A ship sliced through the wasteland, engines humming softly in the thick air as it cut through the oppressive darkness.
Inside, the atmosphere was heavy, soaked in the aftertaste of the battle they’d just barely survived. Ash, Kael, and Max sat in silence, their bodies aching, eyes tired from the brutal fight.
Across from them sat the woman and the ice user, an invisible tension stretching between them. A young man with blonde hair fixed his eyes on Kael, amusent flickering in his gaze.
The woman broke the silence, her voice sharp, cutting through the quiet.
"You really lost control out there."
Her eyes turned to Max, narrowing.
"And i still don’t understand how you survived that."
Max wiped the last of the worm blood from his face, tossing the towel aside. He shrugged, casual as ever.
"Had salt on . Worm swallowed , but didn’t finish the job. Poured salt down its throat. Figured I’d get lucky."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Guess I am."
The ice user leaned back, his voice low but full of respect.
"Defeating a Tier 6... that’s no small feat."
His gaze shifted to Kael, lingering for a mont.
"Too bad you’re with your father’s team. A guy like you would be useful."
Kael’s grin stretched wide, his arrogance impossible to hide.
"Vortex team is the strongest. Your team wouldn’t even co close to what we’ve done."
Max’s eyes flashed, voice low, warning.
"Kael..."
"What? It’s the truth. Even the main team’s off on so space mission. Doesn’t that count for sothing?"
The ice user stayed silent, his face unreadable, lost in thought.
The woman cut through the stillness, her voice a blade.
"Sure, your father’s team might be strong. But we RISE are still top ten."
She smirked, then gestured to the ice user.
"I’m Mia Terra, Earth soul core. And that’s Kevin. Grandmaster stage Ice soul core."
Max blinked, clearly impressed.
"Grandmaster? That’s huge. You’re one of the strongest in the world."
Mia’s smile softened, pride flickering in her eyes.
"Yeah, he is."
Kevin gave a short nod, his expression unchanging.
Max leaned in, curiosity evident.
"I heard RISE stopped a massive creature wave at Durnham Settlent."
Mia’s smile faded, her gaze darkening.
"Yeah... we lost a lot of people."
Her voice dropped, a shadow crossing her features.
"I don’t like to rember it."
Max’s voice softened, regret slipping into his words.
"Sorry, I didn’t an to—"
Mia’s gaze shifted back to him, no anger in her eyes.
"No need. Forgetting them would dishonor their sacrifice."
The ship humd louder in the silence, the weight of unspoken things pressing down on the group.
Kael broke the quiet, his voice sharp.
"Argh... What do you want?"
His words hung in the air, challenging anyone to answer.
The young man, who had been quietly watching Kael, grinned.
"Oh, nothing much. Just noticed you seem stronger than the rest of us. Sa age, but you took down a Tier 6. Impressive."
Kael’s face darkened, annoyance flickering in his eyes.
"So? What’s it to you?"
The boy’s grin only grew wider, his voice carrying a challenge.
"I want a duel."
Kael froze for a mont, disbelief flashing in his eyes. Then, a harsh laugh tore from him.
"Wait, are you serious? This kid wants to fight ?"
Max looked from Kael to the boy, confusion creasing his brow.
"Kid?"
The boy blinked, caught off guard for a second.
"Yeah, kid. So a fight?"
Kael stood, a smirk tugging at his lips, dangerous and sharp.
"Fine. You want a fight? You’ll get one."
Ash sighed, his eyes closing briefly as the weight of the situation hit him.
’So he’s going to bully another one...’
Mia’s eyes flicked toward the blonde young man, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she gestured toward him.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot to introduce him."
Her voice shifted, becoming a touch more formal.
"This is Alexander."
Before anyone could respond, Alexander’s voice cut through, sharp with a hint of impatience.
"You’re the only one who calls my na in full."
He turned to Kael and the others, a wide, confident grin stretching across his face.
"I’m Alex. Nice to et you."
Mia shook her head, her eyes glinting with amusent.
"Yeah, yeah, Alex... Anyway, he’s a new recruit. Just graduated from the academy, joined us. Don’t mind him; he’s obsessed with fighting. Though, I’ll admit, he’s pretty strong for his age."
Ash couldn’t stop himself from thinking,
’Great, another one just like Kael.’
Kael leaned back, his arms crossed, sizing up Alex with a cocky grin.
"Strong, huh? What soul core do you use?"
Alex’s grin only grew, an almost feral gleam flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand, and the air around them seed to ripple as if responding to him. A gust swirled around his fingers, the pressure in the air palpable, thick with power.
"Only the best,"
The arrogance in his voice was very clear.
Max’s eyes lit up.
"Wind, huh? Nice."
Alex nodded, the smile never leaving his face.
"Exactly."
The ship’s engines humd before grinding to a halt with a screech that vibrated through the hull. The sudden stop sent a shockwave of tension through the group, the sound of tal scraping against tal echoing in the quiet cabin.
The ship had landed on a long, rectangular platform, surrounded by ships of all sizes—each of them functional, purposeful in their design.
Mia stood, her expression shifting as she glanced toward the windows.
"We’re here."
Max, still reeling from the chaos they had just escaped, stared out the window. His voice wavered with uncertainty.
"Where’s here?"
Mia’s lips twisted into a faint smile, sharp and knowing.
"Ironhold Ofcus. Didn’t you send the distress call to headquarters?"
Max’s gaze flickered to Ash, who had been unnervingly silent, as though waiting for sothing. He turned to Mia and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, we did. But I don’t know anyone there."
His hand gestured toward Ash, a slight nod.
"My brother’s the one who made the call."
Alex’s gaze snapped to Ash, his eyes narrowing as realization hit.
"Wait... you’re the one who ran out of Sandworm Valley alone?"
His voice laced with disbelief, and beneath it, a flicker of sothing darker.
"I thought it was Kael."
Ash couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
’So this is what it feels like when the weakest of the group makes a bigger impact.’
Kael snorted, a harsh laugh escaping him.
"If it were , there’d be piles of sandworms all over the place. A whole graveyard."
’Yeah, right.’ Ash thought.
Mia turned her gaze from Kael to Ash, sothing dangerous and admiring flickering in her eyes.
"You Burns kids... You’re sothing else."
Before the air could thicken with the tension of those words, the door to the ship slid open with a soft hiss. A cold, unforgiving gust of air rushed in, carrying with it the harsh scent of tal and ozone. The stark, bitter breeze swept through the cabin, filling the space with an edge of discomfort.
The outside world awaited.
Reviews
All reviews (0)