The Ark sailed through the void, its alien hull humming softly, as if sharing secrets with the stars. Ahead, the darkness thickened into a vast cloud of broken stone and twisted wreckage. The Shattered Belt.
Kael Ardyn stood on the command deck, his jaw tight and his eyes fixed on the asteroid storm. He had seen battlefields before, but the Belt felt different. It was an open graveyard, where the remnants of old wars floated endlessly.
Rhea let out a low whistle. "Gods above. I forgot how ugly this place is."
Lyra moved closer to the viewport, her hand brushing the glass. "It feels… wrong. Like the void remembers what happened here."
Kael glanced at her. Her skin still held a faint pallor from channeling the Ark, but her eyes burned with quiet determination.
"Wars were fought here long before the Council," Kael said. "Some say the Belt is cursed. Others believe it hides things best forgotten."
Rhea smirked. "And you? What do you think, Captain?"
Kael's hand curled into a fist. "I say my brother's in there. And I'm going to find him."
They entered the asteroid field carefully. The Ark's alien systems hummed, and its shimmering shields flared as debris scraped past. Massive stone fragments spun lazily, colliding with bursts of fire that illuminated the darkness.
Kael gripped the controls, guiding the ship with steady hands. The Ark responded with surprising precision, almost as if it anticipated his movements.
Rhea leaned against the console, watching with an impressed smirk. "She flies like she's reading your mind."
Kael didn't respond. His focus remained sharp, but he couldn't deny that sometimes the Ark felt alive.
Then the Belt struck back.
A storm of rocks shifted suddenly, colliding with jarring force. The Ark's shields flared and alarms blared. Kael cursed as he dove the ship through a narrow gap, avoiding massive shards that slammed into each other where they had just been.
Lyra clutched the console, her voice steady amid the chaos. "The Ark's adjusting. It's mapping the Belt's patterns."
"Then tell it to hurry," Kael muttered, sweat beading on his brow.
Hours passed as they moved deeper into the Belt. The crew grew silent, with tension thick in the air. Every shadow looked like a ship, and every flicker of movement felt like an ambush.
Finally, Rhea broke the silence. "We're being watched."
Kael stiffened. "How do you know?"
Rhea tapped her temple. "Call it instincts. Or maybe I just don't like how quiet it's been."
Lyra's hand brushed a glowing glyph. The Ark's systems flared, revealing faint signatures hidden in the debris. Dozens of them. Ships cloaked in the Belt's shadows moved with predatory patience.
Kael's chest tightened. "Taren's fleet."
The hidden ships emerged—sleek frigates painted black, their hulls lacking any insignia. They surrounded the Ark in a tightening circle, their weapons glowing faintly.
A voice crackled over the comms, deep and cold. "Unidentified vessel. You are trespassing in restricted space. Power down your engines and prepare to be boarded."
Kael's grip tightened on the console. His heart raced, but he forced his voice to remain steady. "This is Kael Ardyn. I'm looking for Taren Ardyn."
Silence. Then the voice returned, sharper. "State that name again."
Kael leaned closer to the comm. "Taren Ardyn. My brother."
A murmur rippled through the channel, hushed voices in the background. Then the voice spoke again, slower and measured. "Hold position. Do not resist."
Rhea muttered under her breath. "That's never a good sign."
The Boarding
The Ark's docking bay shook as magnetic clamps locked onto its hull. A squad of black-armored soldiers stormed aboard, weapons drawn.
Kael and Rhea prepared themselves, hands resting on their blasters. Lyra stood just behind them, calm but tense.
The squad's leader stepped forward, visor gleaming. "Orders are clear. Bring them to the Admiral."
Kael's chest tightened at the mention of Admiral.
He glanced at Lyra, then back at the soldiers. Slowly, he lowered his weapon. "Take us to him."
They were led through a massive frigate, with corridors lined by soldiers moving with unsettling discipline. This was not the ragtag force of smugglers or mercenaries Kael had expected. This was an army.
Finally, they entered the command chamber. At its center stood a tall man, his broad shoulders facing them as he studied a holographic map of the Belt. His uniform was black, trimmed with silver, and his posture radiated authority.
"Admiral," the squad leader said, bowing his head. "We found intruders. One of them claims to know you."
The man turned slowly.
Kael's breath caught. His chest felt like it had caved in.
It was Taren.
Older, tougher, his face marked with scars—but unmistakable. The brother he had mourned was alive and standing as the Ghost Admiral of the Council's shadow fleet.
For a moment, the world fell silent.
"Kael," Taren said, his voice low and weary. "You shouldn't have come."
Kael stepped forward, fists trembling at his sides. "I buried you. I mourned you. And all this time—you've been alive? Serving them?"
Taren's eyes darkened. "I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice," Kael spat.
Taren's jaw clenched. He glanced at Lyra, then at the soldiers surrounding them, before dismissing the squad with a quick gesture. When the chamber doors sealed, only the brothers and Kael's crew remained.
"I survived the wreck," Taren said quietly. "The Council found me. They gave me a choice—serve or die. If I refused, they would destroy everything we ever cared about."
Kael's chest heaved. "So you became their weapon."
Taren's eyes flashed. "I became what I had to. Now, I am more than their weapon. I command my own fleet. I have power, Kael—power to protect, power to change things in ways you can't imagine."
Kael shook his head, rage and grief battling inside him. "Power bought with blood."
Taren's gaze hardened. "You don't understand. You've been running and hiding. I've been fighting. The Council respects strength. I intend to use it against them when the time is right."
Lyra stepped forward, her voice steady but sharp. "If that's true, then why pursue Kael? Why carry the Council's banner at all?"
Taren's eyes flicked to her, studying her with unsettling calm. "Because appearances matter. The Council believes I am theirs. Let them think that. When the moment comes, I will turn their blade against them."
Kael's stomach churned. "And I'm supposed to just trust you? After everything?"
Taren's expression softened for a moment. "You're my brother, Kael. That hasn't changed."
But Kael wasn't sure. Looking into Taren's eyes, he saw both the boy he had grown up with and the soldier who had burned worlds in the Council's name. He didn't know which one was real.
Taren turned back to the holographic map. "Stay with me, Kael. Fight by my side. Together, we can take everything from the Council. With your ship—" his eyes lingered on Lyra "—and her connection to it, we could be unstoppable."
Kael's heart twisted. He wanted to believe him. He wanted to trust that his brother hadn't become the monster the Council whispered about.
But Rhea's hand brushed the grip of her pistol, and Lyra's fingers tightened on his arm. He wasn't the only one doubting.
Kael's voice came out hoarse and raw. "I don't know who you are anymore, Taren. But I'll find out. One way or another."
Taren's eyes narrowed, but he nodded slowly. "Then stay alive, little brother. When the storm breaks, you'll have to choose a side."