[KEN'S POV]
The hallway outside the meeting room felt colder somehow, like even the walls knew we were marching toward something we weren't ready for. Around me, the others whispered — excitement, fear, bravado — bleeding together into a single chaotic noise I didn't care to join.
I kept my head down, my new sword slung across my back, wrapped in dark cloth to hide its dangerous gleam. I could feel its weight — not just in my hands, but in my mind. Like it was already whispering, urging me forward.
Theo caught up beside me, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
"You good, Ken?" he asked, half-smiling, half-worried.
I gave a small nod. "Yeah."
A lie, maybe. But what good would the truth do?
Theo hesitated, like he wanted to say more, but Astrid's voice cut sharply through the corridor.
"Everyone get ready and meet at Dock 7. No delays," she barked, already carrying the authority of a squad leader. No one argued.
One by one, we split off toward our quarters.
I moved in silence, the corridors twisting and turning like the veins of some ancient beast. The Inquisitor HQ was a maze of psychic energy and steel — even now, it still felt alien to me.
When I reached my room, the door slid open with a dull hiss.
I sat on the edge of the bed, unwrapping the sword slowly.
It shimmered under the dim lights, strange runes pulsing like a heartbeat. I ran a finger along the flat of the blade. It was warm. Alive.
"I need to figure you out," I muttered, feeling stupid for talking to a weapon... but also feeling like it was listening.
Creating an original technique... Marcos' words echoed in my mind. It was no small thing. Most Inquisitors spent years mastering existing ones — and here I was, expected to invent something new from scratch.
I tightened my grip around the hilt.
"I'll figure it out," I promised. Whether to myself, or the blade, I wasn't sure.
With a final glance, I placed it into my digital storage.
Two hours wasn't much.
---
By the time I made it to Dock 7, most of the others were already gathered.
Theo stood chatting nervously with Mira. He had two identical rifles slung over him — not the oversized sniper from before. Astrid was double-checking the squad's equipment with strict, soldier-like precision. The others — faces I barely knew but recognized from the exam — were suiting up in their nanofiber battle suits.
I kept to myself, leaning against the wall and watching.
Our transport ship — a standard-issue Imperial vessel — sat humming on the dock, lights blinking along its hull. It looked sturdy enough, but something about it felt... off. Maybe it was just nerves.
Within minutes, we boarded. As I stepped inside, the metallic scent of recycled air and machine oil hit me. I found a seat near the back, away from the others. Theo tried to sit next to me, but Astrid called him up front for a "strategy discussion," leaving me blissfully alone.
I didn't know why she hadn't called me too — but it didn't matter. Since the final exam, after I took first place, Astrid and a few of the nobles had been glaring daggers at me.
It must have hurt their fragile egos to be beaten by a commoner orphan.
Still, even from here, I could hear their conversation.
---
[ASTRID'S POV]
"This is how the mission will go," I said crisply.
"Albion is a planet made mostly of forests and mountains. The land is very uneven. Once we enter the atmosphere, we'll dive from the ship."
Calder frowned, leaning in. "Why dive after just passing the atmosphere?"
I answered without missing a beat.
"The uneven terrain makes landing risky. More importantly, ships make too much noise. If there are any Holy Empire Paladins or Mages stationed below, the sound will tip them off. That's probably how the first squad went missing."
I tapped the map projected in front of them.
"We'll dive straight into the forest. Then we split into five teams — two-person squads. Each team will scout the forest and report every twenty minutes. If one team goes missing, we'll know fast. After two hours of scouting, everyone heads straight for the colony."
"After two hours, every team converges at the colony," she repeated. "From there, we adapt to what we find."
I started dividing the teams:
"Calder and Mira — Team One.
Nyra and Juno — Team Two.
Vaelis and Helena — Team Three.
Darius and I — Team Four.
Theo and Ken — Team Five."
---
[KEN'S POV]
The plan was solid enough. But if there was one thing I learned at the academy, it was that forty percent of plans go wrong.
I narrowed my eyes slightly but kept my usual indifferent look.
---
After twelve hours drifting through space, we finally reached Albion's atmosphere.
Ken and the others stood at the cargo door. Astrid's voice cut through the comms.
"Jump!"
One by one, we leapt.
As I fell, my suit activated — armor weaving around me in a sleek, fast motion. Diving through the atmosphere was no joke; without protection, the pressure and heat could tear you apart.
I coated myself in psychic energy, feeling the strain tighten around my muscles. The suit amplified it further, reinforcing every fiber of my body.
The world roared around me — a chaos of wind and fire — and somewhere below, the endless green of Albion's forest waited like an open mouth ready to swallow us whole.
We landed was a huge boom the ground shattering against our impact,