The hovercraft hummed as it sped toward their next safehouse, the air inside thick with tension. Hazeed leaned back in his seat, staring out the small window as the city lights blurred into streaks of orange and white. His team sat in silence, each of them processing the harrowing escape. But Hazeed knew there would be no time for rest.Mazda broke the silence first, her voice tight with frustration. "The explosives bought us time, but Omega's not stupid. They’ll figure out where we’re headed soon. We need to stay ahead of them, Hazeed.""I know," Hazeed said, his tone clipped. His mind was already working through their options. "Max, status on our supply caches?"Max looked up from his tablet, his brow furrowed. "Two are still secure, but the third—near the eastern docks—was compromised last night. Omega’s got eyes on it now.""Damn it," Hazeed muttered. They were losing ground faster than he anticipated. Every victory seemed to come with a new setback. "We can’t risk staying in one

The night descended quickly, the shadows of the city stretching long over the broken streets. The team gathered in the dimly lit safehouse, fully geared and silent, each member aware of the dangers they would face. The tension in the air was thick, yet there was also a sense of resolve, a shared understanding that this mission would change everything.Max stepped forward, checking the last of the equipment, while Mazda ran through the final details of their tech setup. Raze was already in his element, his eyes scanning the map one last time, preparing for the chaos that would unfold once they breached the Citadel.Hazeed stood at the center, his gaze steady, his thoughts calculating. It was do or die, but failure wasn’t an option. Not tonight.“We stick to the plan,” Hazeed said, his voice firm. “No one deviates. We get in, disable the AI, hit the core, and get out. Fast and clean.”Raze gave him a brief nod. "This isn't going to be clean, Hazeed. You’re talking about an enemy that ha

Hazeed and Mazda had successfully returned to Earth, but their journey was far from safe. Omega would not remain idle after losing their dimensional ship. If Omega had managed to implant a tracking code into the ship’s system, they might already know where they landed. Time was running out.Mazda tinkered with the console inside their half-buried spacecraft on the beach. “The main system is fried, but I can still access some data. I can confirm that we’re no longer connected to Omega’s network.”Hazeed scanned the coastline, watching the darkening sky and the waves crashing in the distance. They had landed on a small, seemingly uninhabited island, but that didn’t mean they were safe.“There’s a chance Omega has already sent a retrieval squad,” Hazeed said. “We need to leave before they arrive.”Mazda shut the panel and stood up. “Alright, but we need a plan. We don’t even know where we are besides ‘somewhere near Japan.’”Hazeed glanced a

The battle for survival had left Hazeed and his team exhausted. Oblivion Point had been compromised, Omega’s forces were relentless, and the unnatural star—that thing in the sky—was drawing closer. Yet, for the first time in years, they were on Earth again. The war, the endless cycle of running and fighting across distant galaxies, felt distant—at least for one night.The underground resistance had one rule—after every major battle, if they survived, they celebrated. It was a fragile tradition, a desperate attempt to cling to something human in the face of extinction.As the jungle night deepened, a bonfire flickered in the center of the rebel encampment. Smoke curled into the sky, carrying the scent of grilled meat and something that vaguely resembled Earth’s old alcoholic brews.Mazda sat back against a fallen log, his boots still caked with mud. He took a swig from a dented metal flask, wincing as the liquid burned down his throat. “Damn, Goro, what the hell is in this?”Goro smirk

The bunker’s dim lights flickered, casting long shadows against the cold, concrete walls. The air smelled of sweat, gunpowder, and something metallic—something unnatural. The survivors sat in tense silence, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them like a heavy fog.Mazda exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "Alright, let’s break this down. We were having a party, trying to forget all the crap we’ve been through, and then—" He snapped his fingers. "Reality just… broke?"Nia’s eyes, still wide with shock, flickered toward Hazeed. "No. It wasn’t reality. It was them. That thing… it wasn’t just killing. It was erasing."Goro, who had been pacing, stopped abruptly. "That thing. It wasn’t Omega. And it wasn’t the Starborn."Hazeed nodded slowly. "I saw something when it touched me. Visions. Flashes of… something bigger." He clenched his fists, trying to steady his breath. "Omega is looking for something on Earth. And the Starborn? They’re not just invaders. They’