Location: Royal Palace of Zelkaris – Midnight Chamber
A soft shimmer of artificial starlight bathed the high-vaulted ceiling of the Midnight Chamber, where gold-trimmed banners fluttered lightly despite the lack of wind. Queen Astell of Zelkaris stood poised by the edge of the spiral balcony, overlooking the dim-lit slave districts of her planet — a burning wasteland she no longer recognized as her own. King Vorzen, tall and weary-eyed, stepped beside her, the weight of the crown nearly visible in the way his shoulders sagged.
Below them, the echoing voices of nine planetary sovereigns reverberated through the palace. Projected through a central holographic pillar stood the crowned heads of:
Orvus – a planet drowned in volcanic ash.
Myra – the ocean world now turned into a militarized supply depot.
Shadrax – home of the infamous biological labs.
Eldrion – the refinery capital where Zypherian children worked till they collapsed.
Drest – once a forest kingdom, now a deadland stripped bare by drone-harvesters.
Volturna – the logistics nexus ruled by twins who spoke in riddles and blood.
Hythrax – the bastion of elite assassins trained under the Vir Empire.
Noxera – the frozen planet with endless war-prisons buried beneath the ice.
And lastly, Zelkaris, the jewel once envied… now a cracked gem under pressure.
"Only twelve hours," whispered Astell to Vorzen. "Twelve hours before the Royal Summit. And still no word from Commander Tynar. No updates on the movement of the Liberation Army. We're being cornered."
Vorzen sighed. "The royals are afraid, Astell. Afraid of Varel's sudden rise... afraid of the Verdalian alliance. And more than anything… afraid of their own people rising with them."
The hologram pillar flared. Varel's voice played through a recorded message:
"By decree of Prince Varel, heir of Segment Two and future claimant of the throne, a Grand Summit of the Liliput Star System is to be held in Segment One under His Majesty King Laco's silent approval. Every planet must bring updates on their military reserves, android force deployment, and food-energy outputs for the war. Absence is treason. Disobedience is death."
The message ended. A moment of silence stretched thin.
King Tharnox of Shadrax was the first to break it, his image flickering with the flame-like hues of his volcanic kingdom. "Enough waiting. The rebels have infected the system like rot. This… Arco of the Liberation Army has become a symbol. And as history has shown us — symbols must be destroyed."
Queen Velna of Myra added, "You let them strike a comms tower, Vorzen. Do you know what that means? The very chain of control… snapped. And you didn't retaliate."
Astell clenched her fists. "Do not lecture me on retaliation while your planet Myra sells slave-soldiers to the Vir Empire like cattle."
Velna hissed. "It is called survival. What we do… we do because Laco does nothing! He sits in darkness while the rest of us burn."
King Ormell of Eldrion, pale and crooked, coughed through a vocaliser. "Laco... That shadow who calls himself king. A puppet. A myth. His silence is worse than death. And now... his nephew Varel pulls strings like a merchant prince.
From Noxera's snowy halls, Duke Haex, adorned in spiked armor, barked out a deep laugh. "You fools fear Arco? I fear Jason Amberdenk — a Verdalian. An outsider! A myth with silver hair and green skin who, they say, brought down two thousand soldiers. You think that's legend? Then you've already lost."
That name hung in the chamber like a thundercloud.
"Jason..." whispered Astell.
Vorzen took a deep breath and faced the council. "We've all felt it. The tightening rope. First Targan of Eyrvaks stirs rebellion. Then Rovin of Scorched Branch survives the purge. Now Arco gains strength by the hour. And with the Verdalians bringing twenty-nine massive ships into our space…"
The monarch of Drest sneered. "Verdalians came to aid. We let them land. And now they've chosen the rebels."
Astell snapped, "What choice do we give them? Look at our cities. Look at our children!"
No one answered.
Because they knew.
The Liliput Star System, once glorious, had fallen into decay. Its planets poisoned by greed, its people broken under tyranny. The royals, once protectors, now parasites… feeding off scraps thrown by the Vir Empire — the foreign overlords who had long stopped pretending they were "partners."
And now, their strength — the grade two androids — were proving insufficient.
The rebels were gathering. And this summit would decide the fate of all.
Vorzen broke the silence one final time. "We have two options — crush Arco within the next week. Or be dragged down by him."
King Tharnox added, "Or... side with Varel. A blood heir with an army. And if we fail, we blame him and survive."
From Hythrax, a silent figure nodded.
Astell closed her eyes. "So… betrayal then. Survival through treason. This is what we've become."
The holograms began to fade, one by one, as the summit's opening hour drew closer.
Queen Astell whispered to her husband, "If Arco lives through this… and if Jason truly exists… we may not be wearing crowns this time next month."
Vorzen didn't answer. He simply turned back to the wind
ow… and watched the stars flicker over the dying city they once swore to protect.
Location: Red Mountain Fortress, Zelkaris – Liberation Army Main War Room
A storm of crimson fog rolled across the jagged peaks of the Red Mountains, casting long shadows over the hidden fortress carved into the blood-hued rock. The scent of metal, oil, and volcanic ash clung to the air like the whisper of war itself. This was not just a base.
It was the heart of the rebellion.
Inside, thousands — no, lakhs — of Liberation Army soldiers patrolled the internal sectors of the Red Mountain Fortress, their boots striking hard steel, their rifles humming with solar-powered plasma cells. Hover-bots zipped through the narrow halls, scanning, updating, logging every movement. The walls, once natural rock, were now reinforced with verdalian-grade alloy, stolen from long-forgotten battles.
In the Command Chamber, a wide dome embedded deep into the mountain, five key figures stood gathered around a holo-map of the Liliput Star System:
Quoorax, the tactician and infiltration expert, whose voice was steady even while calling multiple sectors. His fingers glided over holograms as he contacted rebel pockets in Myra, Shadrax, and Volturna.
Vaarn, the hard-charging frontline warrior with scars across his shoulders like war badges, stood pacing, his arms folded tightly.
Garvin, the youngest of them, sharp-eyed and armed with an interface lens, responsible for medical logistics and encryption cracking.
Karjax, the oldest of them all, once a royal guard turned rebel strategist, leaned on a cane made of re-purposed android core. His eyes had seen decades of betrayal.
Zerlan, the silent ghost, half-hidden in shadow, a sniper whose reputation across four planets brought fear to any enemy commander.
Together, they were the brain of the Liberation Army.
"Quoorax, status report?" Vaarn asked, voice gruff.
"We've confirmed rebel nodal points in Orvus, Noxera, and Eldrion," Quoorax replied without looking up. "All are preparing for the grand meeting. I've sent encrypted channels to the Scorched Branch, Eyrvaks, and... the Verdalian captains. All have acknowledged."
Karjax narrowed his eyes. "And what about intel from Myra? The android presence?"
Quoorax tapped his screen. "Twenty-three Grade Two android units deployed. Three energy towers activated. Myra's prepping for a counter-attack."
As the room flickered under the pale blue light of the war map, Garvin stood back, arms crossed, unsure.
"I trust Arco," Garvin finally said. "I trust his vision… his strategy… his charisma. But…" He hesitated.
"But what?" asked Vaarn, stopping mid-step.
Garvin looked up, his youthful Zypherian features tense. "We don't know who he really is. Not his true name. Not his origin. He could be a former royal. A spy. Maybe even an implant from the Vir Empire sent to draw us out."
Karjax scoffed. "Son… you don't last thirty years in the dark pretending to be a rebel."
"He's given us victories," Vaarn said firmly. "If not for Arco, half of us would be dust under android boots."
Garvin wasn't convinced. "And yet… we're planning the biggest operation in Liliput's history. A multi-planet alliance. We'll be going headfirst into battle against the royals, their androids, and the Vir Empire's tech-army. If we fall, there's no coming back."
Zerlan gave a rare nod. "This is a one-way war."
The room grew silent for a beat.
Karjax turned slowly, his voice weathered by time. "Son… Arco's identity doesn't matter. You know what matters? Conviction. When the royals took my family, I didn't rise because of Arco's past. I rose because he was the only one not afraid to bleed. He didn't ask for power — we gave it."
Vaarn stepped forward, his voice softer. "We all want to know who he is. Believe me. But Arco isn't a man anymore. He's become a symbol. Of what we lost. And what we can still reclaim."
Quoorax added, "He's the reason all these planets — who've hated each other for centuries — are even talking. That kind of unity is rare."
Just then, the steel doors at the far end of the chamber slid open with a hiss.
A slow silence fell over the room as Arco entered.
Clad in a matte black battle coat with streaks of red, his face was partially hidden beneath a reinforced hood. Only his aged Zypherian jawline and glinting eyes could be seen. Though older, his posture radiated fire — the strength of a commander, the pain of a survivor.
Behind him, two elite guards stood silent, but no one dared breathe. The presence of Arco turned the war room into a shrine.
He spoke, his voice low but piercing.
"You want to know who I am?"
The room froze.
Arco stepped forward, placing a data chip onto the war table.
"I was a soldier. I was a prisoner. I was a friend. I was a traitor. But above all…"
His eyes locked with Garvin's.
"I was broken — by this system. Like all of you."
Garvin's lips parted, but he said nothing.
Arco continued, "Thirty years ago, I watched my unit slaughtered by Zypherian nobles because we wouldn't burn a village fast enough. They called me 'filth.' My name was erased. My records — wiped."
A pause.
"But now, I am Arco. And I don't need a past. Because the future is what we write in the next three days."
He looked at each of them — Zerlan, Karjax, Quoorax, Vaarn — and lastly, Garvin.
"I don't ask for loyalty to me. I ask for loyalty to our people."
He pressed a button.
The war map changed — expanding, connecting rebel hideouts, Verdalian ship fleets, supply routes
Location: Segment 1, Silhouet – Royal Palace, Inner Sanctum
The palace walls whispered in silence — a sacred space sealed from the world, accessible only to the bloodline of Lilliput's crown. High above the emerald-roofed towers and golden domes, the private Throne Sanctum rested, bathed not in sunlight, but in artificial starlight. Its ceiling, a dome etched with the history of the Lilliput royals, flickered like fading constellations.
Amid this towering sanctuary stood King Laco.
Cloaked in flowing black robes that moved like shadows given breath, his face remained unseen — veiled by folds of obsidian silk. None in the star system had seen his true face in three decades. Only his voice had thundered over the empire, commanding loyalty with a tone colder than death.
Prince Varel, the king's nephew, strode in with calculated hesitation. He was no mere politician — a prince raised in war, commanding Segment 2 with honor. But now, before this presence… he felt smaller.
"You summoned me, Uncle?" Varel asked, folding his arms behind his back.
Laco did not reply. He stood with his back to the chamber, gazing toward the glowing map of the Lilliput Star System, stars blinking with warnings.
"I've heard whispers," Laco murmured. "You're organizing a summit. A secret gathering of the ten planetary royals... and claiming it's under my command?"
Varel swallowed hard.
"It was necessary. The rebellion grows, and the Vir Empire—"
"The Vir Empire…" Laco repeated, softly. Dangerously.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. A pressure filled the room — heavy, unnatural, as though reality itself was bending around the king.
In a blur, Laco turned — his right arm snapping forward like a serpent.
His hand clamped around Varel's throat.
Varel gasped — lifted into the air effortlessly. His boots kicked against polished obsidian tiles. His aura flared in panic, but it was crushed beneath the king's grip.
"You dare speak of necessity?" Laco growled, his voice now a growl soaked in ancient wrath. "For thirty years I've worn this black, while fools like you slept under the illusion of peace."
The darkness around Laco's body thickened, crackling with invisible force. Even the golden carvings on the walls began to peel and tarnish, unable to withstand the pressure of the king's rage.
"You do not understand the price I paid when the Vir Empire came."
His grip tightened.
"They did not make alliances. They made puppets out of kings."
Cracks spread beneath his feet. Shadows slithered across the floor like liquid serpents, coiling up the walls.
"And now, you bring your politics into my court. You think a summit will fix this?"
"You think you understand war, Varel? You haven't even glimpsed the real enemy yet."
The prince's eyes rolled as he struggled for breath. His aura flickered in desperation.
Cut to: 500 kilometers away – Narlak's Maw
The sky darkened suddenly.
The stars above seemed to blink — no clouds, no storms, yet something in the air shifted.
On a lone ridge outside the encampment, Jason Amberdenk, his armor scuffed, blood dried across his cheek, froze.
He stood beside Commander Shin, gazing over the rocky cliffs where verdalian ships rested.
"Commander?" Shin asked, noticing Jason's stiffened frame.
Jason's breath caught.
He looked to the sky — eyes narrowing. Something ancient pulsed across the atmosphere. His heart skipped.
"He's angry…"
Shin blinked. "Who?"
Jason whispered — as if speaking it louder might tear the air apart.
"The King."
Silence.
Even the wind held its breath.
Far away in Silhouet, Laco's grip tightened, and Varel's breath ceased for a moment.
"Let the royals gather," Laco hissed. "Let them bicker and beg. For when I rise again... even the Vir Empire shall kneel."