Lips pulled into a snarl, The cold void of space curling around my form like a blanket, I shoot through the void at speeds once considered impossible by humanity's standards.
Far faster than the speed of light. Not weighed down by any force my body is nothing short of a blur. My surroundings streaking and peeling into blurred lights of white
My eyes honed in on the distant planet. So close yet so far. In space, close can mean 100 thousand kilometers. A great distance for others but not me.
Not the new me at least.
Looking to my left, I spot her. My twin sister. Ursall, Ever since I've been thrown into this body as a newborn. She's never left my side. We were nursed together. Trained together. And educated together.
She's the only person I hold a familial bond with within this world. The one person I consider a sibling But not even close to my only sibling. There are others but they are all different. So eager to get That man's approval.
My new Father. Someone straight from a comic book, literally. Thragg. The strongest and most feared being in the Universe. Despite my new and admittedly powerful body, he could kill me with a swat of his hand.
That's the unfortunate reality I live in. So from the moment I could walk. The moment I could fly, I vowed to never be on that man's bad side. To be weak is to be killed.
From the day I awoke in this body, I was educated about my people. The Viltrumites, a race of warriors. Conquers. And the most feared beings in the universe.
After being educated I became aware of things. Like the irony of my existence itself. My father had been the champion of his people, the people who abandoned him. Exiled him.
He had safeguarded our people even when the scourge virus had plundered our numbers and dropped the population by 99%
What he had once stood for has been broken time and time again, the truth is. The empire my father looked back on in pride, hoped to restore, and had raised me and my siblings to venerate, would have killed us on the spot.
The strength of our DNA was such that we could breed with nearly any species across the galaxy, but in doing so we compromised the purity of that which made us superior to the rest. It gave us strength it gave us speed, it gave us longevity and an ability to survive daunting to nearly every living species in the known universe.
To mix it with an inferior species was to undermine everything we had built. Yet the greatest of our kind, the Viltrumite bred to be the strongest and most unassailable individual being alive went on to breed mass scale with a species more corrupting to our bloodline than any previously met, and corrupt it did.
Perhaps, Most ironically. He was counting on it.
I was weaker than most pure-blooded Viltrumites. I was slower, If I dared strike that man with my fist they would break on his chest and he would rip me limb from limb before I could even react.
Even as my strength grows as I get older. Even when my body loses its purple hue and my Viltrumite DNA inevitably purges and dominates the lingering Thraxan DNA within me. I seriously doubt I'll ever reach the natural levels of strength that a pure-blood Viltrumite holds
My and Ursalls mother was one of the many thousand Thraxans that man had impregnated. A species with a direct opposite to the one I call my own. Who lived less than a single year and only survived as an advanced race due to their remarkable ability to gather information.
Of all our kind. None of my brothers or sisters were any older than 4 years old. Yet we all peppered near young adults in appearance. Yet we were all fighting age. And we learned very quickly.
All in all, it was a clever move by Thragg. A move I'm honestly shocked he would make. In the blink of an eye, he had restored our race from around a handful of individuals to the thousands that march alongside him today.
It all cost him one thing. Something crucial to him and his person as the Grand regent.
His pride.
Despite my grievances with my non-Ursall siblings, I agree with them on one thing. We have to prove to that man that the choice he made wasn't in vain.
I've long since abandoned my former humanity. My current life is far too hectic to reminisce on my life as a weak. Fragile human.
There's a difference between me and my siblings though that separates us in our father's eyes. My siblings are weak.
No, weak wouldn't be the word to describe them. They could crush civilizations single-handedly. The more experienced of them could. At least, so the real way to describe them is weaker than me.
I learned far to early in the eyes of Thragg might makes right. I'm not even close to the oldest child my father has. Somewhere in the middle of age most likely.
But I am his most powerful. Stronger than every one of my siblings. Only a single handful capable of even making me struggle in a fight.
Ursall is amongst that group. But like the others, she's weaker than me. Gaining my father's recognition pushed me in the right direction. He's much more lenient with me.
But that leniency comes with the weight of his expectations. Failure is met with painful lessons. Success is met with cold acknowledgment.
I know he does it for me to be strong but...
He also entrusts me with a lot of things. I'm his current chosen heir, the one who will succeed him when he feels the time is right.
Viltrumites change succession through Readiness rather than things like age like humans. Even though my father is nearly 4,000 years old. He will at the barest minimum live another couple thousand years.
The oldest member of our race recorded was Conquest he neared 7,000 years in age. Recently deceased. Killed by the traitorous grandson of Argall. The first Grand Regent.
'Onaan.'
My long thoughts are interrupted by a voice. My twin sister's voice. I noticed the slight burn in my lungs from holding my breath for nearly a week. I crush the discomfort beneath my will with a thought before halting my flight and turning to my sister.
'What is it, This better be good Ursall. We've been sent to purge of these people by Father personally. So we better make quick with them.' I respond to my sister professionally. My twin's eyes meet mine as she looks away.
'Do you ever wonder if Father truly cares for us? All of us. I mean, not just you and me. Do you think he cares for our brothers and sisters?' Her question makes me freeze in thought.
And for the first time, I don't have an answer. Floating not to Far away from the orange and blue planets moon. I look at my sister blankly as I contemplate her words.
Can Thragg even feel care? Or love? The most emotion he's ever expressed to me was pride. Anger. And frustration. I've never seen him show that oh-so-familial love fathers usually have.
'No, I don't believe he cares for us. Not in a normal sense at least.' I answer my sister honestly. She bites her lip as sorrow finds its way onto her delicate features.
She's always been hopeful that everything we did was to reciprocate our father's boundless love. Ursall is different from other Viltrumites. She's soft, powerful. But soft.
'Then why... why lie to us? To me? Why tell me he cares and loves us? Why?' Ursall weeps as small tears spill from her eyes floating into the void the moment they leave her eyes.
I reach out to comfort my crying sibling before stopping myself. Looking at my hand in shock, since when could I not sympathize with others?
Normally when I see someone sad I feel a pang of pity or sympathy. Anything. Now, even with the closest person to me openly crying. I can only sit back and watch.
That leaves no doubt in my mind. As my sister wipes her eyes and rids herself of tears. I stare blankly. My hands shake at my sudden lack of emotions. At my sudden lack of basic empathy.
This new life is changing me. For the better or the worse, I don't know.
X-x-X-x
The killing of a race tightly allied with the coalition of planets was nothing but quick work for me and Ursall. Despite everything I could tell her thoughts were elsewhere. Even as we shot across the planet at near-light speeds destroying cities and structures in our wake.
This planet was full of fish-like aliens with purple scaly skin and strongly bipedal. They fought hard. But couldn't even scratch us, we were too fast. Too strong.
Opening my intergalactic ex-communication device I immediately get a call from Him. Father.
I answer with haste. A hologram project from the device as my blue eyes meet another's a random fact. But I'm the only child to inherit my father's blue eyes.
"Onaan. Is the expulsion of that pitiful race done? I've given you a week." Father's voice is deep. Intimidating even though he's a hundred million miles away.
"Yes, father. Ursall and I handled them rather easily. They barely put up a fight." I answer, Floating above the remains of a burning city. My sister is elsewhere on the planet.
"Good, I'll be joining you there in a day or two on the warship. The coalition of planets made a grave mistake getting in my way. We'll strike their key Allied planets one by one." Father's voice remains neutral. But I can detect a hint of venom in it at the mention of the coalition.
Thaedus, The former head of that organization was the first traitor Viltrumite. He destroyed Viltrum. Helped create the scourge virus. And killed emporer Argall. He's truly the worst Viltrumite in existence.
But he's not the one who bares my father's true hatred. Nolan Grayson. The son of our lord Argall. The Viltrumite who turned his back on the empire over a human woman and his son.
The man who aided in the destruction of his home world. Who helped the coalition of planets kill our already dwindling numbers?
After debriefing with father over a few things he promptly hangs up the call. And I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.
"Ursall."
I call out to my twin, knowing she's nearby. Floating above the wreckage of a once-advanced city. I spot my sister sitting down atop a destroyed building staring at this planet's red sun.
"Are you going to cry again or something? You do know if Father or any of our siblings saw you do something like that they would ridicule you forever. Father might even try to kill you." I question my sister. Who's hands clench.
Ursall suddenly looks in my direction. Tears spilled from her eyes a snarl on her face
"Of course, you can speak on behalf of father! You've always been his favorite!" She yells as I stare blankly. Her snarl twists into a glare as she continues
"You're just like him. When he looks at you he sees a younger variant of himself. Onaan. Do you even care about me? Do you even care about our brothers or sisters? They struggle so hard to gain his recognition. Destroying themselves over and over just to get a nod of acknowledgment. Yet you get that and more because you're just oh-so-perfect!" She floats up to my level and grabs the hem of my red royal clothes.
"Do you ever look at one of our siblings struggling and hope to help them? Have you ever even talked to one of them? After they injured themselves. After they get hit by Father just for being in the way. Do you feel anything!?"
I blink, once, twice. Before gripping my sister's wrist with bone-crushing force. Forcing her hands off my collar as I growl in anger for the first time in a long while.
"Ursall. Have you always been this fucking stupid!? Do you think my life is sunshine and rainbows because I'm father's 'Favorite', his heir? Do you know what type of training he puts me through? Do you understand the weight of his full expectations!?" My voice rises as with a savage yank I throw my twin into a nerby building.
"Do you know how it feels to have to do everything perfectly or I'll be punished!? You worry about our siblings and their struggles so much but you seem blind to my own! Every day I feel myself becoming more and more like that man!" I choke out a Yell of anguish as I feel my emotions spilling out like a damn.
I don't get to enjoy the sudden rush of finally feeling something when I'm tackled through numerous destroyed buildings by a purple blur.
The alien material shatters on my back as I feel my features grow into a teeth bared snarl. Elbowing my twin's back I get her to slightly loosen her tackle and I kick off her.
Not giving Ursall a time to recover I shoot forward at super sonic speeds. Landing a straight punch to her face that sends her body careening into the orange sky of this desolate planet.
Capitalizing on my new advantage. I land a kick to her hastily raised guard sending her flying, but im right on top of her. Then a punch to her unguarded stomach sending her above the red clouds.
She halts herself with force, a small wave of wind kicking off her form. I smirk at her bloody nose and cross my arms.
"You sure you Wanna do this? We both know you can't beat me." I taunt, but it's true. I've always been stronger than everyone of my siblings. My blood more pure then theirs. It's unknown as to why me and Ursall came out 2 different shades of purple.
While she was the same purple as every one of our siblings. I was lighter purple. My skin closer to father's than to theirs. There's still a sheen of purple covering me but it's fading and fast.
Father assumes it's a mutation in my blood, a rarity. Making me born closer to pure blood than any of my siblings.
We glare at eachother as I prepare to clash with her again. A shadow looms behind me as Ursalls eyes widen.
"Brother! Behind you!" I waste no time. Shooting forward at my max speed to avoid an absolute massive hand looking to grab me.
Floating across from us is a large Grey alien. Easily 12 feet tall with hulking muscles, spikes littered on its shoulders a disgusting snarl on its face as it looks at the two of us.
Floating at Ursalls side I look to her briefly before keeping my full focus on the creature infront of us.
Theres no accurate way to gauge strength here. But my insitcts tell me if that thing succeeded in hitting me from behind. It would've seriously injured me. Without a doubt.
"Listen, I'm sorry for hurting you and being less attentive to you and our siblings burdens. But let's not argue here. That thing is dangerous." I gesture towards the behemoth floating 20 or so meters away from us.
It's red eyes calculating. It's hands twitching in anticipation. I feel my blood rush in Readiness.
"SKRAWWWWWWWWWW!"
The beast let's out an earth shaking screech that almost rattles my sensitive ears. It's large form blasts towards us in a blur as I get ready for a fight.