In a relatively unexplored region of the Milky Way lay a realm of unstable space and shifting nebulae. Many were the explorers who had lost their lives trying to brave the dangers.
The Soren clan had been no different.
For one, this region of space held promises of vast wealth and resources. An expanding and rapidly growing civilisation would leave no corners unexplored.
But the region was a death sentence for anyone brave enough to attempt to conquer it.
A few decades ago, an exploratory force from the Soren clan got caught in its deadly gravitational storm and was dragged into a space fold.
What had been a one-way ticket to the afterlife miraculously turned out to be a stable realm hidden in the chaos — an unknown star system hidden from the rest of the world.
The exploration team had lost all communication with the outside world. Their space cruiser was damaged beyond recognition. Left with no choice, they settled on a particularly massive planet teeming with wildlife.
The world was exceedingly dangerous, filled with undocumented monsters and plant life. After a few years of struggling to survive, the team of explorers managed to establish communication with the outside world.
The clan had been the first to be reached. And as one would expect, the discovery was kept quiet. Only a few knew of its existence.
In the years that followed, the scientists and engineers managed to build a portal that connected directly with the clan.
It was far from perfect.
Many had lost their lives trying to use the portal to return to civilisation, significantly reducing their numbers. The few that made it through came out with all sorts of ageing and genetic complications.
Ultimately, they died.
The unstable nature of the place made it difficult to keep exploring, even for those at the Dominion realm. Orion made the tough call of closing that dark chapter in the clan's history.
Behind the scenes, however, he worked to perfect the portal connecting to the hidden world. It took years of effort and vast amounts of resources.
He succeeded and even established another portal that connected to humanity's one and only home — Earth.
To keep the world a secret from the clan and the rest of humanity, he unhesitatingly did the necessary — he killed everyone connected to the world, burying the truth with them.
The birth of his son had proven his decision was the right one. From then on, Orion periodically sent resources to the hidden world, building it into a fortified base for the foreseeable future.
The base came equipped with everything his son might ever need as he grew up. From instruction manuals and valuable research to clan history. He was meticulous.
Orion had hoped he would never have to resort to the hidden world. Sadly, man proposed, but heaven disposed.
But his decisions back then had saved his only son's life. Perhaps there was a chance he could see his son again.
Their world had changed since the appearance of the first Dimensional Shifter, after all. What had been impossible before was now a possibility away.
***
Inside a base built into the side of a vast mountain range, Karen and Arthur appeared. Minutes after leaving the portal chamber, the portal fizzled out of existence, permanently cutting its connection with the Soren home planet.
Arthur was wide awake in her arms. Only a few seconds had elapsed since the boy said goodbye to her mother. As she approached Arthur's new bedroom, the boy looked around in curiosity.
"Aunt Karen. Where are we?" Arthur asked as he turned to look at Karen.
The base was designed to resemble Arthur's familiar environment, though its layout was minimal. Every material used in constructing the base was of the highest quality and capable of withstanding a few blows from a Transcendent-level being.
"We're in our new home," Karen replied, smiling.
"What happened to the old one?" Arthur tilted his head, confused. He looked back toward where they'd come from and asked, "Did something happen to our old one?"
"We'll only be staying here for a while, alright?" she told a white lie, a pang of guilt shooting through her. "Something happened to the old one."
"So mom and dad will be here, right?" he added, clueless.
"Mm-hmm."
Karen hummed, finding it difficult to get the words out, not to mention looking the boy in the eyes. Although she looked calm on the surface, anxiety gripped her heart like a vice.
Every fibre of her being demanded answers she could not get anytime soon. Her priority was to ensure Arthur was safe. Only then could she think of gathering intel. The base only had a local network and could not connect with the outside world, mainly for safety reasons
The doors slid open into Arthur's new room. It looked just like the one he had vacated minutes ago. Beside the queen-sized bed, Karen sat down with Arthur before lowering him onto the bed.
Lying with his head on the pillow, Arthur gazed at Karen with his big innocent eyes, the eye contact sliding an invisible blade into her heart. She unconsciously clenched her fists but smiled nonetheless.
"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Karen proposed, caressing his head. "I'm sure everything will be fine when you wake up."
"Will mom and dad be here when I wake up?"
Karen smiled and didn't reply. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, alright?"
"Mm."
Arthur hummed in satisfaction, closing his eyes. Like his home planet, the location of the base was at night — a minor detail his mother insisted Orion consider.
Several minutes later, Arthur went to sleep, his breathing steady.
Karesin did not move from the boy, spending several more minutes unconsciously passing her hand through his dark hair. When she finally stood up, two hours had gone by.
The fight should have been over by now.
More than ever, she yearned to know the outcome. Had the clan succeeded in fighting off the Intergalactic Council? Had they failed? Captured? She closed her eyes and shook off the dark thoughts.
This was not the place.
"Sleep tight, Arthur." She focused on the peaceful sleeping Arthur and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up."
Her first act was to inspect the rest of the base to ensure everything was in order. Satisfied with the base's inspection, she stepped outside, the night breeze blowing through her long brown hair.
Tugging the locks behind her eyes, she gazed upon the vast valley below. Distant roars of monsters echoed from time to time. Karen was not worried. The area surrounding the base was heavily fortified, including the sky.
Lost in thought and fearing the worst, Karen didn't realise hours had gone by until the sun rose from the horizon, casting a brilliant glow across the plane.
"Lord Orion… Lady Leah…" She muttered with heavy emotions. "I hope to see—"
Suddenly, her head snapped back to the base below, her heart skipping a beat. Someone was calling her name, crying.
"Arthur."
Karen shot off the mountain top without hesitation, quickly disappearing into the base. It was her first day as Arthur's guardian, and she was already breaking her own word.