Tartarusios cut through the endless dark, its colossal frame gliding silently through the sea of stars. Inside the control room, Youri lay sprawled across the cold metallic floor, one arm resting over his eyes as he stared through the vast viewing glass ahead. Beyond it stretched nothing but space—silent, endless, untouched. Thousands upon thousands of stars burned in the distance, their pale lights scattered across the void like forgotten memories. For the first time in what felt like ages, there was no screaming battle, no crimson sky looming overhead, no domain ruler clawing at existence itself. Only silence remained. And strangely enough, silence frightened him less than peace did.
The control room of Tartarusios had fully awakened since their departure from Tartarus. What had once been a dead relic now glowed with restrained life. Endless consoles surrounded the chamber, displaying symbols and data streams that flowed in languages Youri could barely comprehend. The curved walls shimmered with faint silver lines, while distant engines pulsed beneath the ship like the heartbeat of some sleeping giant.
Then the AI spoke again.
Its voice echoed calmly through the chamber, mechanical yet oddly elegant.
"Energy and technology adaptation complete. Tartarusios is now fully synchronized with Eternes technological standards. All systems updated. Navigation and leap functions are ready."
Youri did not move.
He kept staring at the stars.
A tired smile barely touched his lips.
"Great," he muttered. "Then just take me somewhere I can eat and drink."
"Order acknowledged," the AI replied instantly.
The ship adjusted course.
But before Tartarusios could prepare for the leap, the AI paused.
There was a brief silence.
Then—
"Warning. Leap preparation interrupted. Foreign object detected atop the upper deck."
Youri slowly lowered his arm.
His tired eyes narrowed.
The AI continued.
"Analyzing…"
Several screens lit up across the control room.
"Analysis complete. Object identified as an Orbiton-class machine. Classification… God Unit."
For the first time in several minutes, Youri let out an actual laugh.
A dry one.
Of course.
Of course that thing followed him too.
He sat upright and rubbed his face.
"It recognized him that fast…"
The AI continued without emotion.
"Further analysis indicates severe damage and unstable energy readings. Object designated as hazardous during leap procedures."
Youri leaned forward.
"We can't leap with that thing on the deck?"
"Negative."
He sighed heavily.
Then asked the question already forming in his mind.
"So where do I put it?"
The AI responded almost immediately.
"Secondary hangar is suitable for long-term storage and containment of the God Unit. Initiating hangar sequence."
The ship rumbled softly.
Far below the control room, ancient mechanisms groaned to life.
Youri slowly rose from the floor and walked toward the corridor. His footsteps echoed through Tartarusios as he moved through its vast interior. The ship felt impossibly large now that he walked it alone. Endless halls stretched in every direction, lined with pale walls and dormant systems awakening one by one as he passed.
Eventually he reached the hangar chamber.
It was immense.
Towering ceilings stretched high above him, supported by skeletal metallic arches etched with ancient Sacrosian patterns. Massive blast doors stood ahead, and to the far left rested a rack containing several space suits.
Youri approached one.
The suit looked far more advanced than anything Terran-made. Sleek black plating reinforced flexible silver fabric beneath it, while the helmet gleamed with faint blue circuitry.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then silently began putting it on.
The gloves sealed over his hands.
The chest plating locked into place.
Finally he lifted the helmet and placed it over his head.
The visor activated.
Pressure stabilized.
The hangar doors opened.
And space greeted him.
Youri stepped outside.
There was no sound.
Only the stillness of the void.
And there, towering before him atop the deck of Tartarusios, stood Altopereh.
The God Orbiton loomed silently against the stars.
Its restored armor reflected distant starlight.
Youri drifted closer.
And despite himself—
Memories surfaced.
Seron.
The Hound.
The antimatter cannon.
Tartarus.
Tikadello.
Atlantis.
Leonora.
Everything.
How strange, he thought.
A machine.
And yet so much suffering had followed it.
He reached the cockpit.
Placed his hand against the metal.
Then stepped inside.
The hatch sealed.
And instantly—
The world changed.
The watery abyss stretched around him once more.
Sunlight filtered from far above, rippling through endless blue.
Altopereh swerved through the waters like a shadow.
"So," it said. "You finally returned."
Youri remained silent.
Altopereh circled him.
Its humanoid form moved effortlessly through the abyss.
But then it slowed.
Its tone changed.
"What happened to you?"
Still—
No answer.
Then Altopereh laughed.
A low, mocking sound.
"Ah…"
It tilted its head.
"Did that Sacrosian bitch break your heart?"
Youri smirked.
But there was no humor in it.
"No," he said quietly.
"It was broken to begin with."
Altopereh stopped moving.
Youri looked toward the distant surface of the water.
"She just happened to take what was left of it."
The abyss grew quiet.
Then Altopereh laughed again.
Louder this time.
"I told you," it said. "You and I are the same."
Youri chuckled.
Slowly.
Almost bitterly.
"You know…"
He looked at Altopereh.
"We do share a lot of similarities."
The antimatter being floated closer.
"But the reason we're not the same…" Youri continued, "has never been clearer to me."
Altopereh tilted its head.
"And what reason is that?"
Youri smiled faintly.
"You still have a goal."
Altopereh remained silent.
"Revenge. Purpose. Hatred. You still chase something." Youri looked down at the water beneath him. "Unlike you… I've got nothing."
The words surprised even him.
But once spoken—
They felt true.
He laughed softly.
"I've got all the time in the world now."
The sunlight above rippled.
"No war."
"No duty."
"No promises."
"No chains."
"Just time."
Altopereh laughed.
"Take your time then."
Youri laughed too.
"Oh, I will."
The two drifted quietly for a while.
Then Youri looked directly at him.
"And I've got one last thing to say."
Altopereh stopped.
"Whether this is goodbye… or see you later… I don't know."
The abyss moved gently around them.
"But if there's one thing I'm sure of…"
He smiled.
"You and I are alike."
Altopereh grinned.
"But not one with each other."
That made the antimatter being pause.
And for once—
It did not interrupt.
Youri continued.
"I used to think the world did this to me."
His voice had grown quieter now.
"That fate kept taking things away."
He looked toward the surface again.
"But after everything…"
"After Leonora."
"After Tartarus."
"After all of it…"
He exhaled.
"I still can't blame the world."
The waters shifted softly around him.
"Because the only one responsible for all this…"
His smile faded.
"…is me."
Altopereh said nothing.
Youri continued.
"I kept thinking things would finally change."
"That if I just survived long enough…"
"Fought hard enough…"
"Loved hard enough…"
"Then maybe life would reward me for it."
He laughed.
A hollow sound.
"But I was wrong."
The abyss felt colder now.
"I wasn't fixing anything."
"I was delaying the inevitable."
His eyes narrowed.
"My own self-destructive nature."
Silence followed.
Even Altopereh did not laugh.
And for the first time since they had met—
The monster had no mockery left.
Only stillness.
Then finally—
Altopereh smiled.
A strange smile.
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Just knowing.
"Maybe," it said quietly, "you really did grow."
Youri said nothing.
The abyss shimmered around them.
And somewhere beyond the cockpit—
Tartarusios continued sailing through the stars, carrying a broken man, an ancient god-machine, and a future neither of them could yet see.