"I don't get why you handed me this black pill, miss. I won't take it. I don't even know who you are," the young man said with determination.
The woman sighed and continued, "I used to be a Silverian, and after they ruined this planet, I was forced to become a resident of another planet far away at the end of the galaxy, near a giant black hole. Before the Metal Galaxy civilization started, each planetary leader selected their own cosmic energy based on fairness to each other. Unfortunately, later leaders did something unfair to you. Now, this dark energy is offering you an opportunity for revenge against all of them, especially Planet Palladina."
"Planet Palladina?" asked Flerix, staring at the black pill to confirm his suspicion. However, he shook his head twice with annoyance.
The woman grew annoyed and spoke, "What's the matter? Why are you hesitating for so long? This black pill will not make you older because we are immortal. What do you have in mind? This thing will benefit you and this planet."
"Who are you? How do you know my name? Why did you give me this power?" Flerix asked with a frown as he looked at the woman.
With another frustrated sigh, the woman responded, "Immortals can only use two cosmic energies at once unless married to a resident of another planet who can provide impure, borrowed cosmic energy in the form of a temporary colored pill. However, that energy is withdrawn when the partner dies or gets divorced. That is why I am giving you this dark energy, so that you can avenge what has been inside you for a long time, on all of them, without you having to suffer."
Flerix looked at the black pill with tears and asked, "Can I return to space like before with this pill?"
"Certainly! You can even use the same wormhole as them so that time dilation won't be a problem for you," the woman replied confidently.
Flerix confidently reached for the dark pill, but the woman abruptly closed her hand and made the young man look at her with irritation.
"The same rules for all immortals. Never show your cosmic power around mortal beings. My Cosmivacum will extract the cosmic energy from you, until you have no more cosmic energy to transform into a star or to recharge it," the woman said with a sarcastic smile.
"But this planet has no leader, miss! Are you going to act like a queen and punish me by imprisoning me? Or are you going to take all my cosmic powers away from me?" asked Flerix, looking annoyed.
"Ah, I am just a resident of a planet near a black hole," the woman said quietly, "so you must keep the origin of your dark energy a secret. If our secret is revealed, I will deprive you of your powers. You must also remember there will always be sacrifices to maintain this dark energy by taking cosmic energies from the cores of other planets as the source of its power. Do not waste this great dark energy I have given you."
Flerix started to believe her. The woman opened her palm again and showed him the black pill.
"If so, can I... make Planet Silverian return to its former gray color?" the young man replied with hope in his eyes.
The woman nodded once, then looked at Flerix sarcastically and said, "You must remember one thing: never love another person with your heart. Love makes you stupid, and this dark energy I gave you could be lost because of the power of love energy. Remember that love can destroy you, the dark energy, and even this planet of yours.
Staring at the black pill, Flerix asked again, "Love energy?"
The woman nodded once and replied, "Yes, love is mortal energy. Today, you may love someone, and that energy explodes in your heart. However, once that energy dims, you cannot replenish it. All you have to do is leave that person or find someone else, and you will get new love energy. Useless energy. It requires a lot of resources. What a pain."
The young man paused for a moment and said, "This black pill will give me dark energy, right? Alright, I'll try it. If this is indeed a way to restore Planet Silverian to its former glory, I'm ready!"
Without another thought, he took the black pill and swallowed it whole. The woman immediately smiled after seeing Flerix's actions.
"Promise me to take this revenge on those Palladinas. Make them fall in misery... especially Senior General Xyon, and don't forget to share your dark energy with all Silverians who are still loyal to this planet!" the woman exclaimed with a severe face.
Then, a black mist appeared and covered her entire body. The woman simply disappeared. However, after a while, Flerix began to feel pain. His entire body began to be enveloped by black mist.
"Argh!" the man shouted while enduring all the pain, and after a while, the black mist disappeared as if being sucked into his body.
He then stood up straight and raised his right hand with a solemn face. Suddenly, a long black cosmic sword appeared in his grip. Flerix smiled sarcastically as he stared at that sharp object and his clothes, which had changed into a black shirt with a suit and trousers of the same color.
"Just get ready, Palladina. Just look at you! This dark energy belongs to Planet Silverian, now!" Flerix exclaimed with a big smile. "Finally, I didn't expect to have my own cosmic weapon!"
He laughed even wider and looked down at the cosmic sword still in his hand as he said, "I... will use this opportunity to avenge myself on all of you who have ever accused this planet of being a thief!"
The next day, Flerix walked out of his small, unkempt-looking house to focus on training, using dark energy as his cosmic power source, to the same barren field as yesterday, saying, "I will take my revenge on those Palladinas as soon as I can!"
However, he had no intention of sharing that dark energy with the entire population of Planet Silverian.