The ship trembled violently, another explosion tearing through its metal bones. The echoes of destruction rattled down the halls, screams of passengers mixing with the blaring alarms.

  Orion gritted his teeth, his arms tightening around Kain as they ran. Each footstep felt heavier, each second stretching unbearably long.

  “Just a little more,” Orion urged, his voice strained but firm.

  Kain clung to his father’s shoulder, his breath coming in short gasps. His mother, Valeria, ran beside them, her presence a steadying force despite the chaos. She reached out, squeezing his arm reassuringly.

  “Don’t worry, Kain. We will protect you,” she promised, her voice softer than the destruction around them.

  But Kain could see the fear in her eyes.

  He glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see them—hulking, horned creatures draped in dark armor, their gray skin glowing faintly under the flashing emergency lights. Their presence made the air thick, suffocating. They moved through the chaos like wraiths, mercilessly cutting down anyone in their path.

  Then came the guards. Clad in crimson armor, their weapons shimmered with energy as they charged into battle with battle cries that rang against the steel walls. Their auras flared, bright and powerful, as they crashed into the monstrous invaders.

  Kain barely had time to watch before a deafening blast sent them all flying.

  The impact stole the breath from his lungs. He hit the ground hard, pain exploding through his body. His vision swam, his ears ringing. Somewhere in the haze, he heard his mother scream—

  “KAIN!”

  Before he could even sit up, warm magic washed over him, soothing the worst of his pain. Valeria was kneeling beside him, hands glowing green as she worked to heal him.

  “I’m fine, Mom,” he coughed, pushing himself upright.

  But his relief was short-lived. He looked up and saw his father staggering, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His mother, too, had a gash on her forehead, red staining her pale skin.

  “Mom, you’re hurt!” Kain’s voice cracked with fear.

  “It’s just a scratch, love.” Valeria pressed a hand to the wound, her magic knitting it shut almost instantly. Then, without hesitation, she turned to Orion and placed her glowing hands over his injuries.

  Before they could move, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

  Orion reacted in an instant. His sword was already in his hand as he spun, slicing through the chunk of metal that had been hurled at them. The force of the impact sent sparks flying, the remains of the broken wall clattering to the ground.

  From the smoke, a figure emerged. Smaller than the first creature they had seen, but no less menacing. Its curved horns framed its monstrous face, its yellow eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

  “I see it in your eyes,” the creature sneered, locking onto Orion. “A warrior.”

  Orion stood his ground, jaw tight, sword steady. His voice was steel.

  “A man becomes anything when protecting his family.”

  A screeching laugh rang out, sharp as broken glass.

  “Then show me what you can become.”

  It lunged.

  Time slowed.

  Orion’s instincts screamed, not for himself, but for the two behind him. He couldn’t fail. Wouldn’t fail.

  Something in him snapped—a primal force surging through his veins. His mana flared to life, searing hot. Fire roared along the edge of his blade as he launched forward to meet the creature’s charge.

  Their clash sent a shockwave rippling through the corridor, metal groaning under the force. The beast snarled, its claws locking against his sword, sparks flying as steel met flesh.

  “This is going to be fun,” the creature hissed, its grotesque mouth twisting into a grin.

  “Let’s finish this,” Orion growled.

  He sidestepped, channeling his mana into his blade. The flames brightened, heat distorting the air around them. With a powerful swing, he brought his sword down—

  And severed the creature’s arm.

  A scream tore from its throat, guttural and enraged. But before Orion could strike again, an unseen force slammed into him. His body crashed against the wall, pain blooming through his ribs.

  Dazed, he looked up.

  The creature clutched its bleeding stump, its breathing ragged. But its eyes… its eyes burned with fury.

  “I was going to play with you,” it rasped, its voice now laced with true malice. “But now? I’ll just kill you.”

  Orion forced himself up, every breath labored. He gripped his sword tighter, readying himself. But then—

  His instincts screamed.

  Kain. Valeria.

  His gaze snapped to them, just in time to see movement in the rubble. A second creature, hiding in the shadows, creeping toward them.

  There was no time to think.

  Orion’s hand shot to his belt, fingers wrapping around a dagger. With every ounce of his strength, he threw.

  The blade cut through the air—

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  And buried itself into the creature’s eye.

  The scream that followed was ear-splitting, raw and furious. The beast thrashed, clutching at its face, black blood streaming between its fingers.

  Valeria wasted no time.

  In one swift motion, she unsheathed her sword and drove it through the creature’s throat. The force of the strike sent the monster collapsing, its body hitting the floor with a heavy boom.

  Orion exhaled, relief washing over him.

  For a healer, his wife knew how to wield a blade.

  But there was no time to celebrate.

  The first creature was still standing, watching, waiting. This one was different. More aware. More dangerous. It wouldn’t be fooled again.

  Orion tightened his grip on his sword, planting his foot back as he whispered, “Shadow Convergence.”

  Dark smoke curled from his lips, twisting into the air like living tendrils before swallowing him whole. In a blink, he vanished, reappearing behind the creature with deadly precision.

  But the beast was already moving.

  Its instincts—sharpened by countless hunts—screamed of danger. Mid-charge, it twisted unnaturally, its form flickering out of existence before solidifying a few feet away.

  “A pest… using pest tricks,” it sneered.

  Orion struck without hesitation, his blade flashing toward the creature’s exposed neck. But before steel could bite, the beast jerked its head aside in an unsettling, almost inhuman motion. Its eyes locked onto him, and in the same breath, its fist came crashing forward.

  Orion’s mind raced. A hundred outcomes unfolded in the space of a heartbeat. He had no time to dodge—only to act.

  He reached deep, forcing his body beyond its limits. Mind Gate—Open.

  Mana surged through his veins, igniting his senses. Every nerve burned as his perception expanded, the world slowing around him. He saw it all—the trajectory of the beast’s strike, the flex of its tendons, the micro-shifts in the air.

  He moved.

  His sword blurred, slicing cleanly through the oncoming fist. Severed fingers spiraled away, trailing thick, blackened blood. Orion wasted no motion—his body twisted, feet leaving the ground as he spun, his blade arcing in a lethal three-sixty.

  A single stroke.

  A single breath.

  The creature’s head separated from its shoulders.

  For a brief, lingering moment, its consciousness remained. It processed what had happened, confused by the sudden shift in perspective.

  “My hand… gone. I’ll crush him with a kick—”

  Then it saw it.

  The world flipped.

  Its own head tumbled through the air before hitting the cold metal floor, rolling to a stop. Those lifeless eyes—still filled with the ghost of intent—stared at Orion and his family before darkness finally took hold.

  Kain had barely blinked before it was over. His father had disappeared—then reappeared—and now the creature’s severed head lay at his feet, staring at him with empty eyes. His breath hitched, his chest tight with something that wasn’t quite fear, but wasn’t far from it either.

  I knew Dad wouldn’t lose… but still…

  Beside him, Valeria exhaled sharply, her grip tightening around his shoulders. Relief washed over her, but her body remained rigid, her senses still screaming danger. She couldn’t lose them. Not Orion. Not Kain. If it came down to it, she would give her life before she let anything happen to them.

  Orion turned to them, his eyes hard, but beneath them, a flicker of emotion.

  “We need to go.”

  He grabbed Kain, took Valeria’s hand, and sprinted forward. The hallways ahead were littered with the remnants of battle—scattered limbs, bodies torn apart by things that moved too fast for most to react. The emergency lights pulsed a rhythmic red, leading them toward the escape pods.

  They reached the doors. A biometric scanner blocked the way. Orion exhaled sharply, pressing his palm against the panel. A brief pause. Then—hiss—the doors slid open.

  Inside, half the pods were gone—others shattered, torn apart. Survivors had made it. Others… hadn’t.

  Orion carried Kain to a bench beside the control panel, setting him down carefully.

  Valeria lingered for only a moment before stepping forward, standing beside her husband. She met his gaze, her expression unreadable, but he understood.

  They had almost died.

  She wouldn’t let it happen again.

  Silently, she reached forward, fingers flying across the controls. A destination was locked in.

  Vespera.

  Their home

  Kain stepped forward, his small fists clenched at his sides. His body trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer weight of helplessness pressing down on him.

  I have to help.

  But what could he do? He had yet to awaken his mana pathways. Powerless. Weak.

  And yet…

  Sacrifice did not care for strength.

  It did not ask if you were ready. It did not measure what you had to give.

  It only demanded that you give everything.

  Kain’s gaze lifted, locking onto his mother and father. If it cost him everything to protect them, then so be it.

  Something shifted in his heart.

  It was subtle—barely more than a flicker in the dark—but it was there. A feeling that had not existed before this moment. This night, this terror, this helplessness… it was forging something inside him.

  He would not remain weak.

  Not forever

  Orion’s body ached. Every breath felt like dragging barbed wire through his lungs. Mind Gate had pushed him beyond his limits, and now, the backlash was setting in. Mana decay.

  If Valeria stabilized him, he could survive—but she couldn’t undo the damage. Not completely.

  He heard the faint shuffle of footsteps and forced himself to look down.

  Kain.

  His son stood beside him, small but unwavering.

  Orion swallowed hard, forcing the pain aside. He had to stay strong. Not for himself.

  For them.

  His family.

  The escape pod doors hissed open, the sterile air rushing out in a mechanical exhale. The dim emergency lights flickered, reflecting in Kain’s wide eyes.

  For a moment, Orion said nothing.

  Then, with what little strength he had left, he reached out, resting a firm hand on Kain’s head. His fingers ruffled the boy’s hair, offering him something he himself no longer had—assurance.

  A faint smile touched his lips.

  “You’re safe, little man.”

  A sound like shattering glass tore through the air.

  It started as a whisper—a thin crack in reality itself, jagged and unnatural, spreading like a spiderweb across the fabric of space. The air twisted, warped, and then split open.

  From the abyss beyond, a monstrous hand emerged, its fingers grotesque and clawed, grasping at the world as if dragging itself through the tear. Then came the mouth—rows of jagged teeth, gaping wide as an otherworldly growl rumbled through the bay.

  Kain’s breath hitched.

  A crushing, suffocating dread coiled around his chest, yet his heart blazed. Adrenaline surged through his veins, burning like wildfire, forcing his fear into the depths of his mind.

  Move.

  Orion’s instincts screamed. His head snapped toward the disturbance, his battle-worn senses flaring in warning. The air itself vibrated with danger.

  He didn’t hesitate.

  He shoved Valeria and Kain into the escape pod, his body moving before his mind even processed the action. The launch button—hit it.

  Nothing happened.

  A red emergency light pulsed across the console. Manual launch required.

  Why?

  Why?

  Why?

  The word pounded in Orion’s skull like war drums. His hands flew over the controls, desperately searching for an override—anything to send them off.

  Then the doors slammed shut.

  Orion’s breath caught. His stomach plummeted.

  His son was outside.

  Kain stood beyond the reinforced glass, his hands steady on the manual launch lever.

  “No—”

  The scream that erupted from Valeria’s soul could have shattered mountains.

  “KAAAAIIIINNNNN!”

  It was the sound of a mother’s world breaking. A sound that should not exist.

  She threw herself against the door, nails clawing at the unyielding metal, her body trembling with raw, uncontainable grief. Blood-red tears streaked down her cheeks as her vision blurred.

  Orion punched the door. Hard.

  Again.

  Again.

  His knuckles split open, blood smearing against the cold metal, but the door didn’t so much as dent.

  Kain…

  His son…

  Their only child…

  Outside. Alone.

  And yet, through the glass, Kain smiled.

  It was small. Faint. But there.

  A single tear rolled down his left cheek as he raised his hand.

  And waved.

  “Mom…” His voice came through the intercom, steady yet soft. Gentle.

  “I’m your knight in shining armor.”

  Orion’s entire body locked. No.

  Valeria’s sobs shook the pod. No.

  The countdown began.

  3…

  Kain gripped the lever tighter.

  2…

  A monstrous roar bellowed from the crack in space, the creature forcing itself through, darkness flooding in.

  1.

  The pod launched.

  Orion and Valeria were ripped away, the force of acceleration slamming them back as the stars streaked past.

  Through the shrinking window, they saw Kain disappear from view, swallowed by distance, his small figure standing against the coming abyss.

  Smiling.