“No,” I reply, my voice as cold as the void waiting for them. “Their docking hatch isn’t fully sealed. They’ll be vented into space.”
“What? But they can’t—no... no fucking way!” Princesa gasps, her face draining of color as she covers her mouth in horror.
“Keth! Open this door!” I send the frantic command through the warvisor again, returning to the seal of the docking bay door. My blood seethes with molten Rush, burning my insides with its terrible power. Greedily I draw upon it, forcing it to infuse my muscles with scorching strength, none but I possess.
I slam my arc claws into the door’s seam, carving through the metal in a surge of blue, sizzling molten slag. The heat rises around me, filling the corridor in sizzling plumes of vapor. It should scald my eyes and blister my crimson flesh, but I am the fire—there is no pain.
The thick, reinforced door resists stubbornly, as chunks of metal slough off in heavy, black-blue sludge. Each torturous second is a claw to the heart—the two females inch closer to their doom.
This is taking too long!
Deactivating my arc claws, I jam my fingers into the blistering rents, the cooling plasma cooking my flesh. The heat feels almost pleasant—a mere cinder compared to the fury pouring molten Rush through my veins. I strain against the door, teeth clenched, a bellow of rage escaping my lips as I project my will into the metal. The seal widens inch by agonizing inch, submitting to my power, the twisted metal groaning like a dying beast.
My muscles tremble with fury, grappling against the immense weight—the door fights to close, to crush me. But I am the War Chieftain. I am the one who destroys. Sweat pools beneath me, mixing with the molten sludge, my eyes spewing crimson plumes of fury. The very air seethes, sizzling, under the force of my titanic battle.
With a final, defiant roar, I wrench the door wide enough to leap through. It slams shut behind me with a violent snap, like the jaws of a monstrous brutonous, almost claiming my foot as payment.
I see it—the ship, hovering on the brink of the atmospheric barrier, its backend still within the shimmering field. My heart pounds as desperation drives me charging forward.
If I can leap through their unsealed hatch and reach the controls, there’s a chance!
The thought urges me as I thunder toward the lurching vessel, the icy void of space looming just beyond. One misstep, one error, and I’ll be sucked into the yawning abyss, a molten soul lost to the void.
The fighter’s pulsar propulsion distorts the air, pushing against me, the blue shimmer of the atmospheric shield within reach. My claws strain, stretching for the vessel, penetrating the barrier. A wave of icy pain burns through my frozen claws as they scrape uselessly against the ship’s hull.
No! I’m too late!
I stand at the threshold, staring into the beautiful, terrible expanse of space, watching the horror unfold. The unsealed docking hatch is ripped open, its contents vented into the merciless void—a celestial monstrosity devouring its prey.
The wait is short—Kazumi, the female with hair like the void, is flung violently from the ship, consumed by infinite darkness. I exhale sharply through clenched teeth, forcing myself to watch, refusing to avert my gaze.
This is my fault, my burden—my weakness.
It happens so quick. The diminutive female flails frantically, grasping for something—anything—but there is nothing in this merciless darkness, only her death. My stomach churns at this sickening sight. Her mouth opens in a silent scream, the air violently expelled from her lungs.
Her body begins to swell, bloodshot eyes locking with mine for an instant. The gruesome sight is one I refuse to balk from—I owe her that much. I stand firm, bearing witness to her final moments, offering a flicker of comfort, a flame in the dark to guide her toward Arawnoth’s warmth. Tears stream from her eyes, but the heartless void claims even that, freezing the drops in an instant.
Rapid convulsions seize Kazumi’s body, her limbs twitching and spasming in a grotesque mockery of life. I know the cause—my logical mind understands—but still, it feels like claws twisting in my guts to see her suffer like this. She was under my care. I took her from her home, from her safety, and now she dies before my eyes. All I can do is watch. The helplessness disgusts me.
Then, with mercy from Arawnoth, Kazumi goes still, drifting eerily in the void of space. Her eyes are glazed, staring off as if seeing something beyond our reality. A thin layer of frost coats her swollen face, a crystal shroud.
May the ancestors guide you, Kazumi.
The female appears oddly peaceful, drifting amidst countless stars of the cosmos. Peace is the furthest thing from my mind now; only a seething hatred sustains me, knowing I am responsible for this tragedy.
My attention snaps back to the ship. Somehow, the Gods favor Carmen; she has managed to seal the docking hatch.A tragic disgrace the foolish human didn’t before.The vessel floats, carried by its initial momentum, and for a fleeting moment, I hope one of the junker ships might retrieve her if I act quickly. But that hope dies as the ship’s hyperdrive ignites. It vanishes in a blinding streak of green.
I whirl around, a murderous fury boiling within me, storming toward the damaged docking hatch door. “Keth, turn the fleet around. Pursue Carmen’s ship,” I command through my warvisor. There is still time—still a chance to catch her before she’s lost to the stars.
What madness drove them to this? Was I so cruel that they’d risk almost certain death to escape my protection? Human madness. Stark, raving insanity.
The docking bay door now opens at last—Keth has finally managed the override.Too late.These inexperienced youths cost me precious seconds. Costing lives. This entire hunt has been an utter disaster. With Kazumi dead and Carmen likely lost, my chances of completing the Mortakin-Tok are dwindling. Arawnoth punishes me for my weakness.
Perhaps I am not worthy after all.
Princesa collapses to her knees, her forehead pressed against the viewport, wailing frantically. “No, Kazumi... Oh God! No!” she sobs, her voice broken, her breath hitching between the shaking cries.
My lips twist with rage at her pathetic weeping. “Where is your elation now, female?” I roar, my voice echoing with crimson fury. “Did it freeze in your throat like the blood in Kazumi’sveins?” The words spit from my mouth like boiling poison, my molten heart pounding as if it will shatter my chest.
