"But it wasn't enough just to survive. I had to endure it fully, to accept that I might never make it out. The breaking point ca when I was on the very edge of death. I'd lost count of the days, lost hope. My body was barely holding together, my mind half-gone. I'd abandoned everything but the will to exist, even if it was just in that empty void. And then — right then, the System notified ."
He looked back at Alex and Mira, his gaze heavy with mory.
"I'd completed my requirents to reach B- rank."
The silence that followed was profound, as both Alex and Mira absorbed the sheer magnitude of Farnes's trial.
The idea of being abandoned, alone, and starving in such a desolate place without any hope of escape chilled them both.
"That sounds… brutal…"
Mira said quietly, her voice laced with respect.
"Not even your ascensions to A or S rank were as difficult?"
"No."
Farnes said, his expression resolute.
"Not even close. Becoming an A rank, even ascending to S tier — those challenges were tests of strength and resolve, but nothing like that first threshold. Breaking free of my mortal bindings was sothing else. It was like unlearning everything I'd known about survival. The System doesn't test you at that stage just for your abilities or your power. It's testing your willingness to let go of every mortal assurance you've ever held onto."
Alex's mind raced.
While the Phoenix Rebirth had been its own kind of ordeal, it had been a contained experience, a transformation within a specific ti fra.
What Farnes had gone through, however, sounded like an unrelenting trial that stripped everything down to the most basic essence of survival.
"It seems like the System almost forces you to prove that you're worthy of the power it grants…"
Alex said, an understanding dawning on him.
"By pushing you beyond the limits of what mortal life can handle."
Farnes gave a slow nod.
"Exactly. The System will always find the part of you that clings to mortal safety, mortal expectations — and it will break that part down until there's nothing left. That's what it ans to 'break free' of mortal bindings."
Mira looked over at Alex, her expression one of admiration and thoughtfulness.
"It's different for everyone, it seems. The System must know each person's breaking point—what they need to transcend to reach the next level."
"Indeed."
Farnes replied, his voice returning to its usual composed tone.
"No two Higher lifeforms will go through the exact sa experience… At least until you two ca along… It's part of what makes each of us unique, our paths so different. And it's why this isn't sothing to be taken lightly. Power without purpose is a dangerous thing, and the System knows that well."
Soon enough, Alex and Mira thanked Farnes for his unique insight and promptly left his office.
Farnes' eyes returned to the city skyline.
A trace of worry flashed across his face as there were so things that not even he could stop…
***
As Alex and Mira left Principal Farnes's office, an unspoken determination passed between them.
They'd spent enough ti gathering strength and grappling with mysteries of the System. Now, there was a war raging in the galaxy that demanded their attention.
"Back to the front lines?"
Mira asked, a slight smile playing at her lips, though her eyes reflected her readiness.
They boarded Alex's ship and after setting the coordinates to the nearest star system highlighted in red, the engines roared to life.
They engaged the warp drive, and the ship jolted forward, breaking through space with a brilliant flash.
The familiar hum of the warp engines filled the cockpit as stars stretched into streaks of light around them.
Bam!
Alert!
But just as they were settling into the rhythm of the warp, the alarms suddenly blared, bathing the cockpit in harsh red lights.
"Sothing's wrong!"
Mira said in a tone caked with urgency.
Alex glanced down at the control panel, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the readouts.
"We're being forced out of warp! So kind of interference is… pulling us back into normal space."
With a violent shudder, the
ship
was ripped from the warp and thrown back into regular space.
Outside the viewport, the swirling streams of light condensed back into stars, revealing a sight that sent a surge of adrenaline through them both: three ships hovering ominously around them, blocking every possible escape route.
"Who the hell are they?"
Mira muttered, her eyes darting over the unfamiliar symbols painted on the hulls of the ships.
"They dare attempt sothing so bold as this right outside of the Federations' most defended system!?"
Regardless of Alex's protest, the ships stood unmoving.
They were sleek and nacing, with dark tallic plating that caught the starlight. Their markings were unfamiliar, but their intentions were clear.
The lead ship transmitted a ssage, sending a rather… jovial ssage.
"Traitor Alex! I heard that you ca back, but I couldn't believe it so much that I had to see it for myself!"
If it weren't for the fact that whoever was on the other end addressed Alex by the epithet 'traitor', the duo might have thought they were stopped just for a friendly chat!
The voice on the other end sounded like the happiest guy in the world was speaking…
Alex pressed a few buttons on the console, and decided to send a response.
"I don't know who you are, or what you want, but if you leave right now I'll forget about all this. We have more important things to attend to than deal with annoying flies like you!"
The comms crackled with laughter, the voice on the other end sounding entirely unfazed by Alex's warning.
"Oh, I know exactly what you've got your sights set on."
The voice said, dripping with smug satisfaction.
"But you didn't think you could just co back after what you did and slip right into Federation territory, did you? If it weren't for your selfishness this war could have been over!"
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