2026-03-31 06:28:10"Keep your head up, Prince," the guard sneered, jerking my chains so hard the iron bit into my neck. "The whole galaxy is watching. Don't want to look like a coward on your big day, do you?"
I stumbled across the Bridge of Sighs, my bare feet burning on the cold, metallic walkway. Millions of holographic drones swarmed around us, their lenses glowing like the eyes of hungry insects. They were broadcasting my fall in high-definition to every corner of the empire.
"Look at him," a voice boomed over the speakers. "The Star-Born traitor. The man who murdered the Empress."
"I didn't do it!" I yelled, but a guard slammed the butt of his rifle into my ribs.
"Shut up, trash," the guard hissed. "Nobody is listening to a dead man."
At the end of the bridge stood Lucian. He looked perfect in his white commander’s uniform, his medals glinting under the artificial suns of the capital. He looked like the hero the people wanted. He looked like a murderer.
"Brother," Lucian said, his voice amplified so the heavens could hear his fake grief. "It breaks my heart to see you like this. But justice must be served for our mother."
"You snake," I spat, coughing up blood. "You know exactly who killed her. You were holding the blade."
Lucian walked toward me, signaling the drones to back off for a private moment. The guards stepped away, giving us space. He leaned in close, his breath smelling of expensive wine.
"You're right, Arix," he whispered, so low only I could hear. "I did kill her. She was going to give you the Master-Key. I couldn't let that happen."
My eyes widened. "You... you monster."
"And now," Lucian said, a cruel smile touching his lips. "I’m going to watch you rot. The Abyss doesn't care about princes."
He straightened up and looked at the cameras again. "For the crime of regicide, Arix Beaumont is stripped of his rank, his name, and his core!"
He stepped forward and placed his hand over my chest. I felt a sickening tear in my soul. My cultivation core, the source of all my power, shattered like glass. The pain was so intense I couldn't even scream. I collapsed, gasping for air as the golden light of my energy faded into nothing.
"Get him out of my sight," Lucian commanded.
The guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the transport chute. It was a dark, bottomless hole that led straight to the Scrap Heap.
"See you in hell, brother!" I managed to choke out.
"You're already there," Lucian replied.
They kicked me. I tumbled into the darkness, the wind screaming past my ears as I fell for what felt like hours. When I finally hit the ground, it wasn't water or a safety net. It was a mountain of rusted metal and jagged gears.
"Ugh," I groaned, rolling onto my back.
The sky above was a dull, sickly purple. Huge towers of trash surrounded me, stretching up for miles. This was the Scrap Heap. The graveyard of the universe.
"Well, well," a gravelly voice said. "Look what the High Lord dropped in our lap."
I blinked, trying to clear my vision. A group of men in tattered, oil-stained rags stood over me. They were covered in cheap cybernetic parts—arms made of hydraulic pistons and eyes that flickered with red light.
The leader was a massive man with a rusted metal jaw and a heavy chest plate. He looked down at me like I was a piece of junk he’d found in a bin.
"He looks soft, Brux," one of the scavengers laughed. "Look at those silk pants. They’re worth more than my life."
"He won't be needing pants where he's going," Brux said, stepping closer. "Search him. If he’s got any tech hidden in his skin, rip it out."
"I don't have anything!" I shouted, trying to stand up. My legs gave way immediately. Without my core, I was as weak as a child.
"He’s a mundane now," Brux sneered, kicking a pile of wires near my head. "The Star-Born prince is just another piece of meat."
Suddenly, a sharp beep echoed in my brain. It was so loud I winced.
[System Initializing...]
A golden screen flickered into existence right in front of my eyes. It was semi-transparent, pulsing with a light that felt familiar.
"What is that?" I whispered.
"What are you mumbling about, boy?" Brux growled.
[Warden Status: Unauthorized.]
[Searching for Admin Credentials...]
[Master-Key Found in DNA Sequence.]
[Access Granted. Welcome, Warden Arix.]
"The Key," I breathed. "My father... he actually did it."
"I said shut up!" Brux barked.
He grabbed me by the hair and hauled me to my knees. The other scavengers gathered around, jeering and whistling.
"You think you’re special because you fell from the sky?" Brux asked, leaning his face an inch from mine. "In the Scrap Heap, there’s only one rule. You serve the man with the most metal."
"I don't serve anyone," I said, glaring at him.
The crowd went silent. Brux’s eyes turned cold. He slowly lifted his right leg. His boot was a massive, clunky piece of iron, dripping with black engine oil and filth.
"Is that so?" Brux asked.
He slammed his boot down onto the scrap metal right next to my hand, the impact shaking the ground. Then, he shifted his weight and pressed the dirty sole of his boot against my cheek, forcing my head down toward the oily floor.
"You see this oil, Prince?" Brux sneered. "It’s leaking from my prosthetic. It’s dirty, it’s cheap, and it’s the only thing you’re going to taste today."
"Get off me!" I struggled, but his strength was overwhelming.
"Lick it," Brux commanded, pressing harder. "Lick the oil off my boot right now, or I’ll let my boys use your ribcage for target practice."
"Do it! Lick it, Princey!" The crowd chanted.
"I’ll kill you," I hissed, my face pressed against the grime. "I’ll kill every single one of you."
"You’ll die trying," Brux laughed. "Now, get to work. Show me how much you love the Scrap Heap."
I looked down at the black, shimmering puddle of oil on the metal. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird. The golden screen in my vision flickered again, a new message appearing in bold red letters.
[Emergency Protocol: Manual Override Available.]
[Would you like to activate 'The Warden’s Wrath'?]
I stared at the prompt as Brux’s boot ground my face further into the dirt. I could smell the rot and the rust. I could hear the laughter of the men who wanted to break me.
"I’m waiting, maggot," Brux growled.
I didn't answer him. I just stared at the golden words floating in the air.
"Last chance," Brux warned, his mechanical jaw clicking. "Lick the boot, or lose your tongue."
I reached out my hand, not toward the boot, but toward the invisible button in the air.
"Activate," I whispered.
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Chapter 41: Ghost Protocol
I frantically opened the quarantine log, my bloody fingers flying across the cracked keyboard. The shards of broken glass bit deep into my left palm with every keystroke, but I didn't slow down. I kept pressing the input keys, forcing the terminal to accept the command lines. My left hand was slick with blood, leaving thick, greasy smears across the plastic casing and the functional buttons.I didn't care about the cuts or the grease. I just needed the buried folder to open before the core loop timed out. "Come on," I muttered, slamming the heel of my palm against the frame. "Open up for me."The terminal gave a loud beep that rattled the loose wiring beneath the board. The golden border of the standard system interface began to warp and bend, the color bleeding out from the edges of the display.It shifted from the bright corporate gold to a deep blue. The new light filled the small room, reflecting off the shattered fragments of the screen and casting long, pale shadows across Pip’
Chapter 40: Alone in the Dark
I slid down the front of the main terminal box and sat heavily on the floor. The metal grating was freezing against my legs, the chill cutting straight through my torn uniform trousers. Damian’s footsteps had completely faded down the corridor, and Lyra’s departure had left the room entirely hollow. The quietness inside the control room felt like a heavy weight pressing against my ears, thick and suffocating. There was no sound left in the world except the mechanical air pushing through the overhead vents."Get up," I muttered to myself. My legs didn't move and I looked down at my right arm. It was blackened and raw from the wrist to the shoulder, and the synthetic fabric of my tactical jacket had melted directly into the scorched skin. I didn't feel the sharp pain anymore; my nerves were fried. I just felt a deep ache that went straight to my bones.[System: Warning. Core Stability at 14%. Physical Overload Detected.]A flash of green light split my vision right down the middle, m
Chapter 39: The Fallout
The fresh air kept rushing through the overhead vents, blowing the last of the smoke out into the night. It felt clean in my mouth, but the room was freezing. The atmosphere felt colder than death. I let go of the yellow manual lever and stood there, my left hand numb and my right arm hanging loose like an old piece of wood. "Pip," Lyra said.She dropped heavily back onto her knees next to Pip, her boots sliding against a loose bolt on the floor plate. She didn't look at the console or the green text. She just pulled off her thick, dirty gloves with her teeth and threw them down on the metal deck."Lyra," I called out, but she didn't answer me. She pressed two fingers against the side of Pip’s neck, right where the gray scar tissue had settled over his veins. She held them there for five seconds. Then she moved her fingers to his wrist, pressing down hard on the small bone."Is he back?" Damian asked. He stepped away from the door frame, his rifle barrel lowering toward the floor. H
Chapter 38: The Ultimate Choice
The red countdown timer on the central console dropped past twenty seconds. The numbers glared against the dusty glass, casting a dull light over the metal panels. On the lower section of the screen, the main map of the Fantasy Wing was flashing with row after row of yellow warnings."Arix, don't do it!" Lyra screamed. She was still on her knees on the cold floor, her fingers dug deep into the coarse fabric of Pip’s jacket sleeve. She looked up at me, her face pale under the grime and grease. "Save Pip! We can find another way for the air! We can go back down and break the valves manually! We have time!""We don't have time, Lyra," I said. My left hand remained locked around the yellow steel handle of the manual override lever. The metal felt cold and greasy against my palm."Listen to her, Arix!" Lyra cried, her voice cracking as she shook Pip’s shoulder. Pip’s legs twitched against the floor grating, his boots making a light scratching noise. "He's just a boy. Look at him! We can f
Chapter 37: The Soul-Virus
Pip seized violently, his boots slamming against the hard metal floor grating. His hands locked into tight claws, and his eyes rolled back until only the whites were showing. Underneath his skin, along the side of his neck, a glowing black code began to spread outward from the entry wound, crawling along his veins like ink."Pip!" Lyra screamed. She didn't hesitate.She raised her staff with both hands, pointing the iron tip directly at the assassin’s helmet. A sharp bolt of blue force shot out from the crystal, striking the matte-black visor. The armor cracked, and the stealth soldier fell backward against the server rack, dropping his weapon as he hit the deck. He didn't move again. "Is he down?" Damian shouted, spinning around from the door frame with his rifle raised. "What happened?""He stabbed Pip," Lyra said. She dropped her staff and fell down next to the boy. "He stabbed him in the neck!"I rushed to Pip, my boots dragging against the loose bolts on the floor. My right arm
Chapter 36: The Inner Sanctum
The heavy blast door to the control room groaned under the force of the blast and flew completely off its hinges, slamming onto the floor inside the room with a loud clatter. The metal plate skidded five feet across the polished floor before stopping. I stumbled through the thick smoke, my left shoulder hitting the warped frame as I forced my legs to keep moving."Get in," I said. My throat felt like sand, and my right arm dragged behind me like a useless piece of log. "Pip, Lyra, get inside now. Don't look back."Lyra came through right behind me, her boots scraping against the loose bolts on the floor. She was holding her staff with both hands, using it to prop herself up. Her skin looked gray under the dust, and her lips were cracked and bleeding from the pressure drop."I'm in," Pip wheezed. He fell down onto his knees right past the threshold, coughing hard. He had his equipment bag clutched against his ribs. "The air in here is old, it's not running. It feels like I'm breathin
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