The grand hall of the palace shimmered in golden light as the three young warriors stood before His Majesty. The King leaned back on his throne, his sharp eyes studying them.
His Majesty:
"Of course you've never faced a Kaiju like that before. It was your first mission as a team."
Light straightened proudly, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Light:
"Dad, it was our first mission, but even with all the struggles, we still managed to defeat such a huge Kaiju."
The King's gaze hardened.
His Majesty:
"Here, you will not call me 'Dad.' You will address me as His Majesty. This is not our home."
Light's expression fell, and he quickly lowered his eyes.
The King then turned to Lothar.
His Majesty:
"Now, Lothar… tell me how the mission went in your view."
Lothar clenched his fists, his voice calm but firm.
Lothar:
"I tried to do everything as you instructed. But because of Light's recklessness, we almost failed. If Hikari hadn't stepped in at the right time, the mission would have collapsed."
Light froze, his face turning red with shame as he looked at Lothar in silence. Hikari widened her eyes in surprise at Lothar's bluntness.
The King raised a hand.
His Majesty:
"Light, this was your first mission, so I will overlook it this time. But from now on, be more careful. Do not repeat such mistakes."
He leaned back against his throne.
His Majesty:
"You may leave."
The three bowed lightly before stepping out of the hall.
---
Outside the Palace
As they walked out through the palace gates, Hikari slowed her pace until she was right beside Lothar. Her eyes narrowed, and she finally snapped.
Hikari:
"What was that behavior, Lothar? Everything turned out fine, no one got hurt, and yet you just had to expose Light in front of His Majesty. You embarrassed him."
Lothar stopped walking, his expression serious.
Lothar:
"This is part of the mission too, Hikari. If I don't point out Light's mistakes, he'll make them again. At least now, he'll know not to repeat it."
Hikari bit her lip, unable to deny his words, but her frustration was clear.
Light, walking a few steps ahead, said nothing. His shoulders were tense as he disappeared down the stone path, leaving Lothar and Hikari behind.
---
Elsewhere…
Far away, in a dimly lit laboratory, the stench of chemicals and decay filled the air. Dissected Kaiju corpses lay scattered across steel tables. Monitors glowed with strange data, while a lone figure sat in the center — veylor named scientist.
Beside him, his assistant scribbled notes, but the sound of heavy footsteps interrupted them.
A man named kael entered the lab, his presence filling the room. His voice was sharp, suspicious.
Kael:
"What do you want from me, veylor?"
Veylor turned slowly in his chair. A massive screen behind him flickered to life, showing the images of Lothar, Light, and Hikari. He adjusted his glasses and spoke evenly.
Veylor:
"So you came after all, kael."
Kael crossed his arms.
Kael:
"You want me to do something, right? What is it?"
Veylor:
"Capture them. Lothar and Hikari."
Kael laughed bitterly, shaking his head.
Kael:
"Oye, oye… you know I'm just a normal human, right? And I never said I was your partner. The only reason I came here was because you promised me information about these Kaijus and those so-called powerful humans. First, tell me what you know. Then I'll decide if I'm with you or not."
Veylor's lips curled into a faint smirk. He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
Veylor:
"…Fair enough. You want information? Then listen carefully. I'll tell you everything I've discovered until now. Years of research, every secret about those monsters… and the ones strong enough to fight them."
The room fell into silence, the hum of the machines echoing around them as veylor prepared to reveal the truth.