When they arrived at the new camp, Keal was already waiting for them. The new base was provisional, but functional.
"Unutay," said Keal, "we need to measure your strength so we can assign you properly."
Unutay frowned. "Measure my strength?"
"Yes," Keal explained, motioning for him to follow. "Every warrior here is classified based on their strength. Kiro, Torgul, Mika, Elandra, Nerion, and I—we've known each other since childhood. We were trained together, all of us by our master Meridion. After our training, we had to go through the same test."
As they walked through the camp, Keal continued, "Nerion, Torgul, and I have already reached rank R8. The others are currently R7 fighters. Our commanders, however… they're R9."
Unutay raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So R9 warriors are the strongest?"
Keal smirked. "Not quite. There's also rank R10. In total, there were three R10 warriors. Two of them died a long time ago. The last one still lives, but he's very old now and sits on the Council of the White—he coordinates us as one of the last of his kind."
Unutay nodded slowly, clearly impressed. Then he looked at Keal with curiosity. "Why did you become a warrior? And… why does Mika always call you 'prince'?"
Keal chuckled. "Because I actually am one. Mika likes teasing me about it. I come from a royal family."
Unutay blinked in surprise. Keal continued, more serious now. "My parents never wanted me to fight. But the castle I grew up in… it started to feel suffocating. When I realized the power inside me had awakened, I couldn't stay. So I ran away."
He paused, his gaze drifting.
"Meridion found me, took me in, and taught me how to fight—just like the others. And for the first time, I felt free. Like I belonged. Like my life had meaning. The price was high, though: my parents haven't spoken to me since."
Unutay listened closely. He could see the pain of disappointment and misunderstanding in Keal's eyes.
Then Keal said quietly, "But one day they'll understand my decision. I'm more than a spoiled prince who's destined to be king. I want to do more for people—not just command, but fight beside them, live with them, laugh with them, and if necessary, die for them. That's what a true leader should do—not just rule, but protect."
Unutay was silent for a moment. "I don't know what a king's duties are. I'm not one… or maybe I was? I don't know."
Keal looked at him, surprised.
"I don't remember my past. Maybe it's better that way. Maybe not. But I do know this: as long as your actions harm no one, follow what you believe is right. And if I can help you along your path, I will—with everything I've got. I see a true leader in you."
They looked at each other for a few quiet seconds.
Then Unutay said calmly, "You're also the only leader I know. I have no comparison—so make sure you do your job well."
Keal grinned. A moment later, both of them burst out in laughter—genuine and heartfelt.
They now stood before the lab where Unutay's strength was to be measured. It was a requirement from Commander Davor Krayt to properly assign each warrior.
They entered. Inside, it was still chaotic—equipment wasn't fully set up, wires were everywhere, magical power cells blinked irregularly. The lead professor greeted them with a curt nod. "Come in. We'll begin shortly—but you'll need to be patient. We're still finishing setup from the base relocation."
Keal and Unutay took a seat on one of the benches along the wall. Around them, technicians, researchers, and mages worked together at a frantic pace. This facility wasn't just for strength measurements—it also housed medical exams, magical research, and diagnostics.
After a few minutes, the director approached them. "We're ready. Who's being tested?"
Keal pointed to Unutay. "He is."
The director nodded. "Please follow me."
Unutay looked at Keal, who gave him an encouraging nod. Without a word, he followed the director to a room in the back of the lab. The door was made of thick steel, temporarily installed, and faintly humming.
"Just stand in the center," the director said. "Don't worry, you won't feel anything. It's a full body scan—it reads both your physical and magical signature. Just takes a few minutes."
Unutay stepped inside. The door closed behind him with a heavy thud. The room was stark white—no buttons, no edges, just smooth walls, glaringly lit.
A beam of light appeared in front of him, starting at his feet and slowly moving upward. A second beam activated from behind. Unutay instinctively stepped back. A calm voice echoed from nowhere.
"Don't be alarmed. This is just the scanner. You won't feel a thing."
But as the light reached his chest, it suddenly shut off. Darkness filled the room.
"What's going on?" Unutay whispered.
"Apologies," the voice returned. "System failure. Please remain calm—we're rebooting now."
A minute later, lights flickered back on, illuminating the room once more.
"We'll try again."
The scanner restarted—again from the feet upward. As it reached Unutay's torso, the lights cut out once more. Total darkness.
"Unbelievable," muttered the voice. "Another failure. Apologies again. The system is still being calibrated for this new environment. One moment…"
This time it took longer. Eventually, the lights returned and the scanner began again—this time from above. The light passed over his head, down his eyes, his nose, his mouth. As it neared his throat, a loud bang echoed.
A blinding flash burst through the room. Outside, in the lab, several panels exploded. Sparks flew. Smoke billowed out. Technicians jumped back. Consoles crackled, alarms flared.
Keal, hearing the blast, ran toward the room.
The director opened the heavy door, coughing lightly.
"We can't complete the scan. The system wasn't fully operational—looks like something got damaged during transport."
Unutay emerged, seemingly unharmed—but clearly confused.
Keal placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we'll wait. I'll inform Commander Davor—we'll return once the system's ready."
Unutay nodded. And though no results had come through, one thing was clear to the director:
This wasn't a normal system failure.
Something didn't add up.
He said nothing—but his eyes betrayed his suspicion.
Something about this man... was beyond what their system could handle.
The two made their way back to the others, who were already waiting eagerly for the results of the scan.
As soon as they came into view, Mika jumped up and ran over to them.
"Wait! Don't say anything yet!" she laughed. "We made a bet!"
She pointed at the others.
"Nerion, Elandra, and I say he's R8. Torgul and Kiro bet on R7. And the loser has to carry everyone's gear during the next mission. So? What is he?"
Keal laughed. "You all lost."
Everyone froze. Mika's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me… he has the strength of a commander? Is he R9? Or… even R10?"
Shock spread across their faces.
Just then, Commander Valea Morrin stepped up behind them—she had overheard everything.
Keal smirked. "No. We couldn't even measure him. The new scanner broke."
Kiro shrugged. "Whatever. We'll do it tomorrow. But the bet still stands!"
Valea spoke up. "Nerion. Commander Davor is back from the briefing. He wants to speak with you."
Everyone went silent.
"Why?" Nerion asked, surprised.
Valea replied plainly, "Come. Keal, you too."
The three followed her to the command quarter. They entered the conference room: a long, rectangular table with Commander Davor Krayt at the head. To his right sat Commander Leon Virell. Valea took her seat to Davor's left.
Other mages stationed on Earth joined them. Soon, the room was full. A projection lit up the wall: the faces of other commanders appeared—and in the center was the last R10 warrior: Aaron Vance, the Eternal Watcher.
He began to speak in a calm but resolute voice.
"I'm relieved we survived the assault. But this is only the beginning."
Davor's expression was somber. Keal and Nerion noticed immediately but assumed it was due to the heavy toll of recent events.
Aaron continued,
"Thanks to the Alliance, we won the battle. But the war is far from over. We—part of the Alliance—have decided not to wait for Sereth's next strike. We will strike first."
He looked at each face in the room.
"You who can create portals, or control access to them, will be deployed in small teams. Each team will be given a Twin Crystal. Your mission: search through the worlds until you find the enemy's base or command center. Once found, activate the crystal and establish a link. We will then strike—together—with the full force of the Alliance."
Aaron's voice grew more solemn.
"This will not be easy. Some of you may not return. But this is the only way to stop Sereth before he strikes again. If we wait, it may be too late. The Alliance is counting on you. May you have strength—and courage."
Silence fell across the room.
So many worlds. So many dangers.
And yet… it was the only option.
While the others reflected on Aaron's words, Keal and Nerion noticed something deeper in the faces of Davor, Leon, and Valea. Not tension—grief.
The transmission ended. All eyes turned to Commander Davor.
He stood, voice calm but heavy.
"The planning begins tomorrow. Choose your teams. Be ready."
Everyone stood to leave—except Davor held back Keal and Nerion.
"Keal. Nerion. Please stay."
They exchanged a glance and sat back down.
Keal's heart began to race. A dark thought crept into his mind.
Are my parents…?
Davor remained standing. His voice was low and filled with sorrow.
"There's more that binds us than our origin on Earth. All three of us… trained at the same Arcanum. We shared the same mentor. And by now, you may have guessed… the enemy's attack didn't only target the portal. It struck the entire planet."
He paused.
"Many people died. R9 commanders. Soldiers. Cities were lost… and so was the Arcanum."
A cold shiver ran down Keal and Nerion's backs. Their gazes went blank. The air turned still.
Valea Morrin suddenly stood up. Her eyes shimmered with tears. She turned and quietly left the room. The door closed softly behind her.
Davor lowered his head.
"Meridion managed to save some of the students… but the attackers were too many. It was an ambush."
Keal stared at him, his voice barely a whisper.
"Is he… alive?"
Davor couldn't answer. He simply looked away.
Leon stepped forward instead. His tone was firm, though edged with fury.
"No. Meridion didn't survive."
Silence.
Leon continued,
"And that's exactly why we must act. We owe him more than words could ever say. His death will not be in vain. We will find Sereth—and burn down everything he's built."