“Who the hell is Gareten?” Xaleyp couldn’t take it anymore. Seth kept saying the name, apparently talking to the person, yet he didn’t know who it even was. “And why can’t we see him?”

“Gareten is so much more than a person, Xaleyp.” Seth put his head against the top of the seat and looked forward. “It will take way too long to explain, especially to someone as close-minded as yourself.”

“We have a few hours before we get to New Alexandria, especially since this’ll go the long way around,” Mian said. Xaleyp didn’t realize that she wanted to know just as badly as he did. “Go for it.”

The fallen emperor stared unblinking at the roof of the car. Lights passed by intermittently and lit up his face. An indomitable visage of apathy and rage. Other cars around them moved at the same speed, all under the influence of the AI. Some broke off and took exits, while others continued along with them. After several speechless moments, he sighed and leaned forward to turn around. The straps restraining him groaned in protest, and a chime went off to tell him the position was hazardous.

“Gareten is one of my ancestors. He is one of the founders of the Hyperion Empire. He worked shoulder to shoulder with Alan Rezal as part of his triumvirate, bringing the galaxy to an age of peace it never experienced before. Some postulate it can never be reproduced. Pax Hyperia. A golden age. He devastated the inferior Terran Empire. He conquered the other empires across the galaxy. He ravaged any who stood against him. Entire planets were razed, lost to antiquity. Those under his command considered him to be providence among men.”

“And he came back from the dead to help you?” Mian asked. Xaleyp wanted to ask the same question. If this man were back, was anyone safe from danger?

“Silly girl, he never died. Who could have killed him? He uploaded himself here.” Seth tapped his CAM. “Ciovyr helped him transcend beyond his mortal body. He became immortal, his spirit enduring for generations.”

“Who’s Ciovyr?” Xaleyp asked. Gareten uploaded himself? To the CAM? How was that even possible? And now another name. Another person involved in whatever is going on. How had his life gotten so complicated so quickly?

“Ciovyr is a deity. A giant, metal eye with gnashing teeth and fiery eyes, like a gaping maw flying through the sky. It came to Terra millennia ago, before the era of the Romans. Legends assert that it was the one that gave the farmer the sword we carry. That it struck down the other gods and condensed their essences into one vessel. It’s also said that it gave humanity a choice: bend to its will, or face complete and unmitigated annihilation. We’ve had five thousand years to decide, and that time is almost up. That’s why we captured Stariek and countless other planets. Why we moved away from robot armies and trained legions upon legions of humans and other creatures for war. Ciovyr can manipulate and subjugate the machines as if they were its own.”

Seth pointed a shaking finger at the sword on Mian’s lap. “That blade is possibly the only thing that can save humanity. At least, so Gareten tells me.”

“Gareten talks to you? Through the CAM?” Xaleyp stared. “How did he upload himself? Why?”

“Ciovyr apparently came back early. It saw what Hyperia was doing and found it… amusing. Death and destruction. The god lives for it. It respected the element of demise they brought. It saw Gareten as the dominant commander and sought to reward him. Immortality. Life inside a computer. But Gareten knew the legends. He could hardly believe it when Ciovyr came to him and bestowed upon him a gift. A gift he couldn’t refuse, so he uploaded his consciousness to the CAM network with the assistance of Ciovyr. As part of it, he gained access to information. Files that Ciovyr did not mean for him to access. Files that told Gareten what Ciovyr was planning. He read about the sword and what it was for, tracked it down through millennia of war. It always seemed to leave a bloody swath across the pages of history. Sometimes disappearing, but always coming back. He helped me retrieve it from a distant planet I don’t even remember the name of. He taught me how to find those who can use it, that there was something in their blood that’s different. I don’t recall what it was, but the ending is the same. He helped me find you.”

With the last word, he pointed at Xaleyp. Him? He was just an average teenager. Maybe a little unusual. After all, how many parents were in charge of entire planets? But he wasn’t smarter, or faster, or stronger than anyone else. The only thing he felt remotely good at was piloting a starfighter, but loads of people were good at that. How was he supposed to stop a god? But then another thought stirred in his head. If he could conquer Ciovyr, a god, he could conquer anyone. He could keep Mian safe. Even if he couldn’t say the same for Lina. And what other powers did it have if he learned how to use it?

“How does the sword work?” Xaleyp heard himself say the words, but he didn’t feel his lips move. The words just came out before he could stop himself. He recalled the power that surged through him the first time he grabbed the sword, the way it made him feel invincible. If he could channel that energy and strength, he could be unstoppable. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

“What are you supposed to do with it?” Seth repeated. He sat and pursed his lip in thought. “I don’t know. Like I told you before, there are rumors, but Gareten has not been able to find anything about what the sword actually does. All he knows is that when Ciovyr comes, you must wield the sword against him, or all is lost.”

“But I’m just a kid,” Xaleyp said. He felt his throat start to constrict. “I couldn’t even save Lina. How am I supposed to save everyone?”

“That’s why Gareten and I are here to help you. We want to see you succeed.”

“How long were you going to wait?” Xaleyp asked.

“Wait for what?”

“To tell us about all this. You had plenty of time the first time we discussed the sword to tell me. Why did you wait? Why now?”

Seth stayed quiet for a moment, as if thinking hard about his answer. Xaleyp’s heart was thumping in his chest, faster with each passing second. Finally, the man spoke.

“I suppose I didn’t trust you at the time. Gareten told me who you were, what you could do. He was the one that analyzed all the blood samples after all. But still, you are just a teenager. A cadet. Admittedly, a cadet that had a pretty good record, all things considered. Not that it matters much now. At the time, I didn’t know whether it was going to be you or Maxwell that we would be choosing. If Ciovyr found out that we knew what the sword is…”

Seth’s voice trailed off. Several silent minutes passed. Lights passed by, occasionally lighting up the interior. Several of the cars once around them took different exits out of the hyperlanes. New Alexandria was still about a hundred kilometers away. Another half hour in the cramped car. Plenty of time to think.

How do you fight a giant metal eye with a sword? It was not like he could fly himself. The very idea of it seemed ludicrous. He couldn’t even win against Maxwell, and he was just another teenager. Seth was wrong about what Xaleyp could do and the powers he thought were inside him. Gareten, whoever that really was, chose wrong. They made a mistake, and somehow Lina paid the price for it.

“When we get to New Alexandria, we have to lie low,” Seth said to break the silence. “You were right, girl. There’s no one I know we can trust. Any one of them could have easily turned against me and are secretly working for the Arcadians. I’ve sent a message to General Hades, and he is going to sneak some of our remaining forces in.”

“How’s he going to manage that?” Xaleyp asked. “We barely got in ourselves.”

“I don’t know, and I really don’t care, as long as they make it. We’ll need all the forces we can muster.”

“Do you know how many of your soldiers are still loyal to you?” Mian asked.

“I suspect many of them. Not too many would be pleased with Delargivic as their emperor. Though after what we went through back in Avalon, I have my doubts. The Obsidian Order has gone dark, their final order to stay hidden until they hear otherwise, so we don’t even have them to help us right now.”

“The Obsidian Order, sir?” Xaleyp was confused. He had never heard of it before.

“Hyperion Intelligence. I have agents across hundreds of planets. The largest network the galaxy has ever seen, hidden in plain sight.” He scoffed and shook his head. “All gone to waste unless we do something about this. Unless we reconstruct my empire.”

Xaleyp still didn’t see the point of rebuilding the Hyperion Empire. If history taught him anything, it was that empires rise and fall. When it’s time for one to go, it’s time. Not that he was any happier with the Arcadians. They killed his best friend. Tried to kill him. Maybe there wasn’t a use for empires anymore. Maybe it was time for him to make some changes in the galaxy. As he thought about it, he felt the voices within the sword reaching out to him. It was as if they were saying, “Obey, and you will get what you want.”

“Xaleyp, I just want to thank you.” Seth turned and spoke as if he read the teenager’s thoughts. “I know that this wasn’t your battle, and that I dragged you into this against your will. You are the only one who can save us though.”

“I’m not some chosen one.” Xaleyp felt the heat rising in his face. “There’s no prophecy about me. This isn’t my destiny. You have the wrong person. I’m not special. I’m just… Xaleyp.”

“If you weren’t special, that sword would’ve had no effect on you. Your friend there, whatever her name is, she can touch it just fine without an issue. The fact that you feel different around it when none of us can tell it is anything but a sword should tell you all you need to know.”

“Mian.” Xaleyp’s voice was louder than he expected in the enclosed space. That was the final straw. Seth looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Her name is Mian. And I would appreciate it if you started using it, instead of calling her ‘the girl.’”

“Xaleyp, it’s okay.” When the next light passed, he could see that Mian’s face had gone red. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does.” He shook his head vigorously. “If we’re going to be stuck with each other for who knows how long, then he should get used to calling you by your proper name.”

“Very well,” Seth said. There was some hesitation in his voice. “Mian it is then.”

Xaleyp released a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. If it had been Ire, he would have been punished for talking back to a superior. Now, it didn’t seem to matter so much. That didn’t make it any easier. It would have been much simpler with Lina backing him up, though. Everything would be so much simpler with her backing him up.

Silence reigned in the car again. The only sound was that of engines and rushing air. Xaleyp thought he could feel the blood pounding in his ears, straining for the slightest noise, something that might tell him if they were being followed or not. But he heard nothing, and nothing seemed to come for them.

“What’s the Arcadian economy like, Seth?” Xaleyp asked, trying to change the subject. The man gave him a strange look. “If we want to take down their government, the first step should be disrupting their money flow. No money, no army. History taught me that.”

“Well, I see we taught you well.” Seth rose one eyebrow. “When it was a territory of Hyperia, Arcadia’s economy was based mainly on the export of resources. Wood, ores, food, that sort of thing. Now, it really has the economy of my empire. All the logistics are under their control. I set up failsafe after failsafe, making sure that one planet going down wouldn’t have an effect. We sever one head, another will take its place in a moment.”

“Even Hercules was able to kill the Hydra. What would be so different about this?”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s going to take quite a bit of work, though. I hope you’re prepared for it.”

Xaleyp’s heart beat faster as he considered the words. He was ready for it the moment that they attacked Stariek. That they destroyed the Royal Carrier. That they killed Lina. Whether Seth was put back in power or not, the Arcadians proved that they didn’t deserve to stay in control. They even killed hundreds, maybe thousands, of their own people. For what? To kill one man? Yes, he was prepared to destroy them, no matter what it took.

“We’ll be approaching the first New Alexandria exit in about fifteen minutes.” Redman’s voice sounded strange after he was quiet for so long. “Where exactly are we heading, sir?”

“Any exit will do. The sooner we get off the AI, the better.”

“Where are we going?” Mian asked. “It seems a little odd that we are heading for their capitol after they just tried to blow us to kingdom come.”

“I doubt they would try that again, Mian.” Seth’s voice strained as he said her name, as if it hurt him to do so. “Being in their capitol would make it especially dangerous if they wanted to pull a stunt like that. There’d be full scale revolts if they did. As for where in New Alexandria, we are going to set up base in the sewers. We should be safe there.”