Shattered Asteroid

Jagged rocks ground under Ash's boots as he ran, his breath steady despite the burn in his chest. The chaos of the battlefield slipped away, replaced by a heavy silence that gnawed at his senses. Something felt off. The air seemed to throb, like the distant pulse of a heart buried beneath the stone.

Ahead, a pale light flickered.

Ash slowed, weaving between the sharp edges of the boulders, his gaze locked on the source. The glow grew brighter as he approached. He stepped carefully, eyes narrowing. The light revealed itself—a perfect sphere, hovering just above the ground. Its surface gleamed, untouched by dust, its edges sharp and flawless. A faint hum radiated from it, the sound crawling beneath his skin.

Instinctively, Ash's fingers twitched, but his blade stayed at his side, its weight unbothered. He didn't reach for it.

'Is this what I'm looking for?' he thought. 'Max hadn't said anything about this... Didn't even warn me if it's good to touch. Just the coordinates.'

His hand hovered. The glow pulsed again.

WHOOSH.

A blast of wind hit him square in the chest.

He didn't have time to turn, no chance to react.

THUD!

A fist slammed into his ribs. Pain exploded through his side. His feet left the ground. The force hurled him across the rocks. He crashed, his body skidding and bouncing, his vision blurring. Through the haze, the orb still pulsed beside him, untouched. Its hum never stopped—sharp, relentless.

His back slammed against a boulder. His hand reached out, grasping air. His blade was gone—knocked loose in the fall.

The dust settled. Silence wrapped around him, save for the steady hum of the orb.

Ash gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move. He glanced up.

He wasn't alone.

His chest heaved, breath coming quick, but he steadied himself just as the shadow fell over him.

Speedy landed lightly, his boots barely disturbing the rocks. The usual smirk was gone, replaced by a focused, irritated glare visible through his visor.

"You really thought you got rid of me?" His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the bite in it.

Ash's muscles tensed.

Speedy moved.

A fist slammed into his ribs, then another—each blow faster than the last, hammering into his arms, chest, face. Ash tried to block, but Speedy's speed made it impossible. Each hit came like a blur, and the force behind them sent shockwaves through his body. The wind whipped around them, adding strength to each strike.

Dust exploded with every blow. The ground trembled under the force.

"You could've surrendered.," THWACK! "but no—" WHAM! "You just had to make this difficult—" THUD!

Ash gritted his teeth, fighting to stay focused. He had to do something—now.

Then, the world jolted.

A deep BOOM rumbled through the asteroid, vibrating up Ash's spine. The sound was guttural, like a roar from the core of the planet.

Speedy froze, his fist hanging mid-air.

A pulse of light split the sky.

Ash forced his eyes up.

The Apex carrier ship hovered above them, its cannons glowing with energy. A heartbeat later, a beam of raw destruction—purple and blue, swirling like a storm—struck the asteroid.

The explosion swallowed the horizon.

Shockwaves tore through the ground, splintering rock, cracking the earth beneath them. The land buckled, sending unstable fragments spiraling into the air. The wind howled, carrying dust and debris as chunks of the asteroid fell from the sky.

Speedy's face twisted in disbelief. "No—no way. We were taking this rock, not—" His voice faltered. "What the hell is he thinking?!"

Ash barely registered his words. His breath came hard, his mind scrambling.

Then he saw it.

The orb.

It hovered untouched by the chaos, its soft glow still steady, waiting. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Ash's suit's sensors flickered, unable to register its energy.

Everything screamed at him.

'Move.'

His hand shot out.

The instant his fingers brushed the surface—

A voice. Small. Boyish. Unfamiliar.

"Finally… you found me."

Ash's eyes widened. 'What—'

Light exploded from the distance destruction—blinding, all-encompassing.

Then__

Nothing.

————

Before the Asteroid's Destruction – Kael's Perspective

Kael moved through the chaos like a shadow set on fire.

Claws sliced the air. The asteroid cracked underfoot, chunks breaking loose with every step. He didn't slow. Fire raced through his body, filling his limbs, pushing him forward as he clashed with Jov's molten fists.

Each hit sent the ground trembling. Sparks flew. Flames met stone in bursts of light, each blow louder than the last.

Jov stomped. The ground split beneath him—then shot up in jagged spikes, a wave of stone ripping toward Kael.

Kael didn't think.

He leapt, twisting through the smoke-choked air. Heat rose in his chest, lips parting—

A fireball screamed from his throat.

Jov didn't flinch.

A wall of rock exploded up from the ground. It caught the flames, holding firm as the fire spread across its face. Cracks spidered through the surface, heat seeping in.

Then Jov charged.

He burst through the smoke, molten fist aimed straight at Kael's chest.

CRACK.

The punch landed. Kael flew back, claws digging into the stone just in time to catch himself. His feet slid, sparks trailing beneath him. His breath came in short bursts, his body steaming in the cool vacuum of space.

Then it hit him.

Something else. Not Jov. Not the fight.

A heat, rising inside him—wrong. His fur curled, smoke rising from his skin. The air shimmered around him. His body wasn't burning with strength. It was something else. 'No. Not now.'

He shook it off and lunged again, claws flashing toward Jov's face.

Jov ducked just outside his reach. His fist shot forward—Kael caught it on his arm. The blow rattled through him, numbing his fingers.

They traded strikes again. Fire and stone. Heat and pressure. The space between them twisted with every clash.

Kael's arms dragged. His shoulders screamed. Each step felt heavier than the last.

Jov stepped back, tilting his head.

"Ohhh… I get it now." His voice slid between the noise. "Your fancy form—doesn't last long, does it? You running out of energy?"

Kael didn't answer. He forced himself to move again. Claws lashed out. Too slow.

Jov leaned away, smirking. "Yep. That's what I thought."

Then it happened.

A pull, like a thread snapping inside his chest. The heat vanished.

His red fur faded. The beast-shape fell away. Muscles shrank. His claws drew back into hands. His body shifted, returning to its human frame. The floating shards of his suit snapped back into place, sealing over bare skin.

Kael stood still, panting. Sweat stung his eyes. His legs trembled, but a grin tugged at his lips.

"At least I bought them more time," he muttered, voice low. "Whatever you're planning… they'll stop it."

Jov watched him with arms crossed. His smile didn't fade. "Oh, you're here to stop us? From taking the asteroid?"

Kael's eyes narrowed. His heart beat faster.

"Asteroid?" His voice tightened. "I thought there was something on it."

Something shifted in Jov's face. A flicker of doubt. "What do you mean—"

BOOM.

A pillar of light slammed down from the sky.

The Apex carrier floated high above them, its cannons still glowing, smoke curling from their tips. The beam had already hit.

It tore into the core of the asteroid.

Then came the explosion.

A soundless quake rippled through everything. Light tore upward, cracks spreading like veins through the rock. Chunks of ground ripped free, flying into space. The sky turned dark with ash and burning debris.

Jov stumbled. "No—no way. We were taking this rock, not—" His voice caught. "What the hell is he thinking?!"

Kael didn't hear the rest.

His eyes locked on the center of the blast.

Max. He was still there.

Kael's chest locked up.

"MAX!" The scream left his lungs as light swallowed the world.

Everything turned white.

Endless white.

————

Max's Perspective – Before the Asteroid's Destruction

Max held his ground, shields flaring to life around him. Plasma fire slammed against the glowing walls of energy, flashes bursting with each hit before fading. His metal arms shifted, servos whirring, weapons clicking into place.

Movement on the side.

A trooper lunged.

Max's hand snapped out, metal fingers locking tight around the attacker's wrist. One twist—

CRACK.

The rifle dropped, bouncing across the cracked ground. Max's other hand sparked.

BOOM .

A burst of force threw the trooper back, slamming him into the jagged rock.

Figures closed in.

His HUD lit up. [Three incoming—left. Two more—right.]

A warning blinked. Another group behind.

His visor scanned the field. [Weak spots. Step patterns. Weapon signatures.]

'predictable.'

A grin pulled at his mouth.

Behind him, the cannons mounted to his back spun to life. Twin barrels snapped toward the flanks.

Pzzzt!

Energy fire ripped through the dark. The soldiers dropped, smoke trailing from their broken armor.

He moved with purpose, not grace—every step sharp, each blow exact. A plasma blade swept toward his chest—he spun aside, then fired a pulse from his wrist. The trooper flew back.

Another charged.

Max met him with a steel grip around the throat, then drove him into the ground. Stone cracked beneath the impact.

His systems flared.

Heat signatures lit up.

He turned. The shoulder cannon fired again.

BOOM!

Three Apex soldiers vanished in a wave of flame and shrapnel.

Max let out a breath and rolled his shoulders, armor shifting with the motion. "This is getting boring."

A sound chirped in his helmet.

Beep.

His visor blinked. A red pulse spread across the display.

His eyes lifted.

Above him, the Apex carrier hovered—massive, silent, alive with energy. The ship's main cannon pulsed, light spinning in its core, drawing in power. The air bent. Electricity crawled across the sky.

Max's jaw tightened.

His suit came alive, locking into combat mode.

"[High-energy attack detected. Activating Shield—Max Grade.]"

Golden panels flickered across his armor, one after the other. They locked into place over his limbs, chest, shoulders—each one humming.

'Still not enough.'

He raised both arms.

Above him, a glowing shield took shape. A dome of energy, thick and wide, covering the blast radius.

Still—

Not enough.

He forced more energy into it. Another layer formed. Then another.

The dome thickened, burning bright like a second sun. Sweat slid down his temple. His muscles tensed.

Every part of him focused.

The cannon fired.

A beam of energy tore through the sky.

It hit.

The first barrier cracked. Then the next. And the next.

The dome shattered layer by layer. The force slammed into him, pressing down like a mountain. Alarms screamed in his ears. Lights flashed in his HUD.

Then one final message came.

"[Emergency defense systems activated for all team members. Evacuation sequence triggered.]"

Max sucked in a breath. His knees shook.

'It should protect them…' His fingers twitched. 'But is it enough?'

The beam crashed down.

Light swallowed everything.

The asteroid broke.

Max collapsed, buried beneath the weight of his own defenses.

Then—

Nothing.

————

Aboard the Apex Carrier Ship

Greg leaned back in his chair. His fingers tapped the armrest in a slow rhythm. Outside the wide viewport, pieces of the asteroid drifted through space—some floating like dead leaves, others tearing through the dark with burning trails. A few fragments veered toward the planet far below.

His eyes followed them. His mouth curved. "Destruction has a certain… elegance, doesn't it?"

The doors hissed open.

A trooper marched in, boots striking the metal floor with sharp, even steps. He stopped, raised a fist to his chest. "Sir, the salvage ships are in position. We're collecting the asteroid fragments now."

Greg didn't move at first. He took a breath, let it settle in his chest. "And the enemies?"

The trooper glanced at his device. A pulse of red scanned across his visor. "Scanners show nothing but debris, sir. No life signs detected."

Greg's grin grew, slow and quiet. "Good."

His gaze stayed on the wreckage. The silence in the room stretched. Then a soft beep broke through it.

He looked down at his wrist device.

His eyes narrowed.

He stood without a word. The collar of his long coat shifted as he moved. A panel slid open beside the command station. Behind it waited a dark room, lit in cold, electric blue.

He stepped inside.

Six tall screens lined the walls, one by one flickering to life. Faces appeared, each one hidden behind a different mask.

Greg reached for his own. Blue metal, shaped like flowing water, with soft engravings that shimmered under the room's light. He placed it over his face. A pulse ran through him. The neural link snapped into place.

His vision sharpened.

His breath synced with the quiet hum of the link.

He stepped forward. His voice cut through the room. "Everything is proceeding as planned."

Static buzzed from one of the screens. A figure leaned in. His mask was sharp, black with gold lines that split across it like lightning frozen in glass.

"Planned?" The voice crackled. "You let Jov die."

Greg didn't blink. "And?"

The chamber went still.

He tilted his head, voice calm. "What use is a pawn that's reached its limit? His flames were strong, but his control was lacking. He was already standing at the peak of his potential. Weakness like that has no place among us."

Another screen lit up. A woman lounged in her chair, the frame tall and curved behind her. Her mask shimmered silver, frost-like patterns curling over its surface.

A cold laugh slipped from her lips.

"Wise men grow softer with age, but you…" Her head tilted. "You were never wise to begin with."

Greg's fingers twitched. He didn't raise his voice. "Careful, ice witch. If I had my way, you'd have been the one left on that asteroid instead of that failed fire user."

She laughed again, low and steady. "I wonder… does it haunt you, knowing your 'Water Clan' is nothing but a relic of the past? Drowned by its own weakness?"

Greg's spine stiffened.

Before he could answer, another voice cut through. "Enough."

The room shifted.

The largest screen flickered. A tall figure appeared, wrapped in a cloak darker than space. His mask was unlike the others—black and silver, marked with swirling lines that never stood still, like wind inside a storm.

The air seemed to press down.

Greg bowed his head. "Lord B-Mask."

The others followed, heads lowered, silent.

B-Mask's voice echoed, cold and steady. "Rise, Greg. You have done well. However… why dispose of the fire user? He was still useful."

Greg stood straight. "He had no future." His voice didn't shake. "But I have found another candidate."

A pause.

B-Mask turned slightly. "And who would that be? Surely you don't mean Flame."

The golden-masked man leaned forward. His voice jumped. "That's suicide if you go after him!"

Greg didn't flinch. "Not him. His son."

The ice-masked woman tapped her finger against her armrest. "Hmm… now that is interesting."

A deep voice rumbled from another screen. The figure didn't move. His mask was earth-colored, cracked through the middle like split stone. "And how do you plan to turn him? You've all seen how he idolizes his father."

Greg looked toward B-Mask.

The room fell still.

Then came the answer. Calm. Final. "Good. He will do."

Silence followed.

Then—

"If he refuses—"

The weight in the room deepened.

"—then we will break him."

Greg's smile returned beneath the mask. His eyes slid to a nearby screen showing the remains of the asteroid, still glowing in space.

The plan had begun.

Nothing would stop it now.