"I can't move." A man was drifting along the infinite blackness of space. He appeared to almost be completely lifeless with his back curved.He was clad in black and white tights with golden highlights on the sides. A name tag with the initials "Tyson" was pinned to his chest. "How long have I been drifting in space, hours, perhaps days? I can't tell. God! My mind is foggy, my Astro tech is almost fully drained and once it dries out, so will my astral skin, and I'll die from lack of oxygen." He tried to move his body in desperation, but to no avail... "This paralysis is that witch's hex. Is this how my story ends? Am I fated to die a loser? That too at the hands of the people I served for over a decade!?" More hours passed and Tyson's situation did not change. "It's so cold." He imagined hugging his body to stay warm, but alas, that was all he could do, imagine. "They dumped me way out here without a planet or celestial body insight." Lost in his thoughts, he felt regret. Reg
"So,"Victor, Tyson, and Xing were at the dining table."You ready to tell me how you wound up in the middle of literally nowhere?"Tyson paused his eating as he balls his fist.His past flashed before his eyes. Victor and Xing could feel the rage and anguish that overcame the white-haired man.He recalled working diligently for the association even though he was of the lowest rank. He worked tirelessly hunting down petty criminals with his Astro gear.He also recalled being left for dead by the woman he respected the most."Life is cruel, snow-white. So you don't have to talk if you don't want to."Tyson took a deep breath. "No, I owe you two for saving my life. So it's the least I could do."He stands up and begins his narration."As you already know, I'm a C-Grade bounty hunter working for the BHA. Or I was... Until recently.""Being a C-Grade, I did not command any respect from everybody else. We were seen as grunts. The weakest next to D-Grade hunters who could barely take down a
"Those bastards!" Tyson cursed."Captain," said Xing. "We're surrounded by an association warship and a dozen mini-cruisers."Haha, they went all out, didn't they? That, too is on my second day since resurfacing."Boom! The Ebon Phantom was receiving heavy fire from all directions."Argh!" Tyson yelled. "What do I do?" He yanked his hair. "I'm an unlucky bastard, aren't I?"He cursed his bad luck. First, he was betrayed and attacked by the association for no reason whatsoever. When he had given up on life, he was saved by an unknown cruiser.Now, it turns out that the cruiser belonged to one of the most wanted men in the Cosmos!"My fate is sealed, I'm doomed to die at the hands of the association." He plopped to the floor and hugged his knees."Hey, Snow-white."Tyson raised his head. "What?""Clench your teeth.""Huh?"Victor's hand flashed before his eyes."Ow!" Tyson held his cheek. "What was that for!" He jolts up and grabs Victor by the collar. A vein popped in his head."That w
LOCATION: RED WINEInside the warship of the association, Mistique was slamming her fists against the wall. "How is this happening? Why are they losing against one man?" She was checking the heat scanners as she saw the fate of her subordinates. "Is this the strength of the most wanted man in the cosmos?" She had sent waves after wave of hunters to the Ebon Phantom, but the result was the same. They were beaten and knocked out with single blows by one man. Mistique was unaware of the fact that it wasn't Victor who was beating up her crew. "I guess I'll just have to go there myself." ... Victor had a bucket of popcorn in front of him as he and Xing indulged themselves with the sight of a one-sided beatdown. They watched as bodies flew everywhere. "Ack, how is he so strong!?" "He has the rarest Astral Spectrum!" "But it was white moments ago because he was a C-Grade hunter!"The hunters tried to make sense of Tyson's awakened powers, but they all failed to get another word o
"Where am I?" Tyson found himself in an odd place. It was plain white, and he could not see the ceiling or walls. "What is this place? Is it a dream?" He walked around the place for what felt like an hour trying to reach the end. "Last thing I recalled was fighting that witch." He uttered, clenching his fist. "And I lost." "Argh!!!" He shouted from the bottom of his lungs. "It's so frustrating. I had her in my clutches and what did I do?" He yanked his hair. "I toyed with her, I had the power to end her with a single strike, I knew I did." He continued walking through the infinite space. "Wait, what happened after she knocked me out? What if I die and this is the afterlife?" He plopped to his knees. Tyson balls up his fist and slammed the floor, making an odd "Thud" sound. "I'm such a loser!" He shouted, feeling nothing but rage and regret. He continued slamming the floor. "Only a loser will die like that..." Tyson paused. "What's the point? This has always been the law of
"Huff. Huff.""You're almost there..." Victor was holding a stopwatch to keep a record of how long Tyson could keep his astral skin on."This is annoying!" Tyson was getting tired and angry. Keeping the black astral skin on took a lot of mental focus which placed a strain on him."I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with it, snow-white."The first lesson for Tyson was to learn how to properly use his astral skin."You wouldn't want a repeat of what happened the other time now, would you?"Tyson clicked his tongue. As much as he'd hate to admit it, Victor was right. There was no point in being stubborn.The black astral skin is one of the rarest Spectrums that a person can harness. It provides an incredible buff in strength and speed as shown by Tyson when he easily took care of over a dozen B-Grade bounty hunters. He would have beaten the A-Grade Mistique too had he not exhausted his astral."I appreciate you going through the trouble to help me but... Do I have to do it in this p
LOCATION: RED WINE GALAXY, PLANET DARTH. "Okay, I think my nose just died." Tyson pinched his nose as he and Victor walked through the cyberpunk-style planet."What? Nonsense, that's the adventure you're perceiving, snow-white." Victor deeply inhales and breathes out through his mouth. "If this is what adventure smells like... I'd rather take my chances with a black hole."Victor smirked. "Well, if you want. You can go back to the ship to help Xing with some maintenance."Tyson felt a chill run through his spine. The mere thought of working with the android whom he despised made him feel like throwing up. Or maybe, it's the surrounding stench. "I hate you," he muttered. "What's that?" Victor perked his ears."What are we doing here anyway?" Tyson scanned their surroundings. They were currently at a marketplace. "This place is filled with notorious criminals... Pirates, mercenaries and thieves. I recognize most of them from the bounty hunter wanted list in the database." "It's nor
"Finally!" Tyson exclaimed as he spread his arms apart. "I can breathe fresh air again!" He, Victor and Zera have made their way back to the Ebon Phantom."Well?" Victor turned to the vampire. "What do you think of Stally?" He asked with a grin as he puffed out his chest.Zera scanned the cruiser momentarily before setting her gaze back to its captain. "She's as vibrant as ever." She remarked with a smile. Tyson wore a stoic expression as he glanced at the two. 'Why are they talking as if the cruiser is a living thing?'Just then, Xing approached them."Xing..." Zera said in a cold tone.Tyson felt a chill run down his spine. She gave off the same vibe as earlier when they met. The look was aimed at the android, yet he felt restless."Zera..." Xing responded similarly."I see Jackie still hasn't taken you for recycling.""I see you're still trying to pass off as a young and beautiful woman despite being an old hag."A vein popped in the vampire's head. Zera gritted her teeth and lea