At a small street food stall along the walkway just before the city dome, Eugene blinked in slight shock, his expression frozen as if he had never seen an alien before. In his mind, he thought,
"Wow… I've been to two planets already, so why do I still get startled by people with unusual appearances? Seriously."
He paused for a moment, glancing at the menu, and then said, "Give me the dish that looks the most delicious, boss."
"You got it, kid," a deep, booming voice replied, as the owner swiftly wielded a pan, cooking with practiced skill.
At the same time, a man sitting at a nearby table caught Eugene's attention. His eyes were yellow like a dragon's, his medium-length black hair tied into a topknot. He wore a loose brown T-shirt, tapered sweatpants, and black sandals. Standing at 210 centimeters tall, his plate of food was piled high like a small mountain.
He spoke in a deep, commanding voice:
"This is amazing, boss…"
Then, turning to look at Eugene with eyes like a dragon's, he added,
"Hey… hey… haven't we met somewhere before?"
Eugene returned his gaze, his expression one of familiarity, yet trying to dismiss it:
"No… no, I don't think we've met before."
"Really?" the man said, then thought to himself,
"No… we've definitely met before, Aretillon."
He stood, placed a pouch of money on the table, and said,
"I'll come back next time, boss," before weaving through the bustling crowd and leaving the stall.
Eugene hurriedly stood and drew back the stall's curtain, scanning the area, but the man had vanished without a trace.
"Who was that?" Eugene murmured.
Meanwhile, in the southeastern continent of space, amidst countless stars, a massive spaceship hovered with a contingent of soldiers aboard. Meyrin, the Left Hand of the Northern Continent, navigated the ship northward to report the results of the southeastern continental survey to Ezev on Sevoria.
Suddenly, they encountered a space storm capable of obliterating an entire dwarf planet in an instant. The swirling tempest hurled massive asteroids at tremendous speed like countless cannonballs.
"Captain Meyrin! We've detected a massive space storm! If it hits us like this, we're done for!" one soldier shouted.
Meyrin's face betrayed a hint of fear, but she gritted her teeth and responded,
"Prepare to activate Barrier Level Ten."
A voice from the ship's system announced,
"Prepare to activate Level Ten Defense… Maximum Hazard Imminent in… three… two… one… Barrier activated… Thuuung…"
Amid the raging storm, a colossal figure emerged as if riding the wind itself.
Standing six meters tall, with skin as black as basalt and muscles carved like a mountain, it spread massive black wings that seemed to stretch across the sky. Its feathers shimmered like a vast night sky, and a golden crown adorned its head, intricately engraved. Armor and ornaments of gold glinted across its body. Its eyes burned like fierce flames, and its claws curved like iron talons. This was Garuda, Guardian of the Southeast.
As the enormous space storm surged toward Meyrin's ship, alarms blared:
"Warning… Warning… Barrier Level Ten is about to fail!"
Garuda soared directly toward the ship, spreading its mighty wings to shield it from the storm.
Then, in a voice both thunderous and commanding, it declared:
"Left Hand of the Northern Continent, I once owed Ezev a debt. Consider it repaid."
Once the storm subsided, Garuda vanished without a trace, leaving Meyrin and her surviving soldiers bewildered and awestruck.