(( Minutes Before Victor Jumped In ))
The world beyond the red circle was nothing like Earth and yet it was...
The sky burned like a wound that refused to close, painted in shades of molten crimson and dull orange. Great rivers of heat swirled within the clouds, making it appear as though the heavens themselves were bleeding.
Craggy mountains clawed out of the ground like broken teeth, with their zigzagged ridges glowing faintly with lines of molten fire that pulsed with a steady rhythm, as if the land itself was alive.
Volcanic ash fell like dark snow, settling upon a blackened earth where no grass dared grow.
The air carried an acrid and metallic stench that stung the lungs with every breath. This was not a place where nature thrived. It was a graveyard of fire and stone, reshaped to suit its new masters.
And at the heart of this fiery wasteland stood a fortress unlike anything Earth could ever produce.
A monstrous stronghold rose from the center of the valley, forged from black basalt fused with crystallized mana that glowed a deep scarlet.
The architecture twisted upwards like spines of a colossal beast.
Towers in its environs spiraled into the bleeding sky. Great runes, seared into the stone itself, throbbed with eerie red light as their glow resonated with a power that rattled the bones of anyone nearby.
The towers were linked by rough bridges of mana, each emitting a piercing crimson line that stretched high into the heavens. At the summit of these beams floated a vast red circle in the sky which was identical to the one that had hovered above Sector K-22.
This place wasn't just a fortress. It was a beacon...
Claimed by none other than, THE DRAKENAR.
Yet this bastion, though alien, carried an undeniable mark of refinement. Its construction bore the signature of wealth and power, not the crude brutality seen in other Drakenar infestations.
This clan, whoever they were, held rank... held authority... Perhaps even nobility among their kind.
The fortress breathed menace.
And yet, all that menace paled compared to the sight of what was happening just beyond its gates.
Transport pods, descending like falling stars, streaked through the crimson sky before crashing into the scorched soil with thunderous impact.
Their metallic shells cracked open, spilling dazed human students into the ash-choked air. Before most could regain their senses, the Drakenar descended.
They weren't like the usual beastly brutes humans were taught to fear.
These were disciplined soldiers, clad in black armored and crimson battle gear.
Their scaled skin glinted faintly as they moved with an unnatural swiftness.
With clawed hands and strange hooked weapons, they tore apart pods that refused to break, with ease.
Students stumbled out, coughing and confused. Any spark of resistance amongst their ranks was swiftly snuffed out.
Whenever one tried to summon mana or conjure a spell, a Drakenar soldier would hurl a gleaming crimson gemstone to the ground.
The moment the gem struck, it shattered into fragments of light and expanded into a cocoon-like dome of shimmering red energy.
The students within would find themselves utterly bound, cut off from mana and their awakened system... from everything.
They were left helpless... trapped as though the very air betrayed them.
Screams echoed across the air as many tried to protest and attempted to escape but it was all futile.
One by one, the students were corralled like livestock. Herded to the side and counted.
In the midst of all this chaos, two figures stood by the side...
The first was a male Drakenar whose presence dwarfed even the chaos around him.
He had a broad and tall seven feet frame and was clad in intricately carved dark grey and crimson armor. His helm was absent, revealing skin like burnished steel-gray scales that reflected the fiery sky. He had a sharp jawline with a pair of pitiless crimson eyes.
His posture alone demanded obedience and every motion radiated discipline honed by countless wars.
Beside him stood a figure no less striking... though in an entirely different way.
She was beautiful in a way that was almost cruel. A female Drakenar with crimson scales that glimmered faintly as though kissed by firelight. Two black horns curled elegantly from her temples with glowing tips.
Her golden eyes emitted a light that was… unusual.
Not cruelty, not malice, but something softer... Something more dangerous.
At this very moment, her hands danced through the air, manipulating an array of magical constructs that hovered around her.
Strange sigils and glowing glyphs spiraled and interlocked, each tethered to threads of dark mana that stretched back to the fortress's tallest spire. The ritual's heart beat through her fingertips.
However, her expression was not triumphant, it was burdened.
"Is this all of them?" Commander Aiz's voice questioned with a gruff voice that resonated with command.
Vayla did not lift her eyes from the sigils.
Her golden gaze flickered once toward the huddled crowd of students before returning to the ritual. "Not all. The timings were misaligned. Sector rotations shifted. By now, most of the others have already cycled out. This," her voice carried an edge of quiet disdain, "is the last batch."
Aiz nostrils flared as he scanned the gathered prisoners. There were hundreds of terrified and trembling youthful faces present, all emitting raw mana. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel[f]ire.net
His crimson eyes narrowed. "It will suffice. The success of the ritual is already a step forward. There will be more chances. More cycles to take from in the near future."
Vayla's hands stilled for a moment as her constructs settled into a strange rhythm.
"You did well, Vayla," he turned to her briefly.
Her lips curved, but not in joy.
Instead, her gaze flickered back to the students, watching as they were trapped and stripped of hope.
Her chest tightened as she inhaled slowly and exhaled softer.
"Promise me," she voiced quietly.
Aiz eyes narrowed as he tilted his head. "What?"
"Promise me you'll grant them a swift death."
Her words lingered in the ash-filled air like a poisoned prayer.
For the first time, Aiz's expression changed...
His initially proud look turned into something akin to disappointment.
He turned his head away, watching the fortress's towers thrum with power. "I do not know why you cling to this… softness. These are humans. For the survival of our species, they cannot be allowed to thrive. You know this."
Her fingers tightened around the threads of mana, causing her control over the magical construct to momentarily waver.
She forced them steady again before responding. "Survival does not have to be cruelty. Promise me."
Just as Commander Aiz was about to reluctantly respond to Vayla's strange promise request, the earth trembled from ahead.
Sparks of fire and swirling mana lit up in the distance as explosions ripped through the surroundings.
Aiz snapped his head toward the disturbance with his eyes narrowing, immediately recognizing the sound of battle.