air, just as he was about to lay down his next card. He stared at Valkhyre, his jaw tightening. "I see. And do you have proof? It could just be a rumor after all. Humans love to invent myths to make themselves feel safe in the dark."
"Yes, we fought once," Valkhyre said, his voice dropping an octave as he adjusted his silk tie. "His physical ability far surpasses ours. One punch made me draw blood. He's strong... Perhaps stronger than King Orlox."
Xylo's hand began to tremble slightly, the card slipping between his fingers. "This... this could be what King Orlox talked about."
"Yeah, but we can still kill him if we join forces," Vaxas said, his voice growing dark as he leaned forward, slamming his palm against the stone table. "There are three of us. No single human frame can withstand the combined force of three High Commands."
"Even if the three of us join forces, I doubt we'll be enough to stop him," Valkhyre said, looking directly into Vaxas's eyes.
The two generals went completely rigid.
"But," Valkhyre continued, a cold, sharp smile spreading across his face as he flipped over his final card, revealing a bloody emblem. "That will be the old me joining with you. The new me would win one-on-one."
The generals' eyes widened in sheer shock as they stared at Valkhyre, the air in the room suddenly growing cold.
"Are you sure he's not a Walker?" Vaxas asked, his voice shaking.
Xylo replied instantly, his voice sharp, "They were wiped out. Ages ago."
"Then you must be a fool to believe that," Valkhyre said, his voice echoing off the stone walls like a curse. "The are Walkers. The only humans who can stand against us and win... I think they are alive. And the one who was supposed to kill them... failed."
"I hope not, or else I will collect back the planet I gave him" valkhyre thought to himself.
The 10th Division Base:
Back at the 10th Division base,
In the main courtyard, Nyx and Mikasa were engaged in a fierce training duel, their movements leaving blurs in the air. Jaxen sat on a nearby bench, spectating the fight with a notebook in his hand,
In the lounge, Kealen and Rook were sitting side-by-side, entirely focused on a split-screen video game, their thumbs hammering the controllers. Sloane sat in a quiet corner, completely absorbed in a book, while Vela stood by the open kitchen counter, happily hummed a tune as she stirred a massive pot of stew.
Deep within the facility.
inside the specialized training room, the heavy blast doors were locked tight.
Renji was alone in the darkness. The gravity dampeners were screaming at 500x standard weight. His entire body was slick with sweat, his muscles tearing.
He was balanced on a single arm, performing steady, crushing push-ups while dozens of high-intensity laser beams shot across the room from automated wall turrets.
His Star Eyes spun with a violent, bleeding crimson light as he tracked the trajectories of the light beams, shifting his body by mere millimeters to dodge them under the immense pressure.
'Stronger... I need to get stronger,' Renji repeated in his mind, . 'I won't know how strong I am if I don't test my limits. One day... I will surpass you, Elias.'
Outside the 10th division base .
Cipher sat on the marble steps, Elias sat right beside him, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black hoodie.
his silver eyes reflecting the bright ceiling lights.
"Cipher," Elias said quietly, his voice breaking the long silence. "Remember the Underground?"
"Yeah, of course," Cipher replied, not taking his eyes off his tablet screen. "What about it?"
"Well, we still haven't seen it and it's been months," Elias said, looking down at his sneakers. "Isn't that weird?"
"Yeah, you're right," Cipher replied, finally shutting down his screen and turning his head to look at Elias. "It is weird. And also that guy we saw inside... I can't remember his name, but I remember the golden teeth."
"Yeah, me too," Elias said, a small, faint smile touching his lips . "But it feels just like yesterday when I joined the Xenocides. I was lonely for two years... no one to talk to. I was in the darkness." where the rest of the team was. "But then I met you guys. Then I just felt relieved... and free."
"I get how you feel," Cipher replied, his expression softening as he looked at the floorboards. "The 10th is like a family." He went quiet for a moment, his fingers tightening around the edge of his tablet. "I had a sister. A little sister."
Elias turned his head, his silver eyes softening. "I see. So, where is she?"
A single tear slipped from Cipher's eye, tracing a clean line down his cheek before hitting the marble step. "She died from a heart disease... I tried to help her, but I couldn't. It really hurt. All she wanted was to be a singer. Even as she took her final breath... she sang."
"I'm sorry, Cipher," Elias said, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder." I know how it feels."
"But after I became a Xenocide and joined the 10th, I realized," Cipher said, wiping the tear away with the back of his hand as a genuine, bright smile broke across his face.
" ... that even when the universe strips away everything you love, it leaves a quiet space grow. I couldn't save her heart, Elias. It breaks me every single day. But standing here with you, looking out for the rest of our chaotic squad... I think she'd be happy to know that her big brother isn't alone anymore and he's making the world a better place.