Suprema Gamma.

We passed through corridors that didn't obey architectural logic. Some staircases looped into spirals and still led forward. Halls bent in reverse angles, like origami made of marble and flux. And yet… it all worked. Somehow. I stopped trying to understand the rules of this place and just walked, jaw slack, as the castle of Lyers Mand unfolded around me.

Then came the throne room.

The doors towered above us like giants, ancient carvings laced with silver filigree and glowing geometric veins. When they opened, it wasn't creaky or dramatic. They just parted quietly, like the entire structure wanted us to be there.

Inside, the room felt less like royalty and more like a cosmic nerve center. A massive throne floated above a bed of glowing circuitry, orbiting screens and data points like planets. Holograms buzzed around the throne in a controlled frenzy. And seated amidst the chaos was her.

A woman lounged back on the throne with her legs crossed like she had no care in the world. Her fingers flicked through the data streams as easily as someone flipping channels on a remote. She was tall, powerful, poised, wearing a fitted coat of silver and black fabric that shimmered like starlight.

But what truly hit me were her eyes. Green, blue, gold, red, violet… all in motion like molten glass. And her hair, long, brown, wild but styled like it didn't dare fall out of place.

She was… breathtaking.

"Gamma," Phaser called out.

The woman paused. The holograms disappeared in a blink. Then she smiled, bright and warm, a total contrast to the authority she radiated.

"Welcome home, brother."

Wait. Brother?

I blinked, turned toward Phaser and... yeah. The resemblance hit me like a falling brick. The brown hair, the eyes, hers multicolored, his switching through them. His were calmer, more controlled. Hers were… galaxies.

Shannon grinned as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Permonelle, meet the one and only Suprema Gamma, ruler of Reversal Cradlepoint, tactician of the Southern Rogue Network, and, yeah, Phaser's older sister."

"Technically twin," Gamma corrected, gliding down the throne steps. "But I'm two hours older, which means everything in twin law."

I tried not to stare. I really did. But the way she carried herself? She was power incarnate. There was no arrogance in her movements, only precision and confidence. She could probably tear apart an entire fleet without blinking.

Phaser stepped up and greeted her with a handshake they turned into a shoulder bump. Sibling stuff. He was smiling for real. That surprised me.

"You're looking well," he said.

"I'm always looking well." Gamma winked, then her gaze landed on me. "And this… is her, isn't it?"

Phaser nodded once. "Permonelle."

Gamma's eyes scanned me up and down, not rudely, more like a diagnostic scanner. Like she could see inside me, peel apart my soul and label each segment.

"She's got control," she said to Phaser. "At least surface-level. Any signs of the surge again?"

"No," Phaser replied. "Not since she came to."

Gamma smiled. "That's good. For everyone."

I swallowed. "Nice to meet you, Suprema Gamma."

"Oh, no need for the title here," she said, waving it off. "Just call me Gamma. We're all Flux here."

She moved closer, hands behind her back as she tilted her head. "So. You're the 9.3, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling suddenly like I was under a microscope. "Apparently."

"What's your Flux?"

"I don't… I don't fully know. It only awakened during the Second Thauma. I've got strength and senses but there's something else underneath it all I haven't tapped into yet."

Gamma hummed. "Classic partial unlock. We've seen it before, but not at your level. Most 9+ Flux ratings manifest with explosive traits. Yours is… latent. That makes you dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"In the best way. It means whatever your true Flux is, it hasn't come to the surface yet. When it does…" Her eyes sparkled. "Well. Let's just say it's going to be spectacular."

"I… guess that's reassuring?"

Phaser chuckled softly. "That's Gamma's way of saying you have potential."

"She's important," Shannon cut in. "She's the reason our mission's not a failure. We extracted both targets and she survived contact. Better than expected."

Gamma raised a brow.

"You didn't just survive. You walked through three of the most unstable rift transitions on this side of the hemisphere and still breathed. That's more than most Októ could handle without puking their lungs out."

"I did puke once," I muttered.

"That's allowed. Lyers Mand isn't some pristine military order. We're Rogues. We improvise. We endure. We adapt."

She turned to Phaser, more serious now.

"And the mission's deeper layers?"

"We'll need a memory siphon. The President and the Faction Master are in containment. Shannon's prepping the extraction."

"Good." Gamma stepped back and gestured toward a nearby archway. "Debrief room's ready. We'll get everything we need."

Before she left, she glanced back at me one last time.

"You've got time to breathe, Permonelle. But not forever. Once your flux stabilizes, I want to see it. For now, welcome to Reversal Cradlepoint."

Then she turned, flux data swirling to life behind her like a cape of energy. And just like that, I realized something:

The deeper I went into this world, the more I understood how far away from Earth I really was.

But damn…

This place felt like it was where I was meant to be.

----------

I watched as Shannon gave a final wave, her sharp ponytail swishing as she disappeared into a glowing portal on the side of the corridor. "Extraction mission," Phaser had said. That was all I got. No further explanation. Apparently, I wasn't at the clearance level to get the spicy details yet.

Which left me with... him.

That wasn't a complaint, by the way. He walked beside me like he owned the entire castle... well, maybe he kind of did. Every corridor we passed, every massive door that whooshed open like it was welcoming him home, every Rogue soldier or agent who stopped and nodded respectfully, it all told me one thing.

He was important here. Not just in the "strong guy with mysterious eyes and plot-armored hair" kind of way. I mean, he was legit important.

"Alright," I said, stepping into the elevator next to him as the doors hissed shut. "Your sister. Suprema Gamma. She's… I mean, wow. But who is she really? Is she seriously a 9.9 Flux Rating?"

Phaser leaned against the wall of the glass elevator and nodded with a hum. "Fifth Awakening too. She reached it just last year."

My jaw slackened. "Fifth Awakening?! There's more than two? I thought the Second Awakening was rare already."

He chuckled. "You really thought it stopped there?" He tilted his head slightly toward me, eyes glimmering in that unnerving, hypnotic mix of colors.

"High-rated Flux users like her push beyond what the system measures. She's one of the strongest Rogue Flux Elite alive right now. Awakenings go from the first to the sixth."

"And you?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was gawking even though I absolutely was. "You said she has an opposite Flux to yours. What's yours? And hers?"

Phaser only smirked. "That's a story for another time, rookie."

I groaned, slumping slightly. "You're such a tease."

"I've been called worse."

We stood there in silence for a moment as the elevator kept ascending—or descending—I honestly had no idea. This castle didn't follow normal spatial laws, and considering we were upside-down under a floating city on an alien planet called Erae, I was starting to lose my grip on what was considered "normal" anymore.

"She called you brother. But Phaser isn't your real name, is it?"

"Nope. Just like Gamma isn't hers. Titles are earned here, not given at birth. When you reach a certain level, your name becomes your legacy."

Before I could beg for more answers, the elevator let out a melodic ding and the doors glided open with a gust of warm air that carried a strange metallic scent. I blinked a few times as I stepped out onto a platform, and what I saw was something I'd never forget.

We were in a circular arena the size of several football fields. The ceiling stretched endlessly upward, glowing faintly with stars that didn't belong to Earth's sky. Towering structures hovered in midair, supported by invisible platforms or perhaps the sheer will of Flux alone. Training zones, battle chambers, tech arenas, elemental ranges, each designed for honing every kind of ability imaginable.

Rogues—hundreds of them—walked, trained, fought and meditated. Some sat in suspended gravity orbs, others dashed across vertical walls. It was chaos and order, discipline and creativity. A living, breathing sanctuary of raw power.

And the moment Phaser stepped in, the atmosphere shifted. Conversations halted. Weapons lowered. Heads turned.

Then, they bowed. Even those in mid-duels stopped to nod to him. A few women nearby blushed, one of them almost fumbling her Flux bow.

"Welcome back, Ennéa Phaser," a voice called from above. "Been a while."

"Missed you too, Dio Kallis," Phaser called back casually.

I stared up at the tall man on a floating platform, likely a Dio-tier Rogue, just chilling with his legs crossed. I felt like a squirrel among dragons.

"Do they all treat you like a god?"

"Most of them. I did save half their asses during the War of Rogusia."

Of course he did.

A group of women walked past, throwing glances my way... no, not my way. His way. One of them even winked at him with a flare of pink Flux.

"You're kind of a heartthrob around here," I muttered.

"A downside of being good at my job."

"I should have worn something more murdery."

"You look fine. Intimidating, even."

I looked down at myself, wearing cargo pants, blood stains, and ripped sleeves, which were Shannon's clothes.

"Gee. Thanks."

He laughed as he led me toward a platform that slowly began to hover and lift us into the center of the arena. People were watching now. Like... a lot of people.

"Okay, why are they looking at me like I'm on stage?"

"Because you are. This is your initiation, Permonelle. You survived an assassination plot, an exploding cruise ship, and a cross-realm jump through a dimensional void. You've been deemed worthy of being made a Rogue Flux Elite."

"I thought I had to do, like... a ritual or fight a monster or something."

"Oh, you will. But first..."

The platform halted in the center. A glowing sigil beneath us began to pulse, and my heart rate spiked.

"...they need to see you. Know your name. Watch the birth of a new Rogue."

A loud voice echoed through the arena, a projection of Phaser's amplified through the surrounding speakers.

"This is Permonelle," he announced. "Ennéa Candidate. Flux Rating: Ennéa One. Recently awakened, highly combat capable, immune to standard firearms, and built like a damn tank. Officially under my mentorship."

A low murmur passed through the Rogues, some impressed, some curious, all attentive.

I swallowed hard. "Is it too late to hide in a locker?"

 "Too late. You're one of us now."

And just like that, my life took another insane turn. Not that I was complaining. Not this time.

This time, I was ready.