Twin suns glinted off the obsidian hull of Queen Amala Barca's warship, The Silver Tempest, as it hovered above the Camorian airfield like a predatory falcon preparing to strike. The ship rumbled with restrained fury, its ventral thrusters igniting the dust into a golden mist.
Around it, dozens of Camorian raiders and Eramet logistics crews rushed with coordinated urgency, loading plasma crates, stacked rations, tactical medical kits, and reinforced weapon canisters stamped with Camorian glyphs. Massive steel cables swung overhead as cranes lowered armored containers onto the loading deck.
Amala marched up the ramp, her cloak snapping behind her like a banner in a storm. Cade Calibur and Grayson Emir flanked her, both armed to the teeth.
"Secure the Khyber lances and the obsidian axes," Amala ordered. "I want every raider outfitted as if they expect to fight a Titan."
Cade saluted sharply, his voice gravel and thunder.
"Yes, my Queen."
Gazia, a tall, slender Camorian arachnid-hybrid assassin with six long spider legs protruding from her spine, inspected crates of enchanted rounds, whispering incantations over each seal to reinforce them.
Amala paused on the ramp, gaze sharp as blades.
"We'll set a course for Icenaria within the hour. Whether Icenaria has fallen or not, we will not leave our allies behind."
Her crew shouted in unified resolve.
Above them, the ship's engines pulsed like a beating heart, hungry to fly.
In the heart of Eramet's capital, John Maux staggered back from Sabelo's final strike, sand exploding under his boots.
"Again," Sabelo growled, pacing like a Bengal tiger sizing its prey. "Your guard was too high. Focus. You must always focus."
John, soaked in sweat and breathing hard, lifted his stance again.
"No offense, Lieutenant… but I feel like you've said that eight thousand times."
Sabelo's whiskers twitched. "And yet your stance still lacks the memory to prove it."
He struck—faster than John could track. Instinct kicked in. John raised his forearm, generating a magnetic pulse that deflected the blow just enough to avoid a glowing line carved across his ribs.
Sabelo froze mid-strike, eyebrows rising.
"Good. The spark listens to you more each day."
John lowered his arms, exhausted but alive.
"I think the spark likes you. It keeps trying to kill me whenever you're near."
"Because it respects discipline," Sabelo replied. "You lack it. But not for long."
"Wow… inspirational," John muttered.
Sabelo grinned, fangs flashing.
"You're improving. Good work." He laid down his sword. "That is enough for today."
John exhaled with relief and flopped backward onto the sand.
Inside the Warrior Training Center, Queen Bella waited. The chamber smelled faintly of incense and plasma discharge. Runes glowed along the walls in soft, protective patterns.
John dragged himself to a bench and collapsed onto it. His arms trembled with spent energy.
Bella approached with a softness she reserved only for moments like this.
She sat beside him quietly, letting the silence breathe before speaking.
"You fought well this morning during your training."
"I fought like a malfunctioning toaster," John muttered. "If Sabelo pushes any harder, I'm going to implode."
Bella exhaled a soft laugh. "He pushes because he sees potential. And because you do not yet understand how valuable you are."
John's gaze drifted.
"My sister is somewhere out there… somewhere dangerous. And Paul. Every day I'm here training is another day they're out there alone."
Bella placed her hand gently on his shoulder.
"We will find Ronni and Paul. If you plan to be part of returning her to saftey.you must be serious about this training. The level of danger that you will face in these empires is a thousand times worse than anything you face on earth."
He swallowed, emotion tightening his throat.
Bella continued, her voice lowering:
"There is something else. A suspicion. Your sister's energy signature… it may not be in Icenaria anymore."
John stiffened. "Where then?"
Bella hesitated.
"Zlovoria. Or beyond it, possibly. Both empires are on Podaria, but they are opposing each other and have been embroiled in conflict for years. I believe Zlovoria may have something to do with the creature we briefly saw through the portal."
She looked into his eyes. "I don't want to scare you, but I promised to be honest with you. If that is true… she is in more danger than any of us imagined."
John's hands curled into fists.
"She's strong," Bella said. "But you are not yet ready to chase her. Not without allies."
Hours later, in the high council chamber, a glowing war-table projected the fractured Icenarian borderlands. Queen Amala stood at its head, still in her flight armor from preparing the ship.
Around the table gathered all of the leaders and key players; Queen Bella Tukana, Queen Amala Barca, Lieutenant Sabelo, Hemi the Golden Samurai Badger, Cade Calibur, Grayson, Gazia, Naki, Baako stood guard at the entrance, silent and observant.
Bella began the briefing.
"We know that the Nordenheim Berserkers seized Icenaria's capital. Brinn Joru, King Kago Sulu, and Nandi Sulu seemed to have vanished but we have received a communication from Brinn's sister senator Leylani Joru. We tracked their last beacon here." Her finger pointed to a lonely canyon near the Icenarian–Zlovorian border.
"But the trail ends abruptly. Something interfered with the signal."
Naki tapped the table. "Likely an anti-resonance field. New tech. Very dangerous."
Amala crossed her arms.
"We must proceed unseen. If Nordenheim and Torox are working together… this could be a trap."
Sabelo leaned forward.
"True, let's widen our scope of possibility as well. The Zlovorians have been kidnapping faeries and elves for the past 50 years and running experiments on them. Given the level of coordination of these attacks I believe that green witch banshee has something to do with this as well."
Baako spoke up, "Rua Venus was isolated in Troll Canyon years ago, the chaos has been contained"
"She may have found a way to to establish herself, Sabelo replied, "How else would you explain Amala's reports of a frost titan wielding Mjölnir, and a giant panda monster and the extreme elevation in power of Rex Lucius's abilities here just a few weeks ago?"
"There are only three sorcerers I'm aware of that are capable of creating such abominations, you buried one last week." Cade interjected, referring to Zylar Wexx, he continued "Nandi Sulu, who is missing and is a very unlikely culprit and Rua Venus."
Amala, took a step back conspicuously as if to think about other options. Bella spoke up, "Then we must prepare as if Rua may be part of this oppositional alliance that has caught us by surprise."
"We should use our ship to ascend the dark side of the planet. Fast. Armed. Reliable." Cade Exclaimed.
Amala smirked in agreement.
Naki's voice cracked.
"I disagree. The poyou all will be immediately placed in a position to take action."
Cade scoffed.
"You want us to trust that unstable machine powered by the prime resonance of this flimsy earthling who barely knows how to control his power? Our lives are more valuable than that."
Baako's rumble echoed.
"The portal could strand us on the wrong side of the galaxy."
Gazia added softly:
"Yet if we fly… we could be detected immediately by Nordenheim battleships."
Tension thickened.
Bella lifted her hand to silence them.
"We must decide."
The chamber doors burst open.
John Maux stood there, chest heaving, eyes glowing faintly violet.
"I'm going,too. My sister and best friend are out there" he declared.
Royal guards were doing their best to hold John back as electro-magnetic waves leaped from his body pushing against the armor of the guards making it difficult for them to use their strength against John.the more emotional John back the more volatile the waves grew.
The faces of the groups grew worried. Sabelo, looked John directly in his eyes and calmly proceeded to walk towards him, breathing in a controlled manner, he said calmly. Match my breathing son, focus." John continued to struggle as if he did not hear Sabelo. Sabelo continued forward until he was face to face with John, his chest plate absorbing the electrical energy radiating from John.
"I hear you son," Sabelo calmly stated. John's breathing began to slow and the electrical energy that was swirling around him matched his breathing and slowly subsided into a subtle glow around him. In the monitors from the planning room the group could see the frequency of the portal balance out and stabilize.
Amala spun, her expression sharp.
"Nice party trick kid, But there is no way I'm trusting him and going there that portal."
Sabelo turned to Amala, "He is not ready, true. However, he is passionate and I can balance out his force as we pass through the portal."
Gazia raised a brow.
"You'd become a liability, alongside your circus freak."
"Lady have you looked in a mirror," John sarcastically replied.
Gazia, summoned a Tarantula Spike from her spider legs and threw it at John's head, missing him by less than a millimeter. "Watch your mouth boy, or the next one will not miss."
"We must let cooler heads prevail." Bella exclaimed, hoping to calm tensions.
But John took another step, and walked past Sabelo directly toward Gazia, aggressively saying, "Make me.."
Before John finished his last step he realized the room was upside-down and he had to orientate himself. He felt a sharp dagger-like object scraping down his right leg starting at his foot going toward his belt buckle. Then he felt a sharp pain pressing firmly on both sides of his head.
"Gazia, play nice." Cade requested. "Put him down, I think you've done enough."
"C'mon, I'm just having a little fun, I just want to taste his primal fluid." Gazia replied.
Amala grabbed one of her tarantula probes that she had stuck in John earn and pulled it out. "Pull your other probe out of his other ear and put him down."
It was at that moment that John realized that Gazia was holding him upside down by his ankles and had stung him with her paralyzing venom. John could hear, see, feel and think but he could not move.
"Ok, my queen, but only for you. Someone needs to teach this filthy thing some manners." Gazia replied.
"Gazia, wake him up please." Amala interjected as Gazia started to walk off. "Yes, yes." Gazia stuck one of her probes in John's groin area. He then felt the paralyzing fluid leave his body. When she removed her probe she sprayed a gooey liquid on the entry point to stop the bleeding. The gooey liquid instantly bonded with John's skin and stopped the bleeding. John slowly began to regain control of his body.
As John slowly recovered the group continued their conversation as it erupted int overlapping arguments
John quietly said, "My sister is out there. My friend is out there. I am not staying behind." No one paid him any attention, as he continued to regain his strength he stood up.
John's breathing quickened.
His pulse surged.
The air vibrated.
Sparks of gold and violet crackled around his fingertips.
Bella's eyes widened, as she caught a view of John out of the corner of her eye.
"He's resonating again," she whispered.
"But this time… he's controlling it."
The hum deepened, warping the air like heat over water.
Amala shouted, "Someone stabilize him."
"NO!" Bella exclaimed.
Everyone froze.
She raised her hand dramatically.
"Hemi, step forward."
A heavy thud echoed as Hemi, the mutated honey-badger samurai, marched into the center of the table. He looked up at John, fur shimmering beneath a golden samurai cuirass engraved with Egyptian-looking Eramet hieroglyphs.
He bowed his head to Bella.
"My Queen."
Bella pointed to John.
"John will be part of this expedition, Hemi you will watch out for him. Sabelo, you will guide them."
Hemi cracked his knuckles, sounding like gunshots, "Protecting pups is easy."
John bristled. "I'm not a pup."
Hemi grinned.
"Then try not to get eaten."
Amala groaned. "Bella, you can't be serious."
Bella stepped between them.
"I am. John is a Prime. A young one, untrained, but his prime resonance may be helpful in locating Kago, Nandi, Rhoni, and getting off the Podarian rock alive."
Sabelo nodded reluctantly.
"He grows stronger each day. If he is guarded, he may be an asset."
Amala exhaled sharply, frustrated.
"Fine. The boy comes. But if he gets any of my people killed."
Hemi finished for her:
"Then he answers me."
John swallowed hard.
Silence settled over the council again.
Bella spoke first.
"We take the portal."
Gasps rippled across the room.
Amala's jaw locked.
"Bella"
"We cannot enter Icenaria by ship," Bella continued. "The skies will be watched. Magni Thorson's forces may detect us upon entry to their atmosphere."
Naki added, "The portal will land us close, but off-grid. To return you will have to infiltrate the center of the capital by force or at night via stealth. If you are to take the stealth route, be advised that it may be best to partner with a local, if you're able to locate Brinn that would be best."
Bella added, "John we will need you to survive, your resonance will be critical.Nandi is a Prime but we don't know if she is still alive and if so what condition she is in. John, you will be the group's primary catalyst for return.
Cade muttered, "If is doing a lot of work."
John stepped forward, voice firm.
"I can do it."
Hemi clapped him on the back, hard enough to almost send him flying.
"Good. I like bravery. Your naivete will be our ally."
Sabelo smirked. "Welcome to the mission."
Amala responded, "Very well. Assemble the team."
In the portal chamber, runes ignited along the towering obelisks. Engineers scrambled in a flurry of activity as the circuits hummed to life.
John stood at the center, nerves coiling in his stomach. Sabelo and Hemi flanked him. Amala, Cade, Grayson, and Gazia took their positions. Behind them formed ten of Queen Bella's elite guards, armored in obsidian and gold with glowing sigils.
Bella approached John last.
"Breathe, I need you to return," she said gently. "Focus on one thing: your family and your friends."
He nodded.
The portal roared to life, gold, violet, and blue spiraling into a vertical storm of fractured light.
The humming deepened.
John raised his hands.
Energy responded.
The portal opened wider, stable, for now.
Bella shouted over the roar:
"GO!"
The expedition party stepped into the swirling veil of light.
And then the portal snapped shut behind them.
Leaving Bella and Baako in the Queen's command center in the fading glow.
Her whisper echoed in the silence.
"Find them all. And return."