[Twenty seconds to make contact, Alex. Be prepared,] Xex warned and Alex nodded.
Promptly, he unleashed his mana aura and dived right through the chaotic nebulae of chaotic energy. He broke through it within seconds and abruptly came to a stop when he spotted a vessel in the distance.
[A landing vessel. Looks like they aren't alone. Probably split into teams.]
Alex nodded and decided to let them notice his presence to see how they'd react. His face was hidden behind his helmet, and his figure looked imposing and overbearing, just floating behind the chaotic clouds.
"They've noticed me, but they aren't doing anything, not even to reach out," he narrowed his eyes at this. "Is my aura too overbearing or is it something else?"
[I think it has to do with how much you've changed Alex. Not just your height, but you look nothing like you did four years ago,] Xex explained like it was obvious.
[Also, straight from Class F to an A is one hell of a level-up. So, it's reasonable on their part to also be cautious.]
Even if they expected Alex to change over the years, it was not to the level he was currently.
"Hm, maybe. I'll wait and see what they do. If they are truly here for my sake, they should reach out." His words sounded arrogant and self-serving, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
'My newfound strength can blind me to see what I cannot overcome,' he mused as his eyes darted around. He didn't want to end up being put down when he encountered an opponent he couldn't defeat.
He may be strong, but he was not a Class S awakened—those guys were in a different realm altogether.
After several minutes of waiting, the ship still made no moves to approach him or even establish communications for a talk.
[Looks like they are waiting for their teammates,] Xex deduced and Alex agreed.
"In that case, I'll just wait here," he calmly sat in the void and closed his eyes amidst the waves, his presence still as domineering as before.
Before long, Alex opened his eyes when multiple landing crafts arrived by the first one, all lined up back and front, numbering 34 in total.
"That's a lot of crafts," he stood up from his meditative pose and reinformed his aura as a silent warning.
[They are attempting to establish a link. Do I proceed to accept?] Xex asked for confirmation and Alex gave the go-ahead.
A second of delay later, a deep and powerful voice resounded in his helm.
[Hello, fellow awakened. My name is Jason and I picked a distress call a few months back and came to rescue the one known as Alexander Gray.]
Alex remained silent and waited for the speaker to continue. He knew no one called Jason and neither were they members of the rescue team he wanted.
And even if they were, it was natural for them to be cautious when the aura he unleashed could cripple people with ease.
Finally, the man asked the question they were all here for, […are you Alexander Gray?]
For a moment, it appeared as though the chaotic environment turned silent as everyone held their breaths for the big reveal.
[Don't tell them your identity yet…] Xex chimed in before Alex could open his mouth. Xex made sure to mute the line before making any suggestions to Alex.
"I know…" Alex replied while his eyes took a dark hue, switching his normal vision with his spectrum vision.
His scans came back negative as the ships had measures against such visions. It was something he would come to understand once he returned to civilization.
"You've told me who you are, but you haven't mentioned where you come from or what forces you belong to."
Alex spoke with confidence, not daring to show any weakness. Whether they were allies or foes would be determined soon.
[Ah... I apologize. We come from the empire and were in the when we picked up a transmission from Alexander.]
While Alex listened to the man explain himself, Xex delved into his local database to unearth any information that may be useful in their current situation.
"Hm…" with no faults found in the man's reply, Alex decided to come clean. He retracted his helmet and the moment he did, Jason and his men took in a sharp breath.
[It's really you…] Alex heard the man's voice trail. [… and you've grown.]
His words more than covered for what they were seeing. The image they had with Alex and the person they were currently looking at were worlds apart.
Forget about the appearance, his aura alone was out of the world and it had only been four years.
Four years!
The change was a phenomenal one as there had never been anyone to grow this powerful in such a small amount of time; he practically skipped many stages and arrived close to humanity's peak.
[Alex… I think they are not the empire's forces.] Xex said, its tone taking a sharp turn.
"Why is that?" Alex asked with narrowed eyes, staring at the vessels with increased vigilance. There were no signs of fear on his face or even in his eyes.
[Ask them for their serial number. Every spacecraft connected with the empire has one. The unique identifiers make it possible for even home AI programs to tell once they hear it.]
"I see…" Alex muttered to himself and then asked the man over the comms.
"What is your serial identification?"
[…]
For a few seconds, no reply came and the more time passed, the more he understood that things were not cut and dry.
There was a reason Xex was confident they couldn't have a serial ID in the system as it was closely monitored and checked from time to time.
There was no room for negligence as forces like this and The Order was out there. And while they had operatives in the empire, the tech they used was not linked to their main base of operations.
"I will ask a second time…" Alex's aura surged even higher than when he arrived, his helmet coming back on. "… who are you?"