"I... I am doing okay," she managed to say. "I was... I was hoping to meet you again."
Inside the ship, Steve nearly dropped his sword.
"What is going on out there?" he muttered, staring through the viewport.
I sighed and shook my head. "I don’t know. That’s just Aurora doing her thing."
"And who is that demon girl?" Steve asked, leaning closer to the glass.
"That’s Mazikeen," I replied. "All three of them came to Armus before."
Steve’s eyes widened slightly. "Why didn’t you tell me there was a hot demon chick involved too?"
I rolled my eyes. "I didn’t know you were actively scouting for hot demon chicks."
"Of course I am looking for hot chicks," he said immediately. "Introduce me."
"No," I said flatly. "Go introduce yourself."
Steve took a step forward.
I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "Not now, idiot."
He scoffed and crossed his arms, finally falling silent, though his eyes never left Mazikeen, tracking her every movement.
"You let me know if he ever troubles you, okay?" Aurora said outside, patting Mazikeen’s head as if she were comforting a child.
Mazikeen nodded quickly, still flustered.
Dravon cleared his throat, the sound sharp in the tense void. He looked around at the wreckage, twisted metal, drifting survivors, and the lone intact command ship before turning his gaze back to us.
"I see you’re no longer hiding yourselves," he said slowly. "What brought you here? And did you do all this?"
Aurora stepped forward toward Dravon.
"There’s no need to hide anymore," she said lightly. "We’re here because we want to help deal with this rift. As for the ships—" she tilted her head toward the Transcendent demon "—that one attacked Primus without warning. We simply responded."
Dravon’s expression hardened. His eyes shifted from Aurora and locked onto the armored demon floating nearby.
"Gorath," Dravon said evenly, "why did you attack?"
Gorath’s posture was straight, his face unreadable. "Based on the information I received, I believed they were involved with the Eternals. The reports surrounding Armus were... suspicious."
Dravon’s brow furrowed. "I already submitted a full report," he said. "It was shared with all command units, including you. The envoy lied. The Bloodreavers were targeted. We were supposed to investigate who was actually involved with the Phantom."
Gorath’s face didn’t change.
"I didn’t have time to read the report," he replied flatly.
Silence followed.
The kind that pressed down on everyone present.
Dravon stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. "You can return to your post," he said at last. "I’ll take responsibility for them from here."
Gorath’s jaw tightened. "They destroyed my fleet," he said through gritted teeth. "There will have to be an answer for that."
Dravon met his gaze without flinching. "We’ll see about that."
For a heartbeat, it looked like Gorath might argue further. Then he turned away sharply.
Without another word, Gorath signaled his remaining forces. The demons regrouped quickly, boarding the damaged but functional command ship. Engines flared, and moments later the vessel slipped back into the void, disappearing through the same ripple it had arrived from.
The battlefield quieted.
Dravon turned back toward us.
"Now," he said, his voice steady again, "let’s talk—"
Before Dravon could finish, I waved my hand.
Space folded.
In the next instant, all three of them were inside my ship.
The sudden shift made the air tremble. The three demons reacted immediately, their bodies tensing as their auras flared instinctively. Power pressed outward for a brief moment before restraint returned. Dravon’s gaze swept across the interior of the ship with sharp precision, taking in the structure and then his eyes stopped on me.
Aurora and Primus moved without a word, stepping forward to stand on either side of me.
I took one step ahead of them and extended my hand.
"I am Billion Ironhart," I said calmly. "I’m the boss Aurora was referring to."
Dravon studied my face for a few seconds. There was no hostility in his eyes, only caution and calculation. Finally, he raised his hand and clasped mine firmly.
"I am Dravon Emberlord," he said. "It’s good to finally meet you."
I smiled and gave a small nod.
"The feeling is mutual."
"I must say," Dravon said slowly, "I never expected the boss of that elemental to be a human." He paused, then his gaze shifted briefly to North and Steve. "But I suppose I should have considered the possibility. Primus returned with two humans. There could always be more."
"You did well back there," I said evenly. "You impressed Aurora. Enough that she asked us to step in and help."
Dravon’s brows drew together as he glanced at Aurora. Beside him, Mazikeen dipped her head, clearly struggling to hide a small chuckle.
"I impressed you?" Dravon asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes," Aurora replied without hesitation. "Not many people can take a hit from me and still smile afterward. It takes a special kind of shamelessness to pull that off."
Her tone carried unmistakable praise.
Dravon went quiet for a moment, then let out a breath. "I’m... glad I managed to leave a good impression," he said, then turned back to me. "Now tell me properly. Why are you here?"
"I already told you," I replied. "We’re here to help."
"Help with what?" Dravon pressed.
"To close the rift," I said, clasping my hands behind my back.
All three demons reacted at once. Their eyes widened slightly. Dravon’s expression, however, soon hardened.
"Mr. Ironhart," he said seriously, "this isn’t something to joke about. Don’t mistake my attitude for carelessness. We’ve bled for years to keep that rift from expanding. Entire fleets, entire bloodlines, lost just to hold it in place."
His voice turned lower. "The forces on the other side are strong. Transcendent Eternals. Endless waves. This isn’t something you simply decide to help with."
I met his gaze without flinching.
"I know," I said. "That’s why I’m here."
Dravon studied my face, searching for uncertainty.
He found none.
"You’re confident," he said carefully.
"No," I corrected. "I’m serious."
I took a slow breath before continuing. "I will help you with this. And in return, I want the name of my organization to spread to every corner of the Blue Spiral Galaxy. The demons will assist us in making that happen."
My gaze stayed fixed on him.
"If you need our services after that," I added evenly, "then you’ll have to pay. Consider the first one a gift from us to you."
"You have an organization?" Dravon asked, a hint of caution entering his voice. "What is it called?"