Kaelen takes long, deep breaths. Her battered body shudders with pain, and her eyes are bloodshot from overwhelming stress."Sebbeh… why?" Her voice trembles. Her legs buckle, and her consciousness slips away.
Sebbeh stands over her menacingly. Blood coats his face and chest, splattered violently across his skin, and it drips from his fists in slow, heavy droplets."Take her to her chambers," he orders, his voice low and dangerous. "Make sure she does not scar during the healing process. I would not take that lightly."
A group of servants appears behind him. Sebbeh turns, bends forward, and stares directly into their eyes."Believe that."He bares his teeth like a riled beast.
He turns and walks away.
In Domain First on Phase 2, Allyser shivers in Julian's arms. Her emotions are crippling and confusing, twisting her strength into helplessness. With all the power she possesses, she cannot stop what has already been set in motion."I have failed as a mother," she says in a sombre tone.
"It is not your fault," Julian replies. He pauses. "The fault lies with no one."He sighs heavily. "That boy. He is troublesome."
Allyser lifts her gaze to him and quietly repeats, "The fault lies with no one."
Julian gives her a soft smile and kisses the top of her head."Should I go punish him myself?" he asks. His muscles tense under the strain of controlled rage.
"Ah, my love. I am the one who needs help with her emotions." She slips gently out of his embrace and walks to their bedside.
Lia lies there, resting peacefully. All her wounds have healed except for a faint scar on her forehead."I have sent for the eldest," Allyser says.
Julian's expression tightens. "My dear Ava, that boy has a temper that surpasses our own and power that rivals yours. Are you sure?"
"Yes. Of course, I am sure. If it is war they want, I will oblige." She caresses Lia's head and kisses her forehead. "They hurt my children. This planet is a memorial of death and destruction, and I can accept that. But harming my children…"A tear slips down her cheek.
A dangerous aura radiates from her, dense enough to make Julian struggle to breathe. Fortunately, she controls it well. She will not allow her power to harm her sleeping daughter.
On Sebbeh's ship, Rai is in a rage. She pummels Sebbeh's unmoving torso with relentless punches. For thirty minutes, she strikes him again and again, but he never flinches.
Finally she steps back, gasping for breath, and screams at him. The pain in her voice shreds his heart.
He wipes the blood from his mouth and pulls her into a hug. Rai does not resist. She has more than enough strength to break away, but she cannot bring herself to reject a hug from the man she loves, even when he has hurt her family."Why… why could you not just ask them?" she cries.
"Ask them?" Sebbeh turns away and looks down. "I was banished. Your mother said she would kill me if she saw me."
"Sebbeh. She was joking."
"In all honesty, Ella, your mother is terrifying."
"Yes, but she would never harm her children. Do you really think she did not notice you when you used to visit?" Rai presses her hands to her head, drowning in shame and regret. "You have either failed or passed her test. Standing up to her is quite the feat."
"Let us hope I passed." Sebbeh places his hands gently on her shoulders. "I came fully prepared to die. I would choose death over living any longer without you."
"Sebbeh…" Rai's voice weakens. "You are not being fair to me."
"All is fair in love and war, my dear."
"Indeed," a female voice says from behind them.
Sebbeh sighs. "We agreed, Irva."
Rai immediately pulls away from him and rushes to embrace her sister-wife."Iv, I have missed you."
Irva returns the hug with a mischievous smirk aimed directly at Sebbeh."I have missed you more." She bites her lip and grabs Rai's backside.
Rai's ears turn bright red. "Iv!" she squeals, completely flustered.
Purple veins pulse on Sebbeh's forehead. He clearly does not appreciate Irva's teasing. His cheeks and ears turn purple as well. He closes his eyes and turns to walk away, but Irva will not allow it.
"We are here together again, at least the parts of us that are left. Do not spoil it for me."
A force pulls Sebbeh back toward her. She grabs his rear as well, and the three share an awkward but warm embrace.
Elsewhere, Myles lies seemingly lifeless. One of his still-attached fingers twitches. A burst of black flame erupts from it. Two crimson glows flicker across the room from his disembodied eyes.
The eyes drift toward the body. A skull forms around them, followed by muscle, tissue, and skin. Moments later, Myles gasps violently.
His breathing is sharp and ragged. His heart races. Sweat pours down his skin. Heat builds through his body. Rage floods back the moment he recognises where he is.
He has no presence. His criole lines are thinner than the finest spider silk, yet the power surging inside him is strong enough to destroy a planet.
Before he can act on that rage, the world around him changes.
The space becomes familiar yet foreign."What…" Myles looks around in panic, still half consumed by his berserk state.
There is nothing around him. Only an endless horizon, a soft sourceless light, and calm water beneath his feet. Even a gentle breeze passes by. The place feels perfect. His rage begins to fade.
"There there, my boy," a voice says. A figure appears, shaped exactly like his silhouette. His vision blurs before he can see a face.
Suddenly, he is back on the cold, hard floor. The last remnants of the black embers fade away.
He forces himself to breathe evenly."I need to calm down. I cannot beat him. Whoever he is."
He senses someone."Rai…" Her lines are familiar, far easier to detect. He feels she is safe, and it steadies him. He prays Lia is safe as well. He knows she likely is, but he prays anyway.
He stands and clothes himself using criole matter. He needs answers. He noticed books on a shelf earlier. He is unsure if he can read them, but it is a place to start.
Kaelen taps her foot impatiently, waiting for someone. When she feels his approach, she smirks.
The door slides open. Without hesitation, her fist tears through the air and slams into Sebbeh's unsuspecting face. He crashes into the wall.
She exhales in satisfaction."That is for earlier."
She glances at Lia."You could have done so much better."
Sebbeh groans and pulls himself out of the dent his body created."I definitely deserved that. Sorry again. I get primal when…"He stops when Rai gives him a disapproving look. Irva rolls her eyes.
"Where is the interesting human?" Irva asks.
Sebbeh turns pale. Rai does not appreciate his silence. Myles is her younger sister's chosen love interest. If he has died because of Sebbeh, she will never forgive herself. She will also find a way to settle the score with him. Lia is essentially her child, which makes Myles her responsibility as well. Sebbeh can feel Rai's rage rising.
"Oh, I found him," Irva says, walking off and cutting through the tension.
Sebbeh stares after her in disbelief. After everything he did, the boy should be dead.
Irva enters a room and finds Myles reading a book. The walls are splattered with dried blood, but she ignores it."Hey there. You should really work on your awareness," she says, appearing beside him in an instant. She pokes his forehead. "I hear you are my baby sister-in-law's boy." She shrugs. "I am not impressed."
Myles freezes in fear. Shock and disbelief paralyse him. No one with this level of power has ever snuck up on him before.
"So," Irva continues, "are you going to tell me what you are reading?"
Sebbeh sits in Kaelen's room with Rai and Kaelen to discuss his reckless actions.
"There are three possibilities," Kaelen snaps. "War, you are crazy, or you are crazy. Start talking."
"Kaelen," Rai warns.
"What? What person would do that? Did you not see what he did to…"
"I am sorry," Sebbeh interrupts quickly. "I have issues with bottling up anger. I truly am sorry."
Rai narrows her eyes. "Sebbeh, I saw what happened before I was knocked out. I am sure you know that the white-haired girl is my precious baby sister Lia. I intend to punish you in kind. The only thing stopping me right now is my love for you. In this unstable state, I could kill you by accident."
She straightens."When I calm down, you will pay."
A wave of killing intent fills the room. Sebbeh's heart drops.
"You had better have a good explanation for causing my mother and my siblings such pain."
Sebbeh kneels."I am truly sorry, my love, but I had no choice. My family has lost their minds and joined the Dark Core. They seek to purge all traces of human DNA. When I sensed traces of it in your galaxy, I panicked. I had to get you out at all costs. I could not wait any longer. This punishment is too cruel. Even a day away from you feels like an eternity."
He takes a shaky breath."I was driven by rage, anger, anguish, and desperation."
He looks at both women."They have done it. They forged a working splier."
Rai and Kaelen freeze, shaken to the core.