"We have to get them out," Rook whispered, his voice cracking the stillness. He stepped toward the first cage, his hands gripping the cold iron bars. "If we don't move now, we're responsible for every single life in this room. Skull isn't just a smuggler; he's a monster."
Elias stepped forward, his eyes darting between the iridescent, graying skin of the aliens and the hollow faces of the human,engineers. Confusion warred with the tactical training in his mind. "I don't understand... aren't they all just aliens? Why are they in cages like this? What does a man like Skull need with all this people and these creatures?"
"It's might be a trap," Kaelen muttered, his voice barely audible. He was shaking, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to hide the tremors. "We need to be careful. He wouldn't just leave them here if they weren't part of a game."
Nyx leaned against a containment unit, her daggers spinning idly in her palms, She looked at the alein in the cage."
"These ones look different. I mean, look at them— , They couldn't even give me a scratch if they attacked me while I was sleeping. They don't look like the aleins we fight."
Cipher didn't look up from his hacking cuff,"Science 101, Nyx. Each alien race has different species from different planets. These "aliens"' might just be victims just like we are.
They aren't invaders; they're goods to Skull."
"Damn those monsters," Sloane hissed, already kneeling by a cage to check the vitals of a small child through the bars.
Jaxen pointed to a glowing digital plaque mounted above the cages. "Wait, look at the designations. This row says 'Valkari.' The ones on the other side, where the civilians are... they just say 'Human.'"
Mikasa's hand tightened on her hilt. "So that's their name.
The Valkari. I wonder how many species are hidden on this planet that we've never been told about."
"Enough talk," Cipher whispered, his voice low but carrying a sudden authority. "I'll take the lead on the evacuation. " We need to get them to the surface,
I've the map gold gave me, I can navigate back to the surface"
Elias looked at him, concerned. "Will you be okay alone with a hundred people?"
"Don't worry about me," Cipher replied, . "We need to be ready for Skull, and I don't want any civilians in your way when the battle starts."
As Cipher began the delicate process of mag-locking the cages, a heavy silence fell again. But this time, it was broken by the sound of rhythmic clicking—the sound of boots on stone.
Kaelen froze. His breath hitched, and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He looked like he wanted to vanish into the shadows. "He's coming," he whimpered. "I can feel the air getting heavier."
"Are you okay, Kaelen?" Jaxen asked, reaching out a hand, but Kaelen flinched away, his eyes wide with an ancient, deep-seated fear.
"I'm fine," Kaelen lied, though his knees were knocking together.
Renji stepped to the front of the group, his eyes scanning the dark entrance of the hideout.
"Heads up, . We've got company. Three guys coming through the main entrance. And they aren't friendly."
The shadows parted, and Vesper stepped into the light, flanked by two hulking figures. They wore matching tactical jackets with sharp white lines and a jagged, grinning skull emblazoned across the back. The two men beside Vesper looked deadly, they weren't just random guys.
: Dante, a man who held a huge hammer and Cyrus, whose arms were replaced with sleek, black mechanical prosthetics.
"Oh, hello, children," Vesper said, waving a gloved hand at Vela with a mocking grin.
Vela scratched her head, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "Emm... who are you again? Do I know you ?"
"How could you forget him?!" Sloane snapped, pushing past her. "He's the guy you said was suspicious back in the game! Use your brain, Vela!"
"Is he?" Vela blinked. "I was mostly focused on the chips. They were very salty."
"He's dangerous," Mikasa added, her blade inching out of its sheath. "Pay attention."
Dante, the man with the hammer, stepped forward, his voice a low growl. "How did a bunch of failures like you find this place?
"None of your business," Elias shot back, his silver eyes locking onto Dante.
"Let's skip the chat and get to the part where we fight," jaxen challenged, sparks beginning to dance along his shoulders. "I've been itching to break something all day."
The air didn't just get cold; it vanished.
In a heartbeat, the atmosphere in the room pressurized so intensely that several Xenocides fell to their knees. No one saw him move. No one sensed a shift in the light.
Skull was simply there.
He stood in the center of the 10th , his presence dwarfing the others. The 10th Division immediately felt their hands begin to shake. The raw, unfiltered power radiating off the man was unlike anything they had ever felt—it was the power that had broken the Aegis Prime.
"Hello," Skull said, his voice a calm, terrifying whisper.
The team scattered instinctively. Cipher reacted first, grabbing the nearest group of prisoners and shoving them toward an opening
"Go! Move!"
Vesper's eyes lit up. "Not on my watch!" He lunged after Cipher, but Nyx was faster, her daggers clashing against Vesper's wrist guards. "I'm your dance partner today, pretty boy!"
The room erupted into chaos. Rook was intercepted by Dante, the thermal hammer whistling through the air with enough force to shatter stone. Mikasa engaged Cyrus, her blade meeting his mechanical claws in a shower of sparks. Vela, realizing the ground was a death trap, leaped upward, on top of the hideout to have a better view of the action.
"Renji, Elias, Jaxen! Go after Skull!" Rook shouted while parrying a crushing blow. "He's chasing Kaelen! Sloane, go with them! They're going to need a medic if they're fighting that monster!"
Kaelen ran.
He didn't think; he just moved, his lungs burning. But Skull was like a ghost. No matter how many corners Kaelen turned, the shadow followed.
Skull caught him near a pile of rusted crates. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of pressure that slammed Kaelen into the ground.
"Why are you running?" Skull asked, stepping onto Kaelen's chest with agonizing slowness. He was smiling, a cold, empty expression. "A Flare doesn't run, does he? Or are the rumors true? Are you really just the defect?"
Kaelen stared up at him, tears blurring his vision. I'm not strong enough, he thought. I'm nothing. I've always been nothing.
Skull began to punch. It wasn't a fight; it was a systematic dismantling. Each strike landed with a sickening crack, breaking ribs, shattering the jaw, and sending blood spraying across the stone floor. Kaelen's vision began to flicker, the world fading into a red haze of pain.
"I'm... nothing..." Kaelen choked out, blood bubbling in his mouth.
As his eyes began to roll back, the darkness of the cavern was replaced by the bright, light
FLASH BACK
"Why can't you be like your brother?!" his father roared, his voice echoing through the training hall. Kaelen was twelve, small for his age, kneeling in the dirt while his father loomed over him. "You're nothing! I wish you'd never been born! You're twelve and can't even throw a proper flame! Your brother at this age was burning houses down! He was joining the Xenocides! He's the Vice-Captain and the leader of the Aegis Prime! And you? You're a waste of blood!"
The scene shifted to a cold, sterile dining hall. Valerius stood by the table, looking down at Kaelen with eyes of ice. He kicked a rusted dog bowl across the floor toward Kaelen.
"Use that," Valerius commanded.
Kaelen tried to refuse, his small hands trembling. "I'm a person, Valerius... please..."
Valerius didn't argue. He grabbed Kaelen by the back of the head and slammed his face into the stone floor. "How dare you talk back to me You're nothing. Remember that"
Valerius said with his eyes filled with pride and hatred.
The entire Flare family—uncles, cousins, aunts—watched from the long table, laughing and smiling as they threw their leftover scraps at the boy on the floor. "What a failure ," his father spat. "Starting from today, you're no longer my son.
" I can't believe I nearly died while br
inging such....
I can think of a word that describe you".