The golden sun dipped low over the Kepler pasture, casting long, peaceful shadows across the lush green grass. Down in the fields, a newly purchased, squat FH-unit Compadre affectionately named 'Coopy' hovered back and forth, emitting gentle beeps as it herded the docile Muurbeasts and iridescent Zilka hens back toward their barn for the evening.
Sitting in the cockpit of the descending Millennium Falcon, Dorian felt incredibly energized. Today's brainstorming session had given Round Table Studio yet another monumental goal to strive for. The future of their digital kingdom seemed to shine brighter than ever.
But as Dorian piloted the ship over the estate and lowered the landing gear, his heart suddenly dropped into his stomach.
Parked flawlessly on the primary landing pad, directly in front of the Kepler mansion, was a sleek, heavily armored vessel. It was painted in the pristine, terrifying white and grey of the Stellar Accord's official fleet.
Dorian didn't even wait for the Falcon's engines to fully power down. He threw the cockpit hatch open and practically sprinted down the ramp, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. He rushed to the front door of the mansion and threw it open.
He froze, his body instantly turning into a rigid statue.
Stationed at every corner and exit of his pristine, sunlit living room were heavily armed Accord Legion troopers in full white armor, their photon rifles held tightly across their chests.
The sight hit Dorian with a violently physical flashback. For a split second, he wasn't standing in his beautiful Friton mansion; he was back in the cramped, grimy apartment on Nexus Prime, watching BSO Lieutenant and her squad barge in to tear his life apart.
His terrified eyes darted to the center of the room. His family. John, Lyra, and Marcus were sitting stiffly together on the large sofa.
Sitting directly opposite them in a plush armchair was a human woman wearing the elaborate, high-collared official robes of the Accord's educational and military elite. She had eyes that seemed to burn with a cold, inner power. It was Tala Felaeon.
"Dorian," John said, his voice tight but remarkably steady, trying to keep the situation calm. "Come sit."
Dorian forced his legs to move. He walked slowly across the living room, feeling the featureless visors of the Legion troopers tracking his every step. He stopped next to his father and offered a stiff, trembling nod to the woman.
"Good evening," Dorian said carefully.
Tala Felaeon gave a microscopic nod of acknowledgment. She calmly lifted the delicate porcelain cup of teebu John had prepared for her and took a slow, deliberate sip.
Dorian couldn't handle the suffocating silence. "What... what is going on here?"
Tala slowly lowered her teacup. Her piercing eyes locked onto his. "Do you remember me, boy?"
Dorian frowned, shaking his head. "No. I don't."
"I was the one who identified your potential," Tala stated, her voice smooth but carrying a terrifying, absolute authority. "Think back. Remember the day you came to the sector plaza in the lower levels of Nexus Prime."
Dorian's eyes widened as the memory clicked into place. The long lines. The overwhelming aura of the official in the tent. It was her.
"I remember now," Dorian said, keeping his voice level. "But you must be mistaken for coming all this way. I've dropped out from scholarship program at Aethelgard. I was already deemed incompatible. I am a Null."
"I have never been wrong with my judgment in my entire career," Tala said coldly. She reached into the folds of her robes and pulled out a small, reinforced glass vial. Inside, a thick, violently glowing plasma liquid swirled with contained energy. "Humor me. Drink this."
Dorian hesitated, staring at the glowing vial. It looked like the highly concentrated, synthetic Solar catalyst used during the Awakening ceremonies.
John instantly leaned forward, his protective instincts overriding his caution. "What exactly is that liquid? You cannot just force–"
The moment John shifted aggressively toward the Identifier, the room reacted.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The terrifying, synchronized sound of the Legion troopers disengaging the safety charges on their photon rifles echoed through the living room. The lethal hum of charging energy weapons made the atmosphere instantly suffocating.
"This is unlawful coercion!" Lyra suddenly snapped, her voice trembling but fiercely defiant. She stood up slightly, placing herself between Marcus and the guards. "According to the Accord Civil Protection Act, Section Four, Paragraph Two, you cannot illegally enter a Class-C citizen's private residence and demand they ingest an unsanctioned, unidentified substance without a formal medical warrant!"
Tala didn't even look at Lyra. She kept her burning eyes fixed entirely on Dorian.
Dorian looked at the glowing barrels of the photon rifles aimed at his father and sister. He couldn't let them get hurt.
"Stop," Dorian said loudly, cutting through the unbearable tension. He looked at Tala, his jaw set. "I'll drink it... but after I do, you take your soldiers and you leave my house."
A cold, satisfied smile touched Tala's lips. "If the result is not satisfactory, then of course, I will leave."
Dorian didn't give himself time to think or hesitate. He snatched the glass vial from the table, popped the seal, and downed the glowing, viscous liquid in a single, desperate gulp.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then, a blistering, agonizing heat exploded deep within his stomach. It felt like he had just swallowed liquid magma. The pain was immediate and blinding, ripping through his veins as the highly volatile catalyst violently clashed with the divine, otherworldly architecture of his soul.
Before Dorian could even gasp for air, his vision was completely hijacked.
Instead of the usual, calm blue interface of the Creator System, his retinas were suddenly bombarded by a frantic, cascading waterfall of glaring red system notifications.
[CRITICAL WARNING: External influence attempting to draw out Resonance...]
[ALERT: Excessive amount of biological interference detected within host body...]
[Attempting to isolate and eliminate toxic plasma... ERROR.]
[ERROR: Foreign catalyst merging with localized system pathways...]
[System override triggered. Recalculating physical parameters...]
"GAAAAAAH!" Dorian screamed, collapsing to his knees on the expensive rug, clutching his stomach as his body convulsed.
"DORIAN!" John roared, completely abandoning all caution. He leaped to his feet, lunging toward his son. "What did you do to my boy?!"
Instantly, two Legion troopers stepped forward, raising their photon rifles and pointing the glowing muzzles directly at John's chest, forcing him to freeze. Lyra screamed, pulling Marcus back into the sofa.
But Dorian couldn't hear his father's shouts, Lyra's screams, or the hum of the weapons. The excruciating pain and the relentless, deafening barrage of red system notifications completely overloaded his senses, dragging his consciousness down into a blinding, agonizing void.
…
Meanwhile, lightyears away in the Mid-Rim sector, a battered ship descended through the smoggy, neon-lit atmosphere of Planet Zibion.
Gale and little Jess stood in the cargo hold, waiting for the boarding ramp to lower. There was a heavy, unspoken question lingering in Jess's large, perceptive eyes. She was thinking about the native pilgrims they had seen a month ago. She was wondering what would happen to the nice chieftain grandpa on Yustea.
Gale saw the look on her face but couldn't bring himself to say anything. With his extensive military background, he knew exactly what the Accord did to localized native populations once the heavy mining equipment was deployed. There was a low probability that the chieftain or his tribe would ever see the open sky again.
Taking a deep, steadying breath to push away the grim reality, Gale watched the boarding ramp hit the ground with a heavy thud. Beyond the ramp lay the bustling, rain-slicked harbor of Zibion. It was one of the galaxy's most notorious trade hub worlds, a sprawling, chaotic market planet where absolutely anything, or anyone, could be acquired with the right kind of money.
Seeing the thick, oily patches of mud slicking the durasteel landing pad, Gale reached down and effortlessly picked Jess up, carrying her safely in his arms so her boots wouldn't get ruined.
They approached the harbor checkpoint.
"Identity pucks for yourself and your daughter, sir," the bored dock worker droned, holding out a scanner without even looking up from his terminal.
Gale offered a polite, apologetic smile. Using his free hand, he smoothly slid a heavy metal casing across the counter. It was packed tight with high-denomination untraceable credits.
"I'm afraid we lost them during transit, sir," Gale said smoothly. "We plan to remake them here today."
The dock worker glanced down at the casing. He weighed it in his hand, assessing the bribe in a fraction of a second. Without missing a beat, he pocketed the casing and stamped their temporary passing manifest.
"Better hurry up and remake those pucks, then," the worker grunted. "Next!"
Gale and Jess walked out of the harbor and immediately merged into the chaotic, sprawling ocean of the Zibion streets. Countless alien races walked past them in a dizzying blur. The garments and social standings of the crowd were all over the place; from wealthy Core World merchants wrapped in expensive silks, to heavily scarred Outer Rim mercenaries wearing mismatched, scavenged armor.
As they walked through the neon-lit bazaar, a rigid, highly disciplined row of white-armored Legion troopers marched past them on a standard patrol.
Jess instantly tensed. She buried her face into Gale's jacket, clutching his shirt with her small fists.
"I still don't like the energy coming out of them," Jess whispered meekly.
Gale pulled her closer, his own eyes tracking the troopers until they were out of sight. "I'm right here, Jess. It's okay. We aren't staying long. This is going to be quick."
Gale followed the encrypted coordinates blinking on his holo-wristband. The navigational arrow led them away from the bustling main streets and ever so slightly into a suspicious, dimly lit alleyway.
The narrow passage seemed completely empty, shadowed by the towering, rusted skyscrapers above. Yet, the moment they stepped into the alley, the hairs on the back of Gale's neck stood up. The distinct, prickling feeling of being watched washed over him.
"This is not the kind of place to bring a child," a raspy, concealed voice echoed from the shadows above.
Jess clutched Gale's chest even tighter. Gale shifted his stance, using his carrying arm to completely shield her small body, his free hand dropping casually to his side.
"We are just here to see the Cylock Emporium," Gale announced to the empty alley.
A moment later, a small, hooded figure dropped silently from a rusted fire escape, landing in the damp alleyway in front of them.
"For the right price, I'll lead you to their door safely," the small figure offered, holding out a gloved hand.
"I'll pay you when we actually arrive," Gale countered flatly.
The figure hesitated, clearly assessing if they could extort the man carrying a child.
Gale didn't give them the chance to calculate. He focused a fraction of his Solar energy into his free hand. A volatile, searing ring of golden plasma sparked to life, swirling dangerously around his knuckles, briefly illuminating the dark alley.
"I could force my way in of this alley on my own," Gale stated, his voice completely devoid of warmth. "It will just be a bit more bloodied."
The hooded figure took a quick step back, immediately recognizing the lethal energy of an awakened Solar.
"Follow me, sir," the figure said quickly, turning and leading them deeper into the labyrinth.
They wove through a series of narrow, confusing switchbacks until they finally arrived in front of a heavy, reinforced iron door.
Gale let the plasma fade from his hand. He pulled a few credit chits from his pocket and tossed them to the hooded guide. "Thanks."
The figure caught them, about to vanish back into the shadows, when Jess suddenly peeked her head out from Gale's jacket.
"Thank you," Jess said softly.
The hooded figure froze, standing perfectly still for a moment. Then, with a slow, almost shy nod, the guide darted up the wall and vanished. Gale let out a soft breath. He realized why Jess had suddenly felt at ease enough to speak; beneath the heavy cloak and the raspy voice filter, the guide had just been a street kid, likely not much older than her.
Gale turned his attention to the heavy iron door and pushed it open.
A cheerful, remarkably pleasant bell chimed as they stepped inside.
The interior of the Cylock Emporium was a massive contrast to the grimy, dangerous alleyway outside. It was impeccably clean. Rows upon rows of strange trinkets, highly illegal tech modifications, and rare artifacts were stacked up incredibly neatly, arranged with almost obsessive-compulsive precision.
"WELCOME!" a booming, hyper-enthusiastic voice suddenly shouted from the back of the shop.
A woman practically skipped out from behind a tall shelf of polished plasma-cores. She wore an eclectic, brightly colored mechanic's jumpsuit covered in an assortment of tools. She possessed an energy that was so aggressively cheerful it immediately threw Gale's tactical instincts off balance.
"Welcome to the Cylock Emporium! It is so absolutely wonderful to have customers with actual pulses!" the woman beamed, bowing dramatically. "I am the owner, the mechanic, and the resident genius. You can call me Fayc!"
Fayc leaned over the counter, her bright eyes instantly zeroing in on Gale's right hand, where the Solar plasma had just faded.
"Hoo! A Solar, I see!" Fayc exclaimed, her voice practically vibrating with excitement. "I haven't seen your specific Solar path signature in a while at this branch!"
Gale raised a cautious eyebrow. "Branch?"
"Oh, is this your first time in a Cylock Emporium? How exciting!" Fayc clapped her hands together. She then turned her head toward the curtained doorway at the back of the shop and yelled, "Fayc! Can you get me the branch map for our new customer here?"
Gale and Jess both blinked in utter confusion as Fayc called out her own name.
A moment later, the curtain was pushed aside. An absolutely identical figure; wearing the exact same brightly colored jumpsuit and possessing the exact same hyper-enthusiastic smile walked out carrying a rolled-up holo-fiber mat.
The second Fayc laid the mat out on the counter. It immediately lit up, projecting a glowing, three-dimensional star chart.
"Thanks, Fayc!" the first Fayc chirped.
"No worries, Fayc!" the second Fayc replied brightly, before turning around and skipping right back into the storage room.
Jess's jaw dropped in sheer awe, her eyes darting between the curtain and the woman in front of them.
Fayc ushered Gale to step closer to the glowing counter. "This is a real-time map of our Emporium branches spread all over the galaxy! We specialize in logistics, procurement, and highly 'legal' documentation."
She pointed to a cluster of glowing blue dots scattered across the Mid-Rim and Outer Rim sectors. Suddenly, one of the blue dots flickered and vanished into the dark.
"Oh, look," Fayc pouted, tapping the empty space on the map. "One of the branches just went offline. It seems one of the Faycs wasn't careful enough with the local authorities. What a shame."
A second later, the dot blinked right back on.
"Oh, would you look at that!" Fayc cheered, clapping her hands. "Just a false alarm! She got the blast doors closed in time!"
Gale stared at the map, a profound realization settling over him. The Cylock Emporium wasn't just a black-market shop; it was a massive, sprawling syndicate. And her casual use of the name wasn't a quirk. The 'Faycs' were all clones. A massive network of identical, hyper-enthusiastic clones running an underground galactic empire.
Fayc then leaned over the counter, her eyes locking onto the little girl peeking out from Gale's jacket. Her expression softened into a remarkably genuine, warm smile. "Hello there, little one."
Jess stared at the strange, happy clone for a moment. Then, she offered a tiny, incredibly cute smile. "I'm Jess."
"Hehehe, hello there, Jess!" Fayc giggled. She then looked back up at Gale, all business. "So, Mr. Solar, what exactly are you looking for today?"
Gale snapped out of his tactical analysis of the clone network. "Identity pucks. Complete wipes. Ones that can get us by without triggering checkpoints."
Fayc hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "I see. Are we talking Core Rim tier? Full deep-fake biometrics registered directly to the Ardota databases?"
"How much different will it be if we only need it for the Mid-Rim sectors?" Gale asked, knowing his funds were limited.
"Oh, functionally? A lot," Fayc admitted, leaning in closer. "The Mid-Rim tier might pass a lazy port authority, but if a Legion scanner actually flags you, it will crumble. I highly recommend getting the true 1:1 puck. It will give you and your daughter total peace of mind to travel the galaxy safely."
Gale looked at the price she quickly scribbled on a datapad. He winced. "I only have this much." He began the grueling, uncomfortable process of haggling.
…
Several minutes later.
"Come again!" Fayc waved enthusiastically from the counter, holding Gale's heavily depleted credit casing.
Gale pushed the heavy iron door open, stepping back out into the alleyway. He let out a long, deeply defeated sigh. He was an elite Solar, trained to dismantle entire platoons of enemy soldiers in seconds... but it seemed he desperately needed to learn the mystic art of haggling. He had been completely outmatched by the clone's relentless cheerfulness.
No matter. The job was done. Tucked securely in his pocket were two flawless, 1:1 Core Rim identity pucks.
From this day forward, according to the official databases of the Stellar Accord, they were Gale Vadran and Jess Vadran, an independent transport contractor and his daughter.
Gale carried Jess through the winding alleyways, tracing their path back to the main streets. Thankfully, there was no hindrance; the local gangs clearly knew better than to mess with anyone walking out of the Cylock Emporium.
"Hungry?" Gale asked softly as they emerged into the neon-lit sprawl.
Jess nodded eagerly against his arm.
"Let's look for somewhere to eat, then," Gale smiled, adjusting her weight.
They walked toward the central commercial plaza of the sector. The crowd here was massively dense, but instead of the usual hum of commerce, there was a strange, manic energy vibrating through the air. A massive crowd had gathered in the center of the square.
Suddenly, Jess clamped both of her small hands tightly over her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into Gale's chest.
"No... no, no," Jess whimpered, her empathic abilities suddenly overwhelmed by a crushing wave of despair. "Someone help them. Please..."
Gale stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he finally saw what the crowd was looking at.
CRACK.
The sickening, heavy sound of a neck snapping echoed through the massive plaza amplifiers.
In the center of the square stood a massive, durasteel hanging podium. Standing at the front of the stage was the Governor of Zibion, a fat, opulent man draped in finery, surrounded by heavily armed Legionnaires. Hanging from the rafters behind him were three limp, lifeless bodies.
"Let this be a warning!" the Governor's voice boomed over the speakers. "This is the fate of all partisans and revolutionists who dare disrupt the peace of the Accord!"
The massive crowd surrounding the podium erupted into vicious, bloodthirsty cheers, completely indoctrinated by the Accord's brutal sense of justice.
Gale felt sick to his stomach. He turned away, ready to carry Jess out of the plaza immediately.
But suddenly, a loud, breathless wail cut through the cheering of the crowd.
Gale looked back. Bursting through the front lines of the cheering mob was a young boy. He was covered in grime, tears streaming violently down his face as he gasped for air. He was rushing straight toward the hanging podium, completely ignoring the glowing photon rifles of the Legion guards.
The Legion guards instinctively raised their weapons at the sudden movement, but the Governor of Zibion simply laughed, a cruel, wheezing sound that echoed through the plaza. He held up a hand, waving the guards off.
"Let the boy up!" the Governor boomed over the speakers, relishing the theatrical cruelty of the moment. "Let him say goodbye!"
The boy, tears and snot streaming down his filthy face, scrambled up the durasteel stairs of the hanging podium. He rushed past the heavily armed guards and threw himself directly under the body of the woman hanging in the center.
It was his mother.
Desperate, frantic, and entirely fueled by adrenaline, the small boy tried to prop his mother up. He shoved his small shoulder under her dangling boots, violently pushing upward, desperately thinking his small, trembling stature could somehow provide enough slack to release the choking durasteel knot crushing her neck.
"Help!" the boy screamed, his voice cracking in absolute agony. He looked out at the crowd. "Please! SOMEONE HELP HER!"
Nobody moved. The crowd just watched.
Gale couldn't bear to watch any longer. He knew exactly what this was, and he knew he couldn't blow his cover to stop it. He held Jess tighter against his chest and quickly pushed his way through the dense crowd, rushing to get as far away from the plaza as physically possible.
But Jess, secured in his arms, was looking back over his shoulder.
She stared directly at the hanging podium, her empathic heart completely shattered by the boy's raw, unfiltered wailing.
Jess slowly, trembling, raised her small hand, pointing it directly at the durasteel podium through the dense crowd. Her tiny fingers shook violently with effort.
SNAP.
The thick rope holding the boy's mother suddenly, inexplicably snapped cleanly in half.
The woman's body plummeted, crashing down onto the small boy, sending them both tumbling onto the hard durasteel floor of the stage. The crowd gasped in sudden confusion.
The boy immediately crawled out from under her. He grabbed his mother's shoulders, shaking her violently, crying for her to wake up. But it was too late. The drop had only confirmed what the rope had already finished.
As the boy shook his lifeless mother, several loose credit chits fell out of his dirty pockets, clinking softly against the metal floor. He had just taken a guiding job in the dark alleyway to get those credits... thinking he could finally buy her a hot meal tonight.
…
Back on Friton, the opulent living room of the Kepler mansion was a scene of absolute chaos.
Dorian was curled on the floor, his body wracked with agonizing spasms as he screamed.
Standing over him, Tala Felaeon's cold smile grew wider and wider. The sheer physical agony the boy was enduring was the absolute, undeniable sign of a Solar prodigy undergoing a forceful, violent Awakening. The catalyst was tearing his latent energy pathways open.
But then, abruptly, the screaming stopped.
Dorian slumped against the rug, panting heavily. He didn't even have the energy to push himself up onto his elbows. The blinding red notifications in his vision finally began to stabilize into a single, cohesive message.
[CRITICAL INTERFERENCE HALTED.]
[Excessive Resonance points utilized to neutralize and purge foreign plasma catalyst.]
[Recalculating remaining Resonance points...]
Tala stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She reached out and placed her hand firmly over Dorian's chest. A brilliant, golden glint of pure Solar plasma flared from her palm, acting as an energetic divining rod.
She was waiting for the brilliant, overwhelming shine that the boy had possessed years ago in the Nexus Prime plaza, the blinding flare that signaled he was a Solar worthy of being a personal gift to the Celestarch himself.
She waited.
And she waited.
But contrary to her absolute desire, there was zero reaction. The boy's body absorbed the divine pulse like an empty, hollow sponge. It was as if the incredibly potent, highly illegal plasma-forcing liquid she had just made him swallow hadn't forcefully ripped his potential open.
"Wh... what?" Tala stammered, her flawless composure breaking for the first time. Her eyes widened in genuine disbelief. "Where is the energy?"
She pressed harder, pushing more of her own plasma into his chest, checking again and again. Every single physical condition of this boy was flawlessly fulfilled. His bone density, his facial structure, his genetic markers, they were all absolutely perfect, undeniably fitting for a gift.
Yet, there was not a single, microscopic ounce of Solar energy radiating within this boy. He was a complete, utter void.
Tala pulled her hand back as if she had just been burned. She stared at the panting teenager on the floor.
'Alas,' Tala thought bitterly, her face twisting into an ugly sneer. 'The physical shell is a masterpiece, but it is nothing without the divine engine of Solar power. I was actually wrong.'
Tala stood up straight, brushing off her pristine robes with a look of utter disgust. She snapped her fingers.
One of the white-armored Legion troopers immediately unclipped a heavy, metallic casing from his belt and tossed it callously onto the floor next to Dorian's head. It landed with a heavy, metallic thud, spilling several high-denomination credit chits onto the rug, as if a handful of money could possibly compensate for nearly killing a teenager in his own home.
John's face twisted in absolute, blinding rage. He took a step forward, completely ready to throw himself at the armed guards, consequences be damned.
"Out," Dorian croaked, his voice weak but laced with raw, undeniable venom.
John stopped. Tala looked down at him.
Dorian slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows, glaring up at the powerful Identifier. "You've seen it... with your own eyes. I am nothing but an ordinary, incompatible boy. Get out of my house."
Tala sneered, turning on her heel. "You don't have to tell me twice, boy."
She marched out of the mansion, her Legion troopers filing out in tight, synchronized formation behind her. The heavy front doors slid shut, sealing the quiet, peaceful air of Friton back inside.
The moment the doors locked, the paralyzing tension in the room instantly shattered.
"Brother!" Lyra and Marcus screamed, rushing from the sofa and throwing themselves onto the floor beside him, their faces pale with worry.
Leo immediately floated down from its charging dock, its optical sensor flashing a frantic, diagnostic green as it scanned Dorian's body.
"Initial surface scan indicates no permanent physical tissue damage," Leo reported rapidly, its synthesized voice tight with artificial anxiety. "However, the foreign plasma substance caused a massive, internal disruption. Immediate, further internal scanning via proper medical equipment is highly recommended."
As the deafening roar of the Accord vessel's thrusters echoed outside, signaling the Identifier's departure, John rushed back into the living room, his face pale.
"Lyra, Marcus! Open the Falcon right now!" John barked, his voice filled with absolute, terrified urgency. "Leo, interface with the ship's navigational array! Pilot it directly to the nearest medical facility in the sector!"
The Kepler family moved with frantic, desperate speed, terrified of what the glowing liquid might have actually done to their brother.
⋘ 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂.. .⋙
🎮:
- Stardwey Valley: Completed.
- Hades: Completed.
- Pokémon: ◌ loading…
- Sky: Children of the Light: ◌ loading…
🎬:
-
♬:
- Your Song – Elton John (ch.9)
- A Lovely Night – La La Land (ch.20)
- Merry Go Round of Life – Howl's Moving Castle (ch.25)
- Small Fragile Hearts – Victor Lundberg (ch. 27)
- Skyfall – Adele (ch. 29)
- No Time To Die – Billie Eilish (ch. 30)
- Yesterday – The Beatles (ch. 32)
- Lovely – Billie Eilish, Khalid (ch. 47)
- Best Part – H.E.R. feat. Daniel Caesar (ch. 67)
- Lovely Day – Bill Withers (ch. 68)
- My Song – Labi Siffre (ch. 75)
**A/N**
And there we have it! This marks the end of our second arc, 'Hellish Paradise.' I want to sincerely thank all of you who have read up to this point.
Thank you so much for your patience and support! Just like last time, I would like to share a few thoughts and behind-the-scenes details about this arc.
First, the Hades gacha progress will still be very prominent in the next arc. Those characters will essentially become personal teachers to Dorian.
Next, let us talk about the plot influence of the Stardew DLC. Some of you are probably disappointed that the DLC didn't immediately help the Yustean people. However, I want to remind everyone that the Accord has existed for a very long time, deeply instilling loyalty into the people of the Core Rim sectors. While the citizens of the Mid and Outer Rims can be swayed, openly voicing their thoughts is still a long way off.
The DLC turned a key in the minds of countless people, and Hades showed them that with enough willpower, you can keep fighting for your freedom. My goal for this arc was to ignite a little spark throughout the galaxy, so please don't be too disappointed by the lack of an immediate revolution!
Moving on to Verza Zal. As you can see, her involvement was actually what saved the Accord this time around. The Overseer can report to the Celestarch that the public had no reaction, but the truth is that lower-ranking officers like Verza are the ones combating these mistakes head-on.
I really wanted to show how the Accord's system relies on these lower-rank officers even more than the higher-ups. That is also why I have only mentioned the Celestarch so far without revealing too much about him or his inner circle.
Lastly, let us talk about the end of the arc. Will this change Dorian's mindset and how he views the Accord? Will it unknowingly remove his hesitation to create dangerous game worlds like Elden Ring and Doom? Who knows! Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ba– I mean, 'Making Game to Save Humanity'!
As for expectations for the next arc, the pacing will be much faster. Get ready for a time frame of maybe 5 to 6 years packed into one arc! I am not entirely sure yet since that is just what my current draft looks like, hehe.
I also want to give a huge shoutout to Kurozero on Scribble, who recommended Sky: Children of the Light.
As you now know, it will be the very first VR game RTS makes in the next arc. Thank you! To everyone else, feel free to keep giving me recommendations; I have been compiling all of them.
Once again, thank you all so much for reading my silly novel!
See you in the next arc!
~ SmilinKujo🧣