Talon’s boots hit the ground as he descended the ramp of the SSS-Class Apex craft. Behind him, six members of his crew followed, their postures alert and disciplined. The quiet hum of the landing pad was soon overtaken by murmurs and whispers from those gathered at the edge of the docking area.Gwen’s heart thudded painfully in her chest as she clutched her son, David, tighter. Her legs wavered between taking a step forward or retreating into the safety of her home.“Talon?” she whispered to herself, disbelief clouding her face.Nate, standing nearby, watched Gwen's reaction cautiously but turned his gaze to the mysterious man stepping forward. His well-kept military stance, the crew flanking him in perfect formation, and the way the guards at the Safe Zone hesitated to approach spoke volumes. This wasn’t just anyone—it was someone important.Gregg Landon furrowed his brows, recognizing the badge clipped onto Talon’s jacket, one he hadn’t seen in years. “That badge… but that’s…” He le
Gwen shed tears, unable to fully process what Talon was saying. A part of her wanted to believe him, but the years of pain, the countless nights mourning his supposed death, made it impossible for her to accept his words so easily. The reasonable explanation he offered made her angry further—how could something so plausible feel so impossible to believe?“Talon, you died a long time ago in my life,” Gwen finally said. She turned abruptly and left the place without looking back.“Gwen!”“Gwen!”Her father and Nate called after her, but she didn’t stop or respond.Talon stood frozen, his head bowed in sorrow. He knew reconciliation wouldn’t be easy, but he had to try. “I know she’s hurt... but I can’t give up now,” he murmured to himself. Back home, Gwen stormed through the door, slamming it shut. Little David, who was playing with his toys on the floor, looked up in excitement.“Mummy! Daddy’s back! Hurray! I thought he was gone forever, but now he’s here! Mummy, I want to see Dad!” D
“And I tried to save her by using my body to wedge her,” Talon concluded the story of how he first met Gwen a decade ago. David had already fallen asleep by now.Talon still held onto Gwen’s hands as David had requested.However, noticing that David was now asleep, Gwen quietly removed her hands. She hadn’t yet forgiven Talon and was still upset.Angry and flustered, Gwen attempted to leave the room. It was already late at night.Talon felt a bit sad, but decided to give her more time. Just as Gwen was about to leave, David stirred and called out to them, his voice groggy.“Dad! Mom! Are you guys quarreling again?” David’s drowsy eyes slowly opened.Gwen, who was halfway out of the room, stopped in her tracks.“Of course not, my darling. Why would we do such a thing?” Gwen quickly returned to Talon’s side and held his hand again.“Look, you see? Our hands are still together,” Gwen said as she raised their joined hands for David to see.Standing behind her, Talon felt a small flicker o
Talon grabbed her waist, unable to contain himself as he tore her clothes with speed.He began to devour her body, kissing her neck. "You've gained some curves while I was away," Talon said, noting how Gwen had indeed filled out more than before. The change had only enhanced her figure, making her shape more seductive than ever."Don't you like it?" Gwen moaned softly as Talon explored the rest of her body."Why wouldn't I love your fuller curves?" Talon smiled as he grabbed her bottom and squeezed firmly."Mmh! Bad boy," Gwen moaned as she felt the pressure from his hands, finding pleasure in the sensation."Why don't you explore there too?" Gwen said in a soft tone."Of course," Talon replied, gripping her waist and lifting her up, positioning her immediately."I'll show you what it means to explore," Talon said, fully aroused.Talon hadn't actually seen her body in such detail before - their last encounter had been while he was barely conscious, and he couldn't remember much of wha
In the beginning, God created the universe. He formed the heavens, the earth, demigods, and humans from dust.Some of the demigods rebelled against God and were cast down from the heavens, becoming demons that plagued humans on earth.However, there were faithful demigods who remained devoted to God.The demons, who were expelled from heaven, began to rule over humans, tormenting and killing them.Unsatisfied with their dominion on earth, the demons desired to conquer heaven. Then a great battle erupted in both heaven and earth.To save mankind from doom, God sent his only son, who led an army of demigods against the demons, resulting in the destruction of the entire world.Thereafter, the world was left in an unbalanced state, fragmented into various dimensions.The leader of the demons, Satan, was defeated and imprisoned in the eternal abyss of fire known as hell.Knowing this God then breathed life into the world once again, causing life to spread across the multiple dimensions, crea
In a forest with towering trees stretching up into the sky, Aric and his wife, Stella, who was heavily pregnant, ran along the branches."Honey! Keep going, we just need to make it to the next city," reassured Aric, a man in his twenties, as he stared at his exhausted wife, who continued to run.It was remarkable to witness Stella, in such an advanced stage of pregnancy, running this far while maintaining her speed.Swiftly maneuvering among the trees, they seemed to glide through the air like a couple taking flight. Their long leather trench coats billowed behind them, radiating a soft, luminous glow under the light of the full moon."Ahhhhh!" Stella paused momentarily, clutching her stomach with one hand while gripping a branch with the other."Honey, what's wrong?" Aric hurried to join Stella, supporting her by holding her waist."I think it's the baby. I can feel its kick. I'm not sure if we'll make it," she added, feeling worried.Meanwhile, Not far behind them, a group of pursue
After he moved with great speed, the particles of many trees split as his body collided with them. Aric regained balance by somersaulting and using the soles of his feet to stay in a slanted position on a tree close by. As a result of the sheer force, the tree broke too.Simultaneously, swiftly navigating through the leaves, he noticed the imminent fall of the tall tree and quickly flipped to land on the next one beside him.“That was close!” he let out regaining his momentum.With momentum regained, Aric continued his relentless pursuit through the treetops. The massive trees in the forest made it extremely easy for those who had Awakened to maintain balance on the treetops.As Aric arrived on the tree beside him, he twisted his feet tying to gain advantage to propel him forward.Immediately, he took his stance and leaped out of the tree. The gigantic tree fell down moments after as he flew with a breathtaking speed.He launched himself forward with great momentum towards the directi
“Wake up and leave… The demons are here… Take the chosen one out of here. My sister and I will stall for time…”Stella immediately sat down on the bed which she was lying. She couldn’t believe that she had finally given birth to her son. She stared at him and tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.“No time for explanations, leave now. I guess you’re in the A-rank class?”“How do…” Stella couldn’t complete her statement as they immediately handed her baby to her arms. “Yes, I am,” she was completely shocked again.“That means you’re capable of moving. I guess most of your injuries have healed. There is an underground basement, follow there and take the path that leads to the teleportation array. But it’s quite far, keep following that path to get to the array.” One of the other lady explained to her as she went and opened the floorboard that would lead to the basement.“What about you guys? Aren’t you coming with me?” Stella asked, staring at them with a sad expression.“Don’t worry a
Talon grabbed her waist, unable to contain himself as he tore her clothes with speed.He began to devour her body, kissing her neck. "You've gained some curves while I was away," Talon said, noting how Gwen had indeed filled out more than before. The change had only enhanced her figure, making her shape more seductive than ever."Don't you like it?" Gwen moaned softly as Talon explored the rest of her body."Why wouldn't I love your fuller curves?" Talon smiled as he grabbed her bottom and squeezed firmly."Mmh! Bad boy," Gwen moaned as she felt the pressure from his hands, finding pleasure in the sensation."Why don't you explore there too?" Gwen said in a soft tone."Of course," Talon replied, gripping her waist and lifting her up, positioning her immediately."I'll show you what it means to explore," Talon said, fully aroused.Talon hadn't actually seen her body in such detail before - their last encounter had been while he was barely conscious, and he couldn't remember much of wha
“And I tried to save her by using my body to wedge her,” Talon concluded the story of how he first met Gwen a decade ago. David had already fallen asleep by now.Talon still held onto Gwen’s hands as David had requested.However, noticing that David was now asleep, Gwen quietly removed her hands. She hadn’t yet forgiven Talon and was still upset.Angry and flustered, Gwen attempted to leave the room. It was already late at night.Talon felt a bit sad, but decided to give her more time. Just as Gwen was about to leave, David stirred and called out to them, his voice groggy.“Dad! Mom! Are you guys quarreling again?” David’s drowsy eyes slowly opened.Gwen, who was halfway out of the room, stopped in her tracks.“Of course not, my darling. Why would we do such a thing?” Gwen quickly returned to Talon’s side and held his hand again.“Look, you see? Our hands are still together,” Gwen said as she raised their joined hands for David to see.Standing behind her, Talon felt a small flicker o
Gwen shed tears, unable to fully process what Talon was saying. A part of her wanted to believe him, but the years of pain, the countless nights mourning his supposed death, made it impossible for her to accept his words so easily. The reasonable explanation he offered made her angry further—how could something so plausible feel so impossible to believe?“Talon, you died a long time ago in my life,” Gwen finally said. She turned abruptly and left the place without looking back.“Gwen!”“Gwen!”Her father and Nate called after her, but she didn’t stop or respond.Talon stood frozen, his head bowed in sorrow. He knew reconciliation wouldn’t be easy, but he had to try. “I know she’s hurt... but I can’t give up now,” he murmured to himself. Back home, Gwen stormed through the door, slamming it shut. Little David, who was playing with his toys on the floor, looked up in excitement.“Mummy! Daddy’s back! Hurray! I thought he was gone forever, but now he’s here! Mummy, I want to see Dad!” D
Talon’s boots hit the ground as he descended the ramp of the SSS-Class Apex craft. Behind him, six members of his crew followed, their postures alert and disciplined. The quiet hum of the landing pad was soon overtaken by murmurs and whispers from those gathered at the edge of the docking area.Gwen’s heart thudded painfully in her chest as she clutched her son, David, tighter. Her legs wavered between taking a step forward or retreating into the safety of her home.“Talon?” she whispered to herself, disbelief clouding her face.Nate, standing nearby, watched Gwen's reaction cautiously but turned his gaze to the mysterious man stepping forward. His well-kept military stance, the crew flanking him in perfect formation, and the way the guards at the Safe Zone hesitated to approach spoke volumes. This wasn’t just anyone—it was someone important.Gregg Landon furrowed his brows, recognizing the badge clipped onto Talon’s jacket, one he hadn’t seen in years. “That badge… but that’s…” He le
A few hours earlier...[System Core unstable] [Craft probability of crash: 80%] Talon and several others on the craft heard the announcement made by AVA, and they were all surprised."I thought I had corrected the issues previously. What's the problem now?" Talon didn’t quite understand what was going on.Salvador was in the workshop, the special area in the craft designated for repairs. Hearing the feedback from AVA, he wanted to run a diagnosis to get the full details of the issue.He raised his hands to activate the holographic projection of their craft on the table in his workshop—Apex, as it was named.He began to zoom in and dismantle some parts of the craft, identifying a section that was beaming red. Then he saw that one of their thrusters was damaged."Problem identified!" Salvador exclaimed as he began searching for a solution.Talon, who had been in the cockpit, immediately rushed over to see for himself what was truly wrong with the craft. When he reached Salvador at
**Safe Zone**Inside a room that resembled a military meeting room, there was a projector displaying a graphical representation. Inside stood a girl with bright, long red hair as she put on military gear, accompanied by about five others."What else do we need?" Gwen asked as she looked at the tablet handed to her by one of the men in the room."Miss Gwen, I think there is a shortage in our food supply. If this continues, there will be an uproar here in the Safe Zone," the man said, staring at the graphical projection on the wall."If we don't do anything about this, in a few weeks we could all die from starvation," he continued, explaining in detail."The only solution is to send a request for food from the neighboring camp, Vanguard," he referenced.Upon hearing that name, Gwen felt a surge of anger; it was the territory of her father, whom she had resented for years. He had always disapproved of her relationship with Talon and never blessed it before Talon was gone."We have been l
As they flew through clear skies, their was nothing much going on. "There was a time at the academy" Salvador recounted the events of their academy days with Talon, to the extent that Talon felt embrassed a bit. “i can remember the very day he saw Gwen!” Salvador laughed, slapping his knee.Talon was a bit sober hearing that name.“Sal, if I may ask...Have you heard from Gwen?Before Salvador could reply, a sharp alarm blared. [Warning: Multiple hostile entities detected. Demonic signatures confirmed.]The crew hearing this sprang into action, their relaxed demeanor vanishing instantly.“Where are they coming from?” Talon demanded.[Three o’clock, closing fast]Talon’s hands flew over the controls, turning the craft into a defensive position. Outside the windows, dark shapes began to emerge—winged demons.“Everyone, battle stations!” Mara barked. “Gregor, get those turrets ready!”“On it!” Gregor grinned, his fingers dancing over the weapons console. The craft’s side turrets swivele
"Yeah, I was about to tell you, but—" Gwen immediately cut him short as she stated, "Cool! You wanted to leave just like that. I should've known that you aren't any different from him." Gwen finally let out as she attempted to leave, going out the door without even waiting for Talon to clarify things.Talon ran after her, holding her right arm. "No, it's not like that. Where I'm going is not a place I can bring you guys along. I didn't know how to explain it to you, but I promise that you will be safe with Master Feng. He will take proper care of you. You don't need to worry about me; I will be fine. And I promise that I won't stay that long," Talon tried to explain.Talon was unaware that Gwen had begun to develop feelings for him gradually. It might sound strange, but she had always liked one person—Talon. However, it wasn't this Talon, so her developing feelings for his doppelgänger was a bit strange."Leave me alone. You can do whatever you like, but next time you want to take me
Master Feng stood firm, staring down at Talon, who lay on the ground, weakened by the backlash from the transcendence energy. Talon, though physically drained, was in shock. It wasn't just the energy's backlash that startled him—he couldn't believe Master Feng had somehow accessed his Astral Plane. The realization hit him hard. “H-how did you...?” Talon stammered, struggling to find the words. He couldn't fathom how it had happened. Master Feng's was furious as he addressed Talon's reckless actions. “Why would you be so foolish as to attempt such a dangerous experiment? Do you not realize the disaster you could have unleashed if the energies from your Astral Plane had spilled into the real world?” He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “Do you even understand the power of what you were trying to manipulate? You would have killed yourself—and endangered everyone around you.” Talon lowered his head, staring at his bloodstained hands, filled with regret. He had been warned by No