In a dark room, the glow of the monitor lit up my face.The only source of light in the room—cold and bluish.
On the screen, a galaxy map stretched endlessly.Thousands of stars.Hundreds of systems.And one empire standing above them all.
Mine.
My hand moved, pressing the Launch Agenda button.
The display shifted. A massive spaceship appeared on screen—its size absurd, almost planetary. Slowly, it drifted toward a wildly spinning black hole, swallowing the light around it.
The next second—
The galaxy collapsed.
Stars shattered. Systems fell one after another in a chain reaction. Light flooded the screen before everything vanished, leaving nothing but cosmic emptiness.
But the ship kept moving.
It pierced through the black hole, entering a dimensional rift, moving as if it intended to tear reality itself apart.
Slurp.
The sound of a straw echoed through the room, followed by the crunch of potato chips between my teeth.
"So in the end," I said casually into the mic, "Cosmo Genesis is labeled a galactic crisis not because they extract living brains to use as computational chips—"
I pointed at the empty void on the screen, where a galaxy had just disappeared.
"—but because no matter what they do, they always accidentally destroy whatever galaxy they're in."
The chat instantly started flying.
From XHuman: $100"There's not a single day without destroying a galaxy."
I chuckled softly, the corner of my lips lifting.
"Thanks for the donation," I said. "And yeah, buddy—that's not my fault."
I leaned back in my chair.
"That's what you guys asked for. And as a professional streamer," I shrugged, "I'm just doing my job."
Another notification popped up.
From XHuman: $10"Then how about trying a galactic defender or merchant playthrough next time?"
I glanced at the chat.
Truthfully, I had tried all kinds of playthroughs before.Defender. Merchant. Diplomat.
And every time, it ended the same way.
Boring.
Too many compromises. Too much pointless talk. Too much pretending to maintain peace, when the moment one empire weakens, another jumps in like a starving dog.
I shook my head lightly.
"Sorry," I said. "But I'm going to have to decline that request."
A few seconds later, another donation came in.
From XHuman: $1"Called it. That's why it's only a dollar. Typical xenophobe worshipper."
My eye twitched. It wasn't completely wrong. Anyone who's played this game long enough eventually turns into a xenophobe and starts saying things like, we were born to inherit the stars, or something along those lines.
I leaned closer to the microphone.
"First," I said flatly, "thanks for the one dollar."
"And second—I don't worship anything."
I stared at the empty galaxy on the screen and spoke casually, almost joking.
"I must go on a galactic purge for the sake of frame rate."
The chat exploded. Emotes, laughter, provocation.
"Bro, you need to upgrade that potato PC."
"I feel that, lmfao. When the game runs too long, my PC sounds like a hair clipper."
I let out a short sigh, feeling exhausted after staying up all day.
"Alright, guys," I said, moving the mouse. "I think that's it for today's stream."
I closed the chat window and looked back at the camera.
"Thanks to everyone watching, lurking, and donating—big or small, it all matters."
I raised my drink toward the camera.
"As always—don't forget to like and subscribe, and remember…"
The cursor hovered over the End Stream button.
"The galaxy won't destroy itself."
Click.
The stream ended. The camera shut off.The display returned to the desktop.
Silence filled the room.
I leaned back further into my chair and took a slow breath.
Suddenly, a window appeared in the center of the monitor.
"New world awaits you.""Would you like to continue?"
Below it were only two options.
[YES] [NO]
I frowned.
"Is this some kind of easter egg? Too bad I already ended the stream."
It had only been a week since the latest patch, and I was the only one who had cleared all the newly added playthroughs.
Without thinking too much, I clicked [YES].
The screen immediately dimmed.
Not shut down—more like the light was being pulled away. Colors faded, the sound of the fan grew distant and muffled, as if the room itself was drifting away from me.
My chest felt light.
Not tight.Not painful.Just… empty.
My eyelids grew heavy. Too heavy to keep open.
"At least let me save first," I muttered.
My vision blurred.
I tried to move my hand—but my body no longer responded.
Then—
Everything faded.
The first thing I heard wasn't an explosion, but a low hum—like a massive engine running endlessly.
The smell of burning metal stabbed into my nose.
Then the pain came.
Not just a headache—it felt like my skull was being split from the inside. I coughed, gasping for air. My chest felt heavy, like something was pressing down on it.
"Your Highness!"
The voice was close. Too close.
I opened my eyes.
Blurry vision. Blinding white light. A face right above me—blonde hair catching a faint glow, blue eyes glassy with tears.
"Your Highness, please wake up!"
My hand instinctively rose to my head. Blood?
"YOUR HIGHNESS!"
The shout jolted me fully awake.
A blonde girl was hugging me tightly. Her body trembled. Warm. Real. Too real to be a dream.
"Your Highness, I thought I had lost you…" her voice broke, her breath trembling against my neck.
I froze.
What is this?
I turned stiffly.
Cold metal floor. The smell of smoke and blood mixed together. A few meters away—bodies scattered, some wearing military uniforms.
Above us—not the sky.
But the vast emptiness of space. Red and blue laser beams crossing in violent streaks. Warships streaking past, leaving trails of light like artificial meteors.
My heart began to race.
This…
"What exactly is going on—" my voice came out hoarse, unfamiliar to my own ears.
Suddenly—
Foreign memories flooded my mind.
"Argh—!"
I screamed, clutching my head. The information crashed into me like a tsunami, forcing its way into my thoughts.
My breathing turned ragged. The Ardhental Empire… intergalactic war… seventh prince… the sheer weight of it made my head feel like it was going to explode.
"Your Highness!" the girl called again in panic, trying to steady me.
I looked down at my body.
Bigger. Stronger. Dressed in clothing that looked like a fusion of ancient nobility and futuristic design, with the imperial crest on my chest.
"Yo, who would've thought you didn't die after that attack."
A heavy, rough voice cut in.
The automatic door at the end of the room slid open with a mechanical hiss. A large man stepped in, wearing dark futuristic armor. His helmet was partially open, revealing a crooked, mocking grin.
Several others followed behind him, rifles in hand.
"You…" the girl frowned. Her grip on me loosened slightly, but her body shifted forward—instinctively shielding me.
"Your Highness, please wait. I will handle them."
She was about to stand.
For some reason, my hand moved first.
I grabbed her wrist.
"What's going on?" I asked, my voice quieter now, but sharper. My mind was still a mess, but one thing was clear: this was not where I was supposed to be.
She looked at me.
And… smiled.
Gentle. Calm. As if this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "Reinforcements will arrive soon."
She released my hand and stood.
A white robe embroidered with gold fell neatly from her shoulders, fluttering slightly from the broken ventilation system. At her waist hung a sword with a silver hilt.
She stood in front of me as if ready to sacrifice her life to protect me, no matter what happened.
"I'll give you one chance," her voice turned cold, "to explain who you are and who ordered you to attack us."