Year 2572:
Kael had just entered the Veilguards.
The whole team greeted him with big smiles, and he couldn't hide his happiness. Finally, he would help protect his city.
He realized his power was far more useful than he'd thought. He could offer great support, and his body was well-trained for combat. Everyone in the group was extremely kind, and Kael was only nineteen at the time.
There was a woman who had joined just a few months before him. She had a power that allowed her to share emotions with others, often using it to calm the team in stressful situations. Kael admired her deeply.
Months later, the group was called to a mission. Some humans had spotted a strange krukin shaped like a worm, except this one was enormous. It stood about fifteen feet tall, incredibly strong. All the Veilguards of that era were summoned.
They set out to kill the worm… but the mission turned into a nightmare. There were around eight of them, but one by one, they all died, except for Kael.
The woman that Kael admired was the last to fall beside him. The last thing she did was smile at him before being brutally impaled by the monster's spear-shaped tongue, her body torn into pieces.
That enemy was far too strong. Kael survived only because, after watching everyone die, he was consumed with rage. Crying, he unleashed his full power, slamming the monster up and down until it was dead.
Kael didn't remember much after that. Now, at thirty-two, he woke up sweating in the middle of a ruined city. Lara was already awake, preparing food for the group.
He'd dreamed of that day because deep down, he feared it might happen again.
"Bad dream, Kael? You were shaking and sweating so much…" Lara asked, her voice filled with worry.
"Yeah… sort of" Kael replied, trying to calm her.
He glanced around, his entire team was alive. He was stronger now. Smiling, he turned back to watch them sleep.
In Therya, days had passed since the expedition. Vane had just recovered.
"Well, I must say, without everyone here it's pretty boring. I wish I'd gone with them" he told Alerya.
"You were gravely injured. What are you going to do next?" she asked, knowing Vane wouldn't give up easily.
"I'm going to train. Hard. I'll kill that krukin with my own hands!" Vane shouted before running off.
Alerya smiled slightly, wondering how the others were doing. But she should have been more worried about what was happening right there.
The city alarm rang. It only ever rang when a krukin was inside the city walls, and sure enough, one had arrived.
A massive creature appeared. Alerya rushed outside. Guards guided civilians to safety. Vane was already fighting, though his body hadn't fully recovered. He was only facing smaller enemies, so it was relatively safe.
Then Alerya saw it, a portal. Small enemies were emerging from it, but then it widened, and a huge monster stepped through.
Her blood ran cold. She recognized it instantly. It was the same beast that had wiped out the old Veilguards thirteen years ago. She had been just a child then, but she'd heard the stories, and now, seeing it herself, she understood why they feared it.
The worm-like krukin was fifteen feet tall, twelve feet long. Its skin was harder than steel. Its hide had no visible weak points.
Its mouth was enormous, with no teeth, only a spear-shaped tongue capable of piercing and slicing through anything. Its saliva was even deadlier than acid.
"Well… I guess I have to fight," Alerya muttered.
She pressed a button on her armor, and sharp spikes pierced her skin. The cuts were small, but enough for her to use her power: 'Ars Cruoris'.
She could manipulate blood, but only her own. The special armor was designed to force blood out when needed.
Moving her blood beneath the monster, she closed her eyes in concentration. Then she snapped them open.
"Ritual of the Black Roses!"
Dozens of blood roses bloomed beneath the worm. They exploded in a massive blast, making the beast recoil.
Nearby, a smaller creature charged toward Vane.
"Crimson blood… Vane, kill that krupsy fast!" she shouted.
"Alright, boss!" Vane roared, rushing forward in his buffalo form. The krukin exploded under his attack.
Alerya felt her body strain, but it was worth it, she had absorbed part of the enemy's essence and could now move faster, like a krupsy.
The worm attacked. Alerya darted away at incredible speed. She pressed another button; blood splattered onto the monster. She shaped it into roses that detonated instantly.
Her body screamed in pain, every spell meant injuring herself. That was why she rarely used her power. The armor gave her control over how much blood to use; without it, she'd have to wait for an enemy to wound her, risking fatal injuries.
She leapt onto the monster, creating and detonating more roses in rapid succession. The beast could barely move. Vane stared in awe, thinking she might even defeat all the Veilguards at once.
The worm lashed its tail, slamming Alerya into a wall. Blood poured from her wounds. It lunged again, trying to stab her with its tongue. She dodged at the last moment, the spear piercing only her hand.
Vane called out in worry, but Alerya smirked. She had a plan.
Now bleeding heavily, she gathered every drop.
"Imperial Blood!"
Her wounds sealed instantly. Her speed and resilience increased tenfold. Blades of blood swirled around her, cutting everything, even molecules, letting only oxygen through.
The enemy's tongue shot forward, but the blades shredded it to pieces. The worm screamed.
"You won't destroy my city!"
She rushed forward, forming a blood sword in her hands, and sliced straight through the monster's face before tearing its body apart.
As the beast fell, she collapsed. Vane, having cleared the smaller enemies, caught her. The portal closed behind them.
"Well, princess… you're so damn strong and cool" Vane said, carrying her to the hospital.
The city was safe. No civilians were harmed.
Meanwhile, the others returned to base, bringing another krukin's body for study.
Rusty's eyes widened. "Ehh? I've never seen anything like this. Did y'all kill them?"
"Yeah, we killed two… but the other body was…" Darian glanced at Allocen. Everyone followed his gaze. Allocen looked away as if saying, Not my fault.
The team began documenting the creature, testing its durability. They named it Krukmongbee.
"We're all trash at naming things," Kael muttered as Darian wrote the name in his diary.
"Who cares," Darian replied, sketching it.
Inside the beast's stinger, they found a strange organ that likely enabled infinite regeneration. The creature had twenty-eight teeth; the two longest, at the bottom, were razor-sharp.
The stinger was the hardest part of its body, containing a venom that could paralyze within five minutes. Allocen had been lucky Lara was there to heal him.
Its wings were weak, a simple knife could cut them, but its arms were so strong they could crush a tank in one blow.
The creature stood eleven feet tall. Darian ranked it Grade 3, far stronger than any Rank 1 or 2.
That night, Darian asked Rusty about the mysterious feather.
"I don't know, master. I analyzed it with everything we know… but nothing," Rusty said.
"Could it be from a krukin?" Darian asked.
"No. I've studied krukin DNA enough, they all share similarities. This feather has none," Rusty replied, visibly concerned.
"I'll keep it for now. When you return, I'll give it back," Rusty said before heading off to recharge.
"Yes, don't worry," Darian answered, heading to bed with Snowy following close behind.
After some days, the team set off again, determined to push farther in the same direction as before hoping they might eventually reach, or at least glimpse, the Black Planet.