That morning, Kael slowly opened his eyes. The cold air wrapped around the tent where he slept. He sat up and peeked outside.
But something strange made him freeze—there was no one outside. The tents were empty, the campfires were out, and an eerie silence blanketed the area.
Kael stepped farther out, his eyes scanning around, searching for any signs of life.
Suddenly, a deep, heavy hum echoed from the sky. He looked up.
Thousands of armed drones were flying in formation, filling the sky over Ticonic. Red lights from their sensors reflected sharply off the ground below.
Kael instinctively took a step back, his body tense. His mind raced, ready to either fight or run—whatever it would take.
But just before he could move any further—
"Kael!"
A voice echoed faintly. The world around him began to tremble and fade away.
Suddenly, Kael woke up with a gasp. His breathing was heavy.
He was still inside his tent. It was still night. Everything was still safe.
He clutched his chest, feeling his pounding heartbeat. Just a dream. A vivid nightmare.
From a distance, he could hear the faint sound of laughter coming from the neighboring tent, where Terren and Parker were sleeping.
Kael let out a heavy breath and lay back down, staring up at the dark ceiling of the tent.
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the entire village. The ground trembled violently as dust and debris filled the air.
Kael instantly snapped awake, fully alert. From outside, screams and shouting echoed chaotically.
Elian, already on his feet with weapon in hand, shouted,
"Everyone, to your defensive positions! Move!"
Without hesitation, Kael's techno bracelet lit up, morphing automatically into a high-tech visor that snapped firmly over his eyes. Instantly, his vision shifted—an augmented reality interface displayed multiple red dots closing in fast from all directions.
Kael muttered tensely,
"An attack..."
Cries from the village guards cut through the night air,
"Get everyone to the safe zones! Protect the children and the elders!"
Kael quickly sprang into action, helping to guide the villagers toward the hidden evacuation tunnels they had prepared earlier. Meanwhile, Elian and the other warriors formed defensive lines at strategic points around the village.
Dominus, the great white wolf, emerged from the shadows, his fur bristling, a low growl rumbling from his throat—ready for battle.
Teresa rushed over to Kael, bow in hand, her expression deadly serious.
"What are we facing?" she demanded.
Kael scanned the surroundings through his visor and replied grimly,
"Armed drones... and infantry units. They're not playing around this time."
Mira, Terren, Darren, Arek, and Parker quickly regrouped beside Kael, weapons drawn, determined.
Explosions rocked the ground as armed drones rained bullets mercilessly onto the village. Smoke and dust filled the air.
Mira, Terren, and Parker quickly sprinted for cover behind the rubble of collapsed houses, dodging the hail of gunfire.
Meanwhile, Arek, Darren, Teresa, and Kael moved swiftly, helping the panicked villagers escape through hidden evacuation paths. Kael fired arrows at the drones, managing to bring down a few, but there were just too many.
Amidst the chaos, Kael heard a familiar voice—
"Rana!!"
He snapped his head around and saw his sister, Rana, running while carrying a small child. But in an instant, a loud gunshot echoed through the battlefield.
BANG!
Rana staggered. Her body crumpled to the ground, blood quickly soaking her clothes.
"RAANAAA!!" Kael screamed, charging forward with everything he had.
But before he could reach her, Elian, his father, appeared and grabbed Kael's arm tightly,
"Kael! Don't be reckless! We have to—"
Before Elian could finish his sentence—
BANG!
A bullet struck him square in the back. His body jerked forward from the impact, grimacing in pain.
"FATHER!!" Kael cried out, horror filling his face.
Despite the injury, Elian pushed Kael toward the evacuation path, whispering hoarsely,
"Save... everyone..."
Kael gritted his teeth, his heart breaking. His eyes burned with a mixture of fury and devastation.
Behind him, the drones continued their relentless assault, tearing through the once-peaceful village.
That night, for Kael and the others—
everything changed forever.
That night felt colder than usual.
Inside a hidden cave, far from the ruins of the village, Kael and the others sat huddled around a small, dying fire.
There was no sound. Only the crackle of the firewood and the heavy breathing filled the air.
Kael sat a little apart from the rest, head bowed, fists clenched tightly on his knees. His clothes were still stained with blood—Rana's and Elian's blood.
Mira, Terren, Parker, Arek, Darren, and Teresa kept glancing at him from time to time, but none dared to speak. They knew the wounds Kael carried tonight weren't ones that could be healed with words.
Dominus, the white wolf-like creature, sat silently beside Kael, as if sharing the same grief.
At last, Teresa approached him, sitting gently next to him.
Kael didn't react. His eyes were empty, staring into the faint fire.
Teresa reached out and touched his arm softly.
"You're not alone," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Kael clenched his jaw. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but he forced them back.
He drew a long, shaky breath and finally whispered,
"I swear... I will avenge all of this..."
In the distance, the night sky seemed darker than ever, as if it too knew that a new war had just begun.
From the darkness of the night, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching.
Everyone immediately went on high alert, but the source of the footsteps wasn't an enemy.
Several royal soldiers—dressed in tattered clothes, signs that they had also been fighting—appeared, carrying a flag of peace.
One of them, the leader of the group, stepped forward and spoke in a heavy voice,
"Kael... we've been ordered to bring you to the palace. They require your blood as a guarantee of peace. If you submit, they promise not to attack this planet again."
Everyone fell silent.
Parker immediately stood up.
"What?! This is insane!"
Mira also stood, her face flushed.
"We've just lost our family! And now they want to take Kael too?!"
Terren cursed loudly.
"This is a trap! They're going to betray us again!"
Teresa looked at Kael, her eyes full of concern.
"Kael... no. There's another way. We can fight them together."
But Kael remained silent for a moment, staring at the nearly extinguished fire.
His face hardened, filled with resolve.
Then, slowly, he stood.
"I will go," Kael said, his voice calm but making a strong impact on everyone around him.
Everyone immediately protested, voices overlapping.
"Kael, no!"
"This isn't your fault!"
"Don't sacrifice yourself!"
Kael raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
He looked at each of them—Mira, Terren, Parker, Arek, Darren, Teresa.
Then, with a small, pained smile, he said,
"I've taken so much from you all. Let me protect you this time."
Without another word, Kael walked towards the royal soldiers.
Dominus growled softly, but Kael only patted the wolf's head briefly before walking away.