Again.
Once more, she had to abandon the people she cared about and run away.
What frustrated her most was that she couldn't even follow them. Even now, the words lingered clearly in her mind, as if they had been carved into her very being. She could still see them on her dead mother's lips.
"Run away."
"Sylvia!" Ethan's voice cut through her thoughts, snapping her back to reality.
She reached for the part, but the ground suddenly trembled beneath her feet, forcing her hand off course. The piece slipped from her grasp and clattered onto the ground.
But the shaking earth wasn't the only problem.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably. When she looked down, she realized just how badly they were shaking—so much so that holding onto anything felt almost impossible.
"I'm sorry."
She didn't even know who she was apologizing to.
She bent down and picked up the part again, only for it to slip through her fingers once more.
Before it could hit the ground, a hand reached out, catching it midair and pressing it firmly back into her open palms.
"Hey, I'm right here," Ethan said, his voice steady despite everything.
Sylvia looked at him and noticed that he, too, was trembling.
'He really is brave.'
Unlike her, Ethan could move forward. He followed his heart even when his mind screamed otherwise. He pushed on, no matter how afraid he was.
It was something she envied deeply.
And yet, at the same time, she didn't want to change who she was.
Her parents had always told her something simple.
Older siblings protect their younger ones.
Even though she was only a few minutes older than Ethan, she had taken those words to heart. She had made a decision long ago.
No matter what happened, she would protect him.
'For now, that is my role.'
She took a slow, steady breath, forcing her emotions down and pushing them aside. There would be time to face them later.
Right now, she had something else to do.
"Thanks," she said quietly, directing her words at her brother.
Then she focused completely on the task in front of her.
…
'Where do I even start?'
High above the battlefield, Jonas moved through the air, his eyes scanning the massive swarm below. He searched for any weakness—any opening he could exploit.
The khaerix spread endlessly across the land.
As they moved, they radiated intense heat, easily reaching temperatures of several hundred degrees. The ground beneath them burned and warped, slowly transforming into the harsh landscape of their home planet.
Bit by bit, the Earth itself was changing.
Soon enough, the atmosphere would become uninhabitable for humans and countless other lifeforms.
But the khaerix would endure.
They would adapt.
"Let's start with the Colossi."
Among the swarm, the Colossi stood above all others.
They were the most dangerous.
And the reason was simple.
Unlike the rest, the Colossi were not mechanical constructs. They were the true aliens.
They possessed high intelligence, overwhelming destructive power capable of wiping out entire cities, and an almost absurd level of regeneration.
"Right now, it can't see me."
That was his advantage.
And possibly his only chance.
"Moonlit Sword Style — Moonfall Descent!"
Jonas shot downward at maximum speed, leaving behind a streak of white light in his wake.
The air screamed around him.
He felt his eardrums vibrate violently as he pushed beyond the limits of speed, faster than he had ever gone before.
The Colossus sensed him.
But it was too late.
Unlike the other khaerix, which resembled grotesque combinations of different creatures, most Colossi had an almost humanoid form.
Jonas didn't know where its core was.
So he aimed for the next best option.
Its legs.
His blade struck with devastating force.
In a single motion, the massive being—towering over five hundred meters high—lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
'Even if it regenerates… getting back up will take time.'
And time was everything.
Fighting a khaerix without armor was considered suicide.
That was what every soldier said.
And they weren't wrong.
Jonas could feel it.
His body was already breaking apart from the sheer strain of that attack. Cracks spread across his skin, and blood seeped from his wounds.
But he couldn't stop.
Not now.
'I have to buy more time.'
He steadied himself, ignoring the pain as best as he could.
Then he moved again.
…
Lylan was weak.
She had always been weak.
The only reason she was still alive was because of sheer luck.
When her people had evacuated their world, there hadn't been enough space for everyone. Panic had spread as people fought desperately for survival.
She had been pushed.
Not out of the ship.
But into it.
Perhaps it was because of her small size.
Perhaps no one even noticed her.
Even now, she could remember their faces.
The terror.
The desperation.
The realization that they wouldn't make it.
She could still see her planet as it burned, engulfed in flames that erased everything she had ever known.
She had been weak.
Small.
Powerless.
Maybe that was why her manifestation had taken the form it did.
A giant.
It was the embodiment of a wish she once held close to her heart.
To be strong.
To be someone capable of protecting others.
Just like the one who had saved them.
That was why she had volunteered for this mission.
Even knowing the cost.
Even knowing what it would mean.
And now, he stood before her.
So small.
Smaller than a speck of dust.
Yet she could see him clearly.
The resolve in his eyes.
The determination driving him forward.
He moved through the battlefield, cutting down her forces without hesitation, his body breaking apart with every motion.
'…I'm sorry.'
The words felt hollow.
For the innocent humans who had once lived on this world, no apology could ever be enough.
Nothing could undo what the khaerix had done.
Nothing could restore what had been lost.
And yet…
She still wanted to say it.
Because the guilt never left her.
It lingered.
Day and night, without fail.
Her conscience gnawed at her relentlessly, a constant reminder of everything she had become a part of.
Even so—
She would not stop.
She couldn't.
Not after everything.
Not after all those who had died.
For the sake of those who hadn't made it.
For the ones who had perished in her place.
She would keep going.
No matter what.