Boom…
Zerath streaked across space at terrifying speed.
His path led directly to a particular solar system, where a small planet containing life existed.
Earth…
At this point, Zerath had already received the serum from his Master, and his lifespan had been extended once more. Instead of the usual two to three years, he now had five years to live.
As for his weapon, his Master claimed it would be ready when he returned—but that wasn't the problem.
The task was.
What did his Master mean by observe… and not destroy?
Yes, Zerath understood the difference between observation and destruction… but observation was a strange concept to him.
In his two hundred years of life, he had only ever destroyed.
So how could a destroyer like him be told to observe a planet?
No… that wasn't even the biggest question.
The real question was—why was his Master interested in this planet?
This was the first time his Master had ever given such an order… and it was for Earth?
He had passed by it once before. The inhabitants were weak—far too weak for him to care about.
And now… his Master wanted him to live among these weak creatures and observe them?
Zerath had many questions.
But no answers.
Bang…
He crossed a stretch of space as the solar system came into view.
For someone like him, who had seen countless stars, this one was among the smallest.
The same went for its planets.
He first observed the largest planet—no signs of life.
Then he scanned the rest.
Out of the nine planets he could see… only one showed signs of life.
Earth.
That was strange.
In a solar system like this, at least two or three planets should harbor life.
For only one to do so…
This should have been a dead system.
Yet this single planet thrived?
It piqued his interest… but not enough to justify his Master's attention.
"What is so special about this planet…?" Zerath muttered as he slowed down, nearing the planet's exosphere.
Floating, he observed the small moon orbiting it… along with several strange metallic objects circling the planet.
"Weird…"
Zerath drifted closer to one of the metal structures.
Unknown to him…
His arrival had already alerted Earth's military.
Across multiple bases on Earth, military forces worked alongside governments, scrambling to capture a clear image of the unknown being near their satellite.
Continent A — Secret Military Base
A scientist, half-dressed, rushed into a massive room. A half-eaten piece of bread was still in his hand, while a cup of hot, steaming tea sat in the other. His glasses rested crookedly on his face.
"Sir, I saw the alert—what's going on?" he asked as he entered.
Then he froze.
Red lights flashed everywhere.
Scientists ran in all directions, while soldiers moved with urgency.
He gulped.
No wonder the alarms had gone off…
Something serious was happening.
"Jake, you're here."
A firm grip landed on his shoulder as a familiar voice spoke.
"General Dylan… hello," Jake forced a smile as he turned around.
Before him stood a six-foot-tall man with a stern face and rough beard.
"Didn't I tell you not to bring food in here?" General Dylan frowned, glancing at Jake's hands.
"Ah… that… General, I didn't mean to—I was eating and—"
"Forget it. Just come with me."
Jake quickly sipped his tea, dropped both the cup and bread, and followed.
They moved to the front of the room, where massive screens and advanced systems monitored space 24/7.
On one of the large displays was a blurry image of a figure… observing a satellite.
"What do you think?" General Dylan asked.
Jake's eyes widened.
"That is…"
He adjusted his glasses as the image became clearer.
"Is that… a human?" Jake asked, stunned.
"You tell me," the General replied as another image appeared.
The being's face was still unclear, but it seemed to be resting its chin on its hand… deep in thought.
"Humans can't survive in space," Jake said slowly. "And from how calm and curious it looks, I can deduce it can either breathe in space… or hold its breath for an extremely long time."
He paused.
"Either way…"
His voice dropped.
"This being is not human."
"…It's an alien."
Silence filled the room.
For centuries, humanity had searched for life beyond Earth.
And now…
They had found it.
General Dylan studied Jake's stunned expression before giving an order.
"Get me the President. And contact the other continents."
His voice turned serious.
"Something big is happening."
"…He's going to want to see this."
Suddenly—
The screen refreshed.
Everyone froze.
The being was now staring directly at them…
With a wild smile.
"…He can see us?" the General asked, shocked.
The screen flickered again.
And he was gone.
---
In Earth's atmosphere…
Zerath floated silently, his face filled with curiosity—almost like a child's.
He didn't fully understand it…
But he could feel it.
Eyes.
Many eyes… watching him.
Even within the atmosphere, he could sense something scanning him.
This planet…
And those metal structures…
They were being used for surveillance.
Now…
He was truly interested.
"What kind of race have I stumbled upon…?"
Zerath descended quickly, but the closer he got to Earth, the more he frowned.
In different areas, he could sense terrifying dormant energies, carefully contained.
That alone was surprising… but what shocked him even more..
When he finally saw humans, his eyes widened.
They looked… like him.
Slightly shorter on average, yes—but their structure, their form… almost identical. The only clear difference was his deep violet eyes.
Yet despite that similarity…
They were unbelievably weak.
Even the creature his Master called a "horse" was stronger than most of them.
And yet…
Those energies he had sensed earlier… they were definitely controlled by these same weak beings.
For the first time in his two hundred years of existence—
Zerath was confused.
His feet touched the ground.
His dark robes swayed gently with the wind as he stood still.
His boots pressed against a strange, hard surface as he watched these fragile humans walk past him.
They completely ignored him.
Each of them wore unfamiliar clothing he had never seen before.
He saw towering structures that stretched high into the sky.
He saw them entering metallic constructs… and those constructs moved—some fast, some slow, some large, some small.
Voices filled the air. Noise. Movement. Life.
But above all…
The air.
Compared to the rich, pure air he had breathed on his Master's planet, this one was far thinner… weaker.
Yet they still survived.
On every planet he had visited, beings either worshipped him as a god…
Or feared him as a calamity.
But this…
This was the first time he had encountered a race that completely ignored him.
"Dude, you're standing in the road. Please move and don't block us."
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Zerath slowly looked down.
His violet eyes glimmered faintly.
A human male stood before him.
Weak.
So weak that Zerath could crush him with two fingers.
And yet…
He looked directly into Zerath's eyes.
No fear.
Only annoyance.
"Aren't you afraid?" Zerath asked.
His voice carried genuine confusion.
He was stunned.
Confused.
Shocked.
The human stared at him for a moment before sighing.
"I'm not paid enough for this bullshit. Just move, man—and lose the colored contact lenses."
The man shrugged and walked past him.
Zerath remained standing there.
Frozen.
For the first time…
The destroyer of worlds didn't understand the beings in front of him.