Reinforcements had finally arrived.
Dozens of soldiers marched through the portal, rifles raised, forming ranks in perfect unison.
And among them stepped a single knight — his armor a deep, blood-red hue that glowed faintly under the flickering light.
They called him the Crimson Warden.
As I turned back one last time, the Shard was still there — standing among the collapsing ruins of Rimscape, staring straight at us. Its eyes burned crimson, its sword raised as if swearing vengeance.
Then everything vanished in a burst of blinding light.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on cold metal flooring. The air was sharp and sterile, the scent of oil and machinery heavy all around.
We were in a massive facility — a hangar, maybe — filled with soldiers, engineers, and the constant hum of machines.
"We're finally back…" the captain sighed in relief.
"The Empire…" I whispered, looking around in awe and unease.
Blaze stood beside me, silent, his eyes scanning the rows of soldiers and the towering mechanical walls.
"So… we actually made it out of the Void?" he said quietly, almost to himself.
Before I could answer, I noticed movement — soldiers around the room were pointing their guns at us.
"What the—? What's going on?!" I shouted, my hand twitching toward my weapon.
"Wait— are they— are they aiming at Blaze?!"
A tall officer entered through the side gate, wearing the silver-trimmed uniform of a high-ranking Empire official. His presence alone silenced the room.
"Captain," the man said coolly, "we received your message. I dispatched elite units to contain the anomaly."
The captain straightened instantly. "Commander Frostbyte, sir!"
Frostbyte. The name echoed through the room like a blade drawn from its sheath.
SK saluted sharply. "Commander, it's been a while. I'm sorry I failed my mission on the train… I lost contact after falling into the Void."
"Ah, SK," Frostbyte said with a rare smile. "So the signals were right — you're alive. I'm glad."
Then, with a snap of his fingers, several soldiers moved at once — surrounding me, pinning me to the floor before I could even react.
"Hey— what the hell?!" I shouted, struggling against their grip.
Frostbyte looked down at me with a cold, unreadable gaze.
"So, you're the rogue Starlink sniper. A Starborn… and a resistance fighter, no less."
He crouched slightly, eye level with me. "So you're the one who dragged SK into the Void?"
I froze. I could see SK's face — conflicted, tense. She couldn't say anything. Frostbyte outranked her by far.
If he gave the order to execute me here and now, she wouldn't be able to stop it.
But at least Blaze would be safe.
If that was the price, I could accept it.
Frostbyte raised his arm slightly — ready to give the signal.
And then, a calm voice cut through the tension.
"Hey, I don't think we've met."
Blaze.
He stepped forward casually, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
Frostbyte turned, slightly annoyed. "Excuse me?"
Blaze extended his hand — and before Frostbyte could react, Blaze grabbed it firmly.
The commander flinched at the unexpected strength in his grip.
"Commander," SK said quickly, "that's Sir Blaze — from the 53rd Regiment. A Skyrealm veteran."
Frostbyte's expression shifted. "A veteran? From the Great War?"
"Yeah," Blaze said with a faint grin.
Frostbyte nodded respectfully. "My apologies then. It's an honor to meet another survivor of Skyrealm's campaign."
"Likewise, Commander," Blaze replied. He gave a small nod toward me. "And, uh, about her — I'd appreciate it if you didn't do anything… rash. I still have business with her."
Frostbyte raised an eyebrow.
SK stepped in quickly. "Commander, she may hold valuable intel. It might be worth extracting information before any… punishment."
The commander thought for a moment, then exhaled. "Very well."
He snapped his fingers. "Take her away for now."
"Wait—!" I yelled, but the soldiers were already dragging me off.
As they pulled me down the corridor, I caught Blaze's gaze.
He gave me a small smile — calm, confident — as if saying, Trust me.
They threw me into a cell.
Not a clean one either — cold stone walls, iron bars, and guards patrolling every minute.
Captured. By the Empire.
I sat down, trying to steady my breathing.
At least Blaze was alive. His wounds would heal now.
That was something. That was enough.
Still… I couldn't stop thinking: What will they do to me?
The Empire doesn't forgive Starborn, and certainly not the Resistance.
I looked around — no vents, no loose bars. Escape was impossible.
Then the cell door opened with a metallic clang.
"Hey, Starborn. Get up!" one guard barked.
"What now?" I muttered, but before I could move, two of them grabbed me by the arms and dragged me into the hall.
"Hey! I can walk, you idiots!" I snapped, but they didn't care.
They pulled me into another room — brighter, cleaner, with a metal table in the center.
An interrogation room.
Right… of course. Information extraction. That's why I was still alive.
I was still collecting my thoughts when the door opened again.
A familiar voice spoke.
"Didn't think you'd get this far," she said.
SK — now in full Empire uniform instead of her armor.
"You— what the hell are you thinking?! And how's Blaze?!" I shouted.
"Quiet down, idiot," she hissed, glancing at the guards outside.
"Sir Blaze's condition has stabilized. He's resting now… though, knowing him, I doubt he's actually resting."
Relief washed through me, even if I didn't want to show it.
"So what now?" I asked.
She looked me straight in the eyes. "If you want to get out of here, trust me."
I stared at her. "You really think I can trust you?"
She leaned closer. "What choice do you have, Starborn? You're in the Empire now. No Resistance. No Void. Just reality."
I hated it — but she was right.
I nodded slowly.
"Good," she said, sitting down and pulling out a pen and paper. "Now tell me everything you know about the Resistance."
"What—?! I didn't agree to this!" I shouted.
"But you just nodded," she said flatly.
"That was for the other thing!"
Before our argument could escalate further, a deep, amused voice interrupted.
"Wow. You two never change. Void, Empire, doesn't matter — you still fight like kids."
We both turned.
"Blaze!" I said, jumping to my feet. "You're supposed to be resting!"
He smiled, stepping inside. "Told you I'm fine."
Without thinking, I moved to check his injuries — lifting his shirt before realizing what I was doing.
SK nearly exploded. "H-hey! What are you doing to Sir Blaze?!"
My face went bright red. "Ah—! I was just checking— I mean—!"
Blaze laughed softly. "Wow, Ryze. How bold of you."
"Shut up!" I said, turning away in embarrassment.
He chuckled, and even SK couldn't help but laugh a little. The tension in the room melted for a moment — like the Void was finally behind us.
"So," Blaze said, grinning, "what were you two doing before I walked in?"
"Uh—sir, I was just trying to—" SK began, but I cut her off.
"Actually, Blaze, how about exploring the city? SK could guide you!" I said quickly, desperate to change the topic.
He smiled. "That sounds great. You don't mind, SK?"
"Of course not, sir!" she said immediately.
"Phew…" I muttered.
Then Blaze looked at me. "Hey, you're coming too."
"Eh—me?"
"Yeah. It's your first time here too, right?"
"Well… yeah."
"Then let's go," he said with a grin.
We walked through the streets of the Empire's city — towering spires of steel and glass, soldiers marching in rhythm, banners fluttering beneath the light of artificial suns.
Blaze walked ahead, his posture relaxed, smiling like the world hadn't nearly ended days ago.
SK pointed out buildings — command towers, research centers, and the citadel itself.
And for the first time since Rimscape, since the Void, since the endless chaos — we just walked.
No fighting. No running. Just a moment of peace.
It was strange… but nice.
For the first time in a long time, Blaze looked like himself again.
📢 Author's Note
Hey everyone! 👋
I just wanted to give a quick update — my workload has gotten pretty packed lately, so I won't be able to keep up with daily releases for now. Instead, I'll be updating every 2 to 3 days, depending on how quickly each chapter gets finished.
You can expect new chapters on Fridays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.
Also, this chapter — "The Empire" — will be the final chapter of Volume 1! 🎉
Thank you all so much for reading and supporting the story so far. Your comments and feedback really keep me motivated, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about Volume 1 and what you're excited to see next.
See you in the next update — and as always, thank you for being part of this journey. 🙏
— NIRRON_111