My Infinite System.

The Citadel rose like a scar against the horizon.

From above, Lucian could see the fractured city wrapped around it—streets being cleared, towers half-repaired, people moving like ants trying to stitch Earth back together. The air was cleaner now. Not perfect, but no longer thick with smoke. Children ran where soldiers used to march.

For the first time in years, there was peace.

Lucian stepped out from the Nova Sanctum's docking bay, Kaelis perched silent on his shoulder. The dragon's golden eyes scanned the towers, the streets, the bridges. But Lucian's gaze went only to the Citadel itself.

He walked through the empty halls, the sound of his boots echoing. The banners of Class Zero still hung, though some were torn at the edges.

Something felt wrong.

The Citadel had always been alive with sound—footsteps, laughter, voices bouncing off the walls. Now, silence pressed against his ears.

He reached the control room.

Empty.

Lucian stopped at the threshold, staring at the vacant seats, the scattered files across the table. His chest tightened. He stepped forward slowly, hand brushing the console.

"Reia?"

His voice carried, but no answer came.

"Evelyn. Silas. Vyn."

Only the low hum of machines replied.

Lucian's jaw tightened. He tapped the comms panel. "Citadel AI. Status report."

A soft chime, then the AI's voice filled the room—calm, almost gentle. "Welcome back, Lucian Black."

He exhaled through his nose. "Where is everyone?"

There was a pause. Then the screens lit up.

Static at first. Then an image.

The recording played.

–––

The footage showed Sector Twelve. Smoke rising from the ground, people screaming as they ran. And in the middle of it—a figure tearing through soldiers like they were nothing.

Tall. Broad. His eyes burned with a strange, unnatural light.

The AI's voice narrated: "Seventy-two hours after your departure, Earth entered a fragile peace. Reconstruction began. But during this period, an attack was launched by Eron. He deployed one of his generals. His name… is Marc."

Lucian's eyes narrowed. The man on the screen didn't fight like a soldier. He fought like a storm, his strikes cracking the ground, his aura bending the air around him.

The video shifted.

Silas and Vyn appeared, cutting through rubble to reach him. Silas's coat was torn, energy crackling along his arms. Vyn's black cloak flared, her eyes glowing.

They stood together, facing Marc.

Lucian leaned closer, eyes fixed.

Silas shouted something—his lips moved fast, his tone urgent—but the audio was broken. Vyn lifted her hand, shadows curling into a spear. Marc didn't flinch.

The fight was brutal.

Silas launched his energy nodes like lightning bolts, but Marc batted them aside. Vyn's shadows twisted, stabbing from every angle, yet Marc moved through them like fire through paper. He slammed his fists into the ground, sending shockwaves that threw both of them back.

Lucian's grip on the console tightened.

The recording cut to a new feed. Reia had joined the fight, her blades drawn, her movements sharp and precise. She and Silas pressed Marc from both sides while Vyn attacked from above.

For a moment, it looked like they could hold him.

Then Marc's aura expanded—violent, crimson, like a living flame. He caught Reia mid-strike, hurling her into the ground. Silas roared, charging again, but Marc's fist drove straight through his defense, cracking the cores embedded in his arms. Vyn's cloak was shredded in a single blow, her body slammed against a wall hard enough to break stone.

Lucian's chest burned.

The AI's voice returned. "Despite their combined strength, they were overpowered. Marc is… unlike any opponent previously recorded. His power scales unpredictably, his strikes carry anomalous force. Current data suggests an external augmentation."

Lucian didn't blink. "And then?"

The screen shifted again.

Evelyn appeared—her armor battered, her circuits sparking. She was dragging Silas by the arm, his body limp but breathing. Vyn staggered beside them, her cloak shredded. Reia was nowhere in sight.

Marc stepped forward, holding Reia by the throat. Her blades hung loose at her sides. She was unconscious.

Lucian's jaw locked.

Vyn screamed something. She tried to lunge forward, but Evelyn pulled her back. Silas lifted his head weakly, shaking it.

Marc's grin was slow, deliberate. He dragged Reia with him and vanished into the smoke.

The screen dimmed.

Lucian stood frozen, fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened.

The AI spoke softly. "After this battle, Evelyn was the only one to escape unscathed enough to send word. She attempted to regroup, but no signal has been received since. Reia, Silas, and Vyn remain in Marc's custody. Evelyn is… missing."

The silence in the room pressed heavier than before.

Kaelis stirred on his shoulder. His tail flicked, wings folding. "So this is what peace looks like on your world. Fragile. Paper thin."

Lucian's eyes stayed on the dark screen. "…When did this happen?"

"Forty-eight hours ago," the AI answered.

Lucian closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they burned steady.

"Where was Marc last detected?"

The AI's response came without hesitation. "Eastern Sector. Old industrial district. His energy signature remains active. It is… expanding."

Kaelis snorted. "Expanding? That fool isn't just waiting. He's building something."

Lucian turned from the screen, his coat brushing the floor as he walked to the window. The city stretched below, lights flickering across rebuilt streets. Children ran, unaware of the shadow crawling closer.

He breathed out slowly.

Behind him, the AI continued. "Lucian… your team fought bravely. But Marc is—"

Lucian cut her off. "Save it. I saw."

The AI went quiet.

He stood there, staring at the distant skyline, the faint glimmer of the rebuilt sectors. For the first time in months, Earth had hope. And now one man threatened to shatter it.

Kaelis tilted his head at him. "So. What now, space-boy? Do we burn him out, or let your world bleed a little longer?"

Lucian's eyes narrowed, his reflection sharp in the glass.

"We find Evelyn," he said quietly. "And then we take the others back."

Kaelis's grin was all teeth. "Finally. Something fun."

The console hummed behind them, data streams shifting, city maps flickering on the screen. The AI's voice came softer, almost uncertain. "Lucian… shall I prepare the coordinates?"

He nodded once. "Do it."

The map locked onto the eastern sector. Red dots spread outward, marking Marc's forces—patrols, barriers, energy spikes. At the center was a single burning mark.

Marc.

Kaelis's wings flared faintly. "Looks like a nest."

Lucian's hand rested on the console. His voice was low, calm, but it carried. "Then we tear it open."

The room fell silent again. The hum of the engines deepened as the Citadel shifted its power grid to war protocols. Outside, the faint peace of Earth continued, unaware of the storm about to break.

Lucian stayed at the window, his eyes locked on the horizon.

Somewhere out there, Evelyn was running, carrying the weight of their failure.

Somewhere else, Silas, Vyn, and Reia were bound under Marc's shadow.

And soon, Lucian would be walking straight into it.

Kaelis settled on his shoulder, tail curling around his neck like a chain. His voice was almost a whisper. "The fool with fire stayed behind. Now you face the one with steel. Tell me, Lucian… do you think Earth will survive you both?"

Lucian didn't answer. He didn't need to.

The city lights flickered, and the Citadel prepared for war.