"Oh, Himiko, we better get going. They'll be running the first test soon."
Kaoru rose from his seat.
Himiko held the mug of coffee in her palms—still warm. Her reflection rippled in the dark brown substance. She didn't move.
"Is it ok for us to mess with this stuff?"
Aiko, rising from her seat, froze—raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? Aren't you the one who proposed project Millie?"
"No," Himiko kept eye contact with her reflection in the mug, "Dr Entenga wanted to utilise Aethesium's power for a while, even before we fully knew we could use it—testing on animals, seeing if it made a change. I proposed the name because I wanted to… pay respect."
"So surely you want to see it through…?" Aiko questioned.
No response.
"You worried about the effects?" Kaoru whispered, lowering himself back down to the seat.
Aiko followed suit.
Kaoru's voice lowered—gentle, "We'll be fine, there were no negative effects—"
"No, it's not that—"
"Oh, so you don't care about us then?" Kaoru snorted.
Himiko breathed out a laugh—her voice rose.
"Of course, but what I mean is, should we mess with Aethesium?"
The two didn't respond—looked at each other, raised a brow and moved closer.
Feeling an audience, Himiko's throat felt clogged. She swallowed. Her brain scrambled trying to word her thoughts in a way that would please the audience.
"Well, you know…" the words wouldn't come.
She sighed. Sat back, arms crossed. Images popped into her head.
Gabriel Lefèvre.
The Verdant Void.
The Sylvacapra.
The entity from the heart of the tree, laying waste to everything in its path.
This power isn't a gift.
"It should be left alone—no, destroyed. Only misery has come from it: Gabriel, the Void. What if it gets used wrong—destroys everything."
Kaoru's face relaxed a little.
"As far as we know, this thing can't be destroyed. But someone will use it—us, the aliens, some… mob boss—someone will abuse it. Therefore, if we can't get rid of it, we control it; make sure it can never be used wrong."
Aiko mumbled under her breath, "I just want some cool powers."
Himiko met his eyes—bright, passionate.
He wasn't wrong: if not them, someone would abuse it.
She nodded.
They left the café. Himiko walked ahead. Aiko and Kaoru fell in behind, chatting.
"What do you think I'll get?" Aiko asked.
"What if you get some mad time slowing ability—helping you with like, accuracy?"
"Oooh, that would be so cool."
"What if I get fire powers or electricity powers?" Kaoru proposed.
They entered the lab wing. Sterile, white corridors. Automatic doors hissed.
Dr Entenga's office was at the end. He sat at his desk, tapping away at his laptop. Nothing took his attention off the screen—not even them walking in.
"And that… makes the rest of Himiko squad," he announced.
"—Ghostline Six, actually," Kaoru whispered.
"Is Nozomi already here?" Aiko jumped.
"Yes, he's in the lab already."
Placed ominously on the desk, right next to the doctor's laptop, was a black box. A large leather cube with silver-highlighted edges—a keypad in the centre.
Himiko stepped forward. "What's that?"
His lips curled up, and his eyes flashed at her.
"That's, it."
He spun the box—tapped the keypad. Flipped open the lid. Vapour danced in the air with grace. Slowly, he turned the box. The masterpiece was revealed.
Inside the box, nestled in foam, was a glass vial. Glowing pale gold like liquid sunlight.
"Pure. Aethesium. Extract." He announced.
Himiko stared deeply.
"It's… gold."
"Indeed," he said, "it could be the colour of Aethesium in its purest form. The purple, blue and red entities—or vessels—probably diluted it in some way—perhaps their body composition, regardless—caused them to change the colour of the radiating Aethesium."
"And the shards?" Himiko asked. "They weren't gold."
"That's because they are pieces that broke off the vessels; we found cells within them—still alive, they even bled."
The image in Himiko's head made her stomach turn. Come to think of it, the shard from the school felt squishy—like flesh.
The doctor closed the box.
"Let's go—" he stood up, "—your friends are waiting."
He led them down the hall, box in hand. They passed observation rooms and testing chambers. Machinery hummed through the walls.
He explained as they walked.
"First phase: small dose. You will be given a controlled injection."
The monitors in the observation room buzzed. Six of them, each showing a feed of the injection suites—two were black screens. Aiko, Kaoru, Nozomi and Miko (who insisted on being involved) lay on the beds you'd see in the dentist's—the same ones Himiko hated as a kid.
Doctors stood by their sides, administering the doses.
"How come you didn't want to participate?" Entenga side-eyed Himiko.
No response.
"You don't trust it, do you?"
Himiko's eyes wandered to her feet—drawing small circles on the vinyl flooring.
Her body language must have answered his question as he looked right back at the monitors.
A voice crackled through one of the room's microphones—Aiko. She sighed like she was sinking into a warm bath.
"It feels like sunlight on my skin."
"Second phase: Observation. You will be observed for 72 hours, where we will report any effects both physically and mentally."
They spent 72 hours comfortably in the apartment. Well… Himiko was living comfortably, at least.
"Oh god… this is—"
Kaoru was interrupted by the contents of his guts leaving through his mouth.
The apartment echoed with gags and retches. Himiko stood in the corridor, all doors wide open. Miko was using hers.
Himiko rubbed her eyes. Giggled.
"Is this the power of the gods?"
Aiko walked out of her room, slouching. She had one hand on her head. Her eyes looked like they were fighting to stay open.
"Any other side effects?" Himiko smirked.
"I feel like I'm gonna die."
She grabbed the door handle, pulling it shut. The door closed—handle came with her. She lifted the handle to her face. Eyes wide on the handle—then on Himiko, and back to the handle again.
"Whoa," they blurted in unison.
One door handle sacrificed for the greater good of science.
"Finally, the fun part. Phase 3: Combat tests. Self-explanatory. Your abilities will be tested in the field."
They approached the door of the injection suite.
"I hope none of you are afraid of needles."
Aiko gulped.
The four of them stood in the training hall, guards up. They were suited head to toe in lightweight armour—sleek and black.
It was the same training hall they tested BB in. A large white box with padded walls and a floor marked with grids. The four stood in pairs on either side of the room.
Aiko hopped on her feet, fists up, punching the air in front of her swiftly. Kaoru chuckled. Stood opposite her, hunched forward, fists up—swaying side-to-side slightly.
On the other side of the hall was Nozomi and Miko—less pumped up than the other two.
"Look at those idiots," Nozomi snorted.
He turned to Miko. "You ready?"
"Whenever you are, old man."
"Old ma—? I'm only twenty-three," he widened his stance, raised his fist and grinned, "I'm not going easy anymore."
Entenga and Himiko stood to the side. He had a tablet in hand, murmuring observations into a recorder.
"The time is 11:27, January 17th 2024. Project Millie – Initial Human Trial. Phase 3: Combat test."
"Go easy," Himiko shouted, "don't want any of you killing each other!"
Aiko cracked her neck. "Boooring!"
Entenga cleared his throat. "Pairings: Aiko versus Kaoru. Nozomi versus Miko. Standard rules—tap out or verbal stop. Begin when ready."
Kaoru and Aiko circled each other slowly. Aiko's stance was loose, almost playful. Kaoru's was tighter—analytical, like he was already calculating angles.
Aiko lunged—faster than Himiko had ever seen her move. Not just quicker; smoother. She feinted left, then snapped a palm strike toward Kaoru's ribs.
Kaoru twisted—just enough. His hand came up in a block. He countered with a low kick—Aiko hopped.
They traded blows. Every block, every dodge was cleaner than it should have been. Kaoru read her feints half a second before she committed. Aiko slipped inside his guard and tapped his shoulder.
"Damn. Ok," Kaoru laughed breathlessly.
Aiko grinned. "Not bad yourself, nerd."
Miko looked different—focused. The red bandana around her neck flowed along with her.
Nozomi jabbed—Miko slipped in under it like water. Nozomi tried to dash back, but he was too slow; Miko's palm came flying towards his face. He raised his guard. The force of the palm sent him back a couple of steps.
He lowered his guard. Miko vanished.
He spun.
Nothing.
"Did she just disappear?" Himiko mumbled.
Entenga was silent. His eyes were wide—so was his grin. He wasn't listening.
Nozomi started flinching. His body caved in, like he was hit in the gut. Then his head flew back.
"What the hell is going on?" Nozomi spun frantically.
Miko reappeared—in front—fist cocked back for a swing.
Then she was gone.
"She can turn invisible, that's so unfair!" Nozomi shouted.
Kaoru froze mid swing—Aiko too. They tried to look at Miko.
"What's going on? Where's Miko?" Aiko asked.
"I don't know, she just—"
She reappeared—behind him. Tapped his shoulder.
He spun. Gone.
Reappearing, Miko swept his legs from behind.
He slammed to the ground.
"Miko, how did you do that?" Kaoru yelled.
She looked at her hands, fading in and out of existence.
"I… I don't know."
The hall rumbled.
They all froze. Looked at each other.
"What the hell was that?"
Again.
Himiko could hear low thudding—muffled, distant—preceding smaller rumbles.
Her phone started ringing—she grabbed it.
Mrs Isamu.
"Mrs Isamu, what's going—"
"You need to get to base immediately."
"What's happening?"
"Another invasion. Massive. Get to base. NOW!"
The call ended.
Goosebumps poked out across Himiko's skin. Her heart sank.
What's going on?
…
The dock was in flames.
Piercing the smoke and fog were gigantic cruisers—four of them. Light flashed—more appeared. Then the shockwave. Cars flew. Gravity failed the people below who were once going about their business.
The cruisers hung low above the docks. Their hulls didn't reflect light; they absorbed it, juxtaposing the midday sun.
Shells rained from above. Concrete bloomed into dust clouds that glowed briefly before collapsing. Glass rained in glittering sheets. Screams rose, then muffled by smoke.
Then the capital ship arrived.
It spawned above the dock in a flash that warped the sky itself, then glided gently. The hull was massive, angular, the colour of oil on water. Two enormous rectangular cylinders flanked the central body, each one longer than a city block. At the bow, a railgun the size of a block of flats began to charge.
Orange light gathered in its throat—glowing brighter and brighter until it became blinding. The air around the barrel warped, heat haze rippling outward.
The railgun fired.
A spear of orange light pierced perfectly straight—perfectly silent for a moment. Then the shockwave struck.
It pierced a skyscraper, parting glass and steel like water. The tower folded. Collapsed into a pillar of dust and fire that shot upwards.
The beam didn't stop.
It continued—through the second tower, the third, the fourth—five in a straight line. Each one folded inward, crumbling. Debris rained into the bay, sending up geysers of black water. Ships moored at the docks snapped like twigs; containers flew, spinning into the air.
The beam faded like the sunset.
Hung above the bay, the capital ship roared—low, metallic.