Jagged rocks ground under Ash's boots as he ran, his breath steady despite the burn in his chest. The chaos of the battlefield slipped away, replaced by a heavy silence that gnawed at his senses. Something felt off. The air seemed to throb, like the distant pulse of a heart buried beneath the stone.
Ahead, a pale light flickered.
Ash slowed, weaving between the sharp edges of the boulders, his gaze locked on the source. The glow grew brighter as he approached. He stepped carefully, eyes narrowing. The light revealed itself—a perfect sphere, hovering just above the ground. Its surface gleamed, untouched by dust, its edges sharp and flawless. A faint hum radiated from it, the sound crawling beneath his skin.
Instinctively, Ash's fingers twitched, but his blade stayed at his side, its weight unbothered. He didn't reach for it.
'Is this what I'm looking for? Max didn't said anything about this... Didn't even warn me if it's good to touch. Just the coordinates.'
His hand hovered. The glow pulsed again.
WHOOSH.
A blast of wind hit him square in the chest.
He didn't have time to turn, no chance to react.
THUD!
A fist slammed into his ribs. Pain exploded through his side. His feet left the ground. The force hurled him across the rocks. He crashed, his body skidding and bouncing, his vision blurring. Through the haze, the orb still pulsed beside him, untouched. Its hum never stopped—sharp, relentless.
His back slammed against a boulder. His hand reached out, grasping air. His blade was gone—knocked loose in the fall.
The dust settled. Silence wrapped around him, save for the steady hum of the orb.
Ash gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move. He glanced up.
He wasn't alone.
His chest heaved, breath coming quick, but he steadied himself just as the shadow fell over him.
Speedy landed lightly, his boots barely disturbing the rocks. The usual smirk was gone, replaced by a focused, irritated glare visible through his visor.
"You really thought you got rid of me?"
His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the bite in it.
Ash's muscles tensed.
Speedy moved.
A fist slammed into his ribs, then another—each blow faster than the last, hammering into his arms, chest, face. Ash tried to block, but Speedy's speed made it impossible. Each hit came like a blur, and the force behind them sent shockwaves through his body. The wind whipped around them, adding strength to each strike.
Dust exploded with every blow. The ground trembled under the force.
"You could've surrendered.,"
THWACK!
"but no—"
WHAM!
"You just had to make this difficult—"
THUD!
Ash gritted his teeth, fighting to stay focused. He had to do something—now.
Then, the world jolted.
A deep BOOM rumbled through the asteroid, vibrating up Ash's spine. The sound was guttural, like a roar from the core of the planet.
Speedy froze, his fist hanging mid-air.
A pulse of light split the sky.
Ash forced his eyes up.
The Apex carrier ship hovered above them, its cannons glowing with energy. A heartbeat later, a beam of raw destruction—purple and blue, swirling like a storm—struck the asteroid.
The explosion swallowed the horizon.
Shockwaves tore through the ground, splintering rock, cracking the earth beneath them. The land buckled, sending unstable fragments spiraling into the air. The wind howled, carrying dust and debris as chunks of the asteroid fell from the sky.
Speedy's face twisted in disbelief.
"No—no way. I thought we were taking this Asteroid back, what is he thinking. "
Ash barely registered his words. His breath came hard, his mind scrambling.
Then he saw it.
The orb.
It hovered untouched by the chaos, its soft glow still steady, waiting. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Ash's suit's sensors flickered, unable to register its energy.
Everything screamed at him.
'Move.'
His hand shot out.
The instant his fingers brushed the surface—
A voice. Small. Boyish. Unfamiliar.
"Finally… you found me."
Ash's eyes widened.
'What—'
Light exploded from the distance destruction—blinding, all-encompassing.
Then__
Nothing.
————
Before the Asteroid's Destruction – Kael's Perspective
Kael moved through the chaos like a shadow set on fire.
Claws sliced the air. The asteroid cracked underfoot, chunks breaking loose with every step. He didn't slow. Fire raced through his body, filling his limbs, pushing him forward as he clashed with Jov's molten fists.
Each hit sent the ground trembling. Sparks flew. Flames met stone in bursts of light, each blow louder than the last.
Jov stomped. The ground split beneath him—then shot up in jagged spikes, a wave of stone ripping toward Kael.
Kael didn't think.
He leapt, twisting through the smoke-choked air. Heat rose in his chest, lips parting—
A fireball screamed from his throat.
Jov didn't flinch.
A wall of rock exploded up from the ground. It caught the flames, holding firm as the fire spread across its face. Cracks spidered through the surface, heat seeping in.
Then Jov charged.
He burst through the smoke, molten fist aimed straight at Kael's chest.
CRACK.
The punch landed. Kael flew back, claws digging into the stone just in time to catch himself. His feet slid, sparks trailing beneath him. His breath came in short bursts, his body steaming in the cool vacuum of space.
Then it hit him.
Something else. Not Jov. Not the fight.
A heat, rising inside him—wrong. His fur curled, smoke rising from his skin. The air shimmered around him. His body wasn't burning with strength. It was something else.
'No. Not now.'
He shook it off and lunged again, claws flashing toward Jov's face.
Jov ducked just outside his reach. His fist shot forward—Kael caught it on his arm. The blow rattled through him, numbing his fingers.
They traded strikes again. Fire and stone. Heat and pressure. The space between them twisted with every clash.
Kael's arms dragged. His shoulders screamed. Each step felt heavier than the last.
Jov stepped back, tilting his head.
"Ohhh… I get it now. Your fancy form—doesn't last long, does it? You running out of energy?"
Kael didn't answer. He forced himself to move again. Claws lashed out. Too slow.
Jov leaned away, smirking.
"Yep. That's what I thought."
Then it happened.
A pull, like a thread snapping inside his chest. The heat vanished.
His red fur faded. The beast-shape fell away. Muscles shrank. His claws drew back into hands. His body shifted, returning to its human frame. The floating shards of his suit snapped back into place, sealing over bare skin.
Kael stood still, panting. Sweat stung his eyes. His legs trembled, but a grin tugged at his lips.
"At least I bought them more time, Whatever you're planning… they'll stop it."
Jov watched him with arms crossed. His smile didn't fade.
"Oh, you're here to stop us? From taking the asteroid?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. His heart beat faster.
"Asteroid? I thought there was something on it."
Something shifted in Jov's face. A flicker of doubt.
"What do you mean—"
BOOM.
A pillar of light slammed down from the sky.
The Apex carrier floated high above them, its cannons still glowing, smoke curling from their tips. The beam had already hit.
It tore into the core of the asteroid.
Then came the explosion.
A soundless quake rippled through everything. Light tore upward, cracks spreading like veins through the rock. Chunks of ground ripped free, flying into space. The sky turned dark with ash and burning debris.
Jov stumbled.
"No—no way. We were taking this rock, not—"
His voice caught.
"What the hell is he thinking?!"
Kael didn't hear the rest. His eyes locked on the center of the blast.
Max. He was still there.
Kael's chest locked up.
"MAX!"
The scream left his lungs as light swallowed the world.
Everything turned white.
Endless white.