The light was off, and the room was dark. It helped Jacques focus on the hologram screen in front of him.
Sigma showed him footage of the war happening in outer space. Among the stars, battleships exploded, releasing millions of sharpnels in all directions. It was a butchery. The Earthlings' battleships were being overpowered by the enemy's fleet. Their black ships and the purple pillars of fire cutting through the Earthlings' protective shields were intimidating.
"This is insane! The power gap is so huge!" Jacques felt his chest tighten as he watched the battlefield footage.
"I know, right? Scary." Sigma's voice came from a small holographic screen that popped up beside Jacques, as if he were sitting next to him, watching together. "It's happening in the Milky Way—fortunately, far from where we are. But the Gemmas… they've almost got the whole galaxy under their control. Let me show you what they did after they conquered Earth…"
The scene shifted to the surface of planet Earth. The ocean had turned to salt, the volcanoes were dead, and countless human corpses were scattered across the roads. The Gemma soldiers—almost twice the height of Earthlings—walked across the streets, killing everyone in their path mercilessly.
"What do they want? Why do they have to conquer the world?"
"Not clear for us either, boy. But from the intel we've gathered, it seems to be revenge for their defeat 100 years ago. Can you guess what it is?" Sigma asked.
"I don't know. The police academy doesn't really cover history lessons in the first year," Jacques shrugged.
"100 years ago, the Gemmas tried to invade Vega. They wanted to conquer the whole galaxy. However, the Martians defended it," Sigma explained as he showed footage from 100 years ago of the Martian humans—advanced in their technology—engaging the Gemmas in a space war.
The footage showed a female general with a skull tattoo on her neck, channeling the power of the Astral. The tattoo glowed, and her eyes followed. She cast a death gaze upon the Gemmas, which messed with their brains. Some of the Gemmas froze in place, while others went insane, causing their ships to crash into each other.
"She's so powerful…" Jacques touched his chest, where the dragon tattoo had been embedded on his skin since he was a little boy. People thought he was a rebel for having a tattoo at such a young age, but no one—not even Jacques—knew where it came from.
Her tattoo reminded Jacques of his own.
Could the tattoo hold special power for him too?
Or… is the dragon tattoo the reason why Jacques is stronger than Earthlings?
"Those people are Argonarians," Sigma explained as the screen changed, showing how the Argonarians fought. They summoned the power of the Astral, marked by the glowing tattoos on their skin, which granted them superhuman strength. It was the same fighting style Jacques had seen on the first day Sigma introduced him to the Argonarians.
"100 years ago, the Gemmas came to Vega to conquer the galaxy. But the Martians—especially the Argonarians—defended the galaxy with their power. They were the only beings in the entire universe who could match the Gemmas' strength. Unfortunately…" Sigma's voice turned cold.
"The Gemmas were able to win the war because of a betrayal from one of the Martian tribes. Out of jealousy toward the Argonarians, they blocked the Argonarians' connection to the Astral creatures—cutting off their power. But the Gemmas betrayed the agreement and destroyed the whole planet."
The screen shifted, showing the Martian planet being attacked. Gemma battleships fired relentlessly from all directions. The surface of the planet erupted in flames, cities crumbling under the relentless assault. The Martian sky, once dark and vast, became littered with explosions and debris.
The Gemmas showed no mercy. The Martians' last stronghold was reduced to nothing but ash and ruin.
The planet lost its atmosphere due to the intense firing and the imbalance in air pressure, causing the chaos in climate change, it's more than extreeme. The air changes, it's no longer habitable, and now it's only a dead planet and heavily toxic.
"However, it's not the end. Before the planet was destroyed, some of The Argonarians survived. One of them is General Mricha, an Argonarian who married an Earthlings and work in Intergalactic military fleet...."
The screen shows General Mricha, a tall man with sharp, brave eyes, reddish skin, and black hair. His broad shoulders enhanced his commanding presence, along with his serious expression. A thick beard framed his square jaw. He commanded 50 battleship fleets, rushing to his home planet to aid his people—but when he arrived, it was already too late.
"That's an Argonarian?" Jacques raised his eyebrows. "He looks like me."
"Of course he is," Sigma added. "He was the one who avenged his people, using Astral power to make himself invisible so he could sneak into the Gemma's battleship, kill their king, and end the invasion."
"All of that destruction... and all it took was killing their king?" Jacques leaned his back against the wall. If the requirement to win was that simple, why didn't they just use the same tactic to prevent the destruction of the whole planet?
"It's not that easy, boy," Sigma warned. "Just because it sounds easy doesn't mean it actually is."
"Okay, so what are you trying to make me do?" Jacques narrowed his eyes. "Oh I know, you will suggesting me to join the military spaceship and fight against the Gemma."
"No. It will be a waste of talent and potential."
"Then what?"
"You see, boy, the reason why Argonarians can channel the Astrals and use their power for war is because they have something the Earthlings don't," Sigma continued. "It's in their chromosomes. There's something special in their DNA called the aether cell—it acts like a bridge between them and the Astrals. Simply put, they're born as witches, psychic mediums… but warriors."
Jacques began to doubt that any of this was real. It seemed too much, like something out of a sci-fi fantasy movie. Was all of this just some elaborate trick by the government to make him delusional? Was the war footage he saw AI-generated? The quality of AI-generated imagery had gotten so advanced these days—it was hard to tell what was real and what was not.
"You don't believe me?" Sigma asked.
"Yeah," Jacques shrugged. "I mean, you said I was an Argonarian, but I've never experienced any of that. Sure, I've got this mysterious tattoo on my chest, but it's never glowed or activated the way I saw in those videos. Maybe whoever my real mother was just put that tattoo on me so she could recognize me one day if we ever crossed paths. But whatever show you put on—it was interesting. You could make a movie out of it."
"You have a tattoo?" Sigma's voice sharpened with excitement. "Show me!"
Jacques sighed and pulled off his parka jacket and inner shirt. "Yeah, it's a cool tattoo. It's been there for as long as I can remember. But I grew up on the streets, you know? I've never held enough money to even think about getting a tattoo done."
Jacques revealed his bare chest, showing the tattoo of a black dragon. Its head rested on his right shoulder, and its body coiled around his chest and back.
"Holy shit—" Sigma's grin widened.
This boy might hold power more important than Sigma had anticipated. He didn't know exactly what power the black dragon represented, but anything related to dragons in Argonarian heritage was considered divine. This boy could be carrying a power capable of destroying entire planets with a single snap.
Sigma had studied Argonarian history extensively—but not once had he come across an Argonarian with a dragon tattoo. Because it was sacred. Untouchable. Divine.
And now, the last surviving Argonarian in the whole universe had shown up—under the protection of a dragon.
Sigma felt a cold wave of fear creep up his spine.
This kid was dangerous.
He needed to do something—fast—to break Jacques's confidence and self-esteem. If Jacques grew too aware of his own potential, he might awaken his connection to the Astral guardians. And if that happened…
Sigma wouldn't be able to control him anymore.
"So, what do you think? Is this an Argonarian tattoo?" Jacques asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.
"Interesting. Let's see how it reacts under UV light..." Sigma operated a small drone, roughly the size of a baseball. It emerged from a hidden compartment in the wall that was nearly invisible. The drone hovered in the air before landing just above Jacques's chest, scanning the dragon tattoo.
Sigma's heart pounded.
No reaction.
It wasn't ink.
"So… what is it?" Jacques's gaze narrowed.
Sigma cleared his throat. "It seems like it's just a regular tattoo… wait, let me check more…" He forced his breath to steady so Jacques wouldn't pick up on the growing tension in his voice. Because this was really bad.
An Argonarian boy with a volatile temper… carrying the mark of the most dangerous Astral Guardian—whose power was still a mystery even to Sigma.
Sigma controlled the drone, adjusting the settings to perform a microscopic scan through Jacques's skin. This would reveal if ink was embedded beneath the surface.
Clean.
There was no ink.
"Yep. It's just a regular tattoo. Nothing special." Sigma shrugged, his tone easy and unaffected. "I agree with you—it seems your biological mom marked you so she could recognize you if you two ever crossed paths one day."
"Who the fuck tattoos a newborn baby?" Jacques scoffed at himself.
"Haha, true. But since you're an Argonarian, you must've been tough enough as a newborn to withstand the pain," Sigma laughed with him, casual and relaxed. "Alright, boy, eat something nice. I'll be back soon—I've got something else to take care of."
"Bye, Sigma," Jacques said, sounding just as casual.
As soon as the connection ended, Sigma's expression darkened. He spun toward Beatrix, tension seeping into his voice. "Beatrix, what's the power of the Black Dragon—the Argonarian's Astral Guardian?"
Beatrix's eyes flickered with a green neon glow as she scanned through the database. She had access to every classified government file, considering Sigma's position as a high-level military agent.
A short pause. Then Beatrix answered, her tone as smooth and mechanical as ever. "I cannot find any information about the Argonarian Astral Guardian Black Dragon. However, I do have information about Argonarian lizards—"
"Fuck." Sigma exhaled sharply. He was on his own now.
"Keep searching until you find something," Sigma commanded.
Beatrix made a soft jingle sound, signaling that she was busy scanning through the database.
Sigma leaned back in his chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was starting to regret his decision to frame Jacques as a hero destined to save the world.
He should have gone with the other scenario—portraying the Argonarians as a villainous tribe. A dangerous bloodline that nearly destroyed the universe. That would've made Jacques feel guilty about his power. Afraid of it. Easier to control.
But it's fine. There are a thousand ways to manipulate the narrative.
Think, Sigma. Think!
His mind was already working through possible scenarios, calculating how to keep Jacques under his control and detach from his power.
He has to trust me. The more he trusts me, the easier it'll be to manipulate him.