WARNING!! This chapter contains scenes that may be distressing to some readers, including:
Graphic violence
Psychological torment
Sexual assault
Death
Genocide
Themes of helplessness and grief
Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Myzen's wrists were raw from the bindings that had kept him in place for over two days. He was in the room alone. His mouth was dry and it hurt to breathe or speak from the lack of water. His body trembled. The skin on his knees was worn down. Despite the horrendous situation he found himself in… his mind stayed on one thing. His family.
Suddenly, the massive screen that had been black for two days now crackled to life. Myzen's head snapped up, his heart pounding as the image popped up on the screen. It was them… his wife and child.
They were in a small room huddled together, their faces full of fear. His wife clutched their young child tightly, her eyes wide with pure terror. Behind them, two guards from Seraphine's military stood ominously. Based on their gold uniforms, they were under Aleron's authority.
"No… no… What are you doing?!" He said wide eyed.
He staggered to his feet, the chains around his ankles clinked as he strained toward the screen. The remaining skin and on his knees peeled off. His entire body trembled, and his eyes darted between the figures on the screen and his family. His voice broke with desperation.
"Please! Leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this!"
The screen flickered again, and Seraphine's face appeared on another section.
"Ah, Myzen. I warned you about this family of yours, didn't I? It seems you've forgotten where you came from, who took you in, who cared for you, who was…your true family…"
She waved her hand lazily, and the guards behind Myzen's family moved. One of them grabbed his wife by the arm, yanking her away from their child, who screamed in terror. The other guard held the boy down.
"Stop it! Please! Don't touch them! I'll do anything!"
His wife cried out in pain, struggling against the brute force of the guard. She looked into the camera.
"Myzen! Please help us!"
A cruel chuckle came from one of the guards as he tightened his grip on her, his eyes filled with sadistic glee.
"This one's got a nice rack on her don't you think, Myzen? Let's see what else she's hiding under those clothes."
His hands hovered over her trembling body as she screamed for mercy.
"NO! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP! I BEG YOU! PLEASEEE!" Myzen begged, tears streamed down his face.
"I'll do anything, Seraphine… anything. Please! Just don't hurt them! They've done nothing wrong!"
Seraphine tilted her head, a twisted smile creeping across her lips. She raised her hand, signaling the guards to pause. The room fell into a trauma filled silence as his wife's sobs filled the air.
"Are you sure, Myzen? Are you truly prepared to pay the price? Because this will be your final bargain."
"Yes! Anything! Just please… leave them alone."
Seraphine's smile widened. With a flick of her wrist, the screen changed, and the image shifted. Myzen's eyes widened in horror as the screen displayed a place he knew too well, his home planet. The beautiful cities, the forests, the rivers, all shimmering under the light of the distant star that had sustained them for generations.
"No…." He mumbled out.
A fleet of massive warships suddenly appeared on the screen. Myzen's heart sank as he watched them close in, blocking out the sunlight.
Seraphine raised her hand again, and with that simple gesture, the ships began to fire. A barrage of energy blasts rained down on the planet, striking the surface with unimaginable force. Entire cities were obliterated in an instant, reduced to ash and rubble. Forests erupted into flames, rivers evaporated, and mountains crumbled under the relentless assault.
Myzen stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief as his home—everything he had ever known—was annihilated before his very eyes.
His people, his history… gone in mere seconds.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed, his throat raw as the image of his home planet's explosion filled the screen.
Billions…dead.
The screen flickered once more, returning to Seraphine's smirking face. Myzen's body trembled. He began to choke on his tears as he tried to speak.
"Why… Why would you do this…?"
Seraphine leaned closer to the screen.
"Because, Myzen… This is what happens when you fail the Accord. When you fail me."
Myzen's mind couldn't comprehend what was going on, his heart shattered beyond repair. His home, his people, his family—it had all been taken from him in an instant. He could barely breathe, the weight of it crushing him.
But the torment wasn't over.
Seraphine raised her hand again, and the screen flickered back to the room where his wife and child were still held captive. The guards grinned at each other.
Myzen's wife screamed in terror as one of them grabbed hold of her.
"STOP! PLEASE!! STOP! STOPP!" Myzen screamed, nearly ripping his arms off of his body trying to run to the screen.
In the scuffle, his wife was able to break free momentarily, swinging back to scratch one of the guards in their face.
That was a mistake.
He retaliated with a nasty punch to her face that broke numerous bones instantly. She fell to the ground right in front of the camera. One of her eyes was knocked out of her skull. Her body began to seize up as she gargled Myzen's name.
"My…zen…"
Myzen heard her call and he stretched his hands out, to try and reach her through the screen. He wanted to help her, to help his son, to save them… but he couldn't.
He watched as the guard stomped down and crushed her head open. Blood and brain matter splashed everywhere, even on their trembling son who watched while being held down by the other guard.
Myzen didn't know what to do.
He didn't know what to say.
He was broken.
The screen went black the very next moment, leaving him alone in the dark room, his screams of agony the only sound that remained. His world had been destroyed, his family brutalized. His soul shattered under the weight of his torment.
But Seraphine was just getting started.
Not far from the planet Thaloria, a fleet of ships hovered silently, blending into the backdrop of space. At the front of the lead ship was an hulky alien man dressed in a gold and red Accord military uniform, slightly different from the uniforms Aleron and the soldiers under him wore. He was the captain of the entire fleet. His dark red skin matched his intimidating presence, yet his eyes were sharp and calculating, fixated on the Starlight ship in the distance.
A hologram came to life in front of him. He and the crew members around him instantly fell to their knees, bowing their heads in respect. The man himself lowered his gaze.
Seraphine's image shimmered into view.
"Lady Seraphine, we are in position and ready to strike at your command."
Seraphine's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Proceed with the attack. Make sure there are no mistakes. I want the Starlight crew incapacitated but alive. Especially the human, Kaito. He is not to be harmed. Also ensure princess Talon is unharmed, as per King Taeron."
The captain of the ship bowed his head even lower.
"Understood, my lady. It will be done."
With a final nod, Seraphine's hologram buzzed out before. The captain turned to his crew.
"All ships, move forward and prepare for battle! Target the Starlight but remember, do not destroy them completely. We need them alive!"
As the crew scrambled to their stations, the fleet of ships began to glide forward, closing in on the unsuspecting Starlight crew.
Back in her quarters, Seraphine sat in front of a holographic projection. The room was dimly lit, but the soft glow from the display illuminated her features with an eerie light. The image flickering before her was of Kaito during his battle with Myzen. Seraphine traced a finger along the hologram.
"I will find the cosmic heart and obtain my lost rightful place in this universe…as it's one and only God. And you, my beloved Kaito, are going to help me."
Her eyes gleamed with a craving that went beyond power or control. She lingered for a moment longer, lost in her dark fantasies, before turning the projection off, the image of Kaito fading into the darkness of her bedroom.
In that darkness, she uttered three final words.
"Long live Lyra…"
On the Starlight, the crew had gathered around a table. Elara stood at the head of the table, her hands carefully unwrapping a cloth bundle. The fabric fell away to reveal the Celestial Codex Fragment, its surface glinting with an otherworldly light.
"Kaeline, come here. We need your skills."
Kaeline approached and extended her hand over it. She closed her eyes, her breathing steady as she began to channel her cosmic essence into the artifact. The white tattoos on her skin glowed faintly.
The fragment responded, its surface glowing brighter, casting patterns of light and shadow across the room. Slowly, an image began to form in the air above the table—a map, vast and intricate, detailing the galaxies, stars, and systems of the universe. Yet, it was incomplete, fragmented, a puzzle missing many pieces.
Everyone watched in awe as one galaxy on the map began to shine with an intense, pulsating light. The map zoomed in again, focusing on a single star in the middle of millions of others.
But it wasn't just any galaxy, it was one two people on the crew were all too familiar with.
Elara's eyes widened and her body stiffened up.
"Th–that galaxy… it's…"
Talon walked up right next to her. Her eyes weren't filled with shock like Elara's… they were calm. But beneath that false calm was pure anger. She finished Elara's sentence for her.
"It's our home galaxy…" She said calmly.
Jinx's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You two's home galaxy…? No shot in the grand stars! That galaxy is literally on the other side of the known universe! The Starlight isn't meant for vast intergalactic travel over fifty million light years, let alone ten billion! We'll need some serious upgrades if we're going to make it that far without getting stuck in the middle of space, light years away from any type of help."
"Is there somewhere we can get those upgrades? We need to be able to reach that location as soon as possible!" Elara asked urgently.
Jinx grinned.
"Hehehe. Well, there's one place. My home world, Zarithis in the Kheris star system. They've got the best ship tech on this side of the universe. Luckily we've never left my home galaxy since I met you all four stellar cycles ago."
She swiped over her cybernetic arm and a mini projection of the Viridion galaxy projected in the air. She zoomed in until she landed on a binary star system.
Planet: Zarithis
Stellar System: Kheris
Number of Stars: 2 (Binary)
Galaxy: Viridion (Milky Way)
Star(s) Type: G-Type (Orange-Yellow)/ M-Type (Red)
Number of Planets: 10 (4 in the habitable zone)
"It's 45,000 light years away on the other side of the galaxy. We have enough aetherium crystals to make the jump despite Talon hoarding some of her own for some reason, but we should definitely stock up on some at the cosmic wells on my world. The wells are crazy potent and usually ranked B or A south of Starfall City, so we'd be able to snag up a lot of crystals to make that absurd jump."
She hesitantly looked over to Elara and Talon.
"But still, you guy's galaxy… is the headquarters for the Accord now." She said with an unusual nervous undertone.
Kaito perked up immediately upon hearing this.
"Headquarters… of the Accord?" He thought to himself completely stunned.
Finn looked puzzled as his head whipped back and forth between their conversation.
"D-rank? Aetherium crystals? What are you talking about? Would it really take that long without the crystals? The starlight is pretty quick right?"
Rorik chuckled before patting him on the back.
"Yeah the starlight is quick, but a trip like that with aetherium crystals would take longer than any of us have to live. Also man, did you even read the notes I gave you? You're gonna need that stuff to pass the licensing exams and be a star traveler."
Before Finn could respond, the ship suddenly lurched violently. The room shook, alarms blared.
"Viro, report! What's happening!?" Elara shouted.
Viro's voice echoed through the ship.
"We're under attack, captain! Multiple ships, incoming from all sides!"
Elara's eyes narrowed as she ran toward the bridge, the rest of the crew following close behind. As they reached the control room, they were greeted by the sight of more than twenty ships closing in on them.
"How did they sneak up on us?" Elara asked.
"I thought they were friendly! Their signals matched a known friendly faction until they attacked!" Viro responded.
Elara cursed under her breath. She turned to the crew.
"Everyone, battle positions! We need to hold them off until we can escap–"
But even as she spoke, the ship rocked again under a barrage of enemy fire, sparks flying from the consoles. Jinx's fingers flew across the controls, trying to stabilize the ship.
"We've taken heavy damage! I can't keep this up much longer!"
The crew exchanged glances, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Elara's usually calm demeanor had turned grim as she watched the enemy ships gather for the kill. She leaned closer to Jinx.
"Can we make an emergency jump!?"
Jinx's eyes darted over the damaged systems. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she frantically worked the controls.
"The navigation systems are shot! I can't lock onto a star properly. I don't know where we'll end up!"
"Do it anyway! It's our only shot!" Elara shouted.
Outside the ship, the enemy fleet's cannons began to glow with a sickly light. The Starlight crew stared at the impending destruction in horror.
"We're not gonna make it!" Finn screamed.
At the last second, Jinx slammed her hand down on the controls, locking onto a random star system. The ship's hyperdrive roared to life, and in an instant, they jumped moving at speeds well beyond lightspeed, just as the enemy's energy blasts tore through the space they had occupied moments before.
The enemy captain growled in frustration, watching as the Starlight barely slipped out of his grasp.
"They've escaped... for now."
The Starlight ship careened out of hyperspace, hurtling toward an unfamiliar planet. The crew barely had time to react as the ship was pulled into the planet's gravity. The controls were still malfunctioning, and Jinx wrestled with them, trying to keep the ship from spiraling out of control.
"We're coming in too fast! Brace for impact!" Jinx screamed out.
The ship descended like a fiery meteor, streaking across the planet's sky. Inside, the crew gripped their seats, bracing for the inevitable crash.
Far below, an alien boy stood in a field, his eyes wide as he watched the fiery streak tear through the sky like a falling star. His gaze followed the burning ship as it plummeted toward the horizon.
As the crew braced for the impact, everything faded to black…
[END OF VOL 1] - The Grand Sirius Tournament Arc