Chapter 19 – The Warlord’s Captive

--Xyphora ,Volaris System, Sector 7-42D--

--Unknown Location – Cyborg Warlord's Fortress --

Rei's mind drifted in and out of darkness.

There was no sense of time, only a dull, pounding ache in his skull and a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. His limbs felt like they were encased in stone, unable to move, unresponsive to his desperate attempts to regain control.

His last memory before losing consciousness was the Killer Bots closing in—and then—

A flash of light.

A shockwave.

And then nothing.

Now, as awareness slowly clawed its way back into his mind, Rei realized two things:

One—he was alive.Two—he was no longer free.

A faint hum filled the air, the sound of energy pulsating through machinery.

His eyes flickered open.

The first thing he saw was metal.

The walls, the ceiling, the floor—all reinforced steel, illuminated by the cold blue glow of embedded energy conduits running through the room. A harsh artificial light buzzed above, bathing everything in an eerie luminescence.

The second thing he noticed was the restraints.

Thick metallic clamps bound his wrists and ankles to an angled restraint table, pinning him in place. He struggled, but the bindings didn't budge.

A cold, mechanical voice echoed from the ceiling.

"Subject is conscious. Alerting Lord D'Karr."

Rei's stomach dropped.

He wasn't just in any facility.

He was in enemy hands.

Heavy metallic footsteps rang through the corridor outside.

Each step carried a deliberate weight, a calculated presence that sent a chill down Rei's spine.

Then, the door slid open with a hiss.

And he entered.

A towering figure, nearly eight feet tall, stepped into the room. His body was a fusion of machine and flesh, his limbs wrapped in plated armor, his eyes glowing with an unnatural red light that flickered like embers in the dim chamber.

A long, tattered metallic coat draped over his form, and his partially exposed face—one side flesh, the other a smooth mechanical plate—twisted into something resembling a smirk.

Lord D'Karr.

His presence alone was suffocating.

Rei swallowed hard, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

D'Karr stopped a few feet away, tilting his head as he studied him.

Then, he chuckled—a low, mechanical sound, filled with amusement.

"So," he murmured, his voice a mix of smooth arrogance and underlying menace. "You're the anomaly that tore apart my machines?"

Rei said nothing.

D'Karr's grin widened.

"Interesting. You don't look like much."

Rei clenched his jaw. "Yeah, well… looks can be deceiving."

D'Karr let out a metallic chuckle and stepped closer, the air thickening with tension.

"You're not wrong," he mused. "After all, appearances mean little when something far more fascinating lies beneath."

Rei stiffened.

The warlord lifted one cybernetic hand, and from his palm, a thin mechanical arm extended, equipped with scanning probes.

"Let's take a closer look, shall we?"

The moment the probe hovered over Rei's chest, something reacted.

A sharp pulse of energy radiated from within him—brief but intense.

D'Karr's expression flickered with something close to genuine surprise.

For the first time, his smug amusement faltered.

"Ah," he murmured. "There it is."

Rei gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the nausea that came with the foreign probe.

D'Karr stepped back, clasping his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

"You," he said, voice softer now, measuring each word, "are something rare."

Rei didn't answer.

Because for the first time, a sinking dread settled in his stomach.

D'Karr wasn't just another warlord.

He wasn't just a tyrant.

He was a collector.

And he had just found something worth keeping.

-Meanwhile – 

Seyra moved quickly, her feet barely making a sound against the cracked pavement of the ruined city.

The moment she had seen the crater where Rei had fought, she knew the truth—he had been taken.

The question was, by whom?

But it didn't take long to find out.

She knelt near deep, imprinted tracks in the dirt. Heavy. Military-grade transport skiff.

Which means… cyborgs.

Her grip on her spear tightened.

A short distance away, she found something even more damning.

A shattered piece of metal plating, engraved with an insignia she had hoped never to see again.

A jagged black sigil—the mark of Lord D'Karr.

A cold fury settled in her chest.

She had dealt with his kind before.

And she wasn't about to let Rei rot in one of D'Karr's laboratories.

She stood, exhaling slowly, her gaze locked onto the horizon.

I'm coming, Stray.

And this time, she wouldn't be too late.

-High Orbit – 

High above Xyphora, the mysterious figure inside the cloaked ship studied their sensor readings.

The energy signature they had been tracking had vanished once again.

But this time, it wasn't from interference.

It was because the anomaly—the boy—was now deep inside an enemy stronghold.

The pilot's fingers hovered over the ship's controls.

I could retrieve him now.

A simple assault maneuver would be enough to infiltrate and extract the boy before his captors could do anything about it.

And yet—

A new signal caught their attention.

Another presence.

Not a Starborn. Not a machine.

A survivor. Determined. Armed. Dangerous.

The sensors displayed a familiar face.

Seyra.

The figure tilted their head slightly, watching the data feed of her movements.

She intends to retrieve him herself.

A long pause.

Then, the pilot leaned back.

Very well. Let's see how far she gets.

They deactivated the ship's active navigation systems.

For now, they would wait.

And watch.

Because the real game was only just beginning.