The freed rebels whispered excitedly as they marched under the broken skies of the Prime Rift. Ron walked at the front, Seraphin beside him, her expression guarded. Behind them, men and women who had once been slaves now carried scavenged weapons, their eyes burning with a hope they thought they had lost forever.
They were headed for Sector 0, the largest slave camp of all.
"Once we free them," one of the rebels said, "we'll have an army big enough to push back the Null Walkers."
Ron forced a smile, though his chest was heavy. He looked at their tired, scarred faces and felt a weight pressing down on him. They believe in me… but what if I fail them? What if I'm just dragging them into more pain?
Seraphin glanced at him and spoke in a low voice only he could hear. "Stay focused. Doubt is what the Null Walkers feed on. If you let it take root, you'll lose before the fight even starts."
Ron nodded, gripping his Cronox, though inside he was trembling.
---
The Revolt
They struck at dawn.
The rebels stormed Sector 0, catching the Null Walker guards off guard. Ron's steel gauntlet gleamed as he punched through barriers and shattered chains. Seraphin's scythe carved elegant arcs of light, striking down soldiers in waves.
The slaves, startled at first, began to rise up. Cries of freedom echoed across the dull land, mixing with the clash of steel and the hiss of plasma fire.
For a moment, it felt like victory.
Ron smashed another guard down, helping a group of children escape from their shackles. A rare smile crossed his face. Maybe this time… we can really do it.
---
The Arrival of Sedrick
Then the air changed.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence as a heavy pressure settled over the land. Even the rebels stopped cheering, their bodies freezing as an aura of suffocating darkness spread across Sector 0.
A shadow loomed over the battlefield. From the broken gate of the camp stepped a tall figure clad in black-and-scarlet armor, his cloak dragging against the dirt. His face was hidden beneath a visor shaped like a shattered clock dial, its cracks glowing faintly red.
Seraphin's eyes widened. "No… it can't be…!"
The figure's voice was calm, but it carried like thunder.
"I am Sedrick, Commander of the Prime Rift. Who dares disturb my dominion?"
The Null Walker soldiers immediately knelt, their voices trembling. The freed slaves, in contrast, recoiled in terror.
Sedrick's gaze fell on Ron. "So. You're the boy playing at being a savior."
Before Ron could even raise his guard, Sedrick's figure blurred. In a single step, he was in front of Ron, his boot slamming down on the boy's chest.
CRACK.
Ron was crushed into the dirt, coughing blood as pain exploded through his ribs. The Cronox flickered weakly, unable to withstand the sheer pressure of Sedrick's weight.
---
Desperate Struggle
"RON!" Seraphin screamed. She launched forward, her scythe blazing with plasma light, slicing directly at Sedrick's side.
Sedrick didn't even turn. With a flick of his arm, a wall of crimson energy erupted, sending Seraphin flying back like a broken doll. She crashed into the ground, rolling painfully, her weapon sparking.
"Pathetic," Sedrick said flatly. His boot pressed harder on Ron's chest, making him scream in agony. "Do you even understand what you've done?"
Ron's vision blurred, his mind spinning from the pain.
Sedrick's voice cut through him like knives.
"You thought freeing these slaves was noble? Look at them now. Many are dead because of your little rebellion. Others will suffer twice as much for daring to resist. Was this really 'saving' them? Or just sentencing them to a slower death?"
Ron turned his head weakly. Around him, he saw the broken battlefield — rebels wounded, some lifeless, slaves recaptured in chains, hope vanishing from their faces.
His chest tightened, guilt consuming him like fire. It's my fault… I dragged them into this… I wasn't ready… I couldn't protect them… just like with Sara.
Tears stung his eyes as he whispered, "I… I wasn't ready…"
---
The Crushing Blow
Sedrick's visor gleamed ominously. "Correct. You were never ready."
He raised his hand, crimson energy crackling into a sphere of destructive power.
Seraphin forced herself up, her body shaking. "STOP!" she cried, hurling her weapon with all her strength.
Sedrick didn't flinch. The energy sphere detonated against Ron's chest.
The world went white.
Ron's body was blasted backward, tumbling violently down the side of a rocky hill. His screams echoed as he fell, finally disappearing into the darkness below.
"RON!" Seraphin screamed again, her voice raw, her heart breaking. She rushed forward, but Sedrick turned his gaze on her.
"You'll live," Sedrick said coldly. "Your suffering is far more useful alive than dead."
He extended his hand, but before the killing strike could land, Seraphin's visor flared, teleporting her out of the direct hit. She staggered back, clutching her wounded arm.
The rebels screamed as Null Walker soldiers swarmed them again. Chains were slapped back onto their wrists, the fires of hope extinguished.
The revolt was crushed.
---
Chains Reforged
Sedrick stood tall over the broken battlefield. The air was silent, save for the sobs of the enslaved.
"Fools," he said, his tone cold as steel. "No one defies the Prime Rift."
Seraphin collapsed to her knees, her scythe broken, tears of fury streaming down her face. She had failed. Ron was gone. The people were slaves again.
And Sedrick, the Commander of Prime Rift, had proven that their fight had only just begun.
---
To be continued…
---