After sealing the deal, Kael gestured for the horned alien to take the lead.
Not too far ahead. Not too close either. Just within reach—close enough that if another xenomorph jumped out of the shadows, Kael could react before the poor guy became a walking incubator.
He deliberately lowered his body temperature as he followed. The last thing he needed was accidentally roasting his temporary business partner because the guy stopped too suddenly.
The hallway grew worse the deeper they went.
Corpses of the same horned species lay scattered across the floor. Some were half-melted by acid. Others… were clearly used as nests. Torn open from the inside.
Ten minutes passed like this.
Are we there yet? Kael wondered.
He almost wanted to ask, but if he tried to speak, it would probably come out as a burst of flame and unintelligible crackling. And even if he could talk, this guy wouldn't understand him anyway.
A coughing sound snapped him out of his thoughts.
Kael looked up.
The horned alien was motioning urgently for him to come closer.
He muttered something in his language, then suddenly broke into a full sprint, turning sharply into a side corridor.
Kael followed without hesitation, watching the alien carefully.
Is he trying to trick me?He dismissed the thought. After seeing Kael cook a xenomorph alive with his bare hand, only a complete idiot would try anything funny.
They stopped in front of a large reinforced door with a keypad lock.
The alien started typing frantically.
Beep. Error.Beep. Error.Beep. Error.
Kael watched for a few seconds, then gently grabbed the alien by the shoulder and lifted him aside like moving furniture.
He raised one clawed finger.
A small red flame appeared at the tip. It darkened, deepened, turning into a concentrated, almost black-red heat.
He traced a line across the door.
Metal hissed, glowed, then gave way.
With a heavy thud, the entire door slab fell inward.
Inside was a small room filled with papers, devices, and scattered equipment.
Kael turned to the horned alien and tilted his head.
Where are the crystals you promised me?
The alien hurriedly pointed under a table.
Kael followed the direction and saw a box. He pointed at it, then back at the alien.
The alien nodded repeatedly.
Kael floated in and once again lowered his temperature, careful not to accidentally burn the place down. He planned to loot the alien tech later—after escorting this guy safely to the escape pod.
He pulled the box out and opened it.
Inside were numerous crystals.
Most were small. Low quality. Like the one from the flashlight earlier.
Meh. Still better than nothing.
Kael floated cross-legged in midair.
Then he began eating.
Handful after handful of crystals disappeared into his mouth, crunching softly like candy.
While he was busy, something dropped beside him with a heavier sound.
He turned.
The horned alien had placed a much larger crystal on the floor. Pink. Clear. Rich with energy.
"Oh?" Kael muttered.
He put the small ones aside and picked up the big pink crystal instead.
This one tasted far richer. Sweeter. More satisfying.
The alien then dropped a few more not as large as the first, but still far better than the scraps in the box.6
It felt like a buffet.
Kael finished the pile with visible satisfaction.
Still… he missed human food.
---------divide----------
After several minutes of eating, Kael finally stopped.
The last crystal dissolved into energy within him, spreading warmth throughout his entire body. It wasn't just enough it was more than enough. Power pulsed steadily beneath his obsidian shell, filling every crack of glowing red crystal embedded in him.
Yeah… that's the good stuff.
If before he had been running on reserves, now he felt fully charged enough to travel far, maybe even across entire star systems without worrying about running dry.
And with that satisfaction came something unexpected.
Laziness.
A deep, heavy kind of contentment.
Like a cat that had just finished a full meal, basking in the quiet after.
Kael let out a slow, silent yawn more out of instinct than necessity.
The alien can wait… right?
His thoughts slowed.
The tension in his body faded.
And just like that, his consciousness began to drift.
----divide----
Arka stood there, frozen.
He had just watched Kael consume an amount of crystal energy that could power an entire spaceship for months—casually, like it was nothing more than a snack.
"…Unbelievable…" he whispered under his breath.
He wanted to remind Kael about their deal. About the escape pods and leaving this cursed ship alive.
But the words died in his throat.
Because Kael's body began to glow.
Soft at first then brighter.
Arka stiffened.
What now…?
The light intensified, radiating from the cracks of Kael's crystalline body, pulsing like a heartbeat. For a brief moment, Arka thought the creature was about to explode—
But instead, the glow stabilized.
Then slowly faded.
Kael's form remained mostly the same.
But not entirely.
Behind him, hovering silently, was something new.
A crystal.
Larger than the others. Perfectly formed. Floating just above his back like a halo. It shimmered with a steady, radiant light, as if it were alive synchronized with Kael's very existence.
Arka's eyes widened.
A mutation? Evolution? Energy overflow crystallization?
His mind raced.
When he first encountered Kael, he had already been beyond anything Arka had ever seen—a being of heat and crystal, immune to vacuum, capable of overwhelming force.
A creature that not only possessed immense power but could grow and think .
Arka swallowed.
A scientist's curiosity burned within him. The urge to study Kael, to understand him, to dissect the laws that allowed such a being to exist—
But reality quickly crushed that thought.
He glanced at the scorch marks. The melted walls. The memory of xenomorphs being reduced to ash in seconds.
"…No," he muttered quietly.
He valued his life.
Very much.
With a tired sigh, Arka leaned back against the wall, sliding down until he was seated on the cold metal floor.
All he could do now… was wait.
Wait for Kael to wake up.
And hope—really hope—that the creature remembered their deal.
His body ached. His mind was exhausted. The adrenaline that had kept him moving until now was finally fading.
"…Just a short rest…" he murmured.
Arka closed his eyes.
-------divide-----
Kael stirred.
His eyes opened slowly, a faint glow flickering within the cracks of his crystalline body.
He felt… good.
No—better than before.
Refreshed. Lighter. Energized.
Whatever passed for his "stomach" now no longer carried that heavy, overfilled sensation. The excess energy had settled, refined into something more stable.
…Huh.
Then something caught his attention.
At the edge of his vision, a red crystal floated quietly beside him.
Kael blinked.
Wait… didn't I already eat everything?
He reached out and grabbed it, bringing it closer to inspect. It pulsed faintly, resonating with a familiar energy.
He opened his mouth, about to eat it—
Then stopped.
A strange feeling crept over him.
Not danger.
Not fear.
Just… wrong.
Deeply, instinctively wrong.
Like staring at something that shouldn't be consumed.
Kael stared at the crystal for a long moment.
"…No way."
"…Is this… my?"
Realization hit.
"Oh hell no."
He immediately tossed it away like it was cursed.
No wonder I feel lighter… I literally just shit.
"…I just shit in my sleep," he muttered, shaking his head. "That's insane."
The sound of the crystal hitting the floor startled Arka awake.
He jerked up, heart racing—only to freeze when he saw Kael already awake and standing.
Relief washed over him.
For a moment, he thought the creatures had returned.
Then his eyes fell on the crystal lying on the ground.
The same one that had appeared during Kael's… transformation.
Arka hesitated, then slowly picked it up.
He examined it closely—its structure, its density, the sheer concentration of energy within it. His scientific instincts flared instantly.
This… this is far more refined than the others…
He glanced at Kael cautiously, expecting some reaction.
But Kael didn't seem to care.
At all.
Arka blinked.
…So it's not important to him?
Carefully, he held onto it.
Meanwhile, Kael was watching him.
…Is he seriously picking that up?
A pause.
Wait…
Don't tell me…
My shit is valuable to them?
Kael stared for another second.
"…Wow," he muttered internally. "Didn't think I'd reach a point where even my shit is premium material."
He shook his head.
Whatever.
More importantly—
The deal.
Kael turned and floated out of the room without another word.
Arka quickly followed behind him, clutching the crystal carefully.
Minutes passed as they navigated the damaged corridors.
This time, nothing stopped them.
No ambush.
No movement in the shadows.
Just the quiet hum of a dying ship.
At last, the structure of the corridor began to change. The walls became cleaner, less damaged. Emergency lighting stabilized.
Ahead
A reinforced section of the ship.
And beyond it
The escape pods.
---------divide------