Galen surged forward, his grip tight on the Bloodthirst Blade, a relic sword whose crimson edge hummed with ancient fury. Across the rubble-strewn platform, Dabozz raised his own weapon the jagged Bloodfang Dagger, its serrated metal dripping with black light.

Above them, Lefex, the sky-city, burned. Shards of its towers rained down like flaming stars, the world tearing apart under Dabozz’s wrath.

“Finally,” Dabozz sneered, stepping through smoke. “You’ve stopped running.”

“I never ran from you!” Galen spat, planting his feet, his silver hair slick with sweat. “I was saving my people.”

Dabozz tilted his head, eyes cold as metal. “You termites, your time is up. This isn’t humanity’s era anymore. Surrender now I’ll make it easy for you and your family. You’ve tried hard. I’ll respect your bravery.”

Galen’s cracked lips curled into a defiant snarl. “You will not decide when humanity ends. This—” he raised his blade—“is only the beginning. If you don’t allow co-existence—”

“Co-exist?” Dabozz cut him off with a laugh sharp as steel. “My ancestors coexisted with yours. We gave you room in our world. And how did humanity repay us? With betrayal. With arrogance. No bargains this time. We make the choices now.”

He advanced.

Galen lunged, the Bloodthirst Blade carving a streak of scarlet light through the smoke. Dabozz twisted, deflecting the strike with his Bloodfang Dagger; the clash exploded in sparks into the ruined air.

Steel sang. Sparks fell like stars.

Dabozz pressed forward, dagger flashing in quick, brutal arcs, each swing meant to break Galen’s guard. Galen backstepped, the Neuro-Synk weave in his boots a combat enhancement that synced reflexes to nerve signals humming as he caught the rhythm of Dabozz’s blows. He slashed upward, forcing Dabozz to duck, then spun low, his blade grazing the enemy’s armor and leaving a molten scar.

Dabozz grinned. “You’ve learned some tricks. But you can’t hold forever, you son of a hairless beast.”

“I don’t need forever,” Galen shot back, driving forward with a flurry of strikes. For a moment, his blade became a storm of slashes, thrusts, and feints, forcing Dabozz back across the fractured platform.

But Dabozz was faster. He pivoted, countering with a crushing downward blow. Galen barely caught it, the impact jolting through his arms, his knees nearly snapping. The dagger slipped past his guard, slicing into his side. Blood hissed against his armor, spraying the ground.

Galen staggered, but his eyes burned bright. He tightened his grip on the Bloodthirst Blade. “This ends when I say it ends.”

He struck again this time with strategy, not rage. A feint to the left, then a rising cut aimed at Dabozz’s throat. Dabozz barely twisted aside, the blade nicking his cheek. Black ichor spilled. His smirk faltered.

Above them, the sky split as Habituh’s Moondrive skimmer, a sleek hovercraft, roared closer, Brody at the helm.

“Galen!” Habituh shouted, leaning from the hatch.

“Get them out of here!” Galen shouted back, parrying another savage strike. His sword locked with Dabozz’s dagger, both warriors straining against each other.

Dabozz’s voice dropped low, his face inches from Galen’s. “It’s over already. Humanity is a fairy tale.”

“Never over!” Galen snarled, driving his knee into Dabozz’s chest and breaking the lock.

But Dabozz recovered fast, pulling free his Pulsecaster Rifle, a pulse-firing gun built to pierce even shielded armor. The weapon charged with a rising hum.

Habituh screamed as the barrel lit white-hot.

Dabozz fired.

Adam sat in the Neuro-Synk Chair, broad shoulders filling the seat. Hundreds of UPC agents faced him in the X-PU room. His Moon Chip behind his ear beeped steadily, scanning, calculating, analyzing. The glowing tag on his field cloak read: Adam Adam—a name that carried weight in the room.


A holographic screen flickered. Doors hissed shut.


"Detecting HomoNexis… Cracking code… No veil detected," the system announced.


Sensor drones buzzed above them, capturing every heartbeat, every movement. Adam raised his head. A jagged scar cut across his face, catching the neon glow. The agents flinched not out of fear, but out of respect.


"We are under attack at the West Quadrant!" Adam shouted. "It's the Forfeihumans. You are deployed to stop them. Kill if you must. Capture if you must. Protect the border. Don't let them sabotage everything we've bled for!"


Adam's hand danced across the holographic display.


"Strike Phalanx X-13," he said. "Northwest perimeter. Nova Sentinel X-07, West-Northwest. Oblivion Unit X-21, West by West-Southwest. Iron Vortex X-42, West-Southwest. Quantum Shield X-09, Southwest. Aegis Cell X-66, West-Central."


Each team appeared on the screen, their Skyblades lined up like metallic predators, engines humming. The neon trails of their craft glowed faintly under the room's dim light.


They sprinted to the dispatch hub. The Skyblades gleamed, engines thrumming, ready to cut through the night. Adam adjusted Galen's field cloak.


"Don't act recklessly," Adam warned. "Don't override your code. You know I won't go easy."


Galen grabbed Adam's hand briefly. "Yes, sir," he said, voice firm.


They climbed in. Engines ignited. The hum filled the room.


One by one, the teams streaked into the sky. Strike Phalanx X-13 surged Northwest. Nova Sentinel X-07 darted to the West-Northwest. Oblivion Unit X-21 and Iron Vortex X-42 took positions on the outer lines. Quantum Shield X-09 glided to the Southwest. Aegis Cell X-66 formed the central defense.


The sky lit with neon trails. Adam and his team followed, slicing through the darkness, ready for the battle ahead.


Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: The Veil