When Aedan woke up in the upper layer of Seph's ship, near the bridge, he felt heavy, and his head throbbed with a dull ache. He pushed himself up and stumbled to the window. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed out into the never-ending expanse of space. Stars twinkled in the distance, and a small, yellow sun cast a warm glow over the ship. It was both a beautiful and haunting sight, a stark reminder of the vastness of the universe and the power he now wielded.
A soft chime sounded, and Seph's gentle voice echoed in his mind with a feminine tone, "Boss, you're awake. We need to talk."
Aedan turned, still groggy. 'Boss?' he thought. That was new. "What happened, Seph? Where are we?"
Seph hesitated for a moment before responding, "You unleashed an unprecedented amount of power during the battle. The Dead Star's energy created a breach in space-time, and Esethia... Esethia was sucked into it."
Aedan's heart sank. "What do you mean? The whole planet?"
"Yes," Seph said softly. "The entire planet was consumed by the breach. Don't worry, I don't think Esethia was destroyed, only moved somewhere else. There's still a chance it's out there. We are currently outside the Northern Star Empire's borders, in free space. There's more, Aedan... Kayla and Alina are in the infirmary. They're in a comatose state. Their brains suffered damage, and it will take time for them to recover."
Aedan's mind reeled. He couldn't believe it. Esethia was gone, and his friends were critically injured. He clenched his fists, struggling to process the information. "I need to see them," he said finally.
Seph guided Aedan to the infirmary. As they entered, the sterile smell of medical equipment filled his nostrils. He saw Kayla and Alina lying in adjacent beds, their faces pale and peaceful, but their stillness was unnerving.
"The scans show significant brain and nerve damage," Seph explained. "Their recovery will take time. But they are strong, and the medical technology here is advanced. They have a good chance."
Aedan nodded, feeling a mix of relief and sorrow. He reached out and gently took Kayla's hand, then Alina's. "We'll get through this," he whispered, more to himself than to them.
After a few moments of silence, Seph spoke again. "I just ran a scan on all nearby star systems and noticed we are near the old Sol System. There is minimal activity in that system, it's a place of historical significance and might offer us refuge and resources."
According to the data Seph had, the Sol System was where humanity first originated before evolving through contact with other species. "Sol," he murmured. "It makes sense. We need to find answers and regroup."
As Aedan made his way to the bridge to set their course, he began to notice the changes within Seph. The previously sleek and fresh corridors were now covered in red crystals, with veins filled with organic fluid flowing through its muscles and articulations. The transformation was startling, but it was nothing compared to what he saw outside.
Seph's exterior, once resembling a giant space serpent with fins, was now fully red, covered in a layer of crimson crystalized plates forming natural armor. Large crystal wings had sprouted, and crystal horns shaped like guns adorned its body. Atop its head were two gleaming red eyes, pulsing with energy.
Aedan stared in shock. "Seph, what happened to you?"
Seph's voice was calm. "Whatever happened with the exchange of our energies caused changes in both of us. The mere connection of pilot and ship seems to have deepened to a level never seen by my kind. Some of my own abilities have seeped into you, my core is capable of producing raw heart aura to create my new crystal armor as well a new set of weapons. This is the first time a Leviathan like me has formed weapons. My clan previously only relied on our space control, so this is new to me."
Aedan absorbed this information, noting that Seph's voice seemed more natural and organic, carrying more emotion he could tell from the melodic and soft voice of the space beast. "Set course to Sol System, Seph."
'Initiating warp drive'
Focusing on their connection, Aedan willed the ship to go. Seph's energy flared, and a tear in the fabric of space appeared before them. The ship surged forward, entering the breach and emerging light years away.
"Boss, I'm detecting armed ships near the Sol System, far too unorganized to be military, most probably pirates."
"Seph, you need to change your appearance; it would draw too much attention," Aedan instructed.
Seph complied, her form shifting. The crimson crystal armor retracted, leaving a sleek, less conspicuous exterior. The transformation was seamless, turning the once majestic beast into an unassuming vessel.
Not long after reaching the Sol System, they were intercepted by a pirate ship. It was fully black, small, and armed with plasma-based weapons. According to Seph, it was a newer model but nothing too advanced.
Aedan felt a surge of determination. "Keep the shields up, Seph. I have an idea."
He summoned his enigma belt and inserted three black sparks, transforming into his Grief Combo armor. With Seph's help, he warped inside the enemy ship. The pirates barely had time to react before Aedan incapacitated them, one by one. He moved with precision and efficiency, using his newfound abilities to blink across the ship, disarming and subduing the crew.
Once the pirates were incapacitated, Aedan transported them to Seph's prison cells so she could drop them at a real prison later. He then took the time to familiarize himself with the pirate ship, the Black Claw MR-21. Its specs were low, and he found it shocking that anyone would use such a subpar vessel.
Comparing the Black Claw to Seph, Aedan realized just how advanced his partner was. Seph was a legendary beast class, an organic starship that was the apex of starships. Taking Seph to a den of pirates was a bad idea, but the Black Claw was inconspicuous enough for their purposes.
Returning to Seph, Aedan commanded the Leviathan to remain hidden within Saturn as she could bend space to hide inside the gas giant while he took control of the Black Claw he had settled in a compartment made moments ago to store the new ship. Seph hacked the local network and once they were sure no ruling faction was present in this system, they scanned all the planets in the system and found no life except for a solitary space station in orbit of Neptune. As he approached the space station, Aedan was immediately contacted by the station's security.
"This is Haslow Station. State your business," a stern voice demanded.
"We're seeking refuge and information," Aedan replied, keeping his tone neutral as he repeated the words Seph spoke in his mind. "I invoke the Shadow Mandate."
Numerous pirate ships began to surround the Black Claw, their weapons trained on him. Aedan's heart pounded, but he remained calm, knowing that Seph was ready to intervene if necessary.
After a tense moment, the voice responded, "You will be allowed to dock. Any signs of hostility will be met with force."
Aedan acknowledged and guided the Black Claw into the docking bay. As the ship settled into place, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. He had little time to make plans, but for now, his main priority was to wait for his Aunt Kayla and Cousin Alina to recover and for him to hide from forces after Seph.
Boarding the station, Aedan was surprised to find mostly humans and only a few with somewhat familiar features, such as green-skinned beings with wood spikes on their shoulders and vines instead of hair. These were features only seen on the pure-blooded Zeaphin. This view backed up Seph's theory that the founding gods were not mythical beings but survivors from outer space who had been stranded on Esethia and built a new civilization.
Up to this point, Aedan couldn't rely on Seph's help since they were both oblivious to the galaxy's current laws. Invoking the Shadow Mandate was a gamble, and Seph was surprised it worked. The Mandate was a set of laws designed and enforced before humanity was considered a major race and still remains an average race in terms of military, personal, and technological power. The Mandate grants a member of an undeveloped civilization, which somehow made contact with outer space, sovereign rights of protection as long as the invoker of the law remains on the grounds where the law was invoked and does no acts that can be seen as menacing or threatening.
Wanting to know more, Aedan headed straight to the manager of the station. The guards, aware of his invocation, allowed him inside as the manager had already made time to meet the stranger. Inside the room, Aedan found a middle-aged man who looked mostly human until you take a look at his sharp fangs, reddish skin tone, with crimson eyes and hair, and he wore a strange red-metal necklace.
"Nice to meet you," the man said, introducing himself as Rick Graham, manager of Haslow Station. "It's been a long time since I've heard anyone invoke the Shadow Mandate. My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to meet you."
Following Seph's instructions, Aedan shared his story from how he was found in a crashing zone as the sole survivor and raised in the woods to his time exploring the outside world and the events at the Sacred Soul Sect. He gave them a general idea of the culture of Esethia, including the three paths of cultivation, which had no knowledge of life in space. He recounted the invasion by an army that identified themselves as Northern Star Empire's forces (Rick tried to hide his snort at the mention of the empire) but avoided mentioning his importance to them or their exact goals. He concluded by describing how the sky burned, the planet was sucked into the void, and how he woke up on a pirate ship, subdued the crew, and used the manuals he found to fly to the nearest place to rest.
Rick asked a few questions, particularly how Aedan knew about the Shadow Mandate. Aedan explained it was inscribed in some ancient texts on his home world. Rick nodded and seemed to ponder for a moment. Aedan felt as if the man's eyes could see through everything, but to his surprise, Rick smiled lightly and reached for the terminal on his wrist.
"Darling, could you come here for a moment?" Rick called out.
Shortly after, a breathtaking woman with features similar to Rick's arrived. "Yes, husband. Need something?" She greeted Rick with a kiss and then turned to Aedan, her eyes widening in shock. "An enigma? Can humans even have one?"
Aedan was puzzled, but Rick and his wife exchanged a knowing look. Rick then turned back to Aedan. "Adam, you should meet my wife, Lin. She's the head of the Earthen Hall, one of the few human factions currently in existence, also the smallest one with only the Sol System within our borders. Other human colonies beyond this system have been assimilated by older factions. Truth is, humanity is in a tight spot. Many powerful races see humans as potential weapons, slaves, or breeding stock. We'll need to run some tests to ensure you don't carry any diseases or anything that could threaten the people here. Once the tests are done, Lin will want to talk with you in private."
Lin smiled amiably and nodded, guiding Aedan to the infirmary. They chatted briefly about the station, and Lin mentioned how her husband must have seen his younger self in Aedan. When they arrived, Lin instructed the doctor and two nurses to conduct an all-round exam on Aedan, mentioning he was a foundling from a Level-0 world, which made them work quickly.
The treatment was thorough, and through the tests, Aedan learned he was a pure human, a rarity in current society, less than 1% of the human population. Most humans now identified as Neo-humans, Ascended, High Humans, and more depending on their mixed heritage. Being a pure human was more of a curse, leading to neglect and disdain from both aliens and other mixed humans.
Once his race had been tested, they cross-checked his DNA with the database at the station, believing a pure human would certainly be in the Earthen Hall's database, but Aedan was told it would take a while for the results.
After the tests, Lin briefed Aedan on the station and the current status of her faction. "The Earthen Hall is trying to preserve humanity's heritage and protect our people. We face many challenges, especially with factions like the Northern Star Empire."
As Aedan absorbed this information, he felt a sudden connection with Seph through their bond. "We need to talk, Aedan," Seph's voice echoed in his mind.
"Excuse me," Aedan said to Lin. "I need to check on something." He made his way to a private corner, tuning into Seph's communication.
"Aedan, I've been analyzing the data we've gathered so far. Haslow Station seems like our best bet for now, but I've noticed some significant changes within myself," Seph explained. "The transformation we've gone through seems to have produced a strange effect on me, but this will have to wait until we meet again."