[Ascendance: The Journey to Type 7. Ch_028]
Thors stood alone in the vast expanse of space, watching as Kael's form vanished in the blink of an eye. He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.
Thors: "Well… that escalated quickly." [He crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth twitching in a half-smile, a mix of frustration and admiration evident in his expression.]
For a moment, he remained there, floating in silence, his mind turning over the events. The young Captain Kael Ashvale was not only resilient but resourceful.
Thors: "There's more to that boy than meets the eye." [He murmured to himself, his tone laced with an unspoken respect.]
With a brief exhale, Thors turned and propelled himself back toward the Eternal Prison's docking bay.
As he crossed the threshold back into the prison, his usual commanding presence returned, and the guards straightened, falling silent under his intense gaze. His voice echoed through the halls, authoritative and cold.
Thors: "No one will speak of today's incident." [His tone was like steel, each word carrying an implicit threat to any who might consider defying the order.]
One of the prison guards swallowed nervously, a young lieutenant with a hesitant look. "But sir... the damage—the blast in the holding cells. We need to document—"
Thors turned his gaze to the lieutenant, the sharpness in his eyes silencing the young man immediately.
Thors: "You'll document nothing. Erase the records. As of now, we've never held Rax in this prison. Understood?"
[There was a collective intake of breath as the entire staff exchanged uneasy glances. They all nodded, none daring to question the command.]
Without another word, Thors addressed a nearby medic. "And ensure the medical teams are tending to the pod pilots immediately. They'll be stabilized and reassigned without delay. As for the damaged areas…"
[Thors' voice lowered as he glanced toward the blast-scarred walls, a faint reminder of the battle that had just taken place.]
Thors: "You'll patch those up. I expect the repairs to be completed by the end of the next cycle. Not a trace of this incident will remain."
The staff scattered, moving quickly to carry out his orders. As they moved, Thors let himself pause, the weight of the day's events pressing on him.
His thoughts returned to Kael—the strange aura, the fierce resilience. Beneath the hardened exterior, a flicker of something almost sentimental crossed his face.
Thors: "Kael Ashvale... you've grown far beyond what I expected."
With a final, resolute look, Thors turned and strode away, the sounds of his heavy boots echoing through the now-silent halls of the Eternal Prison.
On Astral Vanguard.
Kael emerged from his cabin in fresh clothes, looking as composed as ever. The crew stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide as they took in the sight of him, alive and well. The silence broke as Astrid rushed forward, her voice unsteady but relieved.
Astrid: "Kael! We... we thought we lost you." [Her voice cracked, but she managed a smile, clearly shaken.]
Kael offered a slight nod, understanding the weight of her worry.
Kael: "Nah, It takes more than that to get rid of me." [He gave a reassuring smile, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.]
Alaric: [arms crossed, voice tense with worry] "You vanished mid-fight without a trace, Kael! One moment we're holding our ground, and the next... poof. Gone."
Kael glanced at Alaric, noting the hint of irritation mixed with relief. He knew his sudden disappearance had likely rattled them all.
Kael: "I didn't mean to leave mid fight like that. It was... unavoidable." [He looked down momentarily, almost as if debating how much to reveal.]
Voss: [studying Kael, his eyes narrowing] "So... since when do you have a skill like teleportation, Kael?"
Kael paused, weighing his answer carefully.
Kael: "The skill is new. Something I wasn't expecting myself. I didn't even remembered I had it until... well, until it activated on its own." [He shrugged slightly, trying to play it off, though the memory of that desperate moment lingered in his mind.]
Essence : Whispering inside Kael's Head, "It didn't activate on it's own, Jackass. I did it!"
Kael : Whispering inside Kael's Head "Shut up! I know it already, And I am not a Jackass!"
The crew exchanged glances, still processing this revelation. They had seen Kael's abilities evolve over time, but teleportation was something different entirely.
Astrid: [softly, with a slight frown] "Whatever it was, it got you out of there, and that's what matters."
Kael nodded, sensing her lingering worry. "It did, and now I'm here, But I need a bit of time to... recover."
He gave them a brief smile, trying to reassure them. The crew nodded, stepping back respectfully.
Kael: "I'll be in my room for a while. We've all had a long day. Make sure you all get some rest too."
He could see the concern lingering in their eyes, but they understood. As Kael turned to head back to his cabin, he caught a last glance at each of them—each face showing a mixture of relief and fatigue.
As he closed the door behind him, he finally allowed himself a deep breath, leaning against the wall.
Kael stood alone in his dimly lit room, still feeling the strain of the recent events. His mind buzzed with questions and the exhaustion weighed on him, but before he could collect his thoughts, a sarcastic voice echoed through his mind.
Essence: "There are a number of notifications on the system. Check them out already, jackass!"
Kael's eye twitched in irritation. "Don't call me jackass, you lousy mouth."
[He exhaled sharply, his patience tested by the cheeky new voice in his head.] Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he accessed the system to see what all the fuss was about.
One by one, notifications flooded his display.
[Store is Now Available]
[Currency for Store is Set to 'Virtual Gold']
[You can Earn Virtual Gold By Leveling Up, Fighting, and Completing Quests Issued by the System]
[Daily Gift is now available. Would you like to check it out? Y/N]
[Lucky Wheel is Now Available. Would you like to check it out? Y/N]
[Skill Learned: Image Memory]
[Curse: Alone Forever (Inevitable)]
[Secretive Plotter, "how do you like the gifts?"]
Each notification pinged in, and Kael raised an eyebrow at a few of them, intrigued but also increasingly wary. He clicked through them, examining each one until he reached the last entry. His expression hardened.
Kael: [his voice low, almost a whisper] "Alone forever? What kind of curse is this… and why is it inevitable?"
A heavy silence filled the room, only the faint hum of the ship echoing around him. For the first time in a while, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Kael: [frustrated] "Essence, what does this curse mean? Why can't it be removed?"
Essence: "Information on this curse is currently… locked." [Its tone was more serious, the usual edge of sarcasm absent.]
Kael frowned, his frustration mounting.
Kael: "Locked? Of course it's locked. Just when I actually need a straight answer."
Essence: "Look, I don't have control over every piece of information in this system. Some things are… beyond even me."
He exhaled, the weight of the words sinking in as he glanced back at the curse notification, the word inevitable echoing ominously in his mind. The term felt like a twisted promise of isolation, something he'd have no power to break.
Kael: "And the 'Secretive Plotter'... they're the one behind this?"
Essence: [flatly] "Seems so. Likes to mess with you, that one. But hey, you got some perks out of it, right? Store access, Virtual Gold, Image Memory. Not all bad."
Kael: "Not all bad? Are you kidding? I have a curse that basically dooms me to isolation!" [He slammed a fist into his open palm, feeling the helplessness clawing at him.]
Essence went silent, leaving Kael to his own thoughts. After a few tense moments, it finally spoke again, softer this time.
Essence: "Maybe... maybe it's not what you think, Kael. Sometimes curses have ways of showing you things you'd never see otherwise."
Kael: "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
Essence didn't reply, and Kael closed his eyes, trying to ground himself despite the swirling questions. "Maybe," he thought, "there's more to this than I realize. But for now, I'll play along… and watch my back."
He turned his attention back to the system, opening up the 'Store' with a sigh, still haunted by that one word—inevitable.
Kael opened up the 'Daily Gift' with a slight sense of excitement, feeling a strange anticipation he hadn't experienced in a while. The notification flashed before him:
[Item Received: Titan's Wrath (Pair of Daggers)]
[Legendary]
[Locked]
His eyes widened, stunned by the name alone. "Titan's Wrath? Sounds serious."
Kael: "Essence, how powerful is Titan's Wrath, and... does it even suit me?"
Essence: [snickering] "Oh, 'suit you'? The Titan's Wrath is no ordinary weapon. These daggers were forged from the tooth of a Titan—a multiversal creature that could probably step on you without noticing."
Kael's jaw dropped, processing the enormity of what he was holding, albeit virtually.
Kael: [still in awe] "Wait... so why's it locked?"
Essence: "Because you'd have to be at least Level 5 to even think about swinging it. Right now, you'd probably lose an arm just trying."
Kael scratched the back of his neck, muttering under his breath. "Figures."
He moved on, trying to suppress the anticipation. "Let's try this Lucky Wheel." The bright, spinning wheel appeared before him, split into eight sections—three marked 'Common,' two 'Rare,' two 'Epic,' and a single shining 'Legendary.'
Kael: "Essence, why aren't the rewards clearly defined? They're just labeled as 'Common' and so on."
Essence: [rolling its virtual eyes] "Seriously? There are over 32 trillion unique rewards out there, genius. You think they'll fit neatly onto an eight-section wheel? The Secretive Plotter used the categories to split them up by rarity. So it's basically luck—maybe you'll get something decent if the universe pities you."
Kael: [stunned] "Thirty-two trillion…? What the fu—"
Essence: "Only your kind of 'intellect' would be shocked that there's a lot going on in a multiverse. Newsflash: the cosmos is big, genius."
Kael clenched his jaw, trying not to take the bait. "Whatever, let's spin this thing." He tapped the screen, and the wheel began to turn, ticking louder as it slowed down.
[The wheel stops on 'Rare.']
[Item Received: Advanced Eye Potion]
Kael inspected the potion's icon on his display, curiosity sparking. "What exactly is this 'Advanced Eye Potion' supposed to do?"
Essence: "Oh, this one's actually useful. Once you drink it, your eyes will inherit the ability of one random creature out of a pool of more than..." [Essence hesitated just long enough for dramatic effect] "...ninety-five to the power of ten thousand creatures."
Kael: [eyes wide, muttering] "Are you kidding me... that many creatures live in the universe?"
Essence: [laughing] "Unbelievable. Only your brand of naive can be surprised by the number of species in the multiverse. It's like you live in a little box."
Kael: [annoyed] "Alright, I get it. Not all of us are infinite knowledge banks, Essence. Can you stop roasting me every five seconds?"
Essence: [mocking] "Maybe when you stop asking questions that make me question the intelligence of the whole human race."
Kael closed his eyes, taking a slow breath to compose himself. This voice in his head was proving to be far more than a simple guide—it was like dealing with an irritating, all-knowing sibling he never asked for. Still, he couldn't deny it was effective.
Kael: "Fine, I'll deal with it. But you keep calling me names, and we'll see who the real genius is."
Essence: [chuckling] "Sure, tough guy. Now drink up, or keep gawking at your 'rare item' like a newbie."
Kael rolled his eyes but uncapped the Advanced Eye Potion, bringing it to his lips and drinking it down, bracing for whatever awaited him next.
As Kael finished the Advanced Eye Potion, he watched as a new message flashed across his screen:
[Eyes: Dragon]
[Description: Dragon's Eyes can help you zoom up to 10,000x normal human eyesight]
[Ability: Reign Over Inferiors]
[Description: This ability allows the user to intimidate and strike fear into the hearts of anyone weaker than them by using the power of the Dragon's Eye.]
Essence: [sarcastic] "There you go, Jackass. Dragon Eyes. Zooming, intimidation, the works. You're practically terrifying now."
Kael, ignoring the Essence, moved closer to the cabin's window, gazing out at the stars with a growing sense of excitement.
Kael: [whispering to himself] "Woah… it can really zoom that much?" He focused, and the stars in the distance seemed to leap toward him, growing larger and more defined as if he could reach out and touch them. It was incredible.
Essence: [cutting in with a scoff] "OFC. it can zoom that much. Why do you think they call it Dragon Eyes? It's not for admiring the view, genius."
Kael's awe was quickly clouded by annoyance as he pulled back from the window, rolling his eyes.
Kael: "Alright, you're making it hard to enjoy this, Essence. Do you ever take a break from roasting me?"
Essence: [mocking tone] "Oh, excuse me, didn't realize Captain Star-Gazer was so sensitive." Then, with a bit more seriousness,
"Look, it's not just about zooming. 'Reign Over Inferiors' isn't some party trick. You're tapping into something powerful here, Jackass. With a single look, you could make anyone weaker than you back down, maybe even tremble."
Kael "Stop Calling Me Jackass!"
Kael tilted his head, mulling over the new ability. He tried to picture himself using it, the weight of intimidation it might bring, a skill that could possibly save his life—or his crew's—in a tight spot.
Kael: [growing thoughtful] "So, it's more than just seeing. It's about… presence."
Essence: [musing] "Exactly. It's what separates the powerful from the powerless. So, maybe this upgrade will come in handy, even for you."
Kael smirked at the jab but felt a surge of confidence. He knew that Essence's remarks were, in its own strange way, a reminder of the growth he was going through.
TO BE CONTINUED.