"Before we dive into anything, let me fill you all in," Lorna began, her sharp gaze sweeping across the group. "Especially since someone here has been neglecting their duties as First Commander and knows absolutely nothing about what's happening beyond the sanctuary."
Her piercing glare settled on Ralak.
Ralak, ever the picture of innocence, turned his head, whistling a tuneless melody as if admiring the ceiling architecture.
Lorna sighed deeply, her wings twitching in frustration. "Anyway. We have a major problem. Thanks to the residents of Planet Nemo and their advanced technology, we've been able to track large amounts of cosmic energy. They can even differentiate between energy from natural causes and artificially created sources."
The room grew tense as Lorna continued. "Today, we detected breaches at the very edges of our galaxy. Large amounts of cosmic energy-dependent machines have pushed through. As we speak, more are flooding in." She took a steadying breath. "The X3X is coming."
The air grew heavy with the weight of her words. Anger flared in their faces—Zhala clenched her jaw, Jirak's fists balled tightly, small flames puffing from his draconic nostrils. But Ralak remained composed, his expression unreadable.
Lorna's voice cut through their rising tension. "We don't have the luxury of anger right now. What we need is a solution—especially since the Lord remains in his chrysalis state."
Ralak finally spoke, his tone measured. "She's right. Losing our heads now doesn't help anyone. We need to focus on how to stop them before they can get anywhere near the Lord's domain."
Jirak growled low, folding his arms. "Agreed. I have no intention of letting those bastards get anywhere close." His golden eyes flickered with fury.
Zhala spoke up, her voice tinged with worry. "Has there been any sign of the Lord awakening?"
Lorna shook her head, her expression softening briefly. "No. He hasn't changed at all since he entered that state. We have to win this war without him."
Ralak's lips curled into a faint grin. "Sounds like a plan. The Lord created us to go beyond limits, and that's exactly what we'll prove. We'll crush these X3X ants, and when our Lord awakens, we'll be here to greet him with victory."
The other Sentinels nodded in agreement, determination hardening their features.
Sinith smirked. "Finally acting like a leader, aren't you, Brother Ralak?"
Ralak chuckled, striding forward to the head of the room and stopping to the right of Carter's throne. Turning to face them, his voice carried the weight of a commander.
"So," he said, his grin sharpening. "Let's get down to it. How are we going to crush these bastards?"
— ✧ — ✧ — ✧ — ✧ —— ✧ — ✧ — ✧ — ✧ —— ✧ — ✧ — ✧ — ✧ —— ✧ — ✧ — ✧ — ✧— ✧ — ✧ — ✧ —
At the Edge of Universe 298
A tear in the fabric of space opened wide, and through it poured the X3X fleet—an endless tide of ships, hundreds of thousands emerging from the swirling rift every few seconds. and they spread out in formation, heading toward the heart of the galaxy.
At the forefront of this massive armada was The Seed—Towering and formidable, it was the size of an entire planet, fully weaponized. A monstrosity of the X3X empire, it moved through space like a predator hunting its prey.
In the Common Room of The Seed (Area 2097)
Inside The Seed, the atmosphere in the common room was heavy with a mixture of laid-back boredom. Four figures lounged, their presence radiating authority, even in moments of idle conversation.
The first alien—a slender red being with a single, enormous eye dominating most of its face.
"Hey, anyone know why all ten of us were called on this mission?" he asked, his voice smooth but filled with underlying tension.
One of his companions, a massive purple behemoth, shifted in his seat. His body was almost comically large, but his movements were deceptively agile for someone so enormous. He wiped a chunk of parasitic worms from his mouth before responding.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going to war. I heard that some... star-eating being from Universe 296 killed Fury a few years back. The empire freaked, and now we're on a full-scale warpath."
A third alien, much shorter and completely cloaked, clicked his tongue. "Tch, Fury was garbage anyway. The guy always acted tough when he's outside the empire, but any star could've taken him down. The empire's always overreacting. Hell, even the 9th Star could've handled this by himself."
The last alien, fully armored from head to toe, resting his hand on the hilt of a gleaming sword at his side, spoke with calm authority. "No point in worrying about that now. What matters is we're going to war, and we need to prove ourselves worthy of the empire. No distractions."
The massive purple alien snorted. "The third is such a fucking boy scout," he muttered, still stuffing his face with parasites, his words muffled.
The armored one's eyes narrowed as he gripped his sword hilt tighter. "What'd you say, you big-bellied bitch?"
The room seemed to shake as the enormous alien pushed himself to his feet, his bulk causing the floor to tremble under his weight. "You heard me, you attention-seeking bitch."
Without warning, the armored figure drew his sword, its edge gleaming coldly. "You wanna go, you bastard?"
The tension in the room thickened, but before the fight could escalate any further, a cold voice sliced through the charged air.
"What did I tell you guys about starting a ruckus when I'm asleep?"
The room fell into an eerie silence, the lights flickering as a deep, unsettling darkness overtook the space. From the shadows behind the armored man, a humanoid figure began to rise.
A tall, muscular alien with grey skin, white hair, and eyes that glowed with a deep red. His presence was overwhelming, a silent force that seemed to choke the air itself. He looked like something straight out of a fantasy nightmare—a vampiric figure who had just woken from a long slumber.
The two bickering aliens froze, terror etched on their faces.
"Sorry, boss," the short cloaked alien stammered. "Won't happen again."
The massive purple alien quickly followed suit. "Yeah, no more ruckus. My bad."
The vampiric alien yawned lazily, stretching his long, clawed hands. He looked down at them with cold amusement.
"Good," he murmured, his voice as chilling as the cold vacuum of space. "Wake me up like that again, and I'll gouge both your hearts out."
The two idiots hurriedly bowed and scrambled to separate, their fear loud in the oppressive silence.
Then, the comms activated, cutting through the tension in the room with a cold, efficient voice.
"Taking attendance. Just making sure everyone's present. Don't take this personally, Great Stars…"
The voice continued, announcing the names one by one.
"Fifth Star, Star of Calamity... Heven."
"Present," the cloaked alien muttered, his voice muffled by his hood.
"Fourth Star, The Undying Star... Khal."
"I've got nowhere else to be," the red alien grumbled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Third Star, Star of Conviction... Esra."
"I heed the Empire's command," the armored knight said, his voice unwavering.
"Second Star, Star of Gluttony... Hungriv."
"I'm here," the massive purple alien rumbled, still chewing.
Finally, the voice paused, and the last name was called.
"First Star, Star of Death... Ashira."
Ashira smiled, his fangs gleaming in the dark. "Present."
Meanwhile, Outside the Portal
A gargantuan, planetary-sized black box was making its way through the rift. It was a structure of powerful orgin. This was no ordinary ship or weapon. This was the final step in the X3X's dark plan, a harbinger of their unrelenting invasion.
It was a moving fortress, a massive tool of war, and it loomed behind, preparing to make its mark on the universe. And as The Seed continued to push through, the crew inside prepared for the coming storm.
The war was about to begin.