The steel doors of the military facility sealed behind them with a low hiss.Harold and his team escorted Femil down a dimly lit corridor lined with reinforced glass and humming security panels. The air smelled faintly of oil and ozone.
Harold: "So you're emphasizing that you're from the past?"
Femil: "I'm not emphasizing anything — I'm telling you the truth. I fought for the Great Human Empire a thousand years ago."
Harold kept walking, his expression unreadable. "That's a lot to claim for someone who just fell from the sky."
Femil sighed. "You'll believe me soon enough."
They stopped in front of a small room. The walls were white, bare — a temporary holding cell, not a guest suite.
Harold: "You'll stay here for now. Command wants a full identity check. Until then, you're to remain under observation."
Femil tilted his head. "Observation? Or imprisonment?"
Harold: "Call it what you want."
The door slid shut behind him — followed by the sharp clank of magnetic locks.
Femil: "Hey! What's the meaning of this?" he shouted, pounding the metal.
From the other side, Harold's voice came cold and steady.Harold: "Sorry, 'soldier of the empire.' Until we confirm who — or what — you are, you're not going anywhere. Let's move out."
Noah and Carlo (in unison): "Yes, sir."
As they walked away, Sara lingered by the glass, a teasing grin on her face.Sara: "Don't take it too hard, soldier. If what you say is true, we'll be the first to know. Maybe even take a photo with a living legend." She winked and followed the others down the hall.
The silence that followed was deafening. Femil exhaled sharply and kicked the door.
Femil: "Ugh… I don't have time for this nonsense."
From the console on his wrist, SARAH, his AI, chimed in.SARAH: "Technically, sir, this situation is your own doing. You did appear rather suspicious."
Femil:"I'm done with your sarcasm. Give me options — how do I break out of here?"
SARAH: "Given your current energy levels, breaching containment will be… a piece of cake."
Femil's lips curved into a sly grin. "Now we're talking."
He lifted his hand, palm glowing faintly blue. Frost began to creep across the metal door, forming delicate crystalline veins that crackled and popped under the sudden cold. The knob turned white, then brittle.
With one hard shove, Femil slammed his shoulder into the frozen seam.The lock shattered — the door bursting open in a cloud of icy mist.
SARAH: "Containment integrity: zero percent. Impressive as always, sir."
Femil: "Let's keep it that way."
He stepped into the corridor, his breath fogging in the cold air, eyes burning with purpose. Somewhere in this base were the answers he needed — and he wasn't planning to wait for permission to find them.
Femil leaned against the corridor wall, his breath steadying after the escape. His eyes glowed faintly in the dim light of the base, calculating his next move.
Femil: "Any idea how I could prove myself, Sarah? They won't listen without evidence."
SARAH: "In your current position, sir, it's… impossible. Without verifiable proof, your claims will be dismissed as delusions or deception."
Femil: "Then where can I find proof? There's no data left here—everything was erased or buried."
SARAH: "Correction — not everything. There remains one source: The Grand Vault. But accessing it is impossible without the genetic authority of a Grand General. You'd need one of their bloodlines."
Femil groaned, rubbing his temples. "Perfect. That could take a lifetime."
Then the AI chimed again, a small "beep" echoing in his earpiece.
SARAH: "There is… an easier alternative. I've detected a Moryxil vessel stationed near the Abysstream. Its databanks contain archived records from the War of the First Empire — battle logs, communications, and black-box footage. Evidence that could confirm everything you've said."
Femil narrowed his eyes. "The Abysstream, huh? Deep infiltration into enemy space."He exhaled slowly. "Well… stealth missions are easy enough."
SARAH: "Infiltration, perhaps. Escape, however, will require a full-scale battle. The Moryxils are no fools. Once detected, they will call reinforcements within seconds."
Femil smirked. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But… how are you so sure their ship has the data?"
SARAH: "Because, in this future, Moryxil cyber security has barely evolved. I breached their systems long before the Empire fell. Their protocols haven't changed in a thousand years."
Femil chuckled. "So they're still predictable. Good. Can you retrieve the data remotely?"
SARAH: "Negative. My current core is not linked to the supercomputer network required for deep extraction. Physical access is necessary."
Femil frowned, muttering, "Figures." Then he stood up straight, determination hardening in his eyes. "Fine. I'll get it myself."
He made his way back to his spacecraft, crouching low to avoid the roaming security drones. Two guards patrolled the landing bay, rifles at the ready.
Femil (whispering): "Easy enough."
He extended his hand — a thin mist formed, crystallizing the air. Within seconds, the guards' weapons were encased in ice. Before they could react, Femil struck them both unconscious with swift, precise blows.
SARAH: "Efficient as always, sir."
Femil (grinning): "I try."
He approached the craft's hatch. "Open the door, Sarah."
The AI responded with a short tone. The lock hissed, and the ramp descended.
Femil glanced around the empty hangar, muttering under his breath.Femil: "What an unwelcoming homecoming…"
SARAH: "Technically, sir, that's your own fault."
Femil: "Yeah, yeah. Don't remind me."
He stepped into the ship, the doors sealing shut behind him. Outside, the frozen guards lay still as the engines roared to life. The Aurelius lifted from the ground, its thrusters glowing blue as it vanished into the black.
The hunt for the truth had begun.
Inside the military command center, tension lingered like smoke. Monitors flickered as the officers continued running diagnostics on the mysterious newcomer.
Harold: "Sara, any updates about that man — or alien, whatever he is?"
Sara: "No definitive findings, sir. But based on the biological samples we gathered, he's… human."
Harold: "Human?" Harold frowned, rubbing his chin. "Then what's his game? Some kind of con artist, maybe?"
Sara: "Hard to say, sir. His story sounds… exaggerated. Maybe he's delusional. Or maybe he's telling the truth."
From across the room, Noah chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Next thing you'll tell me is that we're descendants of some 'Great Empire' that ruled the stars."
Sara smiled faintly. "Wouldn't that be something?"
Before Harold could respond, the doors burst open. A breathless soldier rushed in, saluting sharply.
Soldier: "Sir! The suspect—he's escaping! He's boarding his ship now!"
Harold's eyes widened. "What? Where were the guards stationed at his cell and hangar?"
Soldier: "Both teams are down, sir! Non-lethal takedowns — looks like he froze their weapons solid before knocking them out."
Harold's voice hardened. "Sara, alert all units. I want the fastest interceptors prepped for launch immediately!"
Sara: "Yes, Commander."
Harold turned to his team, frustration etched across his face.Harold (to himself): "If he's innocent… why run?"
Outside, alarms wailed across the base. Floodlights swept across the hangar as the Aurelius lifted off, thrusters roaring against the night sky.
Harold (over comms): "All squads, pursuit formation! Don't let him leave orbit!"
But it was too late. The sleek, ancient craft surged upward, breaking through the atmosphere before any of the interceptors could even lock on.
Above the Earth
Inside the cockpit, Femil smirked as the planet's curve faded beneath him.
Femil: "Tssk, tssk… you've really let technology go downhill. These ships can't even keep up."
SARAH: "You seem oddly proud of escaping potential allies, sir."
Femil: "Allies who locked me in a cell. I'll pass." He glanced out the viewport, watching the stars stretch before him. "Stay safe down there, humans. I'll be back… with the truth."
The Aurelius' engines flared bright blue, and in a blink, it vanished into the void—heading toward the Abysstream.