Rebel Stronghold
"Boss!"
"Speak."
The one-eyed man swung his legs off the table, toying with an advanced stellar firearm. By galactic standards, it was mediocre—even outdated. But on Caspelinat-VIII? Top-tier.
"The Family sent someone new. Some... celebrity?"
The underling fidgeted. That voice—just hearing it sapped the will to fight. The song seemed to pause the war itself.
"A celebrity?" Eskii gripped his gun, the crimson crystal bullet around his neck glinting.
[Sage's Bullet - Prototype]
97% liquid-crystal purity—the pinnacle of rebel tech. Still far from the real thing, but enough to blast corporate skiffs to splinters.
Even those arrogant IPC lackeys had backed off after seeing it. Power tasted divine.
Eskii drowned in the fantasy. Once the parliament's last line fell, he'd be this planet's undisputed king. The crystal veins would drown him in wealth beyond imagination.
"Tell the men to show no mercy. Celebrity or god—nothing stops us now."
"Yes, sir!"
Corporate Outpost
"Regarding him, you'll want a more... cautious assessment. Just a friendly suggestion."
By the floor-to-ceiling window, a white-haired girl tapped her foot rhythmically, watching the war-torn planet.
"Ms. Jade... is this your personal opinion?"
"Merely a warning. He's far more dangerous than he appears."
"Noted. But no matter..." Pearl toyed with her smartwatch, marking a new timestamp. "I'm quite curious about his so-called 'Eden.'"
"Perhaps I'll even invest."
"Let's meet again, Pearl."
The blue hologram faded. Pearl lounged on the sofa, grinning. Caspelinat was proving far more entertaining than expected.
"Lady Pearl!"
"Those savages—they shot down another extraction skiff!"
Pearl's smile didn't waver. Since arriving, she'd forbidden violent mining tactics—while conveniently leaking intel on liquid crystal.
"I know."
Her pale hands folded gently. "Isn't it wonderful?"
Humans were predictable. A whiff of profit—no, just the illusion of it—reduced them to beasts.
Ambition only grew. These rebels had once fought for land. Now?
Her mechanized left hand whirred softly as she glided to the employee, cupping his cheek.
"Let them destroy a few more ships."
Golden eyes already saw Caspelinat's end. She was merely accelerating fate.
"Y-Yes!"
The man fled, spine chilled. Even among the IPC, Pearl was feared.
Alone, she flipped a disc in her palm. A pale cornerstone materialized, hovering.
"Well then..."
"Show me this 'Eden,' Child of Order."
Frontlines
The air reeked of gunpowder—a stench no one could ever grow used to. When breathing itself was agony, the planet was already dying.
Anming hadn't wanted Robin here. As Sunday warned, battlefields were too unpredictable.
But she'd insisted.
No more cage.
This wasn't performative charity. It was her heart's call.
By afternoon, scorching sun baked the earth. Robin's forehead glistened as she rested on a shaded bench.
Even her voice needed breaks.
Anming handed her water, chest tight. Was this tiny hope even helping?
"Anming... when will the war end?"
"Tomorrow. Or never—until Caspelinat's last breath."
"The parliament hides underground... leaving civilians here." Her distant gaze blurred against the sun.
"Not your fault."
"..."
Her smile was sorrow itself.
She was just a witness. Perhaps change was never possible.
Then—
BOOM!
The explosion swallowed the outpost before alarms could finish. Gunfire erupted.
Poorly armed defenders clashed with rebels—another daily routine. The civilians didn't even flinch.
When living hurt more than dying, fear died too.
Robin's eyes reflected the fallen. Blood pooled beneath unseeing stares.
She wished for feathers. For wings.
To shelter the lost.
This was her path.
Exhausted, she stood.
Harmony's song rose again over the battlefield.