Author's Note: Unedited Chapter ------------------- In the next instant, he extended his hand, forming a sphere of energy that glowed with intense heat. He hurled it toward the nearest cluster of pirate ships causing the sphere to explode on impact and sending shrapnel and fire across the battlefield. Their formations broke as the pirates scattered while trying to escape the onslaught. One of the pirates shouted over the comms, "Retreat! He's not worth it! This guy's a monster!" But Gustav was relentless. He closed in on the retreating ships with a merciless glint in his eyes. One by one, he dismantled the pirate fleet, leaving only a few survivors who fled into the depths of space with their tails between their legs. Once the battlefield was silent, Gustav turned back to his spacecraft, satisfied. With the vestige statue now secure, he could finally absorb it. "Well, that was a nice warm-up," he muttered while glancing at the vestige with a glint in his eyes. Floating before the statue, Gustav could feel its overwhelming presence. The vestige thrummed with a resonance that tugged at his very core, as though calling out to its rightful owner. He placed his hand on the statue, and immediately, it began to dissolve into threads of golden and silver light, spiraling around him. "Here we go again," Gustav muttered, closing his eyes and bracing himself. As the light engulfed him, the familiar sensation of power coursed through his veins. The energy of the Outworldly merged with him once more, granting him yet another 1% of his original strength. The wreckage of the space pirate fleet still glowed faintly in the distance as Gustav floated in silence, holding the newly absorbed vestige within his core. The sensation of another 1% of his Outworldly strength merging with his essence was overwhelming, yet familiar. It coursed through him like molten power, sharpening his senses and stretching the boundaries of his understanding of existence. Gustav's entire body emitted a radiant glow, and his vision momentarily blurred as the boundaries of the physical world seemed to stretch and fold around him. He felt his mind expand, brushing against the edges of upper dimensions, their threads visible and tangible to him in ways that no mortal could comprehend. "Fold dimensions... Weave reality..." he murmured to himself, as a flood of knowledge surged through him. He saw pathways that could bridge galaxies, routes through space that defied time, and even ways to manipulate the very fabric of existence. "4%. Just 4%, and already this much... What will it be like when I'm whole again?" Gustav tested his newfound strength, raising a hand and folding a nearby pocket of space upon itself. With space folded, several light years of nothingness had been turned into a small round space that Gustav could enter at will. "So, this is what they meant by folding dimensions," Gustav murmured to himself. The void rippled and shimmered as he manipulated it, bending it into an intricate shape before releasing it. Just as he was about to step back into his spacecraft, faint whispers began to fill the silence of space. They were like a breeze in the void, soft and unintelligible at first. "Outworldly... Outworldly..." Gustav's head tilted slightly as his brow furrowed. He scanned the space around him but saw nothing. The whispers continued, growing louder with every passing second. "We beseech thee... Outworldly..." "Who's there? Show yourselves." His voice echoed into the emptiness, calm yet commanding. The whispers didn't respond directly but continued their haunting chant. Gustav's perception spread outward like a web, scanning for the source of the voices. The whispers, however, seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, as if the very fabric of space was speaking to him. "This better not be another trick of Nocturnis," Gustav muttered, but as soon as the words left his lips, the space around him shimmered. The stars bent and warped, as though the cosmos itself were folding in on him. A sudden vortex of energy spiraled into existence... its pull was irresistible. The vortex dragged him in, and he vanished from sight, leaving the debris field and his spacecraft behind. --- Meanwhile, aboard a Gustavo Alliance Space Vessel... The Gustavo Alliance space vessel was a floating fortress in the middle of an asteroid cluster. Its metallic exteriors shimmered faintly, reinforced with alien alloys and pulsating with glowing conduits of energy that coursed along its hull. Inside, the corridors were well constructed yet foreboding, with dim, ambient lighting and narrow passageways lined with pipes and panels humming with power. Symbols of allegiance to the Gustavo Alliance were etched into the walls—angular, sharp designs that radiated menace. In the shadows of one of these corridors, E.E. and Angy crept silently with synchronized movements. E.E. demeanor was calm but his eyes sharp, glanced around before whispering, "The control room should be three levels up from here. How's your speed holding up?" Angy smirked as her silver and pink hair glowed faintly in the dim light. "Please, I could do this all day. Just don't slow me down, E.E." E.E. chuckled under his breath. "I'm the one keeping us hidden. Without me, you'd be zooming into the arms of those Gustavo lackeys." Angy rolled her eyes playfully but nodded. "Fair enough. Let's move." Angy grabbed E.E. by the waist and, in an instant. Her body blurred instantly as they vanished from sight. The speed was so intense that the metallic walls became streaks of silver around them. She dashed through multiple hallways in a matter of moments, coming to a halt at a darkened corner when they encountered a patrolling Gustavo alliance official. He was a tall armored alien with emerald-green scales and four glowing eyes. Its claws clinked against the metallic floor as it scanned the area with a glowing device. E.E. raised his hand, summoning a small vortex silently just behind the officer's head. The vortex expanded slightly, creating a momentary distraction. The officer turned toward the strange distortion, giving Angy just enough time to blur past with E.E. in tow. They arrived at an intersection where the hallway split into three paths. E.E. pulled up a holographic map causing a faint blue glow to illuminate their faces. "Straight ahead. The main control room is just beyond that central chamber," E.E. said, pointing to the route. "But there's bound to be more guards up ahead. We'll need to—" Before he could finish, a low hum reverberated through the air, followed by heavy footsteps approaching from behind. Angy's sharp ears picked up the sound instantly. "Company's coming," she whispered. "Fast. What's the plan?" E.E. smirked as his fingers weaved through the air. "You go ahead and blitz through the guards. I'll deal with whoever's behind us. They won't know what hit them." "Got it," Angy nodded. She darted forward in a blur increasing her speed to the extent that the gust of wind she left behind extinguished the dim lights in the hallway. --- The vast expanse of space stretched endlessly around the small spacecraft housing Aildris, Elevora, and Falco. L The ship groaned softly as they cruised through a debris-laden asteroid belt, keeping their distance from a massive Gustavo Alliance vessel looming in the distance. The Alliance ship was a fortress in space, bristling with weaponry and radiating an ominous presence. Inside the small craft, Elevora adjusted the holographic communication panel as her third eye glowed faintly. They had established a secure connection with E.E. and Angy, who were aboard the Alliance vessel. "Are you in position yet?" Elevora questioned with a tone of urgency. The holographic display flickered to life, showing E.E. crouched in a shadowy corridor aboard the Alliance ship. Beside him, Angy's silver and pink hair shimmered while her keen eyes scanned their surroundings. "We're almost there," E.E. whispered with a low voice to avoid detection. "Just one more level up and we'll reach the control room. How's it looking on your end?" Aildris leaned forward in his seat as he surveyed the display. "We're staying just out of their radar range. Any sign they've picked up on you?" "Not yet... it came close though," Angy replied. "But even if they do, they won't catch us. We're too fast for them." Falco chuckled from his seat as his jet black hair cascaded over his shoulders. "Just don't get caught before you lock that engine down. We've got a lot riding on this." "Trust me, Falco," Angy shot back, smirking. "We've got this. You just focus on your part." Elevora's face remained serious. "Once you've locked the engines, notify us immediately. We need to ensure the ship stays within range for extraction if things go sideways." "Will do," E.E. said while glancing at Angy. "Let's move. Stay on comms." ########## Do not forget to check out my Audio series on Pocket FM. The Sin System: https://pocketfm.onelink.me/2IE7/e5dihjho I'll do a mass release once it gets to 10k plays.