The next day, early in the morning, Vathar was called to his Father's chamber. Arriving to the room, but before he could knock, the door opened and his stepmother Tuga greeted him with a cool expression.

She grabbed him and planted two kisses on either side of his face.

“It’s so good to see you again Vathar.” She purred in her usual cold tone. “I heard our new guest moved into one of the great chambers.” With an ice-cold tone she added. “How lucky of her.”

With and identical tone, he replied. “I heard you paid a short but very efficient visit to her yesterday, mother.”

A small grin appeared on her face, and then she motioned for him to come inside. Entering the large, elaborately decorated chamber, he saw his father sitting in his favorite chair looking out the huge window. He didn't even bother to look back. Vathar walked up to him, and then waited.

Staring out the window he tersely said. “My son. The battle was not what I was expecting of you. You lost two of our best squadrons to these primitive people. This was supposed to be an easy task to complete.” His voice was calm but cold. “I’m a little disappointed in you, my son.” Saying that, he turned in his chair to face Vathar. “The girl you brought back, she is their leader your mother says.” Looking at Vathar with a hard expression, he said. “Can I still trust you enough to get the right information out of her, or should I be the one who interrogates her?”

“Like I said before.” Vathar started to say. “I will take care of this matter father, she will give me the information.” Looking at his father’s blank expression he asked. “Why are these crystals so important?”

His father glanced toward his stepmother, and then she eagerly said. “These crystals have tremendous powers. They are one of a kind. Most likely they used these crystals somehow to defeat our troops. Once someone harnesses their power, they could be used to rule not just the galaxy, but the whole universe.” Her narrow face lit up for a second, and just to think of this tremendous power she could acquire, it filled her with excitement. Then he asked again.

“What about the others, can they tell us where they're keeping these crystals?”

“No my son, they can not.” His father replied. “Only the present leader knows their whereabouts.” Then he added with a solemn voice. “It’s a tradition of some kind on this planet. It was passed down through each generation.”

Turning back toward the window he seemed like he was lost in thought, then Vathar asked with suspicion. “How do you know all this father?”

In a low voice, he replied. “I’ve been there before, a long time ago.” Then he added. “But that is for another time my son.”

Noticing his father didn't want to talk about this subject anymore, Vathar dismissed himself and walked toward the door when his stepmother stopped him.

“You know, if you fail, she’ll suffer.” She said.

“It won’t happen.” He swiftly replied. “Have a good day…. mother.”

Leaving their chamber, he headed toward Fehera’s room. On his way, his thoughts were on Fehera. If he would go easy on her, hopefully she’d open up. He still didn't understand why those gems were so damn important to her, but he’ll get to the bottom of it.

Turning the corner, he approached the double doors. Not wanting to be rude, he knocked first. There was no answer, so he knocked again. Hovering over the keypad, he thought, should I barge in on her, especially after her comments about his lack of respect, but he needed to talk and she wasn't answering the door.

Typing the code in, the door opened and he walked in. Right away he could see she wasn't in the room, then he heard the sound of rushing water coming from the washroom. Crossing the room, he stood at the window looking out, waiting. A couple of minutes had passed and she was still in there.

How long is she going to be in there? He thought to himself. He was getting impatient now. Respect or no respect, he walked up to the washroom door and knocked.

The shower felt really good. Closing her eyes, she imagined she was home in her own shower, like every night, but she knew where she was and it made her sad and angry all over again. Turning off the shower she stepped out and grabbed one of the soft towels, then she stood in front of the foggy mirror.

Cleaning it off she saw a tired and very pale Fehera looking back. Picking up the hairbrush she slowly started to brush her long wet hair, then she heard a knock on the door and then she heard him.

“We need to talk, now.”

He sounded impatient, and then he knocked again, which annoyed her. Putting her brush down, she opened the door, locking eyes with him. He was staring at her like he had never seen a woman wrapped in a towel. She thought it was amusing.

“Do you mind?” She said coyly.

Brushing past him, she walked into the bedroom. Standing next to the dresser where her clothes were folded on top, facing away from him, she dropped her towel, exposing her bare backside then quickly pulled on her undergarments and the rest of her clothes while a small impish grin appeared on her face.

He couldn't believe what she just did. It was something amazingly beautiful, he thought standing there dumbfounded. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her shapely backside. Suddenly, his throat went dry and he had to walk to the side table to get some water. She made him feel awkward and he did not appreciate that. He came here to interrogate her, not to have her make a fool out of him.

Clearing his throat, he spoke up. “I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I’m enjoying it.” A small smile appeared on his face, and then he continued getting to the point. “What are those crystals worth to you? Are they worth enough to get you where you are at right now?”

Watching him, she noticed he was acting different. His demeanor changed toward her somehow, which she might use for her advantage.

“As an outsider, you have no idea how much these gems are worth to our people. These crystals are our lifeline; without them we would be defenseless.”

Hearing that, he realized his stepmother was right when she said these people used the crystals to destroy their squadrons. He just had to find out how they did it.

“So, what you’re saying is, you use these gems to make deadly projectiles, that completely destroy machines and turn people into ash?” His face looked surprised, she thought.

“Yes Vathar Gilvad, we do.” She replied with a cool tone. Then she continued. “Now you see, why we do not want them to fall into the wrong hands, such as your father’s or even yours.”

A slight, wicked smile appeared on the corner of her lips. Pulling up one of her eyebrows, with an ironic tone, she said. “There were many in the past, before my time, who tried to take the crystals. Oh, yes, they came with full confidence, just like you did, to kill us and take what belongs with my people. They always underestimated us.”

Stepping closer to him, she looked up into his face and continued. “Even though they tried so hard to take everything from us, their futile attempts always ended in their defeat.”

Again, she made him feel uncomfortable, as she stood only a few inches from him, intently gazing into his eyes. For some reason, he wanted to reach out and touch her, but that would have been odd and extremely inappropriate, he thought disheartened.

Stepping away from him, she continued again, as she slowly and tauntingly paced in the bedchamber. “There is a place within the city, I call the “forgotten souls”. That place contains many useless spaceships now and countless foreign weapons of all kinds. You see, every time, we defeated an enemy; we always made sure to collect their belongings. And of course, utilizing some of their technology, over time, we managed to improve our defense systems.

Turning to face him, she said in a mocking tone. “Your ships and technology will be an excellent addition to our collections.”

Before he could reply, she quickly added. “I will never give you or anyone the location of the crystals.”

She just stood there with defiance in her beautiful dark eyes, while his heart grew heavy just to think about what could come for her next. He could tell she would not give in for him, even if he would grab and shake her right now. He knew he should report this to his father, but he wanted to give her another chance.

“All right.” He said. “I will let you stay in here for the rest of the day and think this through one more time. I’ll be back tomorrow morning, I hope you will give me a more satisfying answer then.”

Then he swiftly walked out, locking the door behind.

Sitting down on the bed, she buried her face into her hands. Breathing slowly in and out, she knew this could not go on for long. Eventually she had to make a choice. Thinking about him, he looked very strong and could have easily overpowered her and hurt her, if he really wanted to. However, she sensed that wasn't his intention, otherwise he would have done it by now. No, she thought, he wouldn't hurt me, but what about his father? Just thinking about him, she felt her anxiety starting to grow within. She hadn't met him yet, but she had a bad feeling about him, and couldn't shake it.

Falling back on the bed, she was thinking about all that happened in the last couple of days. It was chaotic and terrifying. She lost a lot of people, and almost lost her best friend, who she missed so much. She missed Zadur as well. Besides her grandfather, he was always there for her since she was very small, especially after her mother’s death. He was like a father to her. Her grandfather always made sure she received the proper education and training to become the leader of their people. After his death, Zadur was always present in her and Deva’s lives. Her family tradition was very important to her. It was given to each and every surviving descendant. This tradition came with a heavy burden as well, the great secrets of the crystals and their location.

When Fehera’s mother was on her deathbed, she called for her and made her promise to keep this secret, which was also her inheritance. It was to remain with her until her time would end as well. With trembling hands, she gave Fehera her treasured knife. The knife she tried to stab Vathar with. She wondered what did he do with the knife? Did he keep it? Or did he throw it away? When he comes back I’ll ask him, she thought. The rest of the day went by very slowly. Night finally came and as she fell asleep, she secretly hoped it would pass quickly, so she could see him again.

Early next morning she heard the door lock beeping. The door opened and several men in uniform barged in and violently pulled her out of the bed. She couldn't comprehend what was going on, and when she tried to protest, one of them covered her mouth with his gloved hand. They dragged her through the dimly lit corridor in a totally different direction to the one she came in with Vathar. Her eyes were wide with panic and she was hyperventilating almost to the brink of unconsciousness.

Where are they taking me? Is Vathar behind this? Her frantic thoughts were screaming in her head. No! She thought, he wouldn't do this to me.

They stopped in front of a single dark door. One of the soldiers entered a code to open the door. Inside was something she would never forget. With immense horror she realized this dark room was a torture chamber, of sorts.

The soldiers dropped her onto the cold, hard floor then turned and left.

The room’s temperature was cold enough to bring tiny goose bumps all over her flesh. Surrounding her were various strange looking contraptions. The dark smooth walls of the dimly lit room mirrored her frightened image back, and she didn't even notice the tall man standing in the shadows, just when he spoke up.

His cold voice frightened her even more. “My son is a young man and blinded by your beauty. He is weak and foolish when it comes to you. I can clearly see that now, but your charms will not work on me, my dear.”

Removing himself from the shadows, he slowly approached her. With fearful eyes, she watched him coming closer. He was almost as tall as Vathar. His long, light brown hair was touching his wide shoulders. His beard was similar to Vathar’s, but much longer; it reached down all the way to his chest, covering the front of his dark green long sleeved military jacket. His black polished combat boots made a squeaky sound on the floor, as he stepped closer. He stopped right in front of her and with a quick move he grabbed her long hair and pulled her up to his eye level.

Looking into his deep blue eyes, for a second she saw Vathar in them, but this man’s eyes were glowing with something terrible and evil. With an excruciating pain, Fehera felt her hair being pulled out of her scalp, as her legs were off the floor dangling in the air.

Instantly, she tried to grab his hands to let her go, but with one swift motion, he grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back, making her cry out in pain. Then, with a loud smack, she slapped him across the face with her free arm.

From the impact, he turned to face her. An evil grin appeared on his face and then his expression became enraged. Quickly, he pulled her toward one of the contraptions, which he strapped her into with ease.

There were several leather straps on this machine. One was holding her head in place by going across her forehead; the next was around her midsection holding her arms down on both sides. The last one was around her calves. When she tried to struggle against it, he pulled them tighter, cutting into her flesh.

Her petrified eyes were looking at him now. It reminded him of the many victims that came before her. He loved to see them squirm and beg. The sweet stench of fear coming from them gave him the greatest sensation, which he enjoyed thoroughly.

Looking at her like this he knew he would get what he wanted. In the end, they all gave him what he desired. The quicker the better for them, but he was always up for a challenge. We’ll see, he thought with anticipation.

Fehera never felt this horrified in her life. This was just unbelievable, she thought with despair. She didn't even want to think about what will come next. Then, she saw him walking toward a large box, which was to her left hanging on the wall. He opened it and pulled out a long black cable. Pulling the cable with him, he walked back, stopping just in front of her.

At the end of the cable there was a needle-like metal piece. Looking into her eyes, he said with a calm voice.

“Shall we begin?”

Then the end of the metal needle sparked to life with a high intensity electrical surge. With terrified eyes, this device reminded her of the sword Vathar was going to use to kill Deva.

Something was wrong; it was an eerie sensation pulsing inside his head. Approaching Fehera’s bedchamber, Vathar noticed the door was open. Running up to the room, he looked inside. Her bed sheets were rumpled and he noticed her clothes were still folded on the top of the dresser. Standing in the middle of the room, he was confused for a second. Then it dawned on him. Father! He thought angrily.

Quickly, he ran out of the chamber and sprinted toward the only place on this ship his father had most likely taken her, the torture chamber. The closer he got to the room the more the pulsing in his head grew.

There were two soldiers standing guard just outside the door. Suddenly, he heard Fehera’s loud and painful scream coming from the room. Composing himself, he ordered one of the soldiers to open up the room and make sure no one entered after him.

Once inside, he saw his father was using one of the newly designed torture devices on her fragile pale body. She was strapped into that evil machine and was writhing with agony. He saw a few men strapped into that device before, but seeing her in there filled him with extreme anger and frustration.

He watched as his father lifted up the cable and touched the sparking end to her left thigh. Her face was in utter shock and the horrified scream she made was ear splitting.

Then she saw him, standing by the door, his face was in agony and immense fury. He quickly approached his father.

“Father!” He shouted at him. “Stop!”

Lowering the cable, his father looked his way, then said in an authoritative voice. “You do not command me...boy! Your weakness for this girl, made me look like a fool!” Angrily he added. “And I do not appreciate you making me look stupid and foolish. Because of your unwise choices, now I have to make sure we get what we came here for!”

With an irritated laugh, he pointed his finger toward her and said. “I have to give you, this girl of yours is a very tough one, my son.” Then he turned back to her and started up the machine again.

“Now you watch and learn!”

Vathar was looking at Fehera, whose agonized eyes were pleading with him. He knew what he had to do. There was no negotiating with his father now, that he knew for sure. Once his father decided to torture someone, even after he got the information out of them, they never left this room alive.

Touching her again, he said with a malicious voice.

“You will give me what I want!”

Fehera’s scream cut through the room again, and for some reason her agony affected him. Every time his father used the device on her, the strange painful pulsing in his head got worse, like a bad headache. It was almost like he was connected with her, feeling her pain with each touch, and this sensation was getting unbearable for him.

With utter frustration, he shouted again.

“Father! STOP!”

Pointing the cable at him he yelled. “You foolish boy! You disappoint me yet again!” Then he added. “I’ll deal with you later!”

Turning back to her, he pressed the device even harder onto her body.

Vathar was in extreme pain now, and in a fit of rage, he reached into his pocket and pulled out her knife. With intense fury and frustration, he plunged the knife to its hilt into his father's neck.

Fehera was close to unconsciousness when she saw Vathar rise up and attack his father.

Acus felt a sharp pain on his left side, just above his shoulder. At first, he didn't comprehend what had just happened. Slowly turning his head, he saw a knife, which looked identical to the one he had acquired decades before. In total shock, he grabbed the knife handle, and then pulled it out. A gush of crimson followed and he suddenly dropped to his knees, his gaze locking to his son’s angry and confused eyes. Lying on the floor in his own blood, he looked toward Fehera. The last thing Acus saw were her accusing eyes. The eyes of someone he had known long ago.

Then, everything went dark.