A Woman Enraged

"Sir, we're losing all the ships. What should we do?"

"Nothing... Hold your position."

Error... Error... Error... Error... Error... Error...

"Sir, we're losing all the ships. What should we do?"

Tyrin stared into the darkness of deep space, his mind desperately trying to piece together an impossible puzzle. Nothing made sense. He blinked, held his breath. For the third time, the aberration appeared before his eyes.

"We're going to die... Noooooo—"

— Game Over —

The classroom remained still for a moment before Professor Manfred's announcement echoed:

"Students, you have five minutes to try something. I'll be in the cafeteria getting a coffee if you need me... or if you make any progress. As if that would happen. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tyrin sighed. He could see his classmates scattered around the room. Some were sleeping at their desks, having lost patience with reliving that futile battle. Others murmured incoherent words, trying to decipher the enigma hidden within the simulation. He, on the other hand, had already lost count of how many times he had died there. But it didn't matter.

Because now, he had a theory.

Taking a deep breath, without hesitation, he entered the simulation again.

"Sir, we're losing all the ships. What should we do?"

This time, Tyrin already knew what to do. He had noticed something… something that shouldn't be there. Something that defied reality itself.

"Fire at quadrant 34-B23."

"Sir, there's nothing there. We'll be giving away our position."

"Just do it. That's an order."

"Yes, sir... Preparing weapons... Targeting 34-B23... Fi—"

Error... Error... Error... Error... Error... Error...

The cafeteria was almost empty when Tyrin finally started speaking. His voice, however, echoed through the room with an unsettling intensity.

"Before coming to this planet, I was studying Virexia. A fascinating world… hostile, but full of knowledge."

Thalyzara scoffed, impatient.

"You're talking about the planet of those damned Draconts? What does that have to do with the war, kid?"

Tyrin hesitated, but before he could respond, Gertrudes intervened:

"Thalyzara, you asked for an explanation. Let him speak."

Thalyzara raised an eyebrow but crossed her arms and nodded.

"Fine, go on. But get to the point. I hate those bastards."

Tyrin took a deep breath.

"Virexia was a unique planet. Against all odds, it generated life. And not just life... humans. Their scientific advancements were revolutionary. But the most impressive thing? It was the only known planet orbiting three massive stars."

Thalyzara's expression darkened.

"Wait... you're talking about..."

"Yes."

"The Three Bodies."

"Exactly."

Silence fell over the table. Everyone there knew what that meant. The Virexians were the first to understand the logic behind the chaotic and stable periods of triple-star systems. It was this discovery that had allowed them to survive... for a time.

Thalyzara clenched her fists.

"Kid, I'm running out of patience. What the hell does this have to do with the war?"

Tyrin met her gaze.

"I became fascinated by this civilization... and by what they discovered. And thanks to them, I understood how the Emperor won."

A heavy silence.

Thalyzara narrowed her eyes.

"Explain yourself."

Tyrin leaned forward.

"The answer lies in quadrant 34-B23. But it's easier to show than to explain."

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Very well. Darwin, are you there?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the room, calm and precise.

"Good evening, Queen."

"Don't worry. He's my assistant." She turned to Tyrin. "Quadrant name?"

"34-B23."

"You heard the kid, Darwin. Show us quadrant 34-B23 in the Emperor's war simulation at Alpha Centauri."

The room instantly darkened. Tyrin felt as if he were back inside the simulation, but this time, Thalyzara and Gertrudes stood beside him.

"Alright, kid. We're watching. What are we looking for?"

He took a deep breath before speaking.

"The Emperor's planet is at the center of the empire. He can observe nearly the entire expanse of the universe. Knowing that, and considering we're looking directly at quadrant 34-B23… where the Dracont family's planet should be… I need to ask a question."

Thalyzara's eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Ask."

"Where is Virexia?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Thalyzara furrowed her brow. Gertrudes narrowed her eyes, searching for something in the vast emptiness of projected space before them. For two women who knew the universe like the back of their hands, locating a planet with three stars should have been simple.

But Virexia wasn't there.

Thalyzara swallowed hard.

"Darwin... search for Virexia."

The response came in a cold, mechanical tone:

"Planet not found. Planet not found. Planet not found."

A chill ran through the room.

Thalyzara slowly turned to Tyrin.

"So that's how you found out." Her voice was barely a whisper. "What else did you see?"

He hesitated.

"Nothing. No matter what I do, the same error message always appears. So… I don't know. But I suspected. And that's why I spoke up."

Another silence.

Gertrudes chuckled, but without humor.

"Great. We've confirmed this simulation is garbage. Can we leave now? He's told us everything he knows."

But Thalyzara remained still. Her gaze was distant, unfocused. Until finally, she broke the silence.

"Tyrin... what are the chances that you'd identify this error on your first attempt?"

He blinked.

"Well... if I knew what I was looking for and knew the solar system's topography like the back of my hand, I'd say… yes, there would be a good chance. But that would require extraordinary knowledge. Or at least..."

He hesitated.

Thalyzara leaned in slightly.

"Or?"

Tyrin met her gaze.

"Or that someone already knew this was going to happen."

The room seemed to shrink around them.

Thalyzara exhaled slowly.

"Are you suggesting that the Emperor knew about this anomaly... before the war?"

Tyrin nodded.

"Yes… that's exactly what I'm saying."

The silence in the room dragged on, heavy as lead. Neither Tyrin nor Gertrudes dared to interrupt Thalyzara's thoughts, her unwavering gaze seemingly piercing through time and space.

Then, she spoke.

"You know, Gertrudes, you have an excellent student here with you." Her tone was almost nostalgic. "My father once told me something..."

But before she could continue, the cafeteria door was slammed against the wall with a deafening crash.

A bloodied body was hurled into the room with brutal force, sliding across the floor until it came to a stop at the center of the simulation. The holographic image flickered and vanished, leaving only the harsh reality before them.

"Love... What have they done to you?"

Thalyzara's heart seemed to stop as she recognized the wounded man before her.

Her husband, breathing heavily, his skin marked by deep bruises and still-bleeding cuts.

He tried to speak, but his voice was nothing more than a faint, inaudible whisper.

Thalyzara's expression changed in the blink of an eye.

Fear and pain gave way to something far more dangerous.

Fury.

Her eyes, once glassy with unshed tears, slowly lifted toward the entrance of the room.

Footsteps.

Footsteps.

The calm, measured sound of boots echoed through the hall as three figures emerged in the doorway.

Two of them wore full armor, imposing and intimidating. The black metal shimmered as if it absorbed the very light, their helmets completely concealing their faces.

But it was the man between them who truly commanded attention.

Tall, slender, and of an almost unreal beauty. His long blue hair cascaded in soft waves over his shoulders, his eyes reflecting the same deep hue of an infinite ocean. There was something unsettling about the serenity of his expression, as if he were a carefully crafted work of art—impeccable, untouchable, and, above all... deadly.

Then he spoke, his voice laced with a hint of mild contempt.

"You know, Queen, I traveled a long way just to wait on the whims of your little puppet." His gaze fell upon the wounded man in her arms, and he sighed, almost bored. "I needed to talk to you. Oh... how interesting, you have visitors."

Thalyzara's stare became a sharpened blade.

"How dare you do this to my husband?"

The man smiled. A hollow smile.

"Hm. I thought this marriage was just a farce. Doesn't seem like it, ahahahah..." He tilted his head slightly, as if analyzing the scene. "Anyway, I came on the Emperor's orders. I truly needed to see you urgently. Who would have thought that this inferior being would try to stop me? The messenger himself… got what he deserved." He gestured casually toward the bloodied body. "But don't worry, I didn't kill him."

Then, his eyes gleamed slightly as he noticed another presence.

"Well, well, well… Gertrudes. What a pleasant surprise."

The woman didn't hesitate. Her tone was ice-cold.

"Azrael. I see you're still the same son of a bitch as always."

He placed a hand over his chest, feigning indignation.

"You wound my feelings, speaking like that." Then, his smile vanished. "But we can talk after I finish what I need to. Sound good?"

As Gertrudes and Azrael exchanged sharp words, Thalyzara was no longer listening. Her eyes were fixed on the pale face of the man in her arms. She gently caressed his cheek, feeling the fever burning through him.

"Why did you do this… you idiot?" she murmured to herself.

The answer came between coughs and groans of pain.

"I… I didn't want them to interfere with you... cough, cough... I really am weak, ahah... cough, cough..."

"Shut up for a moment." Her voice trembled, but it was with rage, not sorrow.

"Kid, Gertrudes, get my husband out of here. I need to teach this son of a bitch a lesson."

Gertrudes turned sharply.

"Thalyzara, no! He's a Vultras. You'll end up getting yourself killed! Let's at least hear what he has to say."

But reason no longer existed in the Queen's eyes. There was only something primal. Savage.

She slowly rose, carefully laying her husband on the ground, then faced Azrael like a predator ready to tear apart its prey.

"I have been on this planet for nearly 40 years… and now you dare enter my home?" Her voice was low at first, but it grew. "You are not ready… YOU ARE NOT READY!!!"

The air around her seemed to vibrate. Then, with a visceral scream, she raised her hands.

The very space around her shimmered. The golden radiance emanating from her body took shape, a spectacle of power that absorbed every particle of light around it.

Piece by piece, a golden armor materialized.

The breastplate, sculpted with exquisite detail, shone as if forged from celestial gold. The sharp pauldrons extended like the blades of an ancient relic. Each segment of her armor fit together perfectly, molding to her body like a second skin.

But it was what emerged behind her that made even Azrael arch an eyebrow.

Wings.

They weren't made of feathers. They were made of blades.

Golden steel, sharp enough to slice through reality itself, pulsed like silent thunder. Each beat of the wings illuminated the room in dazzling flashes, casting monstrous shadows on the walls.

Gertrudes held her breath.

And then the ceiling exploded.

A colossal force tore through the structure above them, sending debris raining down like meteors. And from above, like divine judgment, Igniselda descended.

An entity of fire and destruction, tearing through the sky with its very presence.

Gertrudes' face went pale.

"We're fucked."

She clutched the unconscious king and shouted to Tyrin:

"We need to get out of here, now! They're going to destroy everything!"

"We can try waiting at the exit!" Tyrin suggested, trying to stay calm.

But Gertrudes turned to him with a look of pure terror.

"No. You don't understand."

She tightened her grip on the king and murmured, almost voiceless:

"We need to leave this continent."