As Keon drifted into an uneasy sleep, the comforting hum of the spacecraft faded, plunging him into an all-encompassing darkness. The void was suffocating, pressing against him from all sides, and an inexplicable dread coiled in his chest.
A sudden, chilling sensation crawled down his spine. He spun around, heart pounding, but saw only the abyss. Just as he began to question the source of his fear, a distant blue spark flickered in the darkness. It pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat, growing brighter with each throb.
Keon's breath quickened. The spark expanded, illuminating a massive silhouette—a humanoid figure with cracks spiderwebbing across its form, each fissure leaking intense blue flames. The flames danced and writhed, casting eerie shadows that seemed to twist and contort the very fabric of the void.
The titan's hollow eyes locked onto Keon, and it began to move, each step reverberating through the emptiness. Paralyzed, Keon watched as its colossal hand, wreathed in azure fire, reached out, descending upon him with meteoric force. The heat was unbearable; his skin prickled, and his vision blurred.
Just as the fiery hand was about to engulf him, a blinding white light erupted from behind, and a gentle yet firm grip seized his shoulder, yanking him backward. Keon gasped, twisting to see a luminous hand, delicate and feminine, pulling him into an embrace that shielded him from the impending inferno.
The contrast was jarring: searing heat against soothing coolness, malevolent blue flames against protective white light. The two forces clashed, and the resulting shockwave sent tremors through the abyss.
Keon's heart raced, his breaths shallow and rapid. His mind swirled with confusion and terror. The protective light tightened around him, and with a final, blinding flash, the darkness shattered.
He jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his chest heaving. The familiar hum of the spacecraft returned, grounding him in reality. But the vividness of the dream lingered, and an unshakable sense of foreboding settled in his gut.
His hands trembled as he ran them through his damp hair, trying to steady his breathing. The images—the titan, the flames, the protective light—were seared into his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that the dream was more than just a manifestation of his subconscious fears.
As the minutes ticked by, Keon remained on edge, the line between dream and reality blurring in his mind. The oppressive weight of the abyss still clung to him, and he couldn't escape the sensation that something—or someone—was watching him, even now.
Keon's heart still raced from the vivid nightmare, his breaths shallow and rapid. The oppressive darkness of the dream seemed to cling to him, making the dimly lit cabin feel colder than it was. He ran a trembling hand through his damp hair, trying to steady himself.
Suddenly, the door to the cabin slid open with a soft whoosh, the motion so smooth it was almost imperceptible. Stella stepped through, her presence a stark contrast to the lingering shadows of Keon's dream.
Startled, Keon jerked upright, his eyes wide with residual fear. "Woah!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with panic.
Stella paused, her brow furrowing in concern. "Keon? Are you alright?"
He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the haunting images from his mind. "I... I think so," he muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.
She took a cautious step closer, her gaze softening. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Keon forced a shaky laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Something like that."
Stella's eyes searched his face, sensing there was more he wasn't saying. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He hesitated, the details of the dream still vivid and unsettling. "Maybe later," he replied, offering a weak smile.
She nodded, not pressing further. "Alright. Just know I'm here if you need to."
As she moved to sit across from him, Keon couldn't help but feel a lingering unease. The dream had felt so real, and the terror it invoked was unlike anything he'd experienced before. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself, but the memory of the blue flames and the protective light remained etched in his mind.
Keon blinked, his mind still foggy from the remnants of his unsettling dream. As reality settled in, he recognized Stella standing before him, framed by the soft daylight filtering through the cabin's viewport.
"Stella? What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion.
Stella offered a reassuring smile. "I've been cleared from questioning and got permission to visit you," she explained. "We've already arrived in Silvent City and are en route to headquarters."
Keon nodded slowly, processing the information. "And that guy in the super cool armor?" he inquired, referring to the elite soldier who had made a strong impression on him earlier.
"Oh, the super soldier?" Stella replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "He was called away for a debriefing about an hour ago."
Keon leaned back, absorbing the updates. The transition from the chaos of recent events to the structured environment of Silvent City was swift. He glanced out the viewport, observing the city's skyline bathed in daylight, its towering structures gleaming under the sun.
"Silvent City, huh?" Keon mused, more to himself than to Stella.
Stella followed his gaze, her expression softening. "It's a place of new beginnings," she said quietly.
Keon turned back to her, a mixture of apprehension and hope in his eyes. "Let's hope so."
As the transport continued its journey toward headquarters, Keon couldn't shake the lingering unease from his dream. But with Stella by his side and the promise of answers ahead, he felt a cautious optimism begin to take root.
As Keon stared out at the massive weaponry on the towering walls of Silvent City, his excitement overwhelmed him. He turned to Stella, eyes gleaming with curiosity, and crouched slightly before pointing at the cannons with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"WHAT ARE THOSE?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine wonder.
Stella blinked at him, momentarily caught off guard by his childlike excitement. "Uh… those are Silvent City's advanced defense artillery," she replied, crossing her arms. "Some are long-range plasma cannons, others are particle disruptors, and—wait, why are you acting like that?"
Keon quickly stood up straight, clearing his throat. "Ahem. No reason." But inside, he was buzzing with excitement, barely holding himself back from asking a hundred more questions.
The air carrier smoothly glided past the massive outer walls of Silvent City, its shadow stretching over the urban landscape below. Keon, still wide-eyed from his last outburst, watched as another set of walls came into view—not as towering as the first, but somehow even more intimidating.
Unlike the previous fortifications, these walls bristled with an overwhelming number of weapons. Some resembled the cannons he had seen earlier, but others… others were unlike anything he could even describe. Some were shaped like elongated rifles mounted on rotating turrets, while others pulsed with an eerie glow, as if they weren't just machines but something more.
Stella, noticing Keon's intense gaze, smirked. "This is the Silvent City Military HQ. The outer walls are built to keep invaders out, but these?" She gestured at the overwhelming arsenal. "These are meant to wipe out anything that gets through. The weapons here are more advanced and specialized—some are even experimental."
Keon's eyes flickered between the high-tech defenses, his mind racing. "I... I don't even know what half of these are," he muttered, feeling both excited and slightly terrified.
Stella chuckled. "Good. That means they're doing their job."