There was no pain.
No sound.
No warmth.
Only silence so profound it seemed to hum.
Veqty didn't know how long she floated in that vast nothing. It could've been moments. Or centuries. Time didn't move here. Not in any way she could understand. One breath. One blink. A lifetime.
And then a light.
It wasn't warm. It wasn't cold. It simply was. Endless, weightless, stretching across the skyless void. It took shape slowly, forming patterns like petals in a cosmic bloom. A woman stood in its center — or perhaps she was the center. Her hair flowed like silver starlight, her eyes holding galaxies, and her presence was suffocating in its majesty.
Veqty gasped as awareness surged back into her body. She reached for herself, only to find there was no body to reach for.
"What… what is this?" her voice echoed, fragile and small. "What's happening? Where am I? Who are you? What do you want? What happened to my body?"
The woman, the goddess? tilted her head, her expression unreadable. It was not cruel. Nor compassionate. Only eternal stillness.
"You are in my Plane," she said. "You have died. And now, you must choose."
"Choose…?" Veqty repeated. "Choose what?"
"Reincarnation. You will live again, elsewhere. You must choose what and who to be born as."
"Reincarnation…?" Veqty's voice cracked, horror dawning on her like frostbite. "Wait, no. Where's Alan? Alan? Alan! Where are you? I want to see my husband, where is he?!"
The Goddess remained still.
"No, oh God, please no, I can't lose him again," Veqty trembled, falling to her knees though there was no ground. "I just saw him. We were in the field, was that… was that a dream?"
"It was not," the Goddess said softly. "You met him. But he has already entered the cycle of reincarnation."
Her breath stopped. "What?"
"If you wish to see him again, you must enter as well. That is the condition. You must walk through life once more."
"No, why?! Why did you reincarnate him? We were supposed to be together! He promised! Why did he go without me?!"
"He had to. It is your destiny, what is unfinished must be completed," the Goddess said.
"What do you mean? Where is he now?"
The goddess smiled faintly, a flicker of something almost human in her celestial face.
"It has been only two years since he was reborn. You will follow soon."
Veqty closed her eyes. She felt hollow and full all at once. Rage, guilt, longing… and something else. A sliver of relief. He was out there. Living. Breathing. Waiting.
"I understand…" she whispered.
The Goddess raised her hand.
And behind her… the Wheel formed.
A vast, impossible construct, more concept than machine. It spun slowly, made of golden fractals and threads of starlight. Countless glowing sigils floated across its surface, each one bearing a different word, a different species, a different fate.
A single black needle pointed toward the void, and then it began to move.
The wheel spun.
And the words passed before her as a menu opened on the left side of the wheel.
Earth Born:
Races of war, muscle, and madness.
Orcs – Born to conquer, bred to fight, their rage echoes louder than drums.
Goblins – Tricksters and scavengers, live in colonies and impregnate women from other races.
Chaos Goblins – Touched by madness, the only goblin magic users.
Hulks – Towering monstrosities of green flesh and blind fury, evolved Orcs.
Ogres – Brutal, ugly, and fat, whose hunger is only matched by their strength.
Titans – Colossal beings of ancient blood, evolved from Ogres.
Veqty grimaced. "Pass."
Night Born:
Eternal hunger dressed in immortality.
PurebloodVampire – Nobles of the night, one of the strongest beings.
Vampire – Night Predators, feeding on blood and fear.
Ghoul – Twisted servants of undeath serve a vampire or Lich Lord.
Lich – Masters of undeath, their souls locked in eternal, cruel logic.
Ghost – Whispers of the past, drifting through walls and regrets.
Nature Born:
Children of sun, moon, blood, and shadow.
DarkElf – Elves living in the biggest desert on warm, oasis-like patches.
HighElf – Natural spellweavers, arrogant and beautiful.
MoonElf – Dreamwalkers under silver skies, weaving magic from starlight.
SunElf – Scorching brilliance incarnate, favored by dawn and flame.
BloodElf – Magic-burned and power-hungry, sustained by arcane thirst.
Hell Born:
Flame given flesh, armed with claws.
PrimordialDemon – Born before time, their presence distorts nature.
Imp – Mischief incarnate, their laughter is a curse that never fades, clever thieves.
UpperDemon – Nobles of hellfire, cold and calculated in their cruelty, rulers of the circles of hell.
Lower Demon – Cannon fodder of the damned, swarming like flies on sin.
Demonic Beast – Chaos given form, howling nightmares on four limbs.
Devils – Contract-bound manipulators, smiling as they damn your soul, strength wise middle class demons.
Dragon Born:
Scaled heirs to forgotten gods.
Lamia – Serpentine charmers, snake tails, and half-human bodies.
Royal Lamia – Queens of magic and conquest.
Lizardmen – Ancient warriors of the marsh, cold-blooded and unyielding.
Dragon Lizard – Winged Beasts that breathe fire.
Snake Folk – More beastly Lamia.
Dragon Lamia – Serpent Empresses
Dragon Snake – Beastly Nightmares.
She paused here and hmm'd
Neutrals:
Unremarkable… until they aren't.
Humans – Fragile, fleeting.
High Humans – The best of mankind elevated, wielding will like a weapon.
She scoffed. "Been there. Done that. Bored with it."
Evolved:
Beasts who dared to rise.
Lion, Wolf, Boar, Fish, Cow, Elephant, etc. – "Intelligent animal kingdoms. Tribal, proud, and strong."
"Living as a lion sounds majestic... but no."
Ocean Born:
Sung in lullabies, feared in storms.
Sea Serpent – Terrors of the Deep.
Mermaid – Beautiful, singers that soothe the soul or destroy it.
Pearl Mermaids – Rare and radiant, queens beneath coral palaces.
Wind Born:
The sky's fury and grace, given wings.
Bird – Free and watchful, messengers of sky-bound prophecy.
Thunderbird – Living storms, their wings crackle with light.
Harpy – half woman, half bird.
Phoenix – Deathless flames, reborn in ash, destined to rise forever.
Swarm Born:
Unity. Hunger. Evolution.
Swarm Mother – The First Womb. The last word. Queen of the endless.
Swarm Queen – Born of the Mother's will, as priestess, they command lesser hives.
Great Family – Noble insectoids, humanoid in form, masters of strategy and mutation.
Upper Class – Semi-intelligent swarm leaders, Hive commanders.
Middle Class – Loyal, conversational drones—workers, soldiers, breeders.
Lower Class – Fanged beasts driven by instinct, born to die.
Larvae – Infant stage. Fragile, hungry.
Not like the choice was up to her though, it was a gacha wheel, classic scam tactic, so its not what she would want…its what the goddess wanted her to be.
And just like that, the Wheel slowed.
It began to click, ever so softly, toward the marker.
Middle Class Swarm.
A drone. A soldier. Functional. Replaceable.
Veqty's face twisted.
"You've got to be kidding me," she hissed. "Out of all that, this?! I get reborn as a goddamn foot soldier?"
And then, the Goddess smiled.
A soft, knowing curve of her lips.
And the marker shifted.
Not by much. A hair. A sliver of a breath. But enough.
It landed on:
Swarm Mother.
The glyph flared, the symbol searing into her very soul.
Veqty froze.
"You…" she whispered. "You nudged it."
"I offer paths," the Goddess said. "But you... were always meant to walk this one."
She remembered Ezra's rants now. His endless chatter. His annoying, excitable little quips about the Swarm Mother.
"Damn brat," she muttered.
Still, a corner of her lip twitched upward.
The Goddess raised her hand. "Will you accept this path?"
Veqty closed her eyes. The grief was still there. But something else was present now.
"Yes." She whispered.
And the wheel vanished in light.
The world split open.
And Veqty was born anew, in the darkness, and the pulse of something ancient.
———
Sector 6: Prometheus Mothership
"General! We have detected a Type-12 unknown Aether Wave on planet B-07, it is a noble Augustes's cattle planet with trillions of dollars already invested!" A man behind the computer shouted as red sirens flared across the spaceship.
"Get me in contact with the planetary command for B-07, and prepare a reconnaissance fleet to search for any abnormality, pinpoint the wave origins, and send me the results!" The general, a burly man in his 50s, ordered as his gaze fixed on the wave patterns displayed on the projector.
"A Type-12 wave…just what kind of hell is happening? Even a Hell gate is only a type 8 abnormality. This cannot end here… Cadet! Write and submit me a report in an hour with all the data, I must inform the high command."
"Yes sir!" A boy shouted from behind.
A team quickly formed, comprised of 2 dozen marines and 2 recon ships to carry them, the coordinates for the Aether wave were near a mountain range. The men quickly armed themselves and were briefed on the situation.
The marines boarded the recon ships, with a clank, the ships detached themselves from the mothership as they made their way to the surface. Planetary command had already confirmed entry and was just as confused about the Aether activity.
——
B-07: Prometheus Planetary Command Base:
Wind roared as the Recon ships landed on the hanger bay, the doors opened with a whoosh, and dozens of marines rushed out clad in power armor and holding heavy rifles. "Sergeant Andrew reporting! Requesting a meeting with the commanding officer."
"Well received, Sergeant, follow me, the commander has been waiting for you," The escorting officer replied. They entered through the automatic doors into the fortress, and the walls were shiny and clean with a color theme of yellow and red. showcasing the Augustes family's colors, unlike the federal marines, displaying the signature yellow and black of the Prometheus Federation. The marine clad in federal colors followed the officer till he scanned his keycard and opened the control room.
"Welcome, marine, always good to know the central command hasn't forgotten us, tea or coffee," The commander said casually, but his gaze was anything but.
"Thanks for offering, sir, but we would like to be briefed on the mission location and any relevant intel you could collect first," The Sergeant replied.
"Very well, this is going to be a tough one, should've taken the coffee first," The commander joked, and he smiled lightly before dropping it and looking at the satellite and rover images displayed on the projector.
"Well, firstly, the data sent to the mothership was dated, we have new confirmed coordinates, the wave originated 1500m underground, normally it wouldn't be much of an issue but since little siesmic activity was detected and the wave type is 12, we have a hypothesis that there is a large cavity stretching for multiple miles underground which diluted the siesmic currents…do you know what that means? Worst case scenario…a hell gate for a…primordial demon. With a large enough space for it to form, bringing the whole hell on B-07 literally," The commander murmured the last part silently.
The marines' faces sank as they heard the words 'Primordial demon', those creatures were brutal and unbeatable, they were first encountered during the Hell wars. While demons were known to use hell gates up to type 8, primordial demons were mysterious, and if one used a hell gate…type 12 would be it.
"Then we must begin the mission immediately, hell gates take 2-3 days to form, we just have to be fast, this is a critical issue, time is of the essence. Can our entrance into the cavity be assured?" Sergeant Andrew asked, stepping forward.
"Yes, we have prepared drill pods for you all, while entering is easy using gravitational pull… getting out will be harder, prepare for a drawn-out mission, as even if you destroy the gate, getting out will take weeks, I have prepared 3 drill pods filled with ration for your team, it has months of supply...make sure it is protected, follow Major Teges to the drill pods, good luck and god speed" The Commander ended the briefing with a fist to his chest.
The marine sat inside the pods and activated them. the drill pod groaned to life, a plasma cutter formed on the base, and twisted the earth beneath them to form a cavity, followed by the metal bit penetrating deeper. They were cutting through rock now, as the pods kept going down.
"Drill Pod Beta and Gamma are holding formation," came a voice over the multi-pod channel. "ETA to full deployment, ninety seconds."
Green light above Andrew's head blinked once. The pod slowed. He felt the inertia shift in his bones, the subtle lurch of stabilizer fins adjusting position. They were nearing the final depth.
Andrew turned his head. "Marine! Helmet seals on."
With practiced motion, Andrew pulled the visor over his face. The HUD blinked to life, and the world narrowed to numbers, outlines, and bio-sign readings. Heartbeats elevated. Respiration tight. Vitals normals.
Then came a tremble from the drill. The pod halted. With a hiss, the forward hatch depressurized. Yellow warning lights flickered. The interior dimmed as the outer ramp began to lower, revealing absolute blackness beyond.
"Deploying Light Probe A1," said Andrew, tapping his gauntlet.
A spherical drone ejected itself from the pod and drifted forward. It unfolded silently, pulsing with dull blue light. As it rose, it lit the cavern.
Andrew stepped down, boots crunching against debris. Behind him, the squad fanned out, rifles raised.
Behind him, the squad fanned out, rifles raised. Each movement is deliberate.
The cavern looked like any other, nothing impressive except rock formations. Andrew walked forward slowly, quickly sending live feed access to the command centre.
"You receiving this, Sergeant? Commander! The link is back on" Major teges called out.
"I see that major, congratulations on successfully entering the area, Sergeant." The commander presided as he scrutinized the personnel camera showing live visuals of the caves.
"Move a little, Sergeant, what do you see? Is there any presence inside the cavern?" he asked the sergeant.
"No, sir, there we do not detect any hostile lifeform, or any lifeform for that matter, this place is barren," he replied
"Understood, Sergeant. Continue with the mission, you are a few metres away from coordinates, there doesn't seem to be a path ahead, you have permission to deploy detonation charges to blast a path for advancement."
"Understood, placing charges! marines place charges on the east wall, we're blasting our way through the wall!"
The soldiers fanned out and quickly started placing the detonation charges, "charges placed, brace for detonation!"
BOOOOM!
The wall exploded as rocks evaporated to open a small tunnel. Thankfully, the selected wall wasn't too deep. "Move in, straight file. Go go go!" Andre ordered as the marines formed a single file and charged inside, but stayed vigilant of the surroundings.
"Sergeant Andrew, we are getting unusual readings from the other side, we can not confirm the type and purpose, proceed with extreme caution," the Command centre told through the link.
"Understood! Marines! We have unusual reading from the other side, proceed with caution, ready your rifle and activate energy shields before exiting through the other side," Andrew barked from behind as a transparent yellow layer covered the marines.
The marine who was first in line connected with Andrew. "Sir, our intel was wrong, this isn't a hell gate, it's something else… It's like an infestation, we must retre-AAAHH-I'm Hit! GHLK-GUHHH, Aahhhh, GULGG…*teeeeeeeeee*"
"Michael! Micheal! Do you copy!" Andrew barked as chaos erupted all at the same time. The Marines ahead pushed each other to retreat, running out, they quickly regrouped and assessed the damage. "What happened there, men!? Command! Do you copy!? Explain the visuals."
"Sergeant, we couldn't get a clear view. It seemed like the projectiles were fired from a long distance. What we were able to assess were the projectiles themselves; they are like large spears capable of piercing your energy shields. Be vigilant, we do not know how many or what is out there. The surrounding visuals match the Swarm Born, but that can not be fully confirmed without another look. The Swarm is a few galaxies away and should never have been to this planet before". Command answered.
"Casualty report!" Andrew ordered his men.
3 out of 24 marines had died in the ambush, their gear and bodies left behind, the enemy was still unknown, and the point of entry only allowed a single person. Andrew needed a plan.