Klei crashed onto the cold metal floor, jolted awake. His head spun. Sirens wailed. Red lights flashed, casting frantic shadows across the walls.

  “What the hell—” He scrambled up, heart hammering. The ship was shaking.

  Instinct kicked in. He grabbed his communicator from the bedside table, fingers fumbling.

  “Report!” he barked. “I left for a short rest—what happened?”

  The voice on the other end was shaky. “C-Captain… we have an emergency. The engine—it’s—it’s not responding.”

  A beat of silence. Then, almost whispered:

  “Our ship collided with space debris.”

  Klei shouted, "And you're telling me this now?!"

  The voice on the other end hesitated. "We thought... we could repair it, but we couldn't. And—"

  Klei cut in, voice razor-sharp. "And what? What happened?"

  A dry gulp came through the communicator. Then, barely above a whisper:

  "Aeron escaped."

  Klei’s breath caught. His stomach twisted. No… not now.

  "Call everyone to the control room. NOW!" His voice boomed, then—CRACK! He smashed the communicator against the wall.

  No time to think. No time to hesitate.

  He yanked his coat off the hook, shoving it on as he moved. He donned his silver gloves.

  Klei moved swiftly through the dim corridors. Soldiers rushed toward the control room, their boots echoing through the halls.

  His big body made movement awkward in the cramped corridors. This ship wasn’t designed for Frixens. He had expected a much larger vessel for this mission. Instead, he was stuck on this tin can.

  Upon reaching the control room, he barked, “Status report.”

  A control room officer snapped to attention, his voice tense.

  “Sir, the power controller is damaged—it's what stabilizes the engine. We assume Aeron did it. We lost his signal near the Hangar Bay.”

  Klei gritted his teeth. The situation had just gotten worse. "Can we fix it?" he demanded, his voice edged with urgency.

  The officer hesitated. "Sir, we can repair it, but it'll take time. If we're near a planet, we can swap the power controller—that’ll speed things up."

  Klei exhaled, relieved that at least one problem had a solution. "Get it done as soon as possible. I have something more urgent to handle."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Understood, sir."

  Klei turned to his soldiers.

  "Soldiers, this is an emergency. Aeron is attempting to escape. I want him alive—minor injuries don’t matter, but no killing."

  "Understood, sir!" they responded in unison.

  Klei’s eyes darkened. "I don’t want to face Lord Reigo’s fury. Aeron must be transferred. Are we clear?"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Then move!"

  They reached the Hangar Bay. Klei saw electrical sparks glittering across the bay from behind the soldiers.

  "Search everywhere!" Klei barked.

  The soldiers immediately spread out, but suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the bay, sending soldiers scrambling and knocking many out cold.

  The soldier robots, stationed in the bay, had detonated the explosion. Klei’s eyes narrowed as the robots—programmed by Aeron—advanced. The soldiers couldn’t stand against them; they were knocked down one by one.

  Klei’s stomach turned at the sight. He couldn’t just stand there. He leaped into action, and used Eche—a magical ability. Magma claws erupted from his hands. He tore through the robots, one by one.

  The Hangar Bay, much more spacious than the cramped corridors, was a perfect arena for combat. His silver gloves allowed him to focus Eche into one concentrated area, tearing apart the robots that stood against him.

  Amid the chaos, a small ship powered up and began to move. Klei saw it and rushed toward it, but the ship gained speed, shooting through the open door and into the void of space.

  The sudden vacuum of space pulled at everything. Air rushed out, and soldiers were sucked toward the open door. Klei, his eyes wild with determination, slammed the door shut before he could be sucked out.

  He cursed Aeron, his hands shaking with anger. Without a second thought, Klei rushed to another ship to chase him down, only to find that Aeron had already sabotaged every vessel in the bay.

  "Damn it!" Klei cursed. He stormed to the control room.

  "Track the ship that just escaped!" Klei shouted.

  The officer at the console stammered. "We can’t track it, sir. Aeron removed the tracker from the ship."

  Klei’s anger flared, and he grabbed the officer by the collar. "Find it by any means necessary!"

  Another officer, calmer, stepped forward. "We can’t track it, but we can see it using the observatory."

  Klei’s eyes locked on him. "Then do it—fast."

  The officer hurried to the console, eyes scanning the screen. "Sir, it looks like Aeron's ship has entered a nearby star system."

  Klei’s jaw clenched. "Now, it’s only a matter of time. We repair this ship and find him."

  Suddenly, a communicator rang.

  Meanwhile, deep in space.

  Inside the small ship, Aeron gripped the controls tightly, his knuckles white from the tension. He tilted the handle to maneuver through the dense field of space debris, eyes scanning the chaotic void. The console flickered and beeped, flashing the name of the star system: Shenain.

  His heart raced. He was finally within reach of safety.

  Suddenly, a massive asteroid tore through the space ahead, slamming into the ship with a deafening roar.

  The impact sent the vessel spinning uncontrollably. The console blinked in warning, flashing red lights as alarms blared.

  "No!" Aeron muttered under his breath, yanking the controls desperately, trying to regain control. But it was too late.

  The force of the asteroids caused the ship to go out of control. The gravitational pull of a nearby planet suddenly gripped the ship, dragging it down faster and faster.

  With a sickening crunch, the ship crashed into the planet's atmosphere. Flames erupted as the outer hull disintegrated under the intense friction. The cabin shuddered violently, throwing the prisoner against the walls, his vision spinning as he struggled to stay conscious.

  The planet’s gravity intensified, pulling the ship downward. The ship’s wings shattered, sending debris flying. The ship plummeted faster, faster toward the unforgiving ground below.

  A final crash, and the ship came to a violent halt, throwing Aeron forward into the twisted wreckage. Everything went dark for a moment.

  When his eyes finally fluttered open, the first thing he saw was smoke rising from the wreckage. The smell of burnt metal and fumes choked the air.

  Aeron pushed himself up from the ground, his body screaming in pain. His legs wobbled, shaking violently beneath him. He tried to stand, but his injuries from the crash weighed him down—bruises and a swollen ankle. The planet’s gravity made everything feel heavier, every movement slower. He stumbled and fell.