by Paul Centeno
The vapory face of Soth’yugon emerged slightly from hers, but their magical binding prevented him from leaving her. He produced a snort, merging back into her body. The voice went away. She breathed heavily, body and mind disconcerted. Never in her life had she felt so violated, even with the experience of Vokken eavesdropping on her.
Moments later, Shirakaya remembered her photo and picked it up. She looked at it with a false smile. Porting the picture away, she wiped tears from her face and got to her feet. Pulling herself together, she clicked her KLD and changed the purple bath robe she’d been wearing to her famed elemental armor.
No longer wanting to be alone, she left her personal quarters and returned to the bridge. To her surprise, she found Yarasuro there. Her bodyguard sat in a meditative position in front of the main windowpane, which showcased the luminous cosmos. At first, she thought about leaving. Seeing him look so serene, however, motivated her to join him.
Sitting down beside the knight, she took a deep breath. “So much has happened.” She stayed quiet for a while and then went on, “We have changed and evolved. Drastically. Some changes were good. Others…not what we would’ve wanted.”
“They say everything happens for a reason. Why fight what we cannot change? Instead, we must embrace it and keep moving forward.”
The freelancer produced a snort-like laugh. “Easier said than done, Yaro.”
“I understand. Believe me. I’m at the heart of those changes. Just look at me. Look at my face.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, chuckling softly. “You are still the same honorable knight. Besides, I’d say Xorvaj has changed the most.” Mentioning his name made Yarasuro raise an eyebrow, at which point Shirakaya continued, “His outer appearance may not have changed, but do you remember when we first met him?”
“Pure hated. Lost. No moral code guiding him.”
“Right. And now he’s a critical part of our team. Without him, things wouldn’t be the same.”
The mutant breathed deeply. “He’s not the only one.”
“Of course. Dojin. He may act like he’s some kind of hotshot renegade, but underneath the thousand layers of macho bullshit, he has a heart. And though he’ll never admit it, he looks after us.”
“Zadoya has changed too.”
Shirakaya nodded with an expression of regret. “She has become a tragedy. I always admired her determination. She was my best soldier in the Order. But now, I’m not sure if I should pity her or continue to look up to her. She’s barely humyn anymore. After all these incidents, she’s mostly machine. It’s a miracle she even remembers us.”
“I’ve been contemplating that for a while. It appears to me that her love for Dojin is what kept her humynity alive.”
“Love endures,” she said.
“Perhaps. Sometimes. Just not for Eladoris.”
The freelancer unexpectedly let out a hearty laugh. “Yeah, she’s a cold bitch. Out of control. Though, she does seem to have a soft spot for Princess Eianvok.”
“It’s only because they were both essentially exiled for the same reasons.”
“As crazy as it sounds, you have a point. Her people consider magic to be blasphemous, just like the jorga tribes that provoked Eladoris to retaliate.”
Silence descended in the bridge for a moment.
“Do you think Myris will rule her people again?” Yarasuro eventually asked, breaking the silence.
“I’m no oracle,” she began, “but I have faith she will. Whether before or after we destroy the koth’vurian threat, I’m sure she’ll return to her former life. First, we need to help get her legs back.”
“Sooner rather than later, I hope.”
“I just need a little more reons and we’ll have enough to hire a fine doctor who can treat her.” The bodyguard appeared impressed while Shirakaya went on, “I’m sorry if this is a touchy subject, but do you want surgery too?”
Yarasuro’s face grew somber as he broke out of his serene, meditative mood. “This is because that is. That is because this is.” He took a deep breath. “I am what I am. Some may call me a mutant. Maybe I am. But as long as I remain sentient and hold on to honor—the path of the Templar, I will live out my remaining days like a humyn. No. I’ll become much more than that. I’ll strive to be...more humyn than humyn.”
“Transcendence…”
Just then, Vokken’s snowy and static-like visage appeared on the screen. “Transcendence without magic is worthless.”
“I think you’d better keep your ignorant opinion to yourself and focus on Marauder before I give Dojin permission to upload a virus into your database and shut you down as I probably should have done the first day we met.”
“Hah! Without me, you would have never rediscovered yourself as a freelancer.”
“That’s actually a form of transcendence,” Shirakaya said, scowling. “Now get your creepy face off the screen and leave us in peace.”
Vokken scoffed but obeyed her command.
“Even he has changed,” Yarasuro said. “Though, whether he is a genuine ally whom we can all rely on is another matter altogether.”
“Right,” she said, troubled. “That shady move of concealing Zadoya and resurrecting her, regardless of my happiness at having her back, concerns me a great deal. Nothing he says will ever make me trust him wholeheartedly.”
“You and I both, Captain.”
“Oh, stop that. I’m not your captain. Not anymore. We’re mercenaries. We’re all equal aboard Marauder. We are Shadow Mercs. Together, as a team, we’ll fight with heart and soul. And we’ll keep fighting until we win and bring peace to Ensar.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Dojin said, entering the bridge with Zadoya.
Shirakaya turned around, seeing them together. “Hey,” she said with a smile. “Got bored and decided to join us?”
“You said to meet you back here at 3400,” Zadoya said.
The other crew members followed. Shirakaya checked the time on her KLD and felt her heart skip a beat. Between her much needed sleep and the conversation with Yarasuro, she had lost track of time. It was already past 3400 hours. She promptly stood up and made her way to the central chair where she sat down.
“Listen up, mercs,” Shirakaya started, “ever since we were in Jye Xeu Zeikein, we’ve been noticing stars disappear. Koth’vurians devour suns. That’s how they get their unnatural power. Most of you weren’t here when I witnessed Ashkaratoth’s true form.”
“Our ship and crew were annihilated within seconds,” Zadoya said.
“So you remember,” Shirakaya continued. “Only four of you were present during that nightmare. It was the most frightening feeling. And yet we’re flying straight into that situation again. I won’t lie. As ready as you may think we are, we face the prospect of immediate death. This is your last chance to disembark Marauder. I won’t stop any of you from leav—”
“With all due respect, cut the crap,” Dojin interjected. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Sorry, sis,” Khal’jan said. “But that was honestly the worst inspirational speech I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“I’m ready to face those koth’vurian scum and blow them out of the stars,” Xorvaj said.
“I’ll second that,” Myris said.
“For the eternal Goddess!” Yarasuro shouted with excitement, raising his sword.
Many of the crew cheered.
“All right, Mr. Transcendence,” Shirakaya said. “Initiate the arcane engine and take us to the outskirts of the Drift Void. We have a score to settle with Ashkaratoth.”
III
Precipice of Chaos
Reaching the esorian outskirts of the Drift Void, the AI disengaged the arcane engine. Switching to the normal engine, he maintained a steady velocity without the need for inertia dampeners. The mercenaries were seated at their terminals. Checking the starmap and scanning the quadrant ahead, Yarasuro saw an anomaly with one of the stars.
“Shira,” he called out. “I�
��m picking up a discrepancy with a G-type main-sequence star labeled MV-54105. Luminosity class VI of spectral type G. I’m picking up an outburst of flares and rapid loss of energy.”
“Vokken…”
“I’m already changing course. We’ll reach the noqurian quadrant in approximately two minutes.”
Shirakaya raised her head, focused. “This is it, everyone. Time to get to your mandated battle stations. Del Vayso, can you handle using the rail gun?” At his nod, she went on, “Yaro, Xorvaj, and Jai’ryndar—stay along the eastern wing in case we get infiltrated. Dojin, Zadoya, and Rah’tera: remain on standby at the western wing.”
“What about me?” Khal’jan asked.
“You’ll stay with me and assist with Marauder’s weaponry. Eladoris, you can remain on deck for now. If there’s a battle, we’ll need your magic. Myris, you’ll stay here too. I need you to have a clear mind in case you sense something detrimental.”
“Will do,” the oracle said.
Feeling anxious and concerned because of what had happened in the past, Shirakaya decided to click her KLD several times and sent a distress signal to Lady Niksa, followed by a text: I’m giving you my coordinates...if you have any faith in my mission, bring your fleet here. After sending the transmission, she didn’t receive a response. She cursed under her breath but tried to stay focused.
Closing in on the diminishing sun, Vokken decelerated the battleship. Upon reaching the darkening star system, Shirakaya witnessed a legion of koth’vurians hovering before a flaring sun. At the heart of the menacing swarm was Ashkaratoth who’d been tapping into the fading star, consuming its nuclear power.
“Those vile beings are actually here,” Shirakaya said. “Eladoris, give them a taste of their own medicine.” As the necromancer departed into space, the freelancer continued, “It’s you and me, Khal. Let’s fire everything we’ve got at them.”
“You got it, sis.”
Marauder accelerated toward the sun, its cannons targeting a multitude of enemies. An array of fusion and laser beams fired from every weapon along the vessel’s wings. To bolster the attack, Khal’jan launched plasma torpedoes while Shirakaya activated the battleship’s SFM—Sub-Field Matrix—an invisible barrier capable of reversing counterstrikes for twenty seconds before allowing the mana shield to sustain damage.
Ashkaratoth glared at the approaching battleship. “My brethren, destroy those pathetic insects. They know nothing of our glorious destiny. What has been promised to us cannot be undone.”
The koth’vurians hissed with rage, many of them harmed by their own gamma rays that deflected back at them by means of the vessel’s SFM. They nonetheless persisted, soon realizing that Marauder’s technological sub-field had dissipated. By then, the battleship’s firepower had decimated about a hundred aliens.
Despite the Shadow Mercs having an advantage, the horde kept projecting beams from the palms of their hands, weakening the battleship’s mana shield. Fear took hold of Myris as she cast her white magic, struggling to replenish the weakening barrier. Shirakaya promptly targeted other koth’vurians and assisted her brother by launching more torpedoes.
In the meantime, Ashkaratoth witnessed his kin being blasted apart; a look of absolute wrath infused his eyes as he watched his legion attempting to attack the seemingly impenetrable vessel.
“The time has finally come for me to become the new Lord of Chaos!”
Blood boiling, he turned his attention back to the drained sun and continued sucking the life out of it. Meanwhile, his legion drew ever closer to Marauder. Dozens of them flew through its mana shield, landing along the wings. Without hesitation, Dojin’s team opened fire. The trio used enchanted plasma rifles, shooting many of the creatures. As the koth’vurians returned fire, Dojin and his two comrades took cover behind cannons.
“These bastards are too arrogant,” the renegade commented with a smirk.
“It’ll be their downfall,” Zadoya responded, aiming ahead.
Seizing the chance, the cyborg transformed her metal arms into cannons and unleashed a salvo. Each blast she discharged put huge holes in the bodies of her foes. Dojin assisted her from a distance with his plasma rifle, launching frost-enchanted beams. In tandem, Rah’tera crept over to a group of enemies while cloaked as they returned fire at his comrades.
Before needing to recharge his cloaking device, the assassin pierced one’s heart with a dagger from behind and shot another in the face using his flame-enchanted pistol. Others turned, stunned by his abrupt appearance. He slashed one’s throat and evaded a gamma ray that projected out of the palm of another koth’vurian, at which point he cloaked himself again and vanished. Moments later, the same koth’vurian was blasted apart by the cyborg’s cannons.
“Smooth,” Dojin said with admiration.
Rah’tera revealed himself with a grin, rejoining his companions. They returned to their positions, waiting for more creatures to land. Many of them, however, were burned alive and electrocuted to death by Eladoris before they could get too close to the battleship. Those who managed to escape her wrath were then disintegrated by the rail gun that Del Vayso controlled.
After witnessing such firepower, a contingent of koth’vurians flew to the other wing. As the aliens landed, Yarasuro emerged with his enchanted swords. Swiping in multiple arcs, he decapitated a handful of creatures. Xorvaj assisted him with his battleaxe, splattering the aliens’ innards along the hull of the vessel. Random organs flew past the mana shield, suspended in space.
One of the creatures was about to claw Yarasuro in the face when Jai’ryndar gripped his scaly arm, snapped it, and flipped him to the ground. The alien bawled in pain and got back to his feet, at which point Jai’ryndar conjured an augmented sphere of dhi-cha, blasting him apart with raw energy. He then kicked another creature in the face so hard that his skull was crushed on impact.
“I am one with the dhi-cha,” Jai’ryndar said, composed.
“Yeah? Well, I’m one with my blade and all the blood here,” Xorvaj replied, cleaving more aliens with his battleaxe.
Yarasuro shook his head. “Stay focused.”
“You’re no fun, mutant.”
Jai’ryndar ignored their small talk, concentrating on the fight. With a sharp uppercut, his fist went right through one koth’vurian, killing it in an instant. As others approached, he ducked and veered away from their gamma rays and claws. Seeing an opening, the martial artist punched them with all his might. Without stopping, he connected each vicious punch like one continuous combination that left most of their bones broken.
Another swarm approached, but they were abruptly blasted by Marauder’s rail gun. The electromagnetic attack went right through them, disintegrating their bodies. Others exploded by the fusion cannons’ enchanted projectiles, all expertly launched by Shirakaya and Khal’jan from the battleship’s bridge.
Just then, Myris screamed in agonizing pain. Her sudden lament forced the others out of their seats, including Xeza. The sìsô scuttled across the room as the oracle fell from her chair, hitting her head on the floor. Khal’jan panicked and froze while Shirakaya rushed to the oracle’s aid.
“Myris!” she called out. “Myris! Are you all right?”
“Death. Our death. The star. It’s diminishing. If we don’t stop them, it will turn into a supernova and vaporize us all.”
“How much time do we have?” Khal’jan asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe minutes.”
Shirakaya grew pale. “It’s time. Vokken, take over my controls and keep assisting our team.”
“Affirmative.”
“What are you planning, sis?”
Standing up, she answered, “I spent all this time searching to regain my arcane gift. Now it’s time I use this power within me and put an end to Ashkaratoth.”
“Don’t do anything stupid that you’ll regret.”
“I’m already filled with regret,” she said, gripping her brother’s arms. “I am tormented by those who died because of my e
go. Deep down inside, I’m suffering. My regret will never fade away. But I can at least attempt to avenge my people and ensure that others do not face the same fate as my crew.”
Khal’jan stared at her, his eyes teary. “Shira…”
“Have faith in me, Khal. I didn’t risk my life to regain the arcane gift so I could die here.” She hugged him tightly with a faint but hopeful smile. “All right, Soth’yugon. It’s time we put an end to this nightmare.”
We shall see…
An aura enveloped Shirakaya as she gazed at the withering star. Khal’jan saw a glimpse of the ethereal form of Soth’yugon manifest around his sister. Then she vanished, teleporting to outer space—thousands of kilometers away from the main battle. Protected by a mana shield conjured by Soth’yugon, she used her spacesuit’s jets to fly toward the swarm’s leader.
“Ashkaratoth!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.
The koth’vurian turned, his green-glowing eyes disoriented. “You!” he hissed, his face contorting at the sight of her. “I grow tired of your stench! I will destroy yo—”
Interrupted by a tempest manifested from the freelancer’s hands, Ashkaratoth blew back several meters. Witnessing how taken aback he appeared, Shirakaya wasted no time in zooming straight toward him while hurling fireballs. Though he evaded one, the other blasted against his shoulder. Shirakaya refused to withdraw, summoning earthen power and bashing his face. She then conjured up an icicle, jamming it into his chest.
Ashkaratoth managed to gather enough strength to claw back at her. “Shirakaya of Aarda. I was wondering what fool would venture out this far. More insane and foolish—to attack me. The last fiend to underestimate me was Koth’tura, and I made sure he’ll be sealed within the Drift Void forever. Clearly you seek a similar fate. Yes, you wish to die. And die, you shall!”
Shirakaya flinched at the mention of Koth’tura but remained steadfast. “You talk way too much,” she said, launching a fork of lightning at him.
Electricity scrambled throughout his body. Although the koth’vurian leader groaned in pain, he defied the horrible pangs and conjured gamma rays from the palms of his hands. In an instant, he formed a powerful beam that blew through Shirakaya’s mana shield and sent her flying backwards.
