*Inhale*
*Exhale*
A lone figure stood drenched in the aftermath of a victorious butchering of the creatures lying motionless at his feet. His black hoodie was soaked through, dyed a deep crimson. His emerald eyes shimmered with quiet satisfaction as he breathed in and out, but instead of the ocean's fresh salt breeze, the heavy stench of blood filled his lungs.
He felt no disgust. Only satisfaction.
Nova wandered through the carnage, feeling lighter and calmer. Slaughtering the creatures had eased the rage he had been silently restraining. He walked slowly until he stopped before one of them.
It was still alive.
It twitched weakly, severed wings sprawled uselessly beside it, limbs broken beyond movement. Nova had made sure of that. Seventy one dead but one half-alive for examination.
The creature noticed him and went berserk, shrieking as if he had murdered its entire family.
Ironically, he had.
Nova ignored the screams. He squatted beside it, dagger in hand, studying its body with careful precision.
"What the hell are these things?" he muttered. "And what is this stripe?"
A faint pink glow pulsed along a stripe on the wasp-monkey's back.
"Nutrek?" he whispered. "Who would inject liquid Nutrek into these poor creatures?"
The irony struck him.
He was sympathizing with them, while standing in the middle of their slaughter. Blown-off skulls. Torn chests. Scattered entrails.
Reality corrected him. He shut up.
Nova used the blunt side of his dagger to turn the creature slightly then he pressed the dagger lightly against the creature's stomach. He made his decision.
With one clean motion, he sliced vertically from head to lower abdomen.
*Shriek!*
The creature convulsed violently. The agony of being dissected alive dwarfed everything else. Blood poured out in a thick rush.
Nova examined the internals carefully, there were no artificial stitching, that means no lab-made modifications. It was real flesh. But the liquid Nutrek ingested made them mutated.
After finishing his inspection, Nova ended its suffering by killing it. He slowly stood up, his eyes shifting toward the spaceship.
"If liquid Nutrek is inside those creatures… and inside those two men's combat suits," Nova said aloud, a deliberate smile forming, "then a Nutrek core must be powering this vessel."
He began walking towards it.
"And Nutrek on the black market is outrageously expensive. Judging by this ship's size… the core should be around seven inches tall and four inches wide" he chuckled softly. "That's at least a million Sarat."
Nova wasn't naïve, those two men had been sent. Which meant someone was watching. As for the black market, he knew only fragments through research, but he had learned enough to survive in it.
•••
Inside the spaceship, the commander and the boss finally snapped out of their shock. What Nova had done left them stunned.
"He isn't even a Channeler" the commander muttered.
"Who exactly did those two fools mess with?" the boss asked quietly. The question lingered between them.
From what they saw, Nova's movements looked refined and disciplined like a seasoned combat master. His bursts of speed were unmistakably a movement skill.
"But if he's not a Channeler," the man said carefully, "how is he that strong? How is he able to use a skill or is there another substance besides Nutrek we're unaware of?"
"… No, Your Grace," the commander replied after reviewing the data. "Through continuous investigation and analysis, no such substance has been discovered. If there were, Section Leader would have informed us."
"Mother wouldn't," the man said sharply in a dark tone.
Silence filled the room.
"Release it," he added coldly.
"Your Grace… are you certain?" the Commander asked cautiously. "Why not capture him? Run tests. Extract whatever source of power he possesses. We could use it."
"Correction," the boss said sharply. "The power I obtain is not for 'us' It is for me."
He leaned forward.
"Besides it will be a test. Monitor the energy readings. I want to know what fuels him… and how he uses a skill without being a Channeler."
"As you wish, Your Grace."
Hary turned to the control panel, fingers moving across glowing commands. Screens flickered to life, displaying Nova from multiple angles. One monitor showed fluctuating energy levels.
"It is done."
"What are you waiting for?" the boss snapped. "Release it."
The Commander pressed the final button.
•••
Nova entered through the hole in the front of the spaceship and climbed inside. Plain, disappointingly plain. He had expected advanced technology, cutting-edge systems something worthy of secrecy.
Instead, it looked like refurbished scrap metal.
"What a waste," Nova muttered. "I'll just take the Nutrek core and leave."
Removing a spaceship core wasn't simple. Installing one was even harder. But he had no intention of taking the core. It was for bait. He knew thmhe people behind this wouldn't dare descend because of the MPSD — the Metropolitan Security and Defense.
And if they did? The would immediately show up to capture them and he will be rewarded. But he wasn't after a reward he wanted to use this and maybe enroll in to MPSD. Because they often visit the God's Ruins so perhaps they'd allow him to go to the God's Ruins. And maybe this time… he could read the inscription properly. And awaken the Mark.
With that thought he exited the cockpit area, Nova approached the lower compartment. He sheathed one dagger, it now look like a metal rod the he slipped it into his pocket. He tapped the other and its blade extending to full length. He tightened his grip. Readying himself. He pressed the lower panel.
Nothing.
Confusion flickered across his face. "Isn't this a 78Eaglegliser?" he thought.
From a young age, every kid in the MPU learned about various spaceship vessels. And Nova was certain this was a 78Eaglegliser.
This vessel had four compartments: the head, where the pilot controlled it; the body, where rooms, bathrooms, and utilities were located; the outer structure that carried its wings; and the lower compartment, which housed the core.
Then there was the fourth — the bunk — used for storage. And it could be especially large, like the one before him.
Nova walked to the bunk and tried opening it. It didn't move. He lifted his sword, prepared to slice it open
BOOM!
The lower compartment door exploded outward. From the corner of his eye
A massive, saliva-dripping void filled with razor-sharp teeth lunged toward him. Looming dangerous four feet away from his face. His pupils shrank. That wasn't a hole. It was a mouth. A mouth of a terrifying creature. And it was fast, too fast that's why it caught him off guard.
*Thump. Thump*
Deep within him, cosmic energy trembled. Its heartbeat thundered . The chains restraining that sealed power strained violently. The being beside the sealed energy stared in surprise. A small smile spread across his face.
"Interesting," the being murmured.
Nova's breathing slowed. His body stiffened. "Am I going to die?" he thought frantically. "I haven't reconciled with Uncle Noah. I haven't entered the God's Ruins."
He didn't want to give up, but his body had.
*Thump. Thump*
OWOOHOOM!
Energy exploded through Nova, surging violently through his veins. His pupils faded, then disappeared completely. His eyes turned pure white, blazing with a light that shimmered like molten silver. The world slowed.
Nova moved instantly. He raised the sword in his hand and hacked the beast cleanly in two.
Then everything returned to normal. Nova collapsed to the ground. His face was pale — not from exhaustion, but from that mysterious power.
Then silence.
"What… was that?" he whispered weakly. "That wasn't adrenaline." He swallowed. "... So what kind of power was that?"
And yet it felt familiar to him.
•••
"What did the readings say?" the boss demanded.
What Nova had just displayed. That impossible burst of power proved there was something more to this youth. And if he could obtain it or know it source...
He would finally gain recognition he deserved.
The commander didn't respond. His face had gone deathly pale. "Hary," the boss pressed, unease creeping into his voice. "Report"
Hary remained silent. He couldn't see the shock on Hary's face because Hary wasn't facing him.
"...Your Grace…" he finally spoke but stammered.
"What is it? Speak!"
"It's… it's…"
"Spit it out!" He tone getting more impatient.
"Co… Co… Co…"
"OUT WITH IT ALREADY!"
Hary slowly turned around. His face still mirrored pure disbelief.
"Cosmic Energy"