"You think you can bring down my ship from the inside, piece of junk?!"

Last Updated : 2026-06-10

Valerius looked up, staring at Bartholomew with streaming tears. The mute giant only gave a single slow nod, a thin smile carved behind his dirty mask. Bartholomew had redeemed his duty, which was to protect what Grimbolt could not protect at that time. An immense relief flooded Valerius's chest. His mother survived. The chain of past failures had been broken. However, that relief was soon replaced by a new sting of anxiety. Valerius slowly released his hug, then looked back toward the Wasteland expanse, where a giant pillar of black smoke soared touching the sky from the crash site of the Tyranny Fortress. One of his protectors had saved his mother on earth. But his other protector had just fallen from the sky. Valerius wiped his tears roughly, his eyes now radiating an undeniable firmness. He stared at Bastian who had just come out of the bunker with Edna. "Bastian. Prepare a T

One month later. The blizzard roared like thousands of hungry wolves, tearing apart the ice mist that shrouded the peaks of the Rust Mountains. Visibility was no more than two meters. Every breath Valerius took immediately turned into ice crystals clinging to the hood of his mantle. The copper wire mesh inside his mantle glowed a faint orange, struggling hard to maintain Valerius's body temperature at a stable thirty-six degrees. At thirteen years old, Valerius's body had been forged by the harshness of camp life. However, the cold of these mountains was an enemy that could not be fought. Even though the mantle given by Edna tried to provide warmth, he still suffered from severe cold. "Grimbolt... functional... status?" Valerius asked with violent trembling, his teeth chattering even though the mantle felt warm against his skin. "Internal chassis temperature... minus forty-five d

"You dare lecture me about guilt, Boy?! I saw ten thousand people burn to death just because of one order of mine!"Corvus Rask's voice exploded. The old man moved with terrifying speed for someone his age.Before Valerius had time to blink, Rask's large and calloused hand had already grabbed the collar of the boy's mantle and jerked him until Valerius's back slammed against the hot steam reactor pillar.The metal glass on the table tipped over, and its contents spilled soaking the ancient military schematics that for two decades had been covered in dust. Rask's gray eyes that previously looked dead and dim, now ignited with rage.The distance between their faces was only a few inches; Valerius could smell the sharp aroma of cheap gin, stale tobacco, and self-loathing that had been boiling for twenty years."You want to know what it feels like to be a legend?" hissed Rask now lowering his voice to a whisper far more terrifying than his shout earlier. "A legend is when you trigger a st

"You don't want to answer?" asked Valerius when Rask chose to be silent. "Fine, I will look for it myself!" he shouted in annoyance then moved."Don't touch that closet! Inside is not a weapon, it is a memory that must not be opened!"Corvus Rask's voice was hoarse, filled with a tone of despair deeper than when he was held at gunpoint earlier.Valerius had just reached out his hand towards a giant iron chest embedded in the shack wall. It was an object that had looked suspicious since earlier because it was not covered in dust as thick as other objects.Rask lunged forward, not to help fight, but to stand in front of that chest as if protecting the only remaining sanity he had intact."Memories cannot kill those silver things, Rask!" shouted Valerius.He jumped back when one of the nano assassins slid on the floor like a puddle of hungry mercury, before solidifying again and slashing its sword arm towards the Prince's legs."Just let them kill me!" replied Rask with a reddened face u