Youri's decision was final. There was no hesitation left in him — no doubt, no fear, no second thought. Whatever remained of the man who had once tried to live peacefully within the walls of the Kaelthorn estate had been buried the moment he walked out of that door, and what stood in his place now was something far more resolute. He was ready. Ready to sacrifice himself, and ready to burn everything if that was what it took to keep Leonora safe. And the Empire knew exactly how to use that.
The royal military base loomed ahead of him, a sprawling fortress of steel and light whose towers pierced the sky like silent sentinels. As his transport settled onto the landing platform, ranks of soldiers stood at attention in precise formation, their presence heavy with expectation. The hatch opened. Youri stepped out, and every eye followed him — some with admiration, some with fear, and some with something else entirely. He didn't look at any of them. Not once. His gaze stayed forward, cold and distant, locked on something only he could see.
Alan stood at the far end of the platform with his hands clasped behind his back, watching closely as Youri approached. There was no greeting, no ceremony, and no wasted words. Only a silent understanding passed between them. The mission had already begun.
Moments later, Youri stood inside the briefing room. The air was thick with tension; high-ranking officers, strategists and commanders filled the chamber, their eyes moving between the central display and the man who had just walked in. Youri acknowledged none of them. He stood still, silent and focused, while Alan took his place at the head of the room and, with a simple gesture, dimmed the lights. A holographic projection ignited at the center. A planet — rugged, harsh and unforgiving.
"This," Alan began, his voice steady and commanding, "is planet Seron."
The image rotated slowly, revealing vast rocky continents, deep canyons and violent storms that curled across its surface like living scars. "A mineral-rich world in the Orion region, inside the so-called Goldilocks zone of its system. Habitable… but far from hospitable. With the intelligence we have gathered over the past two years, we are now certain of one thing. Trevor Mosioh is hiding here." A faint murmur rippled through the room. "And he is not alone."
The projection shifted, and three figures appeared, each rotating slowly in midair. "This," Alan said, gesturing toward the first, "is Dellor Pickollten, captain of the unidentified vessel that attacked Terria." A man with a calm yet calculating face hovered before them. "The ship itself has been identified as Amnesia. A fitting name, considering its ability to evade detection and distort spatial tracking."
The next figure was a woman, sharp-eyed and focused. "You already know her," Alan said. "Serin Valis." Youri's gaze sharpened. "A former Terrian researcher. One of our own. The architect behind the Hound unit, and the pioneer of the Valis particle fusion core." The room grew heavier. "She betrayed the Empire," Alan said coldly, "and now she stands against it."
Then the third figure appeared, and silence followed. "This," Alan said, and his tone shifted slightly, "is Larsen Steelspear." The hologram flickered faintly, as though even the system struggled to define him. "There is no history. No records. No origin. Everything we know about him, we learned the hard way." The image changed to combat data, fragments of battle logs, blurred recordings of a machine tearing through fleets like paper. "His skill, his kill count, his efficiency…" Alan paused. "They rival those of the Duke himself. Among their ranks, he is known as the Devil."
Youri said nothing. But something flickered behind his eyes. Recognition — not of the man, but of what he represented.
"The mission is simple," Alan went on, and the projection zoomed out to show fleets surrounding Seron, lines of ships encircling the world like a tightening noose. "We surround the planet. Total orbital lockdown. General Charles Vartellis will lead the main assault force, and his objective is to engage and occupy all hostile resistance."
Another projection appeared — an enormous silhouette. Altopereh. Even as a hologram, its presence felt wrong.
"During this time," Alan said, lowering his voice, "Altopereh will be deployed, and it will charge its anti-matter cannon." The projection shifted again to a beam, a single line of pure annihilation. "When it fires, Seron will cease to exist." No one spoke. No one needed to. "Mission success condition," Alan finished, "total eradication."
The lights came back. The briefing was over. There was no applause, no discussion — only silence, as Youri turned and walked out.
Deep within the base, behind reinforced blast doors and layer after layer of security, it waited. The monstrous Orbiton stood dormant, its massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed the entire hangar. Youri stepped toward it with every footstep echoing, heavy and final. As he stood before it, his reflection faint across its dark plating, something stirred in him — memories, pain, death. The first time he had entered it. The lives it had taken through him. The name it had given him. The Reaper.
He let out a slow breath. "No turning back now," he murmured.
The cockpit opened as though it had been waiting for him. He climbed inside, and the hatch sealed behind him. Darkness — and then connection. The world dissolved, reality shattered, and once again he fell into the abyss.
Endless water stretched in every direction, dark, silent, bottomless. Youri floated in it, weightless, suspended in a void that felt more alive than anything he had ever known. Then came a sound — a roar that tore through the abyss like a storm. After it came laughter, deep, twisted and hungry.
"You finally came back."
The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once. The water around him shifted. Something moved beneath it, massive, ancient and watching. Youri neither flinched nor retreated. He only looked ahead, and smiled faintly. "Can't say I missed you."
The water exploded upward as a colossal form rose from the depths, shifting, writhing, impossible to take in all at once, with countless eyes burning in the darkness and every one of them fixed on him. Altopereh circled him slowly, like a predator savoring its prey. "Two years…" it whispered, its voice layered with distortion. "And still you carry that scent."
Youri's face hardened. "I didn't come here for you."
The creature laughed, a horrifying, echoing sound. "No. You came because you have no choice." It moved closer, and closer, until its presence pressed against his very being. "I can feel it. Your hatred. Your desperation. Your hunger."
Youri didn't deny it, and he didn't argue, because it was true. "I want one thing," he said quietly, and the abyss trembled. "Revenge."
Silence followed. Then laughter again, louder this time and more violent. "Yes…" Altopereh whispered. "Yes. That is why you are perfect." The water began to churn as energy surged through the abyss. "I will give you power. More than before. More than you can control."
Youri closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, steady and unshaken. "I don't care."
A pause. Then Altopereh's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "Good."
The abyss erupted,