We are back with another chapter in our Invincible fic people, how's the summer heat?
Thragg stood silently, studying Caine's defiant face—a face he once knew as a loyal comrade. The silence in the room was heavy, almost suffocating. Thragg's steely gaze contrasted sharply with Caine's defiant calm, a calmness that irritated General Kregg greatly.
Kregg stepped forward aggressively. "You disrespectful traitor! Kneel before your Grand Regent."
Caine stood motionless, unflinching. Kregg was about to force him down, but Thragg raised a hand, signaling his General to stand down.
"Leave us," Thragg commanded quietly. His voice was calm, powerful, and absolute.
Kregg bowed respectfully, casting one final glare toward Caine before exiting the chamber.
Now alone, Thragg stepped closer, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why, Caine?"
Caine's eyes flashed defiantly. Gathering saliva in his mouth, he spat fiercely in Thragg's direction, but Thragg reacted instantly—backhanding Caine brutally across the face. The impact echoed harshly in the enclosed room, and Caine's head snapped violently to the side. Blood trickled slowly down his lip, yet he smiled bitterly, eyes glittering with twisted satisfaction.
Thragg calmly summoned an honor guard, who quickly entered with a bowl of clear water. Methodically, Thragg washed his hand, dried it with sanitising fluid provided by the guard, and returned to stare silently at Caine.
He repeated himself, voice unchanging and authoritative. "Again, why?" He looked at Caine with soft eyes as if telling him to give him a good reason to extend his stay in prison and not grant his death. He was someone he had known before the Civil War, and someone who survived it. The Viltrumites had never been so loyal to the cause. He begged Caine with his eyes to tell him this was just a disease and not something else he feared, something that was trying to creep up his heart, he pushed down.
Caine took a deep breath, memories flooding vividly through him. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, his voice resonated softly in the chamber, rich with emotion and nostalgia.
"I'll be brief about it. It began with my mission," Caine started softly. "The planet you sent me to conquer was like nothing I had ever seen. The people resembled mythical beings humans call incubi and succubi. They had pale and colourful skin, horns decorating their heads, their presence alluring, yet gentle. And there was her—my wife."
His voice softened further, almost reverent. "I remember the first night I saw her, bathed in the glow of three bright moons. Her skin shimmered silver-blue under the moonlight, eyes glowing gently, like the two emerald moons themselves. She approached me fearlessly, her voice sweet like a song, her laugh contagious and pure. Sure, we have beautiful women, but she was the most beautiful one I ever saw. Maybe it was her unique and heavy pheromones—a trait amongst them, but to them it's no different than causual affection--"
"So that's it! It's a good thing we destroyed them and their planet! I was worried it was--" Thragg's eyes brightened up a bit, a side of him he never showed anyone and seldom did he show Kregg.
Caine smiled genuinely, lost briefly in the memory. "Their marriage—our marriage ceremony was beautiful, mystical even. Rings forged from crystalline stones, vows spoken beneath glowing night blossoms. Her family accepted me warmly, her father a wise leader of their people, her mother gentle and nurturing. They knew no hostility, no suspicion—only trust."
"Together, we built a life," he continued, voice thickening slightly. " Being the strongest being on their planet, I became their protector, their helper. I farmed fields effortlessly with my strength, built homes rapidly, earning their love and respect. I began to feel certain strange things amongst these people but… I can't explain it… it's something inside that also reflects outside, something warm, something like accepting a blanket and a warm stronghold after braving a tundra planet."
Thragg floated and crossed his legs in the air while his chin supported his head. Was this the ramblings of a dead man? He couldn't understand the vagueness, the 'warm' thing he might have felt. He mostly found warmth in the blood of his eyes enemies and the progress of his people.
"And then Selena was born. Our daughter."
Caine paused, emotion choking his words. "She was perfect, Thragg. I really can't describe it, but I wanted nothing but the best for that girl! The first time she laughed, it was as if the universe itself sang. On her first birthday, the entire village celebrated. Friends, neighbors, family—they gathered, sharing laughter and joy. It was simple, it was perfect. Too perfect."
Caine's voice darkened, "But then, I received the signal from Viltrum—my reminder of conquest. I ignored it, wanting nothing but peace. Eventually, I had to reveal my true origin to my wife. I feared her rejection, but she surprised me. She was proud, thrilled that love had conquered my mission. That night, we embraced passionately, as if our love alone could erase my origins. I thought I had better stamina than anyone around but she had been with me too long to set me off multiple times."
"But morning came," Caine sighed deeply, his eyes shadowed. "She worried deeply for Selena, for our world. I met with the planet's leaders, warning them of Viltrum's arrival. They took the news calmly, knowing resistance was futile. Our only aim was survival."
"Then General Kregg came alone," he said bitterly. "He shattered our meeting, destroying everything effortlessly. I tried to tell him that I could get them to surrender peacefully but all he told me was that I should be glad that he didn't send Conquest."
"Our battle devastated mountains, flattened entire villages. I knew innocent lives would suffer if we continued, so I surrendered, shocking Kregg. He marked the planet for destruction, finding my daughter easily after my surrender."
Caine's gaze locked sharply onto Thragg. "Now here I am, your last traitor."
Thragg listened stoically, absorbing every word. His face remained neutral, but his mind turned with questions, doubts—confusion. Caine, a loyal soldier, reduced to such sentimentality and weakness?
After several moments of silent contemplation, Thragg finally nodded slowly. "I see. Yet it still confounds me why you, of all people, chose this path. This is worrying. Where do we go from here?"
Thragg's voice hardened decisively. "Your betrayal cannot go unpunished. Stand. Prepare yourself for mortal combat."
Caine rose slowly, breathing deeply. Thragg moved instantly, almost blindingly fast. Before Caine could react, Thragg's powerful hands gripped his head, twisting sharply. The swift motion produced a sickening crack, Caine's head severed cleanly from his body. The lifeless corpse collapsed, blood pooling slowly.
Thragg stared down impassively, feeling oddly unsatisfied. Turning sharply, he exited the chamber, rejoining General Kregg and General Luka aboard their warship.
Back on Viltrum, Thragg found himself consumed with thought. He watched Selena secretly, observing her strength, intelligence, and fiery spirit. Something resonated deeply within him, recalling Caine's words. He couldn't dismiss this lingering confusion—why had Caine, so disciplined, changed so completely?
Thragg's solution was uncharacteristic but logical: preserve the traitors' offspring by creating a specialized academy that would foster in a new way of liberating worlds in the name of the Empire. He explained to his Generals it would be an advanced tactical training ground, preventing future betrayals. Yet secretly, Thragg's real intent was personal. He wanted to study Caine's reasoning through Selena—find that invisible thread connecting love, loyalty, and betrayal.
Watching Selena, he felt a spark of curiosity, even uncertainty—a rarity for the stoic leader of Viltrum. He would find answers through this half-blood girl. Whether she would redeem her father's treachery or repeat it was yet uncertain.
As he walked away, cape billowing behind him, Thragg knew his path forward was clear. Caine's betrayal had shaken something within him, igniting a rare fascination he hadn't experienced before. For the first time, Thragg faced uncertainty—a feeling as dangerous as it was thrilling.
Selena represented more than her father's legacy. She embodied something Thragg was yet to understand fully: the very heart of betrayal itself.
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