If just the lingering scent from the creature could trigger a scan that screamed "Extreme Energy Levels," then what would the creature itself be capable of?
That thought hovered stubbornly in Kenny's mind as he stepped toward the portal. It pressed on his ribs, twisting his emotions into a complicated knot.
Only hours ago, he had been desperate to get home and crash onto his bed. Now, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to leave at all.
As they stepped through the swirling portal, a bright light suddenly covered their entire bodies, white and blinding. The light exploded behind his eyelids. It pulsed through him, dissecting and reassembling his entire form fast enough to keep him alive. His head spun; he lifted a hand instinctively, steadying his footing as the world shifted.
When the radiance finally receded, he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a broad, metallic chamber. This was only his second time passing through the gate, and the sensation of portal travel still made him feel like the ground might slip away at any moment.
Rufus, Timmy, and Blake, however, didn't feel dizzy at all. They were already stepping through the exit and into the hallway outside.
Kenny blinked away the lingering dizziness and followed.
He glanced down the corridor. If he was right, their father would have already assigned some bodyguards to pick them up the moment Rufus returned.
The favorite son always warranted an escort. Kenny leaned against one of the scanning machines positioned at every corner, each device pulsing with shifting bands of multicolored light.
The scanners examined anything and everything that passed through—organics, metals, traces of beast energy. With machines this efficient, why even bother with human inspectors? Machines didn't miss things. Machines didn't make mistakes.
His father didn't see it that way. Instead, he maintained dozens of elite guards who never left Rufus's side.
Right on cue, the armored group approached. They marched straight past Kenny without a nod, without a glance, without the faintest flicker of acknowledgment. Every single one of them bowed deeply before Rufus, who soaked it in with a smug grin that made Kenny's jaw tighten.
At the back of the group stood an elderly man with immaculate posture and refined presence. He wore a sharply tailored suit, pristine white gloves, and the expression of someone used to being obeyed.
"Welcome back, young masters."
the older man said, his voice smooth and polished.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting. Please follow me."
Albert. Their father's head butler. Polite to everyone but truly loyal only to Rufus.
Kenny drifted to the back of the group as Albert led them outside. A fleet of hovering tech drones waited for them, their sleek bodies humming quietly, engines glowing beneath their frames.
Rufus answered Albert while they walked.
"It's fine, Albert. We weren't waiting even a minute. You really don't have to apologize for everything."
They stepped into their assigned drones. The vehicles lifted instantly, rising from the ground with a soft vibration before shooting forward at a speed that blurred the cityscape into streaks. No one flinched. Sudden acceleration was just normal life in the Kainos Empire.
The view from above was stunning, though Kenny suspected he was the only one who still noticed. The most arresting feature was the sun—or what the empire called the sun. It glowed with a brilliant prismatic radiance, scattering multicolored rays across the city like some cosmic lantern.
That's right. There was no yellow sun in the sky but rather, a multicolored orb, another mystery that carried a heavy weight to it.
Nothing here shined plain gold. Instead, the whole empire was washed in shifting hues, as if the sky itself had decided to imitate a rainbow. The high-rise towers reflected the colors in dazzling patterns, each building shimmering in its own luminous palette.
A calm female-like voice sounded through the vehicle speakers and, judging from the faint echo, through the entire city as well.
"Good. Afternoon. Citizens. This is. Your personal help. Sora. Delivering. High priority. News."
The voice of the empire's central intelligence system—Sora—continued broadcasting critical information, her tone clipped and rhythmic, every word delivered with machine precision.
The drone dipped lower as it approached the Voss estate. The compound sprawled like a silent fortress: massive walls, dark panels reinforced with high-alloys, andlloys, defensive arrays tucked into smooth surfaces. The drone slowed into a gentle hover, then descended until its landing gear met the polished ground.
Albert stepped out first and positioned himself in front of the main entrance—a gleaming slab of engineered metal shaped to resemble a classical door.
"Young masters,"
he said, bowing slightly,
"welcome home once again. Your father will arrive shortly. Dinner is prepared, and the water has been adjusted to the ideal temperature."
Rufus strode inside without hesitation, already drifting toward the long dining table overflowing with dishes. The servants scurried behind him like shadows chasing their source.
Kenny, meanwhile, drifted up the steps toward his room. The excitement and anticipation from discovering the dragon's egg still throbbed inside him, vibrant and electric. But it was buried under a heavy layer of guilt.
"What is wrong with me?" he muttered under his breath. "I would never have done this before. I would never hide something this important... something that could affect the entire empire."
He pressed his hand to his bedroom door. The cold metal stung against his palm like a blade's edge. He slipped inside, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.
The room was large dim and quiet, just the way Kenny liked.
His gaze drifted across it like a quiet sweep of a sensor array, taking in every familiar shape.
The utility screen flickered softly in the corner where a goldfish swam in its suspended grav-tank, its translucent currents glowing with pale blue light.
The auto-fold bed rested at the center, its frame humming with standby energy. Along the opposite wall, the smart-dresser pulsed with faint indicators, cycling through wardrobe presets as if waiting for a command.
He walked to the tall mirror and stared at the boy reflected back: short brown hair, deep brown eyes,and the sharp features common among the Voss bloodline.
His body however was too small for his age, too skinny and frigale, he hated that. In a world where humanity had gone beyond its limits, evryone here seemed bigger and more muscular, at the very least they were six feet tall.
Keeny ran a hand down his face and then into his hair.
"How am I supposed to impress Dad if I keep breaking rules?"
His voice cracked with frustration.
"And why is this so hard?"
He let himself fall onto the bed, limbs spread wide, eyes squeezed shut. It all pressed down on him.
The rule he'd broken, the risk he'd taken, the truth he was hiding.
After all his effort to become better, to become someone his father might finally acknowledge, he was already stumbling.
He sat up slowly, mind circling his dilemma. How could he keep the egg without betraying everything he'd promised himself? His heart raced. His thoughts spiraled.
"Maybe... if I just break one," he whispered.
One rule. Just one. A small fracture, not enough to destroy him. He told himself that. He wanted to believe it.
He walked to the wide desk set against the wall and pulled open the largest drawer.
Inside lay a thick book. He lifted it carefully. The cover was plain, but inside, page after page listed personal rules, guidelines, promises, restrictions, all written in his own handwriting.
Rules he had created to shape himself into someone great. Someone disciplined. Someone worthy.
He flipped to the page he dreaded. His fingers hovered only a moment before he uncapped a sleek pen. With a slow, almost painful stroke, he crossed out one rule.
He exhaled, long and unsteady, staring at the neat black line slashing across his code.
But then Keeny face suddenly shifted, slowly and deliberately, an ulgy frown appeared.
A deep humming sound resonated through the walls, it was louder than the drones they usually used. A heavier craft. One that only a single person in the entire Voss family had the authority to ride.
Kenny's heart lurched.
"He's here."