VOLUME2 : THE HUNT ARC
Chapter 4 : Revealing the silence
The sun shone with a cold, unrelenting brilliance over Bellucia. One by one, the massive Kalyan warships descended, their shadows sweeping across the ocean as they touched down on the shores. Inside the capital, the Bellugian court had descended into a frantic state of panic; the dual reports of the Yoriyochis' mass suicide and the death of the heir, Feriyan, had shattered their foundation.
The architect of this chaos, Aryna Kalyan, walked through the halls of power with terrifying grace. Outside, her sister Rita was already at work, systematically eliminating any remnants of the rebellion that dared to oppose the Kalyan arrival.
Aryna ascended the dais of the Bellugian court. Dressed in shimmering white attire that contrasted with her reputation as the "Angel of Death," she looked more like a savior than a conqueror. Her long hair swayed in the artificial breeze of the hall as she turned to the trembling ministers. Her voice was not a whisper, but a dominant command that filled every corner of the chamber.
[ Aryna ]: "Your gods have abandoned you. Your heir is dead. Your rulers are dead. You have spent your lives worshipping false idols created by the Yoriyochis to keep you in chains. But I am here to offer you salvation. I will lead you to a better destiny—a world rebuilt at my feet."
She paused, her eyes sweeping over the hall before she spoke in the ancient, native tongue of Bellutania:
"Thina Tharn Lito KirasMus ta Bellucia."[ "I am the Goddess of Bellucia." ]
The effect was instantaneous. Whether through the sheer weight of her presence or a subtle pulse of her Detox power, the ministers collapsed. Screams of terror turned into cries of worship as they fell to their knees, hands grasped in prayer. At that moment, the Bellugian Clan died, and the cult of the Angel was born.
Emperor Chashakam III watched the holographic feeds of his daughter's coronation with a grim satisfaction. Yet, even in victory, the shadow of Thiyak haunted him. He beckoned Aryna into his private sanctum, the air thick with the scent of expensive incense and the hum of high-level encryption.
[ Chashakam ]: "So, Havoc Cassendra fell as well. I warned that man dozens of times—supporting Thaya was a death sentence. Thaya Jaeger was the devil's father."
[ Aryna ]: "Is that how you see him? Simply because he sired half-Arian children?"
[ Chashakam ]: "It is more than blood, Aryna. Do you remember when you were seven? The Jaegers came to the Emperium for the Accord. Thaya brought his twins. The girl, Rishi, was predictable—already a sharp mind. But that boy... Raya. There was a void in him even then. He was not normal."
[ Aryna ]: "It is a moot point now, Father. They are all gone."
[ Chashakam ]: "And the children? Were they caught in the blast?"
[ Aryna ]: "We authorized a second strike on the Jaeger palace this morning. Total saturation. I am certain there are no survivors left to carry the name. The Jaeger line ends in the rubble of Thiyak."
[ Chashakam ]: "Good. Then the galaxy can finally breathe."
They shared a moment of cold triumph, unaware that while the palace had burned, the "Devil's son" is not there.
The horizon of Thiyak was no longer the one I knew; it was a jagged line of smoke and fire. The palace I once called home had been reduced to ash, and with it, the hearts of Illya, Rishi, and my mother were shattered. Yet, as the Crown Prince, I had no luxury for grief. Mourning was a debt I would pay later; for now, I had to fight for the survival of those who remained.
I looked out toward the massive crowd of Arians. I knew the truth—to few, I was one of them, but to many, I was a half-blood stain on their lineage. I needed a base, and I needed it now.
[ Iris ]: "My Lord... the reports are coming in. Over two million Jaegerist soldiers survived the saturation strike. They've managed to rescue seventy thousand Cassendrian survivors as well."
[ Raya ]: "Good. Signal them to regroup here, in the North. I will secure permission from my uncle to shelter them within the borders of Hariya."
[ Iris ]: "Yes, My Lord..."
Iris turned toward the door, but his feet seemed to heavy to move. He spun back, his composure finally snapping as he shouted, his voice cracking with a raw, agonizing pain.
[ Iris ]: "What is our move, Raya?! They slaughtered our fathers! They burned our homes! What is our plan for revenge?!"
Tears streamed down his face, and the air in the room felt heavy with his desperation. I didn't answer with a shout or a battle cry. I simply stepped forward and pulled my oldest friend into a tight embrace.
[ Raya ]: "We are both in pain, Iris. But right now, my family only has me to lean on. I promise you this: they will answer for the blood they spilled. Not today, and perhaps not tomorrow—but their debt will be paid in full. I swear."
I remained silent during the council, the words of my family and advisors swirling around me like a storm I couldn't touch.
[ Iris ]: The Kalyans are taking over the Extraction sites...."
The Bellugians—now puppets of the Kalyan Clan—had seized the Cosmosium extraction sites. Thiyak was being bled dry, and without the Arian military, we were powerless to stop it.
[ Illya ]: "that's weird as hell. Those demons now control those monsters, oh my god"
[ Astvana ]: "Will this affect us?"
[ Rishi ]: "It will affect us, badly"
[ Asa ]: "We need to do something before they turn Thiyak into another Bellucia"
[ Iris ]: "But we don't have enough manpower to do so, Queen"
[ Asa ]: "Can't we use our people, brother?"
[ Astvana ]: "The elders won't allow me to do that"
Worse than the politics, however, was the voice. It wasn't Rishi's familiar mental hum. It was a cold, echoing rasp that repeated a single phrase over and over:
Kaira Ka Kash.... Kaira Ka Kash....
[ Illya ]: "Raya? You haven't said a word. Please, speak to us."
[ Raya ]: "I need time to think."
I didn't wait for their response. I retreated to the high deck of the Divine Tree, where the air was thin and the stars of Sector 143 felt close enough to touch. Iris followed me, his footsteps heavy on the ancient wood.
[ Raya ]: "Why are you following me, Iris?"
[ Iris ]: "Forgive me, My Lord. But I've been thinking about the prophecy in that book... the Kaira ka kash. Could it be a tool? A way to rally the Arian elders to our side?"
I turned to him, my eyes glowing with that new, violent intensity.
[ Raya ]: "You're a Jaegerist, Iris, and you're talking to me about the religion of my mother's people as if it's a chess piece."
[ Iris ]: "I only thought it might help us win..."
[ Raya ]: "I thought the same. But the truth is far darker. Every dream I have leads to horror. I'm not just seeing nightmares, Iris. I'm seeing the future I am destined to build. I'm seeing the blood I am going to spill."
Iris stepped back, his face pale in the starlight.
[ Iris ]: "See the future? How? No one can do that"
I looked out over the horizon of Thiyak, feeling the fabric of reality fraying at the edges of my consciousness.
"I do. Because I am the Paradox."