✨ Chapter Nineteen — Aftermath: What the Dominion Saw ✨
The street was still smoking when Aiden stood up.
Broken pavement. Metal debris. Burned-out cars.
It looked like a small meteor had landed — or a god had been punched through the sidewalk.
Dara stretched his back with a loud crack.
"Okay. My spine is voting we never do that again."
Aiden wiped dust from his hands.
"We probably won't get that lucky."
Maya stepped beside him, still glowing faintly — but stable.
"No," she added. "We won't."
Dara froze.
"...Maya, I was hoping you'd say the opposite."
Maya shook her head calmly. "The Seraph was just gathering data."
Aiden frowned. "Yeah. I figured."
He remembered the last thing the Seraph said:
"Dominion… will be informed."
Those words were worse than any threat.
Maya closed her eyes for a moment.
"I heard the First Star again."
Aiden raised a brow. "Right now?"
She nodded.
"Just a whisper. A warning. The Seraph's report will do two things."
Dara held up two fingers.
"Hit me."
Maya continued.
"One — it confirms I awakened."
Aiden expected that.
"And two?" he asked.
Maya opened her eyes.
"They now know you exist too."
Aiden didn't react outwardly, but his jaw tightened.
Dara pointed at Aiden dramatically.
"What? Why would THEY care about him?"
Maya answered simply:
"Because he hurt a Dominion warrior… without celestial lineage."
The meaning sank in immediately.
Aiden wasn't supposed to be able to fight like this.
The Heavenly Ascent wasn't normal.
It wasn't allowed.
Dara flailed.
"So they're gonna be angry because Aiden is too strong? That is RACISM with extra steps."
Aiden looked at Maya.
"What level of bad are we talking about?"
Maya responded with zero hesitation.
"They'll send someone stronger."
Dara slapped his forehead.
"Of course they will. Of course they will. Why not? Maybe next time they bring his older brother with a rocket launcher."
Aiden crossed his arms.
"Do we have a time limit?"
Maya nodded.
"Yes."
She lifted her hand and traced a glowing line in the air — a map of the sky crack appeared.
"The Seraph's departure caused a ripple. When it settles…"
She pointed at the center.
"Another celestial will descend."
Aiden leaned in.
"How long?"
Maya slowly touched the glowing line.
The image flickered.
Then stabilized.
"…Seventy-two hours."
Dara's eyes widened.
"That's basically TOMORROW with extra steps."
Aiden clenched his fists.
"Fine. We'll be ready."
But Maya shook her head.
"Not just ready."
She stepped back and pointed at the crater the Seraph had left behind.
"We need to understand what the Seraph learned… before the Dominion upgrades their strategy."
Aiden gave a short nod.
"Let's analyze the fight. What did they record?"
Maya pointed at the ground.
"The residue."
Aiden crouched.
Thin silver dust was scattered across the crater — the left-overs of the Seraph's collapsed armor.
Dara leaned over Aiden's shoulder.
"So what are we looking for? Fingerprints? DNA? Celestial blood samples?"
Maya shook her head.
"No. Patterns."
She knelt and touched the dust lightly.
A faint hologram flickered above it — unstable, glitchy, but visible.
A single line of celestial script.
Aiden frowned.
"What does it say?"
Maya translated immediately:
"Threat assessment: Above expected level."
Dara slapped his knee.
"HA! They admitted you're strong! Let's GO—"
Maya continued.
"Recommend escalation: Reassign Hunt-Class Operator."
Dara stopped celebrating.
"...Wait. Hunt-Class sounds serious."
Aiden turned to Maya.
"How strong?"
Maya answered with the calmness of someone discussing weather:
"A Hunt-Class Operator is one rank under a Dominion General."
Dara choked.
"ONE. RANK. BELOW. A. CELESTIAL. GENERAL?!"
Aiden took a slow breath.
"So not a scout."
Maya: "Not even close."
Dara: "Bro we need armor. We need weapons. We need FOOD. We need PLANS. We need a therapist—"
Aiden ignored him.
"Maya. Anything else?"
Maya touched the dust again.
Another line flickered.
This one was longer.
She read it slowly.
"Observed anomaly: The Heavenly Ascent Bearer is incomplete."
Aiden frowned deeply.
"Incomplete? What does that mean?"
Maya looked at him — not scared, just analytical.
"It means the Dominion thinks you're using a fragment of your true power."
Dara blinked.
"So… they think Aiden is nerfed?"
Aiden thought for a moment.
If the Dominion believed he wasn't at full power…
Then—
They might underestimate him.
Maya nodded as she read the last part.
"Projected completion: Unknown. Risk factor: Unstable."
Aiden raised a brow.
"Unstable how?"
Maya looked up at him, eyes steady.
"The Dominion doesn't know what your system will become."
Dara's eyes widened.
"Well… that makes THREE of us."
Aiden stood up.
"Alright. We've got seventy-two hours."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Let's train. Scout. Prepare. And figure out what this 'incomplete' thing means."
Dara slapped his hands together.
"YES! Planning arc! My specialty!"
Aiden stared at him.
"You have no specialty."
"Exactly — I'm unpredictable."
Maya gave the faintest smile.
Aiden looked toward the distant skyline — still cracked with lingering celestial light.
The Dominion was coming.
And this time…
It wouldn't be a test.
It would be a hunt.