Ash floated.
Silence wrapped around him. The shattered asteroid stretched in all directions, its remains drifting through space. Apex vessels loomed in the distance, moving through the wreckage like scavengers. His body hung in the void, weightless, his clothes torn, dust clinging to his skin. A pale glow surrounded him, pulsing faintly.
Then, darkness.
---
Warmth.
It enveloped him, soft and unfamiliar. The cold void of space was gone, replaced by a pulsing, living energy. Ash felt himself drifting, not in space, but in something deeper—a vision, a dream. He was somewhere else. Somewhere ancient.
He could see, but he couldn't move. His body wasn't his own. He was trapped in another's eyes, another's mind.
A deep voice rumbled above, vast and unshaken.
"He arrives, as the stars foretold."
Ash tried to turn, to look, but he couldn't. His body—no, this body—remained still. A presence loomed beside him, golden eyes watching, piercing. The voice spoke again, low and resonant.
"Tachyros."
The name settled within him, unfamiliar yet absolute. It wasn't his name, but it felt like it belonged to him, or to the body he was trapped in. Ash wanted to speak, to ask where he was, but his lips didn't move. He was a passenger, nothing more.
His vision blurred, shifting. Towering pillars of silver and gold stretched into infinity, their edges carved with symbols that pulsed with light. A cradle gleamed beneath the glow, waiting. Ash felt a pull, a longing, but he couldn't act on it. He could only watch.
A shadow moved over him. A hand, vast and steady, reached down. Ash wanted to recoil, but the body he was in didn't flinch. The hand touched him—no, Tachyros—and a spark ignited.
Then—
---
Laughter.
It echoed through a courtyard, bright and carefree. Ash's vision shifted again. He was moving now, but not by his own will. His steps were light, effortless, the world blurring around him. The ground beneath him was a smear of color, the sky bending to his speed. He was fast—unnaturally fast.
A hand shot out from behind, grasping at nothing.
"Swifter than the storm," a boy's voice rang out, strained yet amused.
Ash—no, Tachyros—didn't stop. The words came unbidden, spoken by a voice that wasn't his.
"I am the storm."
Another figure lunged. Red hair caught the light, eyes fierce, unrelenting.
"One day, your speed will fail you. I will stand ahead."
Tachyros met her gaze without slowing.
"Then run, and let time decide."
Their laughter rose into the air, carried by something deeper than mere words. Ash felt a pang of longing, a connection to these people, but it wasn't his to claim. He was an outsider, watching through Tachyros's eyes.
---
A voice called his name.
He turned—no, Tachyros turned. Ash could only watch as the scene shifted again. A man stood at the courtyard's edge, holding something wrapped in cloth. A tiny bundle, barely stirring.
"Come."
Tachyros stepped forward. Ash felt the movement, the shift in weight, but it wasn't his. The bundle moved. A tiny hand reached out, fingers curling, searching.
Something deep inside him shifted. Ash felt it too, a stirring in his chest, but it wasn't his emotion. It was Tachyros's. The world around him began to fracture, the pillars and the courtyard crumbling into light.
---
The world shattered.
Ash's eyes snapped open.
Cold silence greeted him. His fingers brushed against his face—wet. Tears streaked his skin, yet his chest felt… empty.
"What?"
His voice barely reached his own ears.
His gaze shifted. The wreckage drifted around him, fragments of ships and shattered rock floating aimlessly. Then—his body. A faint white glow pulsed around him, wrapping him in its embrace.
His breath was steady. Too steady. His lungs filled with air that shouldn't exist.
He exhaled.
Then inhaled again.
His hands clenched.
"I can breathe."
His eyes flicked to the side.
Speedy hovered nearby. His body was still, but light coiled around him like unseen hands, wrapping him in shifting currents. The glow pulsed, alive.
Ash turned his gaze forward. In the distance, small figures drifted. His heart pounded.
"I hope they're okay."
A hum vibrated through his suit. A pulse. A flicker of movement beneath his feet—then—
Blue flames erupted from his boots. His body lurched forward, slicing through the void like a missile.
————
Max drifted in the void, his suit torn open, charred flesh exposed to the cold abyss. His left arm—gone. His right leg—missing. The edges of the wounds crackled with residual energy, the last remnants of the blast that had ripped him apart.
Inside his shattered helmet, a robotic voice echoed.
"[WARNING: Host vitals critical. Heartbeat… absent. Initiating emergency resuscitation protocol.]"
A pulse of electricity surged through his body. His fingers twitched. His chest heaved, but the silence remained.
"[WARNING: Host remains unresponsive. Increasing charge.]"
Another jolt. Stronger. His muscles spasmed. His back arched. Still, his heart refused to beat.
"[ALERT: Unidentified cellular activity detected. Attempting removal…]"
The AI hesitated.
"[ERROR: Foreign cells cannot be removed. Anomaly detected… initiating adaptation protocol.]"
A flicker of energy gathered around Max's severed limbs. White tendrils of light coiled through the wounds, weaving muscle, bone, skin—shaping what had been lost.
Ash tore through the wreckage, thrusters burning bright, his eyes locking onto Max's motionless form. But something was happening. The missing arm—the missing leg—they were… reforming.
His breath caught.
"Max!" His voice cracked through the comms. He reached out just as the final pulse of energy coursed through Max's body.
A sharp gasp. His eyes shot open.
Ash grabbed his shoulder, relief crashing through him. "You idiot! I thought you were dead!"
Max's gaze flickered, dazed. "What…?" His voice rasped, his thoughts sluggish.
"[Host has been drifting in space for… 48 hours, 36 minutes.]"
His mind sharpened. His stomach twisted.
"Two days?"
"[Affirmative. During this time, host's body has undergone an unforeseen transformation.]"
His fingers curled. Strength surged through his limbs—limbs that hadn't been there moments ago. He flexed his hand, watching the regenerated skin shimmer faintly.
"What the hell does that mean—"
Ash cut him off, already turning. "No time. We need to find Kael."
The thrusters in his boots roared to life. The glow around his body intensified as he angled himself toward the wreckage ahead.
Max exhaled, testing his movement. His body responded instantly. No pain. No stiffness. Just raw power. He clenched his fists, then leaned forward.
Twin jets ignited beneath him. The force sent him hurtling forward, perfectly aligned with Ash's trajectory.
Together, they tore through the debris, streaking toward the last person unaccounted for.
————
Kael drifted through the void, his body limp, his suit torn in places where the force of the explosion had slammed into him. The faint glow of scattered embers reflected off his visor, flickering remnants of the battle.
A pulse of static crackled through Max's helmet.
"[Heartbeat detected. Subject is alive.]"
Max let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His grip on his thruster control loosened. "Good… He's still breathing."
The AI continued, its tone unwavering.
"[All heartbeats in this area remain active.]"
Max frowned. "What?" His gaze swept over the wreckage. "You mean everyone survived that?"
"[Affirmative.]"
A flicker of movement. Kael's body trembled, his fingers twitching against the weightlessness.
"[They appear to be regaining consciousness.]"
His eyelids fluttered, vision clouded by swirling light. Shapes blurred and twisted before settling into two figures hovering nearby. His breath came slow, unsteady.
Ash's voice broke through the silence. "Took you long enough."
Kael blinked, his thoughts piecing themselves together. The last thing he remembered—fire, a shockwave, the asteroid splitting apart beneath his feet. He grimaced, rolling his shoulders. "Ugh… What the hell happened?"
Max folded his arms. "The rock got blown to hell. You blacked out like the rest of us."
Kael flexed his fingers, testing his limbs. His muscles ached, every fiber strained from the impact. He exhaled through clenched teeth. "Damn… So we lost?"
Ash's gaze remained fixed on the wreckage beyond. "Not yet." He adjusted his stance, his aura pulsing faintly. "We're still breathing. That means we've still got a shot."
Kael let the words settle. Slowly, he straightened, scanning the field of bodies drifting in the distance. Some barely stirred, their movements sluggish. Others remained still, but their vitals pulsed faintly.
Max shifted, eyes narrowing. "We should move. Apex troops are still out there."
Ash's thrusters burned bright, energy coiling around his frame. He glanced at the others. "Then let's not waste time."
Jov's eyes snapped open. His vision blurred, and the weightless void of space pressed against him. His body screamed in pain, but it was nothing compared to the fire raging inside his chest.
Slowly, he turned his head. Three figures drifted in the distance—Ash, Max, and Kael. Dust clung to their suits, their limbs barely responding.
A smirk pulled at Jov's lips. He curled his fingers into a fist, testing his grip. "Tch… cockroaches like us never die easy, huh?"
Ash's gaze met his, unreadable, cold.
Max's brow tightened. "Jov..."
A chuckle rumbled from Jov's throat. "Look at you. Struggling. I thought you could handle a little explosion."
Ash's fingers flexed. "Like you weren't floating around just the same?"
Jov rolled his shoulders, loosening the stiffness in his muscles. "Difference is, I don't sit around waiting to be saved." His stone-embedded arm tensed, a pulse of heat rippling through the veins beneath his skin.
Inside Max's helmet, a sharp ping cut through the silence.
"[Alert. Energy fluctuation detected. Elemental balance unstable. Fire core disrupting earth control.]"
His heart pounded. "What…?"
The AI's voice remained flat. "[Subject nearing threshold. Critical overload imminent. Risk of self-destruction—high.]"
Max's fingers twitched. His breath hitched. "He's losing control..."
Jov didn't hesitate. The stone embedded in his flesh writhed, veins of molten red surging beneath the surface. It spread, twisting over his shoulder, creeping across his chest.
The silence deepened.
Then, everything snapped.
The stone darkened, shifting from gray to deep crimson. Heat rippled from Jov's trembling body, waves of energy distorting the space around him. His face contorted, veins bulging beneath the hardened surface as his muscles spasmed. His mouth opened in a silent scream, but the rock encasing his jaw smothered the sound.
Then, the first crack split across his chest.
A thin line of molten red carved through the stone. Then another. And another. Fissures spread like wildfire, glowing cracks tearing through his body as lava bled from the fractures. It oozed across his skin, thick and slow, pulsing with a heartbeat of its own. The stone no longer restrained him—it became part of him.
Jov's body twisted. His fingers clawed at the empty void as his form distorted, reshaping itself into something monstrous. Fire burned beneath the surface, swelling, twisting, breaking him apart only to forge something new.
Max sucked in a breath. His AI fed him data, but the words barely registered. His chest tightened.
This wasn't Jov anymore.
Lava veins pulsed, bright enough to sting Max's eyes. The sheer heat warped the air around him.
Then Jov's mouth snapped open.
A scream tore free, raw and broken, distorted by the molten rock spilling from his throat. "AHHHH! IT HURTS!"
His body convulsed, heat surging in unstable bursts. The lava coating his skin thickened, spreading until he looked more like a living volcano than a man.
A mechanical ping echoed in Max's helmet.
"[Warning: Elemental destabilization detected. Energy levels critical. Advise all individuals to cease ability usage immediately.]"
His breath caught. "Shit… I don't want to see my brothers turning into that."
He turned, ready to warn the others, but a new voice sliced through the heavy silence.
"Well, well… still clinging to life, are we?"
Max's body stiffened.
A figure drifted toward them, untouched by the chaos. A long black coat fluttered behind him, weightless in the void. His silver mask gleamed, faint blue markings pulsing across its surface like a slow, steady heartbeat. Unlike the rest of them, he moved with purpose—controlled, effortless.
Jov's screams ripped through the air again, his body writhing as lava dripped into the abyss.
The masked man—Greg—watched without flinching.
"Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm here."
His voice carried no urgency, no concern—only quiet amusement.
Jov's body seized.
Greg tilted his head, studying him like a scientist observing a failed experiment. "So, your body rejected the earth ability. A shame. But surviving this long? That's impressive."
Kael's jaw tightened. His eyes locked onto the intruder. "Who the hell are you?"
Greg turned to them at last.
"Mm…" A soft chuckle hummed beneath his breath. "You'll find out soon enough. But for now? Let's keep things… mysterious."
Max's grip tightened. "You with Apex?"
Greg ignored him. Instead, he raised a hand.
Water coiled into existence, twisting in the air like a living thing. It moved with unnatural precision, drawn toward Jov's burning form. The moment the liquid touched him—
HISSSSSSSS!
Steam exploded outward, thick and suffocating. Jov's body jerked, his screams drowning beneath the violent reaction. But the water didn't dissipate. It clung to him, shifting, adapting—forming a barrier around his molten skin.
Inside Max's helmet, his AI's voice cut through the chaos.
"[Alert: High-level Veinflow user detected. Energy signature matches… 6th-stage threshold.]"
Max's stomach twisted.
His voice came out hoarse. "He's a 6th-stage Veinflow user. That's why he can control water in space. He's not just strong—he's mastered his element to a level most can't even imagine."
Ash exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
"6th-stage?" His fingers curled. "That's… bad, right?"
Max's expression darkened. His mind raced, analyzing every possibility, but none of them ended well.
"This is worse than bad," he muttered. "At 6th-stage Veinflow, he can create water from nothing. He doesn't need a source—he can manipulate it at a molecular level." His grip tightened. "And in space, where water shouldn't even exist… that's a nightmare."
Kael's fingers twitched, small embers flaring at his fingertips. "So what?" His voice was steady, but the tension in his stance betrayed him. "We've fought strong guys before. We just have to hit him harder."
Max shook his head. "You don't get it." His eyes flicked toward Greg, the masked figure standing effortlessly in the void. "He doesn't just control water—he can shift it between states instantly. Ice, steam, liquid… he can use it to move, attack, defend. He's on another level." His voice dropped lower. "And if he's part of the Mask…"
He didn't finish. He didn't need to. The weight of it hung between them.
Greg let out a soft chuckle, tilting his head as if amused. "Yes, we are Apex. But unlike the disposable grunts you've fought before, I stand among those who truly matter." His glowing mask pulsed, casting eerie reflections across the wreckage. "You can call us… the Mask."
Ash's breathing grew uneven. "We can't fight him," he said under his breath. "Not like this."
Max exhaled sharply. "Even if we tried, it wouldn't matter. We're stranded. My communicator was attached to my arm." His eyes flicked down to the torn sleeve where his limb used to be. "And my arm is gone."
Kael's gaze snapped to him. "Wait—what?" His flames flickered.
"Later," Max said, voice clipped. "Right now, we need a way out."
Ash scanned the wreckage, then his eyes locked onto a distant Apex ship. "What about that?"
Max followed his gaze. A transport vessel, drifting but intact. A plan snapped into place in his mind. He allowed himself a grin. "That… could actually work." His expression hardened. "But how do we get there?"
Kael rolled his shoulders, a smirk forming. "Leave that to me."
Max narrowed his eyes. "I don't like that tone."
Before he could protest, Kael grabbed him and Ash by the waist.
Max's heart lurched. "What the hell are you doing? Using your ability right now is suicide!"
Kael's grin widened. "Better than floating here like sitting ducks."
Fire erupted beneath him. Not just fire—raw force, energy coiling and bursting outward.
Then—BOOM.
They shot forward like a meteor tearing across the void.
Greg's gaze snapped to the red-and-black blur streaking past him. His grip tightened.
"What…?"
The aftershock of their movement sent faint ripples through the void. His masked face tilted slightly, eyes narrowing.
"That kid… just what has the asteroid done to him?"
Then, a grin stretched beneath his mask.
"If we don't capture him now, it'll be too late once he gets stronger."
His hand flicked to his communicator.
"All units, pursue immediately. Do not let them escape."
Engines roared to life. Apex ships pivoted, their hulls gleaming under the faint starlight as they locked onto their targets. The hunt had begun.
————
Kael tore through space, flames spiraling from his legs, the sheer force rattling through his bones.
Wind shouldn't exist in the void, but the pressure, the speed—it pressed against his skin like a storm.
"What the hell is happening?!" His own voice barely reached him over the deafening roar of his fire.
Max fought to keep himself steady, his one arm clinging to Kael's shoulder. "STOP, YOU IDIOT!" His voice was raw. "At this rate, we'll overshoot them entirely!"
Kael's chest heaved. He clenched his jaw and forced his flames to die down.
The shift in speed hit like a hammer. They didn't slow down—they were flung forward, momentum twisting into weightlessness.
They drifted.
Ash exhaled, gripping his head. "Okay… let's never do that again."
Max's gaze snapped upward. The gleaming hulls of Apex ships closed in fast. His muscles tensed.
"They're here."
Ash's head whipped around. His eyes locked onto a smaller vessel, its cargo bay still open, hauling a massive chunk of asteroid debris.
"There! That ship—we can use it!"
Max followed his gaze, then nodded. "Perfect." His eyes flicked toward Kael.
A sigh. Then—"Kael, can you get us there?"
Kael rolled his shoulders, fire simmering beneath his feet. "If I keep it under control this time."
"Good. Move."
Kael grabbed them again, his flames reigniting. This time, the burst was precise, a steady acceleration rather than a reckless explosion.
The enemy noticed.
A barrage of laser fire ripped through the darkness.
Kael's pupils shrank. His body twisted—his flames flared. He ducked, rolled, spun, weaving through the incoming barrage like a star cutting through the cosmos.
A beam scraped past his shoulder, heat biting into his skin. His breath hitched.
Max's voice snapped through the haze. "LESS SHOW-OFF, MORE SURVIVAL!"
Kael gritted his teeth. "Fine."
A final burst of fire sent them hurtling toward the Apex vessel.
Their boots slammed onto the hull. The magnetic clamps locked in place with a sharp clank.
Kael didn't hesitate. His fist curled—flames surged.
BOOM.
Metal liquefied beneath his knuckles, melting inward in an instant. The ship screamed in protest as air exploded from the breach.
Bodies tumbled out into space, their limbs flailing.
Max's face twisted. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"
Kael blinked. "What?"
Max gestured wildly at the void. "You just vented half the ship's oxygen, heat—probably its entire life support system!"
Kael shrugged. "Not like they need it anymore."
Max dragged a hand down his face. "I swear, one day, I'm gonna—"
Ash didn't wait. He pushed past them and dove into the ship.
Kael and Max exchanged a glance.
Then, without another word, they followed him inside.