Adele's expression darkened, her glowing eyes narrowing as if the cosmos whispered secrets only she could hear.
"Dave," she said, her voice void of its usual calm. "Reagor."
Dave's lighthearted expression faded, brows lifting. "Him?"
She didn't answer. A flash of silver lit the room as she raised her hand, and in a single blink, the Celestial Arc's crew was standing on the command deck.
Every screen lit up—warning beacons blared, and holographic stars twisted across the table's interface. A large red marker pulsed on a rotating 3D model of a gargantuan planet: Giagris.
Adele zoomed in, eyes cold. "It's him…"
The screens rippled to life.
Thousands—no, millions—of warships. Black, ancient, runic in design. Engines glowed blood red, casting halos of decay around them. The sky above Giagris was burning. Cities shattered beneath the force of orbital weapons. Mountains exploded. The oceans boiled.
At the center of it all was a colossal vessel, shaped like a blade stabbing through the stars. And standing atop it, arms folded, eyes glowing with pure crimson energy, was a figure.
Eight feet tall, with pitch-black armor etched in starlight, and wings like torn void stitched with lightning.
RAEGOR, THE VOICED SILENCE.
An ancient force. Forgotten by history. Feared by Time.
His voice echoed through the broadcast, but not from his lips—from the space itself:
"Let Giagris fall. Let the balance bleed. The Nephirs must perish. I will offer this galaxy as a welcome to my Master. Let death be peace."
Adele whispered the name with dread. "Raegor… he's back."
Dave didn't blink. In fact, he smiled.
"Well," he said, hands in pockets, "Let's get this done quickly."
The crew froze.
Zyra turned. "Wait… what?"
Zei narrowed her eyes. "Quickly?"
Even Zalen, ever silent, looked up from the weapon system logs with a raised brow.
Adele stepped forward. "Dave. Please… be serious. This isn't just some power-hungry space tyrant. If he takes Giagris, this galaxy collapses. The political web alone—trillions will die. And Raegor…"
Dave turned his head slightly, still smiling. "Being serious is too much work."
For a full five seconds, no one said a word.
Zei whispered, "Is he… joking?"
But Dave was already gone.
No flash. No sound. No teleportation ring.
Just absence—as if he was never there to begin with.
⸻
Scene Shift: Raegor's Throne of Silence
The winds of Giagris howled with flames. Cities crumbled. Refugees ran toward shelters already torn apart by the landing forces. Massive spiked golems marched through the rubble, cleaving through resistance with savage efficiency.
On the towering blade-ship above the planet, Raegor stood with his generals, his eyes fixed on the planet's final energy core—Giagris' last defense.
A voice echoed behind him, soft, curious:
"You like drama, huh? Burning planets and all."
Raegor turned slowly.
There he was.
Dave stood on the outer hull of the ship, cape fluttering gently behind him, hands still in his pockets.
Raegor narrowed his eyes. "You. Sphire."
Dave looked around. "So much screaming. You ever think of peace talks? Or maybe just therapy?"
Raegor's face stayed blank. His voice came like a chorus of ten thousand dying stars.
"I do not speak to mistakes. I eliminate them."
He lifted his hand.
Time froze.
Or it should have.
Raegor's generals looked confused.
Dave smiled. "Oh. You're using time-stop? Cute."
He raised one finger. "Adele says hi."
With a snap, the entire field of frozen time shattered like glass. The generals gasped as Dave blurred forward—
And Raegor vanished.
No sound. Just gone.
Dave appeared a hundred meters away, holding the warlord by the throat mid-air, casually. Raegor's glowing eyes widened.
"You shouldn't have touched the Nephirs," Dave whispered. "Especially Amanda and Betty's parents."
He dropped Raegor—who flew backward through four layers of ship plating, exploding through the hull.
Dave cracked his neck.
Raegor emerged seconds later, his body regenerating, energy burning wildly.
"You will not stop what has already begun. My Master watches. My purpose is prophecy."
Dave tilted his head. "And what's that purpose? Destroying babysitters?"
Raegor roared and charged. His form blurred, faster than light, blades forming in both hands. He struck—
But his blades shattered on contact.
Dave didn't move.
"W-What are you…" Raegor hissed.
Dave's eyes briefly glowed white. His voice dropped, low and thunderous:
"I am the consequence of what you awaken. I'm the price for crossing the line you never should've approached."
He appeared behind Raegor mid-sentence.
One hand on his shoulder.
"And your Master?" Dave whispered. "Tell him I'm coming."
With a calm, almost lazy motion, Dave punched Raegor's back.
A shockwave burst across the ship. A ring of light spread through space, visible from orbit.
Raegor's body disintegrated.
No dramatic scream. No resistance.
Just… erased.
The fleets, seeing their commander fall, scattered. Most imploded. Others were disabled by Adele's pre-set override hacks.
⸻
Back on the Celestial Arc
The crew stood at the edge of the viewing deck.
Giagris's sky was clearing. Fires dying. The planet—saved.
Zei stared at the screen, eyes wide. "He didn't even try…"
Zyra blinked slowly. "He was joking… and still…"
Adele stepped forward, voice soft. "He wasn't joking. He just didn't need to be serious."
Sola let out a breath. "What is he?"
Zalen finally spoke, voice low: "A god pretending to be bored."
The room went silent.
Then, with a sudden flash of blue, Dave reappeared.
Hands in his pockets. Cape still flowing. Smiling.
"Well," he said, stretching, "Lunch?"