Chapter 45 : Landing on Lunaris (1) "Le...ad...er..." Why does my head hurt so much ? [Ju....wak...up...] I could hear Gladia and Katarina calling for me and I tried to answer, but no sound came out of my mouth. Did I lose consciousness once again ? "Leader !" As my eyes fluttered open, my vision was blurred with streaks of unfamiliar rays of light. As it came into focus, these shimmering rays of light in my view became more and more vivid… and I saw bright sunlight shining through the control room windows. I didn't have the time to enjoy the scenery. When I awoke and opened my eyes, my thoughts became clear the moment I realized the situation we were in. We survived the dimensional rift's collapse. [You're awake, finally !] I heard Gladia's voice much clearer now that I got a hold of myself. I was slumped on my seat, and the control room was filled with drones actively working on their control panels. All lights were red, which wasn't a good sign, but at least we were alive. Just next to me were my squad members and Alpha Zero. It seems like I was the last one to awaken from the shock caused by crossing the Singularity dimension. "Katarina ?" "Yes ?" "Did we...make it through ?" "We did it, Leader." "..." I was relieved to hear that, but my jaw dropped once I checked the outside scenery to know where those sunlights came from. Only then did I realize what Kat and the reapers achieved. "How much casualties ?" "None of the reapers died, Leader, but the process took a heavy toll on their body." [All of the reapers except Alpha Zero have been put into a regenerative sleep. Despite having an incredible body, their mind couldn't sustain the dimensional shock. They are all resting in your shadow right now.] "I see... I'm glad none of them died. Report me on the situation. What about the Singularity, and what is this weird planet ?" [I do not detect any trace of the Singularity dimension left. I can not confirm yet if the dimensional rift destroyed it as planned, but I can at least confirm the Revered Mother's disappearance. As for this planet...I think you should see the stellar map yourself, Jun...] I was glad that the Revered Mother was no more, but I didn't understand why Gladia told me to check the stellar map myself instead of just resuming the situation. Even if we can't confirm the status of the Singularity and the Scylla fleet that was still inside when we left, it is very unlikely that they survived the collapse of the dimensional rift. At best, a few of their commanders would have disobeyed Primus One and escaped with their ship before the rift collapsed, but this is still manageable. As long as their mother-ship and the biggest part of their fleet have been eradicated, it is a success. I just hope the Void legions and their people still in the Void have escaped in time and all survived. Before rushing alone into the Scylla fleet, I made sure to give them the coordinates of Earth and its solar system along with the dimensional gate technology stolen from the Scyllas. No matter where we ended up, we at least know where the Legions will be. It won't be a problem to join them and group up if a few Scyllas survivors are posing a threat again. "Alright. Gladia, display the stellar map on screen and scan the Earth coordinates I gave to Aubouros. If you trace back the 3rd and 5th Legions' ships signatures arround there, we should be able to.......WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ??" [...] I screamed in disbelief when I saw the stellar map. "If this is a joke, this is not funny nor it is the right time for it Gladia..." [Unfortunately, it's not... It seems that escaping the rift transported us to a different area. I only have two explanations for this... Either we have been transported to a region so far in the universe that it has never been explored and our sensors can not reach the known universe, or...] "Or ?..." [We crossed the Singularity borders on the other side, and we have been transported to another universe. As crazy as it may sound, this is most likely what happened...] "..." I had a heavy feeling in the abdomen. Both situations were bad news for us, especially when I consider the state the Lance of Kar'goth was in. It was so damaged that I didn't know how the ship was still flying...it was clearly on the verge of destruction. We wouldn't be able to use the warp engines without the ship dislocating in the warp space, and honestly, it's already a miracle the flagship didn't break through Katarina's plan to make us escape the rift. I hoped we would at least be in the same universe, but the stellar map is so different than what we knew that I started to think we really ended up in another universe completely different than our own... "Our ship fell into this unknown giant telluric planet's gravity, and the toll it would put on the hull to escape this planet's orbit would be too much to bear. For now we should land, assess the situation and repair the Lance of Kar'goth." [The landing will be rough, we only have 10% of engine power remaining and the inertial stabilizers have all been destroyed during the previous battles...] "Simulate orbits entries and find the best path for us to land with the minimal amount of damage. If the flagship breaks past the repair point, we will be trapped on an unknown planet in the middle of godknows where in another universe..." It was already a miracle that we escaped what should have been certain death, so complaining about the current situation isn't right nor helpful. We should be glad that we ended up trapped in a telluric planet's orbit, instead of being vaporized inside a star or absorbed by a supermassive black hole. "Alpha Zero, go to the hangar and assists the drones as best as you can to keep the ship intact until we land. Jerome and Douglas, you guys go to the main hall and prepare two regiments from the remaining Battle-drones and Elite-drones still functiunning. Be ready to be deployed to defend the ship the moment we hit the ground. We don't know what lives on this planet, so we better be ready." 'Yes. Master.' "It will be done, Leader." "Roger." I stood up from my seat and turned to look at Katarina and Alice. Even though she was hiding it, I knew Kat was extremely exhausted. I don't know how she woke up before me while she was the one who created a dimensional hole for the flagship to escape, but it was once again proof of how much potential she had as a Void Rifter compared to the rest of us. As for Alice, her previous injuries were greatly limiting her movements. I understand that Gladia woke her up with the other squad members, but she was definitely not in a state to be deployed. Forget about fighting, she couldn't even stand still without leaning on a support. "You two, go rest until I call for you. Thanks for your hardwork Kat, now leave the rest to us. As for you Alice, I'll ask Gladia to power at least one healing capsule for you to heal your injuries until you are operational again." "Leader, with due respect... I can stay by your side. The mental exhaustion is bearable, I will be fine after a few hours." "Yes, me too ! My black matter is healing on its own, I don't want to go back to the healing capsule Leader ! Please..." I was surprised to see them discuss my orders, but I understood why they did it. Even if they didn't say anything earlier, I'm sure they have been frustrated to stay inside the healing capsules for so long while I was fighting the Scyllas alone. Katarina has been cryogenized since the events on Kar'goth because of the Scyllas' mind control. As for Alice, she almost died twice already and recently she spent more time inside a healing capsule than fighting with us. If it was a few years ago, I would have forced them to follow my orders, but now... If I want to consider them as not only squad members but also fellow humans, I will have to respect their own choices. Especially when they are so stubborn about it. I can't keep pushing them away every time a major problem occurs, this isn't wise and as much as I disliked the Revered Mother...she made me realize how important my squad was to me. Without their help, I'm nothing more than a small ant striving to survive in the face of more powerful existences. My biggest strength isn't the Void energy nor it is the armament left in the flagship by the Ancient Scyllas ; it is my squad. Deep in my heart, I was glad they could make their own choices now. They still had this cold behavior typical of brainwashed Void Rifters, but they now acted much more like humans than before. Even though the Scyllas wiped their memories and suppressed their emotions, after everything we went through they were finally able to reclaim a part of their human side. They are far from the lobotomized rifters that couldn't do anything but follow my orders when we first landed on Kar'goth. Seeing them taking their own decisions and even being stubborn about it couldn't make me happier. "You two... sigh... Alright, but stay by my side. Kat, help Alice to walk." "Affirmative." "Thanks Leader." Once I gave my orders, I left the control room and teleported to the ship's Core to examine it. The core room was shaped in the form of a dome, in which a black sphere was floating in the center. Many wires were connected to it, and on its surface, strange glowing runes could be seen. They looked the same as those the Revered Mother engraved inside the Holy Temple using my body, but much less powerful. If the Revered Mother runecraft was the definition of perfection, then these runes were probably the closest that could be achieved by someone who is not an immortal deity like her. Compared to the other ships of this era that are powered by a main reactor coupled with multiple secondary reactors, our ship was entirely powered by a single core. During wartime it was a dangerous disadvantage ; if enemy ships destroyed the flagship's core, then the whole flagship would blow up. However, the core in the Lance of Kar'goth was more than a simple power supply reactor like inside the other ships. All the electronics and all the systems were being operated by this core. This ancient technology was also capable of growing over time and improving itself, as if it was alive on its own. When Gladia took control of it in the Golden Hangar, she told me that the more time we will spend inside the ship, the more the core will adapt to us and evolve to fit us better. It was probably why I was so attached to our flagship... Without realizing it, I always considered the Lance of Kar'goth as another member of our squad. Thinking about the state it was in right now...I couldn't help but feel pained for my beloved ship that protected us for so long without failing even once. "Gladia, do you think the flagship will bear the atmospheric entry on this giant planet ?" [My estimations are...not optimistic. We should prepare for the case of the ship ending up beyond repair this time...from my multiple simulations, this is the most probable outcome.] "I see...but what other choices do we have though... If we try to leave this planet's orbits, I doubt the flagship would withstand space travel long enough before we could find a more suitable planet to land on. According to the stellar map, the closest planet suitable for landing we detected is more than 300 000 astronomical units away from here." [I do think the same, but I also find this planet weird Jun... Our sensors couldn't scan its surface, and we detected strange energy fluctuations from the three moons revolving around it... I do not have a good feeling about it.] "Well... Do you think it would be worst than what we went through in the Singularity ? Even if powerful surfaces monsters inhabit this planet, we have no choice but to fight and survive...As we always did, and as we will always do." [Yes... let's just hope for the better.] "Until we land, please prepare to safely extract the core from the ship. The flagship as we know it right now might be done once and for all after we crash, but I wouldn't let its core being destroyed. If what you told me is right, then this core could be considered as the Lance of Kar'goth's essence. Even if it is inanimate, I will still repay the favor for saving us and protecting us without fail since we found it in the Golden Hangar." [I will do so, Jun. I already selected the best area for us to land and I engaged the emergency-landing protocol, so you should also prepare yourself. In no more than ten minutes, we will be in completely unknown territory. You guys better be ready.] "We always are." ___ As the ship entered the atmosphere, the people living in the region around the Hydra Mountains could see what looked like a giant blazing meteor plunging toward the ground at full speed. If the villagers from the Lyssandra Kingdom close to the forest borders were afraid of this incoming disaster and fled as fast as possible, things went differently in the neighboring elf Kingdom, Aliomeri. A huge army led by the First Prince himself was departing to invade the Forest of Death once again, while his brother, the Second Prince, has been sent as a delegation to bring to their cause the nearby beastmen tribes. Their last attempt, like all other kingdoms or empires that tried before them, ended in utter disaster. Despite the last invasion being a failure, something unprecedented in ages occurred : survivors. A small group of half-blood soldiers came back alive from the forest, and what they recounted was hard to believe. They explained how the further they progressed into the forest, the more soldiers suddenly disappeared. At first, the officers in charge of the invasion group thought these soldiers got lost or fled...until they found the corpses of some of them who have gone missing. While recounting this scene to the pure-blood elves, a few of the survivors couldn't help but throw up on the spot, one of them even fainted just by remembering what he saw. Entrails were strewn everywhere, broken bones littered the ground, and torn intestines were drowned in a mixture of blood and fecal matter all around the place. The faces of the heads that were not crushed among the corpses had neither eyes nor tongues remaining and the expression they had before dying was terrifying. In the midst of this carnage, a shadow made of both light and darkness floated and radiated a dangerous aura that chilled the blood of all those present. When the shadow suddenly disappeared, the half-bloods, despite their intensive training to resist torture and the worst possible suffering, could not help but flee in all directions. They have never been as scared as they were when meeting this unidentified being. It didn't take long for the shadow to decimate the entire army that had invaded the forest. At first, the elf commanders thought these soldiers were cowards who didn't enter the forest with the rest of the invasion forces and just invented a story to not get executed, but the trace of combats on their bodies and the expression they had when recounting these events didn't lie. Even the pure-blood elf commanders were not feeling well after listening to their story. When this news reached the Great Matriarch's ears, Queen of Aliomeri, instead of backing off she decided to pursue the plan to conquer the Hydra Mountains. It was the first time in history that the unknown being protecting the forest left survivors escaping. If at first she only sent a few legions of half-bloods to test the ground and see if the entity protecting the forest was still alive, without expecting anything in return, she was now ready to go all-out to conquer this territory. Elves are extremely sensitive to plant mana and forest spirits, and those present in the Forest of Death, also called Forest of Truth by the humans from Lyssandra, are the purest the Matriarch ever felt in her whole life. If she could conquer this forest and have access to the resources supposedly hidden in the giant mountains at its center, her Kingdom would be strong enough to subdue the neighboring countries and rule over the whole region in less than a decade. They might even gain enough strength to be recognized by the Central Continent. "Tialha, look at the sky !" "What is this ?..." In the center of Aliomeri kingdom's capital, two elves' siblings were looking at the sky through the foliage of the towering thousand-year-old trees that surrounded the Royal palace. Both of them were escorted by dozen of elite guards each, and while their appearance seemed young, they were most likely older than they appeared to be. "Sis', do you think this rumored prophecy is real ?" The male was a handsome but relatively short elf, which was rare for this species who was a head taller than humans on average. He wore fine silk clothes, embroidered with silver thread. He was not carrying any visible weapons, except for a small curved dagger at his waist. "Well... If it's not, how would you explain the survivors from the last invasion, the recent Lyssandra's king disappearance and now this comet coming out of nowhere ? If Mother trusts this fallen clan's prophecy, she probably has a reason to. It is said that before Aliomeri was founded, this Ravaleth clan was the strongest of all in the region. Even the current Adveris royal bloodline would pale in comparison to them when they were at their peak." The female answering her brother was the definition of refined beauty. If elves are naturally good-looking, none of them have as much grace as she does. The finely designed clothes she wore only deepened her natural elegance, which could already make any male succumb to her charm in just a glance. Both of them had silver hair, but hers were much clearer and seemed to glow under the few rays of sunlight that came through the thick foliage overhanging them. "Was this weak clan who fled into the Forest of Death this powerful ?" The female elf smiled at her brother's naive question. "Listen carefully, Palleas. Not a lot of people know this, but the founder of this clan you called weak is no other than Vesryn Ethlando Virynore, the Silverblade Hero." "What ?? So both our families share the same ancestor and bloodline from Virynore ??" "Indeed." "I now understand why Mother tried so hard to eliminate them even though they were just a third rate clan... If this was known to the citizens, instead of being a fallen clan, the Ravaleth would have had as much power as our Adveris Royal Family." "That is the reason why we should also enter the forest." "What do you mean sis' ? Both First Brother and Second Brother are leading the army and there are already quarrels between them. If even we join the expedition, this might cause problems in the hierarchy and Mother might punish us..." The beautiful princess broadly smiled once again. She never got tired of her little brother's innocence and naivety. In fact, this gave even more fuel to her scheming mind. "I know Palleas, but I have a plan and I already got some people on my side to make it work. To be honest, I prepared to enter the forest from the first day I heard of the prophecy. Mother chose Aerendyl and Airdan to lead the army, but she never forbade us to join as well." "Are you sure about this ?" "I am, so will you come with me, my cute little brother ?" "sigh... I will, but please do not force me into one of your weird plans once again. You know that I just want to live a quiet life far from all the succession battles. I'll come because I'm curious, not because I want to take part in anything you planned." "And this, Palleas, is the reason why I like you so much." The princess grinned at her brother. If the maids and guards who were observing them from afar were hypnotized by her beauty when she smiled, her little brother only saw a devilish grin that announced beforehand that a lot of blood will be spilled and uncountable heads will fall.