Raka stood inside Recca's messy office, which had a weird smell he couldn't quite make out.
Looking around, there were stacks of files and papers on the ground. Surprisingly, the desk looked the cleanest, aside from the leftover food on it.
"How did you get Chinese takeout all the way here?"
"Kid, you have no idea how far drivers would go for a 10000-dollar tip."
Recca walked past him toward the desk. He opened the laptop and typed some things before turning it toward his position.
Raka took this as a sign to walk closer. On it, he saw an image of a weapon with writing in full caps on the side.
"So this… is the Sunpiercer?
The professor nodded. He clicked on the screen, opening a new tab that showed paragraphs of words.
____________________________________________________________________________
*The Sunpiercer, one of the 12 Divine class relics of Arche. Current owner: Karthzion.*
The relic's current location is unknown. The current theory is that it's back in Karthzion's hands. Based on Arche's records, the sunpiercer is a relic created by the first order of gods. Said to have the power of the sun, if an individual tries to wield the spear, they must first be "recognized" by the relic. An unworthy wielder would be incinerated by the power of the sun. Literally.
There is no information on what criteria need to be fulfilled to be "recognized." Conclusion: The Sunpiercer has some form of sentience.
…
…
…
____________________________________________________________________________
Raka's eyes lingered on the screen, his fingers resting against the cool surface of the table as he reread the words again and again. His gaze fixated on one line in particular, something that felt oddly out of place amidst the explanation:
"Created by the first order of gods."
What the hell was the "first order of gods"?
He had barely begun scrolling further when Professor Recca suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"You don't need to read past that," the professor said softly but firmly, gently pushing the laptop closed. Raka looked up, annoyance flickering briefly across his face, replaced quickly by confusion.
"Why not? What's the first order of gods—"
Recca sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's ancient history, Raka. Not relevant to what we're dealing with right now. Trust me, you just need to understand the basics."
Raka leaned back, crossing his arms. "Fine. Then give me the basics."
Recca gave a short nod. "Vel'Mahl," he began. "The godless nation. Their entire purpose is the destruction of all gods. They see them as parasites who exploit mortal worship to maintain their power."
Raka narrowed his eyes. He'd heard about them briefly, but never paid them much attention. "So what does this have to do with the Sunpiercer?"
"Everything." Recca's voice dropped, becoming heavy with frustration. "Dravareth became their primary target after the merger. Because, unlike other divine relics whose locations remain hidden, the Sunpiercer's whereabouts were widely known. More importantly, it was active. Karthzion had used it openly, making herself and Dravareth a glaring target."
Raka stared at him, digesting the words. Something still didn't add up. "But why hide the Sunpiercer here, then? And why go through all this trouble—letting the embassy be built, reinforcing it, visiting us—just to blow it all away in the end? That makes no sense."
"Desperation makes people do irrational things," Recca replied bitterly. "Vel'Mahl was winning. Karthzion's forces were losing ground every day. Her last resort was to lure Vel'Mahl's attention away from Dravareth's heartland—to use this embassy, this place built for refugees, as bait. The Sunpiercer's burst of mana could ambush and destroy their forces, turning the tide of her war."
Raka shook his head slowly. "But… if she could do all that, why hide it? Why not just wield the Sunpiercer directly and fight back?"
Recca's shoulders dropped slightly, his gaze falling to the floor. He sighed deeply, a sound filled with regret. "Because the relic no longer recognizes her as its wielder."
Raka felt as though the ground beneath him had shifted. "Wait, what?"
"We uncovered it through intercepted communications," Recca said quietly, almost reluctant to continue. "Around three months before The Merger—before we even knew Arche existed—something changed. Karthzion lost control of the Sunpiercer. It rejected her. The resulting explosion wiped out an entire city instantly."
"She… lost control?"
Recca nodded. "Since then, Dravareth's defenses weakened rapidly. Casualties skyrocketed. Her people suffered endlessly. She had no other options left. So, when the opportunity arose, she took it. I genuinely believe that the embassy was built with good intentions. But once she saw a way out, a way to strike back, those intentions didn't matter anymore."
Silence filled the room. Raka stood perfectly still, eyes glued to the image of the Sunpiercer, the vibrant glow of its spearhead now feeling dark and heavy in his mind.
'She used the embassy as bait,' he thought bitterly. His fists tightened, knuckles white. 'She used MY FAMILY as BAIT.'
Yet, despite everything, a small, stubborn part of his mind still held onto the Karthzion he'd met—a fiery, spirited but kind lady. A part of him refused to accept she'd do something so ruthless.
'No,' he thought, shaking his head slightly. 'A god wouldn't resort to these kinds of actions. Right?'
Recca seemed to sense his turmoil. The professor hesitated, then finally spoke up again. "If you're still unsure, Raka—if you still can't believe this, there's one last thing you need to see."
Raka looked up slowly, meeting the professor's gaze. His voice barely above a whisper, he asked, "What is it?"
Recca took a deep breath and returned to the laptop, clicking again. "The last piece of evidence. Her own words."
He pressed play, and the room fell into a tense silence as the video began.
/ - /
The screen flickered briefly, and the video took a few moments before sharpening into clarity. Raka immediately recognized the setting—a large, elegant chamber with ornate pillars and richly decorated walls, clearly meant to house diplomatic gatherings.
Around a long, polished table sat figures he knew must be gods, each exuding a presence that felt heavy even through a recording.
On one side of the table sat several gods: a tall, male elf with silver hair cascading gracefully over his shoulders; another god whose form was unsettlingly surreal, a mix of human features with multiple rotating golden rings studded with eyes; and a woman whose strikingly bright blue hair fell around delicate shoulders, gills fluttering gently along the sides of her neck as she breathed.
Opposite them were representatives from Earth, the most prominent of whom was the President of the United States, with an enraged expression on her face.
"Esteemed deities of Arche," the president began, her voice calm but carrying an unmistakable edge, "you have seen the evidence. Karthzion deliberately placed the Sunpiercer under our refugee embassy to draw the attention of Vel'Mahl away from her own people. Her actions directly led to a catastrophic loss of life among innocent refugees—our people. We demand accountability or some form of justice for this, this act of evil!"
A tense silence followed her words, interrupted by the elf god's melodic voice. "Evidence is subjective, especially when judged by those unfamiliar with the divine. Karthzion acted to preserve her domain. Is that not understandable?"
"Understandable?" The president leaned forward, hands pressed firmly against the tabletop. "She used innocent lives as bait. Human lives, who trusted her for protection."
The god surrounded by rotating rings spoke next, voice echoing oddly in overlapping harmonies. "Mortals from Earth are newly introduced to mana. Fragile, limited, incapable of meaningful defense. From a purely practical perspective, your losses, while tragic, represent far less of an impact compared to any Archean casualties."
"Less of an impact? You're dismissing the worth of thousands of lives based solely on the lack of magic?!"
The blue-haired goddess raised a delicate hand, silencing the murmurs growing among Earth's representatives. Her voice was gentle but coldly pragmatic. "Emotion clouds your judgment. This is a simple matter of scale and priority. You speak of thousands, yet we contend with billions—billions whose lives depend directly on our protection and guidance."
The elf god spoke once more, his tone soft yet dismissive. "We grieve your losses, truly. But it would be unwise and unrealistic for us to jeopardize our people over this incident. Earth must learn to navigate its new reality or risk being consumed by it."
"So, you refuse to take any action against Karthzion?" the president asked, her voice hardened by disbelief.
"Precisely," said the seraphic deity. "We sympathize, but sympathy does not warrant intervention."
All the while, Karthzion was nowhere to be seen..
/ - /
The screen went dark, casting the room into a tense silence. Professor Recca stood quietly, giving Raka some time to digest everything.
Finally, Recca spoke. "I understand this is a lot to take in, Raka. I don't expect an immediate answer. Take a day. Think about it carefully—"
"I'll do it,"
Recca paused, clearly caught off guard by the immediate response. He gave a confused expression before talking again, "You don't need to rush this. Take some time—"
"No," His gaze fixed rigidly on the blank screen. "I don't need more time."
Recca approached slowly, searching Raka's face for any sign of doubt. "You realize what you're agreeing to, right? The risks involved, the weight of this choice—"
"I know exactly what I'm agreeing to,"
He clenched his fists tightly at his sides. He didn't need more time, the images of his family flickering painfully through his mind, each memory now tainted with betrayal.
He could still feel Karthzion's presence and hear her words. But all of it was now twisted, each comforting gesture, every action turned into a bitter lie. She treated their lives like nothing.
"I want to start now."
Recca remained silent for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. We'll begin preparations immediately."
/ - /
B̵̦̞̘͈͒̅̈́͆̀̔̑̈͑̈́̕͝e̵̡̠̟̲̻͉̻̠̤̻̤͕͕̟͖͆̇̀̇̔̓̃̏̈́͐̾̈́͂̉̅̅͝͠͝͝é̵͈͗̃͋́̈̒́̋̓̽̉̒̆͑̉p̷̨̛̳̫̱̲͚̩̳̼̫̪͓̤͈̄̾̽̒̾̿͑̓͗͌͒̎̀̌̾̕͝.̵̡̨̡̛͎̜̖̯̟̯̺̤̲̅̚ͅͅ ̷̬̙͙͖̬̭̼̰̹̠̯̼͉̯̥͐̈́̐͋̂̃̑̆̀̓̿̀̓̚
B̷̼̙̫̻͎̗͝e̶͉͔̺̰̲̺͈̽̑̔̔̐́̓͆͌̉͗̀͑͋̃̈́̉̚̕͝ȩ̷̨̢̳̩̙̬̲̜̭͎̜̜͕̻͉͍̐̄̈͌̊͛̎̀̉͑͛̂ͅͅp̴̡̘̯̜͙̤̪̯̘̯̓̅̋̓̀͗̈́͛͌̒͛͝͝.̴̨̪̟̙̱̥͎͈̰͓̣͚̳̙̏̾͒̇̅͛̀͑̑̌͗͋̈̃͛͒̚͝ ̴̧̫̞̰͎̭͕̮͖̹̺̣̪̂̆͋̾͂̽̆̊̔̇̉͆̊͒̀̊̉͘̕͘̚͜͝
B̸̧̺̠̬͚̥͓̥̖͍͍̼̰͈̹̦̆͌̌̒̽̈̚͜e̶̢̢͔̦̖̙̮̗̤̼̦̖̺̫̞͎̘͍̳̼̰͌̅̀͆̀̅̓̎̓̎̿̊̈́̀̈́̏̄̽̿̚͘ͅe̴̡͖̮͂͛͑̈́̌̃̍̒̀̈́̈́͘p̶̟̙͚͔͚̗̟̣͉͕͑͌̎̏̊́͛̌̀̓̈͐̈͝͝.̸̡̩̝̖̗͍̣͉̤̹̹̞̩̲̪̙̪̞̇͐̌̄̌ͅ ̶̨̱̬͎͚̜͙̭̟͈͈̺̠̟̆̒̊̉̈́͊͛̐̍̈̇̂̔̉͛͑̽͒̈́̽͑̕͝
B̴̢̖͕̮̦̤̣̻̘͑́͑͐̂̈́̈͌̔͆͊̃͜͜ͅͅę̷̛̞͉̻͉͓̹̲̜̫̙̳̠̳̝͎̪̅̐̉̆͒̓̃̀̂̈́̉̊̓͌́̓̓̚̕͘̚̕e̴͙͚̠̳̾̂͌́͌̈́͂̎̿̀̾̔͆p̴̲̼̳̞̜̲͆̋͂͒̏͐̀̂-̵̲̦͚͍̰̩͖͈͉̺̖̬̰̻̹̟̟͋͛ͅ
1̵̢̬̻̏̉̈̚0̶̧̰̻͈̪̰̟̗͓̒̈́͒̈͌̿͌̕%̶̢̩͙͙͋̈́̉̆̋̓̚ ̴̠̺͉͓̭̖͔̳̺́̿̊̋̆͗͠͝P̸͇̺̎̌̒̓̍ǫ̴̨͈̝̪̝̖̟̻̫̮͓̲͐͊̌͊͝ͅw̵͙̬̬̪̳͎̐͋̎͐̂̒͂͒̇͑̽͐͑͝ȩ̷̨͎͚͉͍̳̓̈̿̓̊͒́͂̈́̊͛̈́̑̀͝r̴͈̩͍̻̬̻͖̈͆͑͝ ̸̠̞͉̩̩̅̂̇́̾̂R̵͕̬͚̙̥͖̜̓̀̏̔͒͊̚͝ę̷̧̲͇͓͕̦̣͉̱̻̯̜͙͕͐͌̈́̈́͋͊̂̒̊̈́͂m̶̡̡̠̭̠̞̻̗̆̀͠ą̸̛̤̞̳̥̦̺̲̤̩̤̞̜͑̌̉̓͛̍̀͜͝ͅi̷̡̧̢͚̤̰͍̦̼̒̎̓̌͑͘n̴̛̖͋͆͆̂̒̌͋̾̊̿̌i̸͖̣̼̫̍͒̃̈́͋̿̏̒̔̈́̈́̔̚̚͜ṉ̴̡̣̗̞̬͈̻̲̬̻͒̏́͌̓̐̕͘͠g̵̡̡̻̼̟͎̺̪͖͇̥̎͗̊
/ - /
Raka stepped back into the experimentation room behind Professor Recca. The gentle hum of machinery filled the silence until it shattered abruptly.
"What. The. Fuck, Recca?" Freya stormed forward, her expression fierce, eyes blazing with fury.
"I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this. You couldn't have found a better way to tell him? You had to spring it on him like this!"
Recca paused, turning slowly to face her. His expression was weary but firm. "Freya, Raka made this choice himself. He deserved to know the truth."
"And you think asking him to do this now—after everything he just learned, is fair? That's just manipulation, Recca!" she shot back, her voice trembling with frustration.
Raka stepped forward, placing himself slightly between them. "Freya, stop. It's okay. I agreed to this."
She looked at him incredulously, anger fading briefly into concern as she took a deep breath. "Raka, don't rush this. You don't even fully understand what you're getting into. You need more time."
He shook his head. "I've had enough time. My mind is made up."
"Raka, please—"
"Freya," Recca interrupted quietly but firmly. "I'm starting now."
She froze; she wanted to say more, but his look stopped her. Her eyes darted back to Raka, hoping he would reconsider, hesitate—anything. But his eyes showed no doubt.
"Recca, I know you also don't think this is the right choice, so please, think about this."
…
"Say something dammit!"
"Let's go," Raka said softly, turning away from Freya. Recca followed closely, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished floor.
Freya remained rooted to her spot, helplessly watching their retreating forms. Her fists tightened at her sides, nails digging sharply into her palms as sorrow replaced anger in her eyes.
"This isn't the right way…"
/ - /
Strength
Heat surged through the air, waves of fire roaring fiercely as they tore across the training hall. The entire chamber echoed with the crackling of flames and sharp snaps of mana discharging.
Raka pivoted sharply, narrowly avoiding another scorching fireball that Freya hurled towards him. Each burst grazed his skin, but no direct hits.
"You're hesitating!"
Freya shouted over the roar of her magic, eyes narrowed, piercing through the heat haze between them. Her staff glowed as she charged another attack. "Again!"
Sweat dripped down Raka's brow, stinging his eyes. Every muscle burned from exertion, pushed relentlessly by weeks of intensive training.
Yet despite the exhaustion, he felt a strange clarity he had never known before, a sensation pulsing within him.
He was getting stronger.
Another wave of fire raced forward. Raka braced himself, planting his feet solidly. He lifted his arms defensively, a golden sheen shimmering briefly across his skin as the flames collided with him.
Heat wrapped around his body, but this time, it did not harm him. The flames suddenly seemed to seep into him, flowing into his skin and making it glow a bright yellow.
He lowered his arms, the glow pulsing rhythmically, casting flickering yellow patterns along the walls. His eyes rose slowly to meet Freya's startled expression.
"Are you ok-" she began, barely finishing before Raka thrust both hands forward instinctively.
An explosive and powerful burst of golden fire surged from his palms, racing towards Freya. Her eyes widened in surprise, a reaction faster than thought propelling her staff up to create a hasty barrier.
The flames collided with her shield, scattering into sparks around its edges, the force knocking her a step back.
Silence fell abruptly, leaving only the faint crackling remnants of fire hanging in the air.
Raka stood breathing heavily, his gaze locked onto Freya. Her arms slowly lowered, revealing astonishment mixed with a bit of irritation.
"That was a dick move, but not bad" she finally murmured, her eyes never leaving his. Then she pointed her staff at him and charged up.
"Again!"
/ - /
6̷̠̮̬͙̟̦̱̬̜̣̣͚͛̎̏̆̄̑͛̆̔̃͝͝%̴̡̨̰̝̠̟̹̜̹̰͍̺͉̩̑̎͝ͅ ̷̨͉̋̀̋̃̕P̶̢͓̣̀̉̎̊̉̎̏͆̄͐͛͘̕o̸͍̼̤͆̋̅̈́̍͆̔͗̍́̀͆̆̿̕w̴̛͈͎͒̍̅̀͘ë̴͔̦r̸̭͎̯͈̎͑́̐͆͋͛ ̴͚̖̯̫͔͓̪̮͈̠̖̦̦̘̹̀͑͑̎̂̏̅͝Ŕ̵̡̡͙̦̣̳̺̥̙̲̲̇̈e̷̖͍̪̹̽̽̓̌m̸̨̯̣̖̣̗̟̰͖̌̍́͆̄́̾̐̌͗͠ȧ̸̧̨̛͍̪̺̦̣̬͖̑̅͐̀̂́͊̿͛̍̌ỉ̴͈͍̄́͗̀͆̐̒̏̀͊̈́̀͘̚n̵̦͖̟̻̹̱̳͑̓̾̀͛͊ͅͅi̶̙̘͈̾̉͆̈͂͝͠n̵͔̥̙̘̥̭͔̻̑̈́̽̾͛̇̿̚͠g̷̼̻͕̣̩̣͎̮̻̣̔̈͌̐͋̀͌̊͊́
/ - /
Magic
Raka stood in the center of the experiment room, looking at the machines that stood before him. Its inner workings are hidden behind polished metal and glowing indicator lights.
"Standby, Raka," Recca's voice echoed quietly through the speakers.
He exhaled slowly, preparing himself. "I'm ready."
The machine whirred louder, spinning gears and mana conductors aligning into place.
Finally, a bright beam of pure, concentrated mana surged forward, striking him squarely in the chest.
"Fuck!"
His chest started to feel hotter and hotter, almost becoming unbearable. But slowly, it began to dissipate into a more manageable warmth.
His heart raced as the energy flowed into him. Mana infused into his body, filling every cell. His skin radiated gently, glowing brighter with each passing second.
But soon he felt a pressure building rapidly from within, a swelling heat threatening to burst free.
Small fractures of light appeared on his skin that started branching out, spreading through his body like cracks.
"Raka!" Recca's voice sounded urgent. "Control it! Hold it steady!"
Breath shallow and ragged, Raka focused inward, fighting against the pain..
He wrestled control back slowly, painfully, the cracks gradually closing as he stabilized the immense mana.
The machine powered down, leaving Raka standing shakily.
Recca's voice returned, sounding relieved that everything went well. "You managed it. Well done, Raka."
He simply nodded, breathless. But he did notice that instead of just his body glowing, his eyes also started to retain a bright glow.
/ - /
3̶̦̘͍̮̱̠̹̯̑%̶̡̨̗̫͕͈̜͍̖͙͉̈́̆̎͝͝ͅ ̸͎̄̓͊̈́̎́̐̿͋̏̒̚͘Ṕ̸̩̼̭̱͉͙̗͍̙͆̃͗̿̑͋͐͗o̶̪̱͎̹̝͉̭̯͓̩̳̤̊́̄̀͊͂̅͋͝ẁ̵̩͍͈͂̅̿̽͗̓̔͜ę̷̩̞͙̼͙̬̹͉̯̖̇̿̏̾́͒͐̏́͘͝͝r̷̛̖̪̦̩̟̺̟̃͒̏̚ ̶̡̙̟̙̞̖͍̦̘͉̣̫̘͛̈́̈́̃͜͜Ŗ̸̳͎̮̖͔̝̘͎̩̩̤̼̞͔̇̔̎́̈́͐̈̄̀̔́̕ḕ̴̢̨̮̗̑̚͝m̶̨̦̖̜̭̜̯̭̭̹̟̈́̀͗̈́̎̉̈ȁ̸̧̳̞̗̗̲͙̪͍̝̠͈̦̈́̐̋͂̈́̕̕̚̚͝i̵͈̙͚̰̋͠n̸͉͔̦͓̭̖̝̙̤̦̞̒̓̔̊̈̽̀̈́̂̏̍͐̿͜į̷̲̬̻̠̦͍̟͉̠̆̌̇̿̇̋̅̇͛͠͝n̷̢̢̨̠̝͌̉̀̚̕ͅg̸̣̣̠͇̝̘̲͉̟̩̯͔̐̊͊͒͛̏͐̃͆͌͘ͅ
/ - /
Amplification
Raka lay motionless on the cold, metallic operating table, eyes closed beneath in heavy sedation. His body was cut open, leaving his beating heart open to the cool air. Bright surgical lamps illuminated his still form, casting stark, precise shadows across the room.
Around him, technicians moved slowly. Although the facility had no doctors to help with this procedure, they were confident everything would go well.
"Patient is stable."
"Proceed with core placement," Professor Recca said authoritatively, overseeing the procedure from the side of the room.
A series of thin wires, each tipped with tiny metallic sensors, were carefully maneuvered into place along Raka's arms, torso, and forehead.
The technician steadily placed each wire precisely onto marked points along his body. Each connection point was secured, and the wires trailed back to a central console.
Next, four smooth, metallic orbs were brought forward, each gleaming under the bright surgical lights.
Slowly, the technicians positioned the spheres evenly apart inside Raka's torso.
Upon contact, each orb emitted a soft click followed by a gentle buzzing as they attached securely inside his flesh.
"Activating cores," another technician confirmed, fingers quickly moving across a digital interface.
The metallic orbs began to pulse gently with a soft blue light, synchronized with the console's readings.
Thin lines of mana spread from each orb, connecting with the placed wires, forming an intricate network across Raka's body.
The room fell into a tense silence, every technician carefully observing their monitors and adjusting settings accordingly.
"Amplification nodes functioning at optimum capacity," a voice finally confirmed.
"Excellent," Recca acknowledged. "Prepare for the stabilization phase."
/ - /
1̶̧͚͉̮̙͎͚̱̮̣̼̱̙͖̋̒̊́͋̓̕̕ͅ%̴͎͇̙̟͕̖͓̮̟̣̈́̓̈́̌ ̸̢̢̖͈̣͉͌̀̐̀̋̂̔̾̅̔͒̇P̸̢̢̡͓̝̦̼̖̭̞̂̏͛̈̑͜͝͠o̸̳̦̣̳̠̹̝͉͎͈̙̗̱̖̜͆̈́̈̽̈́̀̓̀̋̆͛̌̚͝w̵̢̩̰̺̦̅̄̒̆͋̅́͗̀̾̽͝͠e̶̛͚̥̿̀́͋̎͌͑͊̓̌͂̚͝͝r̵͈͎̝͖̙̤͚̻͆̐ͅ ̷̡̱̤̬̬͓̗̥̣̤̠̥̪̾̎̒̓͋̇̇̈̕͘R̶̨̢̲͖̻̻̤͚͓͕͕̹̳̳̂͐͐̋̋̐̅̄̈́̒̈̕ȩ̷̤̦̌̅͐̀̈̏̒͐̇̕̕ͅm̸̮̺̮̺̞͚̬̞̘̺̼̈ͅá̸̭̟̥͖͙̈́ì̵̤̮̤̝̒̎̕̕ͅn̴̨̫̗͍͔͓͖̗̽̏͊͒̍̓̃̅̋͂͝͝ͅī̶͚̽̌̓̈̇͆̂̇͛̈́̂͑͘n̴̯̔̓̔̿̈́͌̈́̓̍͘͠͝g̷̨̛͔̳̺̹̬͈͇̼̾̉̈́̍̃͜͝
/ - /
Genesis
Three figures stood inside an encased chamber, and in the center stood a pod.
The pod stood upright, with a glass front reflecting the sterile glow of surrounding monitors. A gentle mist seeped from its edges, pooling quietly on the floor.
Raka stood at the pod's threshold, eyes fixed on the complex machinery inside. His eyes were focused, and he tried as best he could to steady his breathing.
This was the last step after all.
Beside the control panel stood Professor Recca, while Freya waited a step behind, her expression worried. Both gazed at Raka with equal measures of pride and worry.
Recca finally broke the silence. "Once you're inside, the pod will handle the rest. It'll put you under and maintain your body. You will be inside for exactly a year, by that time, the cores should have fully integrated with your body properly."
Raka glanced briefly towards Freya, who met his gaze with determination tempered by worry, just like how a mother would look at her child. She gave him a small, encouraging nod.
Stepping forward, Raka entered the pod without another word, turning around slowly as the reinforced glass began to close with a quiet hiss.
Through the narrowing gap, his eyes found Recca's and Freya's once more—faces etched in his memory, anchors to what was.
"Good luck," Freya whispered, though he could only see the silent movement of her lips.
The pod sealed completely, enclosing him in silence. Immediately, cool gas filled the chamber, thickening swiftly until the world outside blurred, becoming indistinct shapes and muffled sounds.
On the pod's surface, a label illuminated gently in soft blue light:
"Project Excidium Ordinis"
/ - /
W̷̨̤̗̥̿̉̎͐Ạ̸͓͑R̸̢͕̟͍͚̩̙͚̣̙̰̟̗̒͜Ṅ̵̠̊̀̊͐͊̆͝I̸̧̼̱̙̮͍͓̟͗̒̿̀̈́̈́̇́̃̀̈́̆̈́͂͜Ņ̴̛̠̺̩̾̿G̸̢͓͓̼̼͕̤̘͌̿̊̃͐̒
W̷̨̤̗̥̿̉̎͐Ạ̸͓͑R̸̢͕̟͍͚̩̙͚̣̙̰̟̗̒͜Ṅ̵̠̊̀̊͐͊̆͝I̸̧̼̱̙̮͍͓̟͗̒̿̀̈́̈́̇́̃̀̈́̆̈́͂͜Ņ̴̛̠̺̩̾̿G̸̢͓͓̼̼͕̤̘͌̿̊̃͐̒
W̷̨̤̗̥̿̉̎͐Ạ̸͓͑R̸̢͕̟͍͚̩̙͚̣̙̰̟̗̒͜Ṅ̵̠̊̀̊͐͊̆͝I̸̧̼̱̙̮͍͓̟͗̒̿̀̈́̈́̇́̃̀̈́̆̈́͂͜Ņ̴̛̠̺̩̾̿G̸̢͓͓̼̼͕̤̘͌̿̊̃͐̒
N̷̛̝̥̪̼̭̼̙̮͍̞̯̽̍̾̿̋̀̾̉͠O̴̡͖͕̜͙̞͔̘̓͋̒͊͛̅̍ͅ ̷̧̢̭͍̻̤̳̠͉̑͂̇͆̐͌͗͆̈́P̴̧̛̮͔̟̜͊̑̇̓̏͊̀͂̕̚͝͝͠͝Ò̷̟̜̙̹̘̄́̔̀͗̈́̍͜ͅẀ̴̼̘͎̣̝̮͉̎̈̈́̊̈͘Ȇ̸̛̳̗̰̍̓̾͌̉͛̕R̴̟̄̒̏̍͆̇̀̈̇͆̊͆̒̃́ ̵̢̨̻͓̟͖͙̠̭́͂̕͜Ŗ̴̛̺̙̙̳͇̪̯̒̂͌͗̓̑͒̔̍̕Ȇ̵̛͓̲̥͓̲͎͖͑̄̀͋̍͝͝Ṁ̶̢̬̠̞͇͚̥̳͔͛̃͊À̷̞̞̮͒̆͛͒̀ͅI̶̮̱̻̽Ṉ̴̡͔̥̮̞͇̝̯̬̓̃̑̏̀̂̃͒͆̑̃̓̚͝͠Ǐ̴̖̓̽̏͆̃̃̉̀̈́̐N̴̟̳̯͒̓͠G̶̢̛͕̭̦͈͇̻̙̺̼̮̞̐̏̈́̈́͆̃̀̕ͅ-̵̪̼̩͇̞̲̳̝̀̈́̎̆̊̏̑
…
…
…
INITIATING EMERGENCY RELEASE SEQUENCE
The distorted voice echoed coldly through the empty chamber. Flickering lights overhead barely illuminated the room, casting wavering shadows over rusted consoles and broken machinery.
A loud hiss filled the silence, followed by metal grinding as locks released their grip. The pod, coated thickly with dust and grime from years of neglect, shuddered before slowly splitting open. Debris and dried fragments of vegetation fell aside as the doors painstakingly parted.
A heavy cloud of mist and stale air briefly obscured the interior, slowly dispersing into the dimly lit room. Within the haze, a figure became visible.
The figure lay motionless for a time, but finally, a twitch.
He has awoken.