Work Text:
You know, life is an endless gambit of promising rewards with no gain.
To me at least.
I suppose that's why I have given up on it. Why I chose this lifestyle of mine. Sedentary at best, unfulfilling at worst. Maybe it's both.
But, blah blah blah.
I don't care about this disgusting life of mine and I am eagerly awaiting my death.
But, then, I thought for a bit.
Why would I wait for death to come knocking when I can knock on death's door?
I am, after all, hopeless. And an overall edgy guy.
_________________
The flickering lights on the television reflect his absent grey eyes and silver mirror, hunched near the wall beside him. A bed adorned with the aftermath of a restless night and chaotic slumber lies in the center of the room, surrounded by a heap of clothes. To the left was a wooden dresser with an indeterminable amount of pills lying on top.
He sits there motionless and effortlessly, staring at the words on the screen. His jagged hands grip the pristine controller and his murky black hair shifts slightly.
"The Art of Trailblazing," He mutters, voice echoing through the room. "Why could I not..." He pauses and lies down on his bed. "It doesn't matter now, huh?"
He sits back up and glares at his TV, eyeing the lack of stellar jades and passes. Pressure builds in his head and he removes his hand, sighing to himself.
"This is so..."
A quick, loud succession of knocks on the door prompts the man to leave his world of thoughts and back into the leap.
"Honey, your father and I will be leaving for a couple of weeks, so keep the doors locked. Okay?" Not bothering to hear a response, she presumably leaves the door. The world of the leap comes to an end.
"This is nothing, but a joke. Just like my life." He raises his hand in the air. "But, I can see the humor in it." He loosely laughs and hangs his head low. "All the more, why I quit."
Closing his eyes, silence pervades the disheveled room. The despair of tomorrow ceases to exist as he drifts into a ceaseless slumber with the air cold and heavy.
A forever silence with overwhelming pleasure. A machination of a dream that won't exist.
And a trailblaze that ended too early.
Silenced in an instant, the world turns dark and void. Stillness, one would say, surrounds the area accompanied by a sickening darkness.
Until a voice pierces through.
"When there is the chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret."
He snaps his eyes open and looks around, finding himself floating in a pitch-black void.
"What the..." He gasps, suddenly finding air leaving his lungs. He grips his neck and tries to move, but fails quickly. His body, light as a feather, remains frozen and ceaseless. Almost like a dead body.
But, that doesn't matter, right?
He turns around and finds himself face-to-face with an enormous black hole. His eyes widen, almost budging from his eyelids at the mere size of it, the aura it emits, and its beauty. However, that's not the reason he finds himself some distraught. He's distraught because he recognizes it.
"IX, The Nihility?" He questions, almost appalled by his words.
As his voice calls out to THEM, THEY spares a small, but meaningless glance. In an instant, his mind seers with an intense, fiery burning. His limbs begin to twist and turn, some turning to a precise 90-degree angle. He cries out in pain and shuts his eyes, feeling every last modification to him. He can feel his skin peeling back and his hair falling out in rapid decay.
Finally, for what seemed like a timeless wait, his mind goes blank. His body, an indistinguishable mess of a mass, floats.
And floats.
_________________
Orbiting the planet designated as "The Blue", the elongated, silver metal known as Herta's Space Station lies in orbit. This illustrious state-of-the-art research station was founded by none other than Madam Herta - hence the name. Researchers from across the galaxy are offered the chance to work here. A place of research and new scientific discoveries adorned with the promise of great ambition.
Who would've thought it would be the staging ground for a massive play?
"Lead the evacuation, quickly!" Lead Researcher Asta orders, her voice eliciting a surge of motion in the Master Control Zone. Her bright blue eyes were stricken with worry.
"What is going on?!" A blonde-haired researcher yells. He falls to the cold metallic floor as the station ruptures, seemingly knocked unconscious.
"We're under attack?" Another researcher yells, quickly helping the other researcher up.
"Under attack? Us?" Another voice rings out.
"Everyone!" Asta yells. "Proceed the evacuation! We need to alert everyone in the Zones that we're under attack quickly."
Once more, her voice surges motion through the researchers. However, in a panic, words cannot spur everyone forward.
Astra walks towards a terminal and begins to hurriedly examine it.
"Arlan, do you copy? What's the situation over there?"
Static brims through the terminal with no response, save for incoherent sentences.
"La.....Asta.....rein....overrun...!"
"Arlan! You're breaking up, are you all right?!"
Static brims from the terminal once more. Only this time, silence awaits at the end.
Asta grips her strawberry-pink hair and slams her hand down on the terminal. "What should I do?" She shakes her head and lightly slaps her rosy cheeks. "No, no, no! Now's not the time to be feeling like this. I can trust that Astral Express to lend a hand."
"Beep.....Beep...Beep!"
A sudden beeping noise causes Asta to look down against the terminal, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Warning! Slipspace rupture detected! Unknown object encroaching at the station. Time of impact in approximately 1 minute." A monotonic, robotic female voice comes through the terminal.
Asta's eyes widen, almost budging out. "What?! Is it enemy reinforcements?"
"Asta!" A researcher runs to her, out of breath and looking at her wide-eyed. "We're getting--"
Like an earthquake, the space station begins to rumble and shake. A loud, deafening explosion can be heard on the other side of the Zones.
"Hull breached!"
Asta quickly accesses the terminal and begins a thorough examination of the station's diagnostics.
"Looks like we've been hit in the Storage Zone," Asta says, turning to the researcher. "Close all entrances to the Storage Zone! We need to plug that breach. Redirect 30% of our shield system to cover it! Until then, stay away from the area and the invaders!"
"Yes, Lead Researcher!"
Asta turns, looks around the Master Control Zone, and sighs a bit, seeing the workers and researchers scurrying around in a hurry. She looks at the see-through visor at the top of the ceiling, watching the starry abyss.
"...What to do," she says as her eyes widen, witnessing an unbelievable.
In the inescapable, starry abyss was the true herald of destruction. It's sleek body zooms through, hovering above the station.
A Doomsday Beast.
_________________
In the Base Zone, a short tanned man crouches down over his communication device in a long corridor. Short silver hair hangs loosely over his pink eyes. He wears a beige vest with one long sleeve and one sleeveless shoulder, a black, high-collared undershirt, blue trousers, and black boots. An identification card hanging over his chest. The Head of Security of Herta Space Station was Arlan, eagerly testing if communications were restored.
One of his subordinates, cladded in lightweight full armor with a face mask over his face - looks at his leader in salute. "Brother Arlan, enemy forces are amassing in this area, and without reinforcements, I am afraid we won't hold out much longer. Additionally, there are still several researchers in the area." He pauses and begins to tremble slightly.
Arlan, taking notice of this, stands to his full height - which isn't very much. "Andrzej, what is it?" He asks.
"Th-They're getting slaughtered. Not everyone was able to fall back to the safe zones. Th-The Legion just came out of nowhere! We're not effectively equipped to handle this force!"
Arlan's face pales, and he grips his fist, feeling the rough blue glove on his hand. "We...have to hold position and buy time for the researchers to escape. Rally the security forces in this section, we're going to hold out as much as possible." Arlan grabs his sword - a state-of-the-art futuristic mechanical weapon that roars to life with slight sparks of electricity flowing through. "The Antimatter Legion will be stopped here!"
Andrzej nods and grabs his stun baton from his hip. "Our forces in this Zone, are engaging the Antimatter Legion beyond that corridor. I-I'll follow your lead, sir!"
Arlan begins to walk and can feel his footsteps heavy, followed by the air becoming suffocating to breathe. Distant sounds of screams and intense fighting can be heard as he marches ever so closer, his hands gripping his sword tighter and tighter.
Until he finally reaches it.
Andrzej trembles slightly before steadying himself, readying his baton.
Seeing it as a sign, Arlan nods and uses the terminal to open the door while preparing himself for what hell they're about to face.
But preparation was not enough.
For what they've seen before them was a bloodbath.
Carnage. That was all.
Bodies of several researchers and security forces lined the metallic floor dyed with red. The sickening smell of blood pervades the air mixed with several energy pellets in the air.
Several security forces take cover behind the main desk while others use whatever cover can be found such as potted plants.
"Brother Arlan?!" One of the members holding an advanced rifle yells.
Arlan and Andrzej quickly join them in cover.
"How bad is the situation, Tia?"
She loosely laughs and peaks her head over the desk. "Do I even need to say anything? This attack is unprecedented, our forces are scattered, and comms are down. Why would the Antimatter Legion even assault here?"
Andrzej shakes his head. "Doesn't matter now, I suppose. What's important is that we hold the position for the researchers!"
"Hold position?!" Omar yells, frustration in his voice. "Hell no! We need to retreat towards the Master Control Zone and regroup from there."
Andrzej stiffens. "But, the other researchers. We have to buy as much time as possible."
"Do you even know if there are other survivors out there?! If we stay here any longer we'll just get mercilessly cut down." Omar looks at Arlan. "Give us the order to retreat! We can't keep fighting."
"But what if there are any other survivors out there!" Andrzej balls his fist. "We can't just abandon them!"
"Enough, both of you!" A rugged-looking man speaks up, his armor jagged reveals a name: Kurt. His old green eyes looks at Arlan. "Whatever the call is, we'll follow your orders."
Arlan nods and looks at the other security team. "Can you all fight, are there any wounded?"
"Most of us can, and the wounded have already retreated. We only have 20 men holding this position," Kurt says.
Arlan nods and looks at his subordinates with a fire in his eyes. "I have made my decision."
Everyone looks at Arlan fervently, their fates and dreams riding on this decision. Their lives are on one person and his concise words.
"We'll hold position and wait for a little while longer. We need to buy as much time for the researchers stuck in other Zones."
Andrzej smiles and looks on ahead, happy to know that there will be here to halt the Legion's advance.
"We're fucking dead," Omar says while gritting his teeth.
Tia scoffs. "At this point, I am wondering why you even joined the Security branch."
"Paid better than my last one."
"Okay." Kurt clasps Omar's shoulder. "Now that the decision is made we should..."
"Incoming!"
On the other side of the room, stained with the blood of many victims was a legion of Reavers. Their bodies consisted of nothing, but the void in them - surrounded by a strange steely armor. Its arms were attached to a glowing weapon of sorts.
All at once, they begin charging at the security team. Effortlessly, weaving through their bullets and explosives.
"Shit! They're charging us!" Tia yells, grabbing her stun baton from her hip. "Fix batons!"
"We stop the Legion here!" Kurt also pulls out his baton. "Now!"
One Reaver leaps in the air and cuts through a soldier's baton, slashing their head off in a swift motion before rapidly engaging another security member.
Arlan, seeing his comrade dead within a second, stares wide-eyed and in bewilderment. "N-N-No."
Omar grunts and aims his weapon at the Reavers. "This is what I get for being reasonable amongst the unreasonable. Fuck it, I am not dying here." He lowers his weapon and runs towards the door, retreating from the frontlines.
"Omar, get your ass back here!" Tia yells at him before a Reaver gets too close to her. "Shit!"
She dodges the swing of its blade and thrusts her baton in the Reaver's chest. The baton breaks instantly, shattering against the thick armor.
"Tia!" Andrzej yells.
The Reaver raises its arms, preparing for a quick takedown, but suddenly it is impaled and begins to de-materialize.
"Hold position!" Arlan says, pulling his sword out. "We've got this!"
More Reavers begin to appear, like a horde, charging ahead towards the small security team.
"There's too many!" A security unit says before he is swarmed and cut down.
"Help me!" Another one says, getting dragged out of position and being hacked to several pieces.
Seeing the deaths, Arlan's breath hitched and falters. "What...is this?"
"Arlan, look out!" Andrzej yells.
Arlan turns his head to see a Reaver in the air, preparing its weapon to slice through his neck. For a moment, Arlan did the one thing no soldier should ever do in conflict.
He froze.
His mind reeled the playback of his comrade dying in an instant before his eyes. How he wasn't able to save him. How he wasn't able to save the researchers. And now, how he wasn't able to save himself.
He feels a light push to his back and he gasps, turning his head to see Andrzej extending his arms.
"Arlan," He whispers, time seemingly slowing down as he smiles at him. "Thank you for not retreating."
Time resumes and Andrzej's head becomes removed quickly, his body falling limp and head rolling on the floor.
"ANDRZEJ!" Arlan yells, tears in his eyes before his greatsword sparks to life. "No!"
The Reaver quickly uses his momentum and leaps in the air again, bringing its weapon down on Arlan. Having prepared for this attack, Arlan ducks and swings his electrifying blade at the Reaver, cutting off its head in one blow. The Reaver's body doesn't stay long before absorbing itself in a black hole.
Suddenly, the Voidrangers begins to retreat. Teleporting away in mass, leaving the broken security team alone with their fallen. The smell of blood becoming suffocating.
"They're retreating?" Tia asks.
"No, they must have another objective," Kurt says. "But what?"
"How many...are left here?" Arlan asks.
"We lost 10 men, 1 deserted, and 3 are wounded." Kurtz sighs. "I think it's time we withdraw."
Arlan cups his chin and looks ahead, to where the elevator resides. "As Head of Security, I think it's time to withdraw from this area. But, I'll head down to the Storage Zone and hold the elevator."
"W-What?" Tia asks, puzzled. "Do you have a death wish or something? Even after Andrzej saved your life?!"
"Tia," Kurt says before sighing.
"I understand your concern," Arlan cuts in. "We lost many good friends today and..." Arlan grips his fists and looks down to the floor. "I...wasn't able to save the researchers or my comrades." He looks at the remaining squad, pink eyes brimming with fire. "That's why I want to save them! To protect them! Andrzej and our comrades gave their lives in hopes of holding out long enough to save lives."
"Okay, we'll retreat on your order then, Brother," Kurtz says. "Let's move, everyone."
Left all alone in the Base Zone, Arlan runs to the elevator.
"Asta...I'll protect you and everyone else in this station. No one is dying again on my watch!"
Suddenly, several Voidranger Reavers appear and block Arlan's path.
"Nothing can stop me!"
He rushes forward and raises his greatsword.
The Reavers return in kind.
_________________
In the now deserted Base Zone, an enchanting, beautiful woman strides through. High heels clicked against the floor, echoing throughout the room. Her reddish maroon eyes scanned over the bloody scene while her elegantly maroon hair flowed down her voluptuous body.
"Hm, seems that I came at a bad time," she says, adjusting her white dress shirt that exposes her shoulders. A blank jacket with several webs, however, faithfully shields her pale shoulders. She continues walking, her black high-waisted shorts and tights hug her legs tightly.
"No, no, I think you couldn't have timed it better - Kafka." A female voice reaches her left ear.
Kafka smiles slightly and adjusts her sunglasses hanging over her hair. "And speaking of timing?"
"23:47:15 system time. Very punctual."
"Mhm, Elio always tells the exact future. So what's with the explosion just now? Was that also part of his script?"
"Uh-huh, 23:44:59 system time: the pulses from the explosion caused a massive breakdown from the master Control system."
"You did that?"
"No, something else did that. An unknown object entered the vicinity of the space station and crashed into the Storage Zone. However, I believe the Antimatter Legion did it. They completely invaded the space station two systems hours ago."
Kafka looks around the scene once again and hums. "Alright, so do we need to fight the Legion?"
"I dunno. Elio didn't say anything about it, so it doesn't matter."
"Got it. So from now on, I'll be in charge of this operation."
"Copy." The female voice gets slightly annoyed. "Can you let me have some fun this time? Our last few operations turned out to be pretty dull."
Kafka whistles and rolls her eyes. "Sorry, I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you." She stops walking and hangs around the entrance to a corridor as if waiting for something to appear. "Our job this time is to just to 'place' the target properly. That's how exciting it gets."
"Is that so?"
"But if you wanna go look for some fun yourself, I won't stop you. I mean, after all..."
The hissing and sharpening curved blades signal the arrival of additional Reavers as they teleport in front of her, postures ready and extended. The hunters are ready to kill another prey.
But she wasn't prey.
"Elio didn't put it in the script." She twirls her twin UZIs and points them at the Reavers.
They pounce, like any hunter, and ready their blades down on her; eagerly ready for another kill count.
"So, why would it matter?!" Kafka smiles and unleashes her rapid-fire weapon, penetrating the armor of the Reavers as their bodies start to de-materialize.
"All done? And here I thought you needed additional time."
Kafka, ignoring her jab, walks down the corridor and cups her chin. "When did the Antimatter Legion become this weak?"
"I could only attract this much. Did you want the entire Legion to come here?"
"This lot won't be able to slow down the Astral Express crew."
"These Researchers and security forces didn't stand a chance though. Besides, relax, a Doomsday Beast is also here."
"And is that so?"
Exiting out of the corridor, she walks into the central zone of this area. Seemingly unbeknownst to her, a flicker of bright lights above her summons another Reaver which eagerly pounces on her. Kafka doesn't even bat an eye and yawns. The Reaver brings their blade down on her, ready to sever her head, but it is stopped entirely. Flickers of its body begin to disintegrate and disappear before the Reaver itself is gone without a trace.
A feat only possible with "Aether Editing" and Kafka knows.
"Cleaning up other people's mess isn't in my job description." A petite grey-haired young girl says, sitting atop the desk typing in a digital terminal suspended in the air. Wearing a short, black coat with a crop top along with black unbuttoned shorts - she hops off the desk; her grey eyes gleaming with boredom as she gazes at her companion. "Y'know, Kafka?" She asks, blowing out a piece of bubblegum.
Kafka sighs and walks towards her. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where did you send it, Silver Wolf?"
Silver Wolf lifts one of her brows. "Some random coordinates, not important. You care about where that Voidranger ended up?"
Kafka rolls her eyes and pats her head, smoothing out her ponytail. "Of course not. I'm just amazed at this fancy technique of yours, as usual."
"Hey, don't treat me like a kid. " Silver Wolf bats her hand away and rolls her eyes. "It's just a little trick of tampering with the data of reality." She blows her gum again. "I wouldn't call it fancy."
"What were you looking at so intensely just now? Let me see."
Silver Wolf grins and summons her digital terminal again. "Herta's toys: a catalog featuring the space station's collection of rare items. They've got a lot of interesting gadgets."
"Like what?"
"There's this gun, it can rate any creature within its crosshair as a score from 0 to 100."
Kafka cups her chin before shaking her head. "Hm, doesn't sound very interesting."
"Aren't you curious about how much you would score?" Silver Wolf smirks. "I kinda wanna know mine."
"Fine, I guess we can swing by and play with it if it's not too far. What's our destination?"
"Go down another corridor behind the door on the left. There's a room where some kind of rare items are stored."
"So that's where the Stellaron is? The Cancer of all Worlds?"
"That's where we can find out where the Stellaron is."
"Shall we go?"
Kafka, followed by Silver Wolf, begins walking down the instructed path, eyeing the fallen bodies as they pass, but not a single forethought.
"The central of the space station is up ahead." Silver Wolf cracks her knuckles and stretches her arms. "There will be lots of Legion Voidrangers there."
"May as well kill them all," Kafka says - readying her sword with her Uzi.
Silver Wolf yawns. "Won't be much of a challenge."
After cutting through the Voidrangers, the duo makes it towards a door and a terminal. Kafka stops suddenly which prompts Silver Wolf to do the same.
"Hold it," Kafka says. "Someone or something is up ahead."
As on cue, a Voidranger: Distorter appears in front of them. Its hollowed-out void body is encased in a thick armor as it levitates off the ground. A strange spherical weapon orbits around its body, emitting raw power. Two Voidrangers: Reavers appear from the rear and ready their weapons.
"Looks like we're the ones getting ambushed," Silver Wolf says, typing on her digital terminal before summoning a gauntlet sword attached to her arm.
Kafka flourishes her sword and looks at the Distorter. "But they're the ones getting besieged."
In an instant, the Distorter raises its palm and orders an attack from the rear. However, Kafka, utilizing the time, closes the distance and instantly cuts down the Distorter in one slash.
"All done there?" Kafka asks as she turns around to see the same flickers of the Reaver's body disintegrating. She smirks, her eyes playful. "And here I thought you needed additional time."
Silver Wolf rolls her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't let it go."
Having cleared the failed ambush, Kafka and Silver Wolf enter the room through the terminal.
"Not a single soul here. Impressive evacuation work. Did Herta organize it herself?" Kafka asks.
Silver Wolf checks get waistband and shakes her head. "According to the access history, she hasn't logged in here for over six months. The evacuation was directed by the acting lead researcher, a girl named Asta. Even so, she couldn't get everyone out."
"Hm, that doesn't ring a bell." Kafka thinks for a moment before realizing something. "Oh, right, Elio said we wouldn't run into Herta. It seems she isn't here." Kafka looks around the empty room, furrowing her brows. "Where's the Stellaron?"
"Elio's script doesn't include any info about the location of the Stellaron, which means in the future he foresees..." Silver Wolf pauses.
Kafka's eyes light up. "...We would find the Stellaron in a non-physical way?"
Silver Wolf nods. "This space station is packed with extraordinary objects, I wouldn't be surprised if there's one that can make it happen."
"Hiding something extraordinary with something extraordinary." Kafka laughs lightly. "This is pretty Herta. I assume you know what to do? I mean, you've read that catalog for quite a while."
"I've got all the clues we need," she says smugly. "The only piece missing is a simple trick. Help me investigate the terminal in this room, our item might be inside."
Kafka nods and walks towards a terminal, examining it closer. "So, what's this?"
Silver Wolf chimes in. "Item number 211, 'Blind Spot': A simple light-deflecting field. It allows an object in its field to pass unnoticed, but if a different item ceases to be obvious, the object gets revealed. Herta's collection is not in the system, so...."
"Aha, so anything unaffected should be our target."
"It's a simple matter of hacking the surveillance cameras. Now, if you allow me." Silver Wolf begins to work on the terminal and a hole appears in the wall.
"Interesting, she's a member of the Genius Society, all right."
Kafka walks through the layer and comes face to face with the Stellaron, a warm yellow orb that glows with power and destruction. Its 'heart' pulsates in the center of the mass, sending out waves of energy. She reaches out and holds it, feeling a strange, warm, cold feeling throughout her body.
"The receptacle is ready." Silver Wolf looks at her intensely. "Your decision."
"Mhm, Elio said this decision would bring about lots of changes."
"He also said it must be you who makes it."
Kafka looks at her and smiles lightly. "Activate receptacle: Caelus."
Suddenly, a man materializes in existence. His body was suspended in the air shortly above the ground. His gray peon-like hair fell shortly over his golden eyes. He wears a white shirt, black jacket, and black pants - all coating his medium frame.
Kafka walks towards him, Stellaron in hand. "Time to get up." She plunges the Stellaron into his body, shocking its body.
"Now, as part of the script," Kafka says.
_________________
In the Storage Zone, a man wakes up from the floor; surrounded by debris and ravaging fires. He stumbles up and grips his head, memories of the past remain elusive to him as he tries to clutch its grasp. Desperate to remember just an ounce of something related to him.
But he fails.
"Why...can't I?"
He falls to the floor, coughing frequently. Each breath he takes fills his lungs with more smoke.
"I...guess I can die here. It's not like I have a reason to keep moving forward.
While lying prone, he closes his eyes and searches his mind once again. Scanning for anything that could resemble something akin to a reason.
"When there is the chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret."
He opens his watery eyes and grips his fist, determination soaring through his body.
"Right, I can't die yet." He gets up and crouches down on the floor. "Not until I am satisfied."
Crouching through the dark, fiery hell of the Storage Zone - the man sees several dead researchers and men cladded in armor. Seeing the baton on the holster, he reaches for it and grabs it.
But a hands grab his. A cold hand amongst the smoldering flames.
"H-Help...me," their rattled voice calls out.
Seeing his hand getting pressured, he yanks his hand away eyeing the dying person before him with aloofness.
"Nothing I can do for you."
Walking away with the baton in hand, he sets down another path; trusting his instincts to lead him away from this area. Just up ahead, he can see a clearing.
An elevator and a short, tanned man - waving out towards him, he walks towards but stops grimacing a bit.
"Hey, over here!"
Seeing it as the only way, he walks towards the elevator where the man awaits. "And you are?" He asks - voice numb.
"Arlan - Head Security of the Herta Space Station. On orders of Lad... Lead Researcher Asta, we are to safely evacuate."
The man cups his chin and tilts his head quizzically. "Herta Space Station?"
Now it's Arlan's turn to look at him confused. "Well, yeah, did you hit your head?" Arlan examines the man's attire and furrows his brows. "Come to think of it, are you..."
"Actually, I don't care about any of this." He walks into the elevator, and for once, he sees his reflection, almost shocked and flabbergasted at what he sees. His eyes were a protruding dark purple, and his hair was as dark as a sickening void. Otherworldly beauty was the reflection of a disgusting face he thought he was. His black, pristine unzipped jacket adorned with many spots that looks like miniature black holes. Beneath it was a gray shirt while a purple scarf wraps around his neck. His black pants has a holster surrounding it and Nyx continues to look at himself confused.
Arlan shakes his head. "I'll escort you to the Master Control Zone. The Antimatter Legion is swarming us at an alarming rate. There have also been reports of a Doomsday Beast. This situation is..."
"Uh-huh." He cuts him off.
Arlan stiffens slightly and clears his throat. "Well, uh, what is your name?"
To that question the man cups his chin, furrowing his brows. "My name..." He grips his head, feeling pain surge throughout his mind. "Just...call me Nyx."
"Nyx, huh?" Arlan nods at him. "Well, let's get you back to safety." He presses the elevator to the Master Control Zone, but the elevator remains unmoving. "Huh?" He presses again, but the same result applies.
"Elevator must've been forcefully stopped due to the control room," Nyx says. "Antimatter Legion probably seized control. Nobody is going in or out."
Arlan nods and looks at the control zone, seeing several Reavers roaming around. "Seems like your theory holds up."
"Not a theory; an acute observation. You'll know this if you bother looking. Did the smoke clog your mind?" He points to the control room, seeing several Voidrangers there.
Arlan fidgets and darts his eyes away from him. "Oh, um, sorry. Regarding the control room - we need to wipe out the Voidrangers. Can you fight?"
"Fight?" Nyx's purple eyes darken, almost turning into voids. "And why would I fight the Legion?"
"Well, why wouldn't you? They're attacking everyone and killing them! We need to stop them whenever we can!"
"Sentiments like that won't affect me as they do you," Nyx says. His tall frame broadened his peak physique nearly making him...inhuman, before he stops and sighs. "But, maybe, I think I need to intervene."
"So, you'll help?"
"I'll help."
"Great, let's go."
Crossing the bridge to the control room, Nyx and Arlan crouch down near a box. Their faces begin to examine the Reavers there.
"I'll take the two on the left and you take the two on the right," Arlan says.
"Sure."
Sighing to himself, Nyx looks at his baton before looking at the Reavers. "Are these things even effective against them?" He thinks to himself. "But I guess I can make it work."
And with that, Arlan and Nyx leap out from their positions ambushing their foes.
"Take this!" Arlan shouts, swinging his greatsword at the Reaver. The Reaver, hearing his voice dodges and establishes distance between them. "Damn it," Arlan shouts.
"As they said before, if you want to surprise someone don't shout out your attack," Nyx says.
"Right," Arlan says. "Tag team?"
"Tag team," Nyx states, rushing ahead.
"I got your back."
Nyx raises his baton, readying an overhead attack. The Reaver, noticing this, positions its arms above, preparing to block the attack. However, Nyx sidesteps and whispers in its ear - or whatever an equivalent to one:
"You've left your sides vulnerable."
The Reaver shudders slightly before looking at the man behind Nyx.
Without wasting a delay, Arlan slashes the Reaver's chest. It falls limp and begins to disappear.
"One down," Arlan says. "And three more to go."
Seeing their comrade destroyed, the Distorter points at the two and presumably shouts a command. The Reavers rushes forward at the two at an alarming rate, gaining ground instantly. One Reaver thrusts its blade toward Nyx's chest. Nyx, however, ducks and thrusts his baton into its chest via a gap in its armor.
The Reaver lets out a blood-curdling scream, feeling the sharp pain of electricity in its void before kicking at Nyx, thrusting his body away as he hits a wall. It continues yelling before grabbing the baton and yanking it out, snapping it with ease.
"Useless baton," Nyx says. "No wonder why the security forces got their asses handed to them." He gets up and looks at the Reaver, his body unmoving and eyes blank. "Well, c'mon, now it's my turn to be vulnerable." He smiles at the Reaver, his glistening white teeth shining.
The Reaver charges and instantly plunges its blade into Nyx's chest, lifting him.
"Nyx!" Arlan yells and quickly runs towards him, but the other Reaver quickly blocks his path. "Out of my way!"
The Reaver positions its other blade against Nyx's throat, eager to end its existence.
But it feels something and it looks down at its other blade.
Instead of finding the sweet, warm, gushing blood on its blade lies a cold, corrosive, black substance eating away at its blade and arms. It moves like a virus, traveling through his body at a quick speed.
Nyx smiles and claps his arm on the Reaver. "I don't know what this is either, but I have a feeling." Freeing himself from the Reaver's grasp, he watches as it disintegrates completely. "That this is weird."
"Nyx, are you hurt?" Arlan asks while rushing towards him. The Distorter and Reaver de-materializing in the back. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect you. I am...so useless."
Nyx scoffs and shakes his head. "Ignoring that, can you disable the lock on the elevator?"
Arlan walks towards the terminal and begins examining it. "Hm, the fragmentum seems to be eating away at the structure, but the elevator should still be operational. Though, I can't access the elevator controls without an encryption key." Arlan turns to look at Nyx and examines his chest, seeing his skin through the hole in his shirt. "Were you... stabbed?"
Nyx doesn't say anything but tilts his head. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about--"
"Arlan."
A voice cuts in the room, causing Nyx and Arlan to look at the new face. A tall man stands near the entrance, his cold blue eyes scrutinizing the room. Short black hair falling just over his eyes. He wears a white and green coat with grey pants.
"Asta sent us to find you. Said that they lost contact with you in this Zone," he continues. "We need to head back." He looks at Nyx and raises one of his brows. "And this is?"
"Jeez, Dan Heng, you could at least ask nicely!" Another voice enters the room, this time female. She has light pink hair and icy pink-blue eyes. Her clothes consisted of a white top enveloped by a pink and blue overcoat. She also wears a skirt with a camera hanging from the edge of it. "Oh, and I am March."
Another man enters the room, his expression blank like he just woke up from a dream. Curious, but silent.
"Just call me Nyx."
"Meaning there's another name you go by?" Dan Heng inquiries.
Arlan cuts in and looks at them. "You're all here together?"
"Yup!" March chirps. "We're from the Astral Express."
"Oh, did Madam Herta send you to help?"
Dan Heng sighs. "It's just a coincidence. We came to deliver the rare relic Herta trusted us to find. We weren't expecting to be met with an invasion."
"Why is the Antimatter Legion targeting you guys? They just ignored the surface of the planet and came to the space station." March cups her chin.
"I...have no idea. They came suspiciously right after the security system failed." Arlan suddenly looks crestfallen. "Lady...Lead Researcher Asta immediately began to organize the evacuation. I was supposed to cover everyone as they evacuated, but...I didn't expect to end up failing in this task."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. I know you did all you could. In the end, you came back to see if there were any survivors. That's admirable," Dan Heng says.
"Yeah! Most of the staff evacuated safely, so our biggest priority is to return to the Master Control Zone and plan a counterattack. Do you know how to use the elevator?"
Arlan nods. "Since Lady Asta sent you to look for me, I assume she must've given you the encryption key for accessing the elevator system?"
"Oh, right, she did give me some sort of card. But where did I put it?" March begins searching her clothes for the critical object.
"Don't tell me..." Arlan starts.
"March..." Dan Heng sighs again.
The man in the back smiles slightly.
"Ah, here it is!" March quickly gives Arlan the card, much to everyone's relief.
Arlan quickly uses the elevator and it roars to life.
"Let's go," Dan Heng says.
"Sorry, but I'll stay here and shut down the elevator once you've made it to the Master Control Zone," Arlan says. "Plus, I think my leg is injured."
"No, you can't stay here. If that's reasoning, you should be able to shut down the elevators from the Master Control Zone, right?"
"Agreed!" March says quickly. "Caelus and I made it here safely, and now we've also got Dan Heng and Nyx! We're more than enough to protect you."
Nyx sighs and mumbles to himself. "Why am I involved in this?"
"Let us worry about the Antimatter Legion. You just follow us and keep yourself alive."
"You can use me as a crutch," Caelus says softly - looking at Arlan with a warm glow.
"Thank you," Arlan says.
"Wait, hold on," Nyx interjects. "Do you guys even have a plan, or are you just bankrolling on a possibility?
"We can win," Dan Heng says confidently. "I agree that the possibility has drastically changed with the Doomsday Beast here, but we're just as formidable as it."
"Yeah!" March yells. "We got this!"
"Don't overthink it," Caelus says.
Nyx grips his head, and his eyes begin to turn into ceaseless voids. "A Doomsday Beast, huh?"
"Hey, are you okay?" March asks, voice lacing with concern.
"So far, I let the story go its course as planned. But, I only know so much and wouldn't it be much fun to me if things continued to stay the same." Nyx's body begins to radiate, darkened particles appear periodically. "I think it's time for me to enter the stage, and the rest of you can watch the play!"
"What are you...Hey! Where are you going?" Arlan looks at him in disbelief as he sees Nyx running back toward where the flames never cease.
"Is he crazy?" March shouts. "Hey, you'll die if you don't come with us."
"It's not safe there!" Dan Heng yells. "Please reconsider whatever you are doing."
Caelus looks at Nyx's retreating figure until it disappears from view. "He's going to fight the Doomsday Beast."
March looks horrified and gasps. "What! Are you sure?"
"Well, the way his eyes were looked unsettling at best." Dan Heng furrows his brows. "I wouldn't put it past that idea."
"What should we do? Should we go after him?"
"No time. Let's head towards the Master Control Zone and plan out from there."
"Alright, let's go!"
_________________
The flames of entropy only grow bigger as Nyx walks through the debris, a wicked smile on his face as his aura grows as well.
"You know, I was going to go for the lost memories schtick, but that would not be interesting enough."
He makes it towards the area where he has awoken from, seeing the hull breach having a shield barrier around it. He touches the shield, feeling the condensed particles around it.
"I think I'll just be me."
He phases through the shield and into the abyssal void of space, feeling the despairful cold creeping across his skin.
"Thank you, IX. For the gift." Nyx laughs. "But I'll get stronger my way."
He propels forward and spots a metallic dragon-like beast that soars through space. Its claws so sharp and elongated. In place of a head lied a swirling mass surrounded by armor. It immediately sees Nyx and flies towards him, using its tail as a weapon.
Nyx smiles and take the blow as he is knocked back at a tremendous force before stopping himself. "Nice hit," he says, his body glowing so much that it could rival the sun. He reaches his hand out, feeling particles shift and turn as a double-bladed sword appears. Its pommel and crossguard are black and abyssal, the blade itself mirroring Nyx.
The Doomsday Beast seemingly roars and charges at Nyx once more.
"I can see that you're eager." Nyx flourishes his weapon and points it at the beast. "For death that is." He pauses and cups his chin. "Was that a good line or is it just cringe? Eh, I'll think of something better."
And just like that, the battle for Herta Space Station truly begins.