Chapter 5: The Price of War

The sky was fire and ruin.

The rebel fleet was in full retreat, engines burning bright as they ascended into the storm-wracked atmosphere. Gunships wove between falling wreckage, plasma bolts carving through the darkness.

Kael stood at the edge of the battlefield, bloodied, breathing hard. The warship's deck beneath him was slick with oil and Ascended blood. The wind howled, carrying the distant roar of dying engines and the screams of the battlefield.

Veyrith stood behind him, massive and waiting. His silver eyes burned in the night.

Elyndra was already moving. "We need to go. Now."

Kael turned.

She was bruised, battered, but unbroken. Her crimson hair was streaked with dust and blood, her daggers still clenched in her fists. Around her, rebels scrambled toward the last remaining gunships.

The Ascended fleet was reforming. The battle wasn't over—it was about to escalate.

"Move!" Arkan barked, shoving a wounded soldier toward the loading ramp of a transport. "If you're not inside in the next minute, you're dead!"

Kael didn't hesitate. He turned, grabbing the edge of Veyrith's wing and hauling himself onto the Leviathan's back.

The war-beast snorted, shaking his massive head.

Do not fall behind, Reaper.

Kael smirked. "Just fly."

Veyrith launched into the air.

The force of his wings sent debris flying, knocking over Ascended enforcers who were still advancing on their position.

Below, the last of the rebels were lifting off, breaking away from the battlefield.

Elyndra's gunship took the lead, weaving through the chaos with expert precision. Kael kept his eyes locked on her craft, making sure it didn't get torn apart in the crossfire.

Then, behind them—

The Ascended retaliated.

The Ascended fleet pursued.

Gunships and aerial drones burst from the wreckage, forming a net of fire and light.

Veyrith twisted mid-flight, dodging a barrage of plasma rounds.

The sky became a battleground.

Kael gritted his teeth as Veyrith angled toward Elyndra's ship, keeping pace. Below them, Ascended warships shifted into attack formations, lining up their cannons.

"Hold on."

Kael barely had time to process Veyrith's warning before the Leviathan rolled sharply, diving straight into the chaos.

Gunfire lit up the air around them, tracer rounds carving bright lines through the storm.

Kael adjusted his grip, steadying himself as the wind tore past him. He could see the Ascended trying to flank the retreating fleet— two gunships moving to intercept.

His eyes narrowed.

He reached for his weapon.

"Veyrith. Close the distance."

The Leviathan obeyed, angling downward.

Kael moved.

He leapt from Veyrith's back—straight onto the first enemy gunship.

Kael landed hard.

The enemy craft rocked beneath him, the impact sending tremors through its hull.

The Ascended enforcers inside the gunship turned instantly, their optics flaring red as they registered the threat.

Kael grinned. "Surprise."

He ripped open the cockpit hatch with brute force. The nearest enforcer lunged with a plasma blade—

Kael caught the strike mid-motion, twisted, and slammed his knee into the enforcer's chest.

The cyborg staggered back—just long enough for Kael to drive his blade through its skull.

The pilot barely had time to react before Kael grabbed him, yanked him from his seat, and hurled him off the edge of the ship.

The pilot screamed as he plummeted into the storm.

Kael took his place.

He gripped the flight controls, yanking the ship into a sudden barrel roll.

The Ascended in the back were thrown off balance, scrambling for handholds.

Kael didn't give them a chance.

He pulled up hard, aiming the ship directly at the second enemy craft.

Inside the second gunship, the pilot realized too late.

Kael grinned. "Bye."

He bailed.

He leapt from the gunship's cockpit, twisting through the air—just as his stolen craft slammed into the second one.

The explosion ripped through the night sky.

Kael fell through the fire, the heat burning against his skin.

Then Veyrith swooped down, catching him effortlessly mid-air.

Kael landed on the Leviathan's back, exhaling sharply. "That went well."

Veyrith's voice was filled with disdain.

Reckless as always.

Kael smirked. "But effective."

The last of the rebel fleet broke free of the storm, climbing toward the safety of orbit.

Kael looked back.

The battlefield below was nothing but smoke and burning wreckage.

They had won.

But at what cost?

🔥 Meanwhile… Seraphis Watches From the Shadows

Far below, Seraphis stood in the ruins of the warship, her plasma blades dimmed.

She watched the rebels disappear into the clouds, Kael's Leviathan vanishing with them.

She lifted a hand, pressing it lightly against her ribs. Where Kael had struck her. Where he had disarmed her.

Where he had chosen to run instead of finish the fight.

Her orders had been clear.

Kill the Reaper.

And yet, she hadn't.

She clenched her jaw.

This wasn't over.

She turned, stepping back into the burning wreckage, her mind racing.

She had a choice to make.

And soon, so would he.

The Void stretched endlessly before them.

Beyond the reinforced glass of the gunship's cockpit, stars flickered against the abyss, cold and indifferent. The fleet drifted through the black, engines burning softly as they fled from the wreckage of the battlefield below.

Kael sat near the open ramp at the rear of the ship, his boots resting on the grated floor. His breathing was steady, but his body ached. He could feel the weight of battle in his ribs, his arms—wounds that had barely begun to clot.

Veyrith had settled into the docking bay of a larger rebel cruiser, the war-beast's massive form curled into the shadows.

The rebels had won. But Kael knew victory was a fleeting thing.

A war wasn't fought in a single battle.

And this was just the beginning.

When the fleet finally emerged from Voidspace, they approached a vast structure hidden among drifting asteroids.

The Free Cities' last stronghold.

A colossal station carved from salvaged Ascended warships, its architecture a chaotic fusion of old world metal and modern rebellion.

Gun turrets tracked their approach, but the rebels were expected. As the fleet docked, steel doors hissed open, revealing a sprawling hangar filled with soldiers, mechanics, and war machines.

Kael stepped off the ship, boots hitting the deck with a solid thud.

Immediately, he felt it.

The eyes.

Hundreds of rebel fighters watched him with silent wariness.

He could see it in their expressions—the uncertainty, the barely restrained hostility.

To them, he was an unknown. A relic of the past, a weapon they didn't know if they could trust.

And they weren't wrong.

"Welcome to Hollow Bastion."

Kael turned.

Elyndra stood beside him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

"Not exactly a palace," she said, "but it keeps us alive."

Kael rolled his shoulders. "I've seen worse."

Arkan stepped forward, his gaze sharp. "We lost good people today."

Kael met his eyes. "War takes."

Arkan's expression darkened. "Yeah. But sometimes it takes more than it should."

The tension between them was thick. Kael knew what the veteran was really saying.

Was bringing the Reaper back worth the cost?

Elyndra exhaled. "Enough. We need to debrief."

She turned on her heel. "Kael. With me."

Kael glanced at the gathered soldiers one last time before following.

🔥 The Commander and the Reaper – A Private Conversation

Elyndra's command chamber was dimly lit, cluttered with datapads, old maps, and holoprojections of the battlefield.

She paced near the window, arms still crossed, her jaw set.

Kael leaned against the table. "Go on, then. Say what you're thinking."

Elyndra stopped pacing.

"What I'm thinking is that you're dangerous."

Kael smirked. "Not exactly a revelation."

"And unpredictable."

Kael shrugged. "War is unpredictable."

Elyndra's gaze burned into him. "No. You are.

"You took on an Arch-Ascended and survived. You tore through an entire warship's forces. And you... adapt. Too quickly."

Kael met her eyes. "Are you afraid of me, Elyndra?"

Silence.

Then she stepped forward, until she was close. Too close.

Kael could feel the heat of her body, the tension in the space between them.

"I don't fear you, Kael."

She reached up, fingers grazing the fresh cut along his jawline.

"But I don't trust you."

Kael's pulse thrummed. He could see it in her eyes—a battle she wasn't ready to name.

War and attraction weren't so different. Both required control. And both, when given the wrong moment, could become something reckless.

He tilted his head slightly. "Then why bring me here?"

Elyndra's fingers curled, her touch gone.

She stepped back.

"Because I need you."

Kael exhaled. "That makes two of us."

For now, that was enough.

But he knew this conversation wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

🔥 Meanwhile… Seraphis Stands at the Edge of a Choice

Far away, on an Ascended dreadnought, Seraphis knelt.

Before her, the holographic form of Prime Ascendant Zeruel loomed. His voice was smooth, absolute.

"You failed."

Seraphis remained silent.

"We do not tolerate failure, Seraphis."

She clenched her fists.

The warship's sterile white light gleamed off her armor, her own reflection staring back at her.

She thought of Kael.

Of his blade. His fire.

The way he looked at her, even after all these years.

Zeruel's voice was cold. "You have one more chance. Kill him. Or be erased."

Seraphis slowly lifted her head.

Her golden eyes burned.

"Understood."

But deep inside, she wasn't sure if it was a lie.