He exhaled slowly, as if preparing himself.
"Alright," he said, "back to you, Billion."
His tone shifted, not emotional this time, but firm. Serious.
"I’ve already told you to visit the Order of Space... but let me be very clear about something."
His eyes narrowed.
"Do not join it."
North and I exchanged a look.
Dante continued, voice sharp.
"That goes for any organization. Any order. Any alliance. Any so-called righteous group. Even the ones that look trustworthy on paper. Especially the big ones."
A slight bitterness crept into his smile.
"You’re powerful. The moment you show up, people will want you on their side. They’ll want your power, your authority, your talent. But the higher you climb, the bigger the shadow you cast."
He leaned back, gaze cutting through the projection.
"And the Eternals have their hands everywhere. They’ve infiltrated every major structure across the Prime Galaxy. Orders, councils, academies, even shadow organisations, nothing is clean anymore."
"So stay unaffiliated," Dante continued. "Stay inconvenient. Stay unpredictable. It’s your biggest advantage."
He paused for a moment, letting that sink in.
"Now, another thing you need to understand: you won’t be able to hide forever. You’re too bright. Too loud. Too... you." He chuckled lightly. "Trouble will come knocking. Conflicts will come whether you chase them or not."
His expression sharpened again.
"But if you try to stay silent and run every time something big happens, you’ll never reach the top. You’ll never get answers. And you’ll never protect the ones you care about. So choose your battles smartly... but don’t run from all of them."
North squeezed my hand lightly.
Dante’s projection gestured, almost warningly.
"And be careful of the Council. They’re strong, yes. Necessary, yes. But inside... they’re a nest of politics, grudges, ego, and old scars. Internal fights between them kill more talented people each century than Eternals."
He clicked his tongue.
"They might look united from far away. They’re not."
Then his face darkened.
"And when you reach the Saint rank... isolate yourself. We’ve lost too many transcendent geniuses at the cusp of breakthrough. Eternal spies. Traitors. Jealous rivals. Even those who pretended to be allies... they all strike when a Saint is being born."
His eyes hardened into steel.
"Saint ascension attracts attention. And attention attracts death. If you’re not hidden or protected you won’t survive it."
He paused, then his expression softened.
"One last thing..."
The projection leaned in, eyes steady despite being nothing but light.
"I wish you both the best. I hope you’ll remember me for a long time... and take good care of my ship."
The image flickered once, then dissolved quietly into the cube.
The projection flickered once... then dissolved into soft blue particles that sank back into the cube.
North and I stood there in silence.
I let out a slow breath.
"We’ll remember you forever, old man," I murmured.
The ship hummed gently, waiting for a command. I placed a hand on the main panel.
"Set course for Vaythos."
A warm chime sounded.
[Course Locked: Planet Vaythos]
Next, I ordered to transmit the coordinates to the Feran ship.
A beam of light pulsed toward the distant Feran ship, sending the coordinates instantly. A moment later, the enormous vessel shifted its orientation, matching our direction.
The ship rumbled, flew for minutes and then the stars warped.
The universe stretched into a single streak of white as we jumped.
**********
Seven days passed.
And then, finally...Vaythos appeared.
A glowing sphere of deep green and blue in the endless dark, wrapped in faint violet haze.
Home.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
I slowed the ship as we approached orbit. My perception spread out, sweeping across the familiar energy field of the planet and something tugged lightly at me.
A bond.
A connection.
I closed my eyes... and saw it:
The glowing planetary barrier I had created long ago. Veins of violet Essence wrapped around Vaythos like a living shield.
And it was stronger. Much stronger.
Lines brighter than before. The Essence being drawn into the planet had multiplied several times over.
A small smile slipped onto my face.
"That’s good," I whispered. "A very good sign."
Behind us, the massive Feran ship emerged from space-jump, its hull shimmering like a floating mountain. As we drifted closer to orbit, Vaythos reacted.
The entire planetary shield ignited.
A violet dome expanding outward, bright and imposing.
North stepped beside me and whispered, "Beautiful..."
**********
Far below, in the capital of Vaythos...
The moment the barrier activated, alarms rang across the city. Grandmasters shot into the sky one after another, streaks of color rising like fireworks.
And at the front of them all stood Emperor Lucien, back straight, golden robes fluttering. Beside him were Arkas, Edgar, and dozens of elite guards.
Their eyes locked on the two ships, my ship and the Feran behemoth behind it.
I opened my eyes fully and reached for the planetary core.
The bond welcomed me instantly, like an old friend recognizing its master.
"Open," I commanded silently.
A gap appeared in the violet shield, large enough for both ships.
We passed through smoothly, descending in controlled arcs. The sky of Vaythos filled our view, blue and warm.
As we approached the capital region, a second shield, one protecting the city itself, flared to life.
Two brilliant domes, one planetary and one localized.
The Feran ship slowed, hovering high above the capital. My ship, came to a stop right beside it.
The entire city froze.
People gathered in the streets. Grandmasters hovered above the palace. Soldiers lined the walls. Every eye, every breath...was pointed at the two ships now hanging over their home.
"What now?" North whispered.
I looked down at the capital.
"Now," I said quietly, "we go home."
I tightened my hold on North’s hand and phased us both out of Dante’s ship.
Space bent around us, and in the next instant, we were floating high above the capital, two small figures beneath the two massive ships hanging in the sky.
The wind brushed against us. The city below was frozen in shock.
The first person to react was the Emperor.
A deep laugh burst out of him, echoing across the sky.
"Billion! It’s Billion!" he shouted, pointing straight at me. "I recognized Dante’s ship instantly, but that giant monster behind it, now that gave me a moment of doubt!"
His laughter was loud and relieved, and that was enough to make the rest finally move.
Grandmasters shot upward from the palace grounds in streaks of light, forming a circle around North and me.
Arkas didn’t hesitate even a breath.
He flew straight to North and wrapped her in a tight hug.
She smiled softly and hugged him back. "Grandfather..."
Arkas stepped back, cupping her face briefly, pride all over him.
Then he looked at me.
His eyes widened.
"You... you... ranked up?" he stammered, pointing at me as if afraid he was hallucinating.
Every Grandmaster around us snapped their eyes toward me, shock, disbelief, even a bit of fear.
I simply smiled and nodded.
A wave of whispers spread through the group like a spark across dry grass.
The Emperor recovered first.
"Then whose ship is that?" he asked, looking at the massive Feran vessel behind us.
As if on cue, the side hatch of the ship opened and out walked Ragnar, Silver, Knight, Lyrate, Steve, and Primus.
All six floated into view, their auras making the air vibrate.
That was enough to draw even more attention.
Cameras from the ground zoomed up. People in the streets pointed. Soldiers shouted. The sky was full of eyes.
I cleared my throat.
"Let’s continue this inside," I said calmly, glancing at the emperor.
He nodded immediately.
And together, we descended toward the palace grounds.