Kyra was perplexed by CodeForger's hypothesis. The idea of the Sheriff being a discarded intelligence operative with a low-access Heretic ability and Thûl classified information was intriguing. It would explain his lack of a vital command and the secrecy surrounding him. But why would he be gifted this sector? Regardless, an Ace was still a valuable asset.
"Who are you? Truly!" she demanded.
The Sheriff turned back, unfazed. "Despite your appearance, you lack refinement. Manners dictate introducing oneself before asking for another's name."
Kyra felt her irritation rise. Was he seriously offended by proper etiquette? "I am Lady Kyra of the Tenth Spire, and these are my teammates," she said through gritted teeth.
"I see! That explains a lot. Nice to meet you, Kyra," the Sheriff replied with a hint of sarcasm. "My name is Mark, and now scram! I want to be left alone." He turned and walked away, pushing past Igniss and Selhob.
Kyra fumed, but an idea sparked in her mind. "Fine, we'll leave you alone," she said. "But as a member of the Aggregate, you should know I'll be debriefed and submit a report to my superiors and the King, detailing everything, including your Ace status."
She knew he would understand the potential consequences. Regardless of the King's stance, her superiors, with Primal's help, would likely press for his reinstatement. An Ace, even with a useless ability, was too valuable to waste. He would be forced back into active duty, whether he liked it or not.
"I'll make sure they do," she continued, a smirk playing on her lips. "Then you can kiss your drinking days goodbye. But if you help us, I can omit certain details from my report. You can continue enjoying your peace."
The Sheriff stopped, contemplating her offer. He turned back, a grudging respect in his eyes. "You're good, little girl. A freaking snake, alright. I'll go with you, but after this, you leave me alone, for good!"
"Deal," Kyra agreed, satisfied with her manipulation. Crushing his pride felt good.
"Now tell me what to do to get you off my back," the Sheriff grumbled.
"A quiet place would be nice, don't you think?" she replied, noting the curious townspeople watching from afar.
He led them to a rundown hut outside the town. Kyra expected as much, a fitting abode for a drunkard. Once inside, she and the Sheriff activated Mind-Lace and Mnemonic-Transfer. She shared the mission details, and he provided information about the Plane. There was nothing remarkable, except for an old Suneater, a Wild Dragon that fed on stars, orbiting the local sun. StreamBreath was scarce, making it a challenging environment for StreamBreath-dependent beings.
"Mnemonic-Transfer!" Kyra ordered her team, sharing the information she had received. "Igniss, are Suneaters a threat?"
Igniss used Mnemonic-Transfer to explain about Suneaters, his kin. They were immense, mindlessly destructive creatures that cared only for consuming stars. However, they posed no threat as long as they were left alone.
"Good," Kyra said. "Then we Ride to Erathos immediately."
"Wait," the Sheriff interjected. "That Plane is a Null-Field. We need StreamBreath-filled BlackStone."
Kyra pointed to her wrist bracelet, and the Sheriff noticed their various accessories containing the charged stones.
"Good for you," he said, scratching his beard. "But I don't have one."
"Let me guess, you lost it?" Kyra asked sarcastically.
"No, I traded it for ale years ago," he replied with a smile, picking lice from his beard and popping them into his mouth.
Kyra suppressed a shudder of disgust. "I still can't believe you're a LastBorn," she sighed. Turning to Selhob, she instructed, "Lend him one of your earrings."
Selhob reluctantly handed over his left earring. "Don't lose it!"
"I won't."
"Let's move!" Kyra declared, leading the way out of the hut. She stopped and turned back, scrutinizing the Sheriff's appearance. "You need to change. You can't go like this."
He simply turned his head away, sniffing. To her surprise, he did not argue.
Activating Alkahest and Accelerate-Mind, Kyra placed her hand on his chest. Within seconds, he was transformed, his rags replaced by a Sheriff's uniform of the LastBorn uniform, his face clean-shaven, his hair trimmed and styled. The stench was gone, replaced by a faint scent of fresh linen. He was undeniably handsome.
"You look good," she smirked.
"Shut up," he grumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the compliment.
Kyra enjoyed his reaction. Activating their Sigils and drawing StreamBreath from their BlackStone, they encased themselves in individual Aegis-Veil spheres and generated breathable air. Kyra opened a Way-Shear leading to Erathos's star, and they entered one by one.
Minutes later, they emerged near the sun, where Sun-Serpent hovered. Kyra closed the Way-Shear behind them, taking a moment to observe the ancient dragon.
"It's older than I thought," she commented through Mind-Lace, her team having activated the Rune as well.
"He doesn't have long to live," Igniss confirmed.
"We go in, secure the Prime Target, and get out," Kyra instructed. "I don't plan on staying long."
Maintaining their Runes, they flew towards Erathos, reaching the planet within minutes. Hovering in the stratosphere, Kyra issued new orders: "CodeForger stays here to search for the Prime Target's life sign. The rest of us will use Aura-Sight and scan for StreamBreath usage. Rendezvous here in five minutes."
They nodded and dispersed, except for the Sheriff, who followed orders begrudgingly.
Five minutes later, they regrouped, their expressions grim.
"Any luck?" Kyra asked CodeForger.
"No," he replied, frustration evident in his voice. "I'm still trying to figure out why. But it's not a tech issue."
"Really?"
"Captain, I found something interesting," Selhob reported. "An odd stone structure shaped like the Celestials' Primal Rune."
"So?" Kyra replied, dismissing it as a remnant of the Celestials' past influence. "Are you saying he built it?"
"No, it's ancient."
"Believe me, my find is more fascinating," Sena interjected. "Captain, you need to see this."
"Just Mnemonic-Transfer it!"
Sena's hesitation was unusual, piquing Kyra's curiosity. "Lead the way!"
They followed Sena towards a vast white desert, arriving at a site that left them speechless – a black dome, shimmering in the sunlight. They had never seen anything like it.
"Is that a VoidBubble?" Selhob asked incredulously.
"It looks like one," Kyra admitted, "but that's impossible!"
"It is impossible," CodeForger agreed, his voice filled with disbelief.
"This is a VoidBubble," Daed confirmed, his tone calm but laced with awe.
The Sheriff, visibly upset, muttered, "I agree."
"Let's go down and investigate," Kyra instructed.
They landed with a thud, kicking up sand as they deactivated their Runes, except for Daed and CodeForger, who continued drawing StreamBreath. Kyra approached the Dome, touching its smooth surface. "Daed, CodeForger, start your analysis!"
"Way ahead of you," Daed replied, activating his Kin Rune and touching the sphere.
"Commencing scan," Codex-7 announced.
"On it," CodeForger added.
Kyra turned to the Sheriff, her eyes narrowed. "You said you knew this place! Did you know about this?"
"I said I knew the place, not that I'd been here!" he retorted defensively.
"Stop lying! How could you not notice this? It's right in your backyard!"
"How could I have known? It's impossible!"
"Yet here it is! Don't you see how this changes everything we know about the Nexus?"
The Sheriff approached the Dome, his demeanor shifting to one of seriousness. "I agree," he whispered, his eyes glued to the sphere. "I was wrong. This mission was worth coming to."
"Captain!" CodeForger called out, excitement in his voice. "You won't believe what we found!"
"Out with it!" Kyra demanded.
"Codex-7 and I dated the sphere, and our analysis is conclusive," CodeForger said, removing his mask, a gleeful smile spreading across his face. "This VoidBubble has existed for over two hundred million years!"
Disbelief washed over Kyra as the others stood frozen in shock. "Are you certain?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Even I can't believe it! But the margin of error is practically nonexistent. This VoidBubble is from the Primordial Era."
"If that's true, then this must be..." Kyra paused, her gaze fixed on the sphere. "A Relic!"
The Sheriff whistled, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "This just keeps getting more interesting!"
"You think?" Kyra grumbled. "What else did you find?" she asked CodeForger.
"It was entered twice, around one hundred forty-four hours ago, when GildedCalm pinpointed this location, and again eighty-eight hours ago," CodeForger reported, returning his mask. "Now I understand why we couldn't detect his life sign. I believe our Prime Target is inside."
ShadowOne was inside!
"Captain, this VoidBubble is unique. This information is worth something," Gaia said, suggesting a Mnemonic-Trade.
"Not yet," Kyra countered. "We're the only ones who know about it. Let's keep it that way." She feared other nations might extract the information, losing their exclusive advantage.
"We should at least contact the Aggregate!"
"We can do that later. First, we retrieve the Prime Target and secure this Relic," Kyra declared. Turning to Daed, she asked, "Can we enter it?"
"I can try to Way-Shear in, but it might take time."
"You have one hour."
Daed nodded and began working with CodeForger to find a way inside, while the others waited.
Igniss stood near the sphere, activating Acuity and gazing at Sun-Serpent.
Selhob, maintaining Convert, juggled five purple orbs, transforming them into octahedrons with Alkahest.
Sena, having created a rock chair with Alkahest, watched Selhob with disapproval. "Selhob!" she shouted, her voice stern. "Kyra will kill you for wasting StreamBreath in a Null-Field!"
"Sorry, you're right!" he replied, dissolving the orbs one by one, reabsorbing the StreamBreath.
Meanwhile, Kyra and the Sheriff continued their bickering, her frustration clashing with his cynicism.
"What do you think Riders are?" he asked, his tone unexpectedly sincere.
Kyra paused, considering his question. "We strive for perfection," she answered. "We walk the paths we choose with pride, until our strides end in glorious death."
The Sheriff fell silent, his eyes filled with pity. "You have much to learn, little girl," he said softly.
"Stop calling me that!" she retorted. "How old are you anyway?"
He smirked. "I know I'm irresistible, but I'm too old for you, little girl. Besides, I prefer older women."
Kyra scoffed. "You? Irresistible?"
Gaia, observing them with Acuity, approached Sena. "They look good together, don't you think?"
Sena chuckled. "No way! Kyra only cares about work. Besides, I doubt a useless old man is her type."
"You never know!" Gaia smirked, watching the ongoing argument.
"A bet?" Selhob exclaimed, suddenly appearing beside them.
"Selhob!" Gaia cringed, deactivating Acuity.
"I thought you were..." Sena started, and shook her head. "No, I don't do bets."
"Spoiler!" Selhob turned to Gaia. "How about you?"
"I'm in. I bet something will happen between them soon."
"You're on!" Selhob grinned, shaking her hand. "The usual stakes?"
"The usual stakes."
Just then, CodeForger called them over. "We found something!"
They gathered around Daed. "Did you find a way in?" Kyra asked.
Daed explained that the sphere was structurally similar to other VoidBubbles, yet the amount of StreamBreath required to bring it out of the Nexus was unimaginable. He could not find a connected Nexus-Stream, but he had discovered another way in, though its nature remained a mystery.
"We can admire it later. Way-Shear in! Now!" Kyra ordered.
"Understood," Daed replied, intensifying his StreamBreath absorption and activating his Kin Rune. Minutes later, a swirling portal of white light materialized.
"Excellent work! Are you good to go?" Kyra asked.
"I can manage."
"Good. Maintain contact. Follow me!"
Kyra led the way, stepping through the portal and into the VoidBubble. The others followed, emerging into a breathtaking landscape of lush vegetation and ancient ruins. The portal remained open behind them, a circle of light attached to a large rock amidst the crumbling remnants of a lost civilization. Floating islands dotted the sky, some with cities built upon them.
Eight moons, massive and close, orbited the world, illuminated by eight suns arranged in a circular formation.
It was normal space.