After a short journey, the Aings arrived in Cabon.
All the clans and families of Orion paid close attention to Arfon and to the first ship ever to enter the planet.
— Chief, there's something terribly wrong with this planet, — one of the Aings said to Etron, who sat lost in thought.
— I fear this planet will become our eternal prison, — Etron replied while staring at the portable device in one of the Aing's hands.
On the monitor, countless red dots covered a map. It was the result of a reconnaissance scan.
Etron had only wanted a map to help them navigate if necessary, but the results made him realize that Asta Two — Orion — was no ordinary prison world.
— Chief, if anyone learns about this, the Aings are doomed, — one of the Aings said in despair.
The glow of his body visibly dimmed. Cracks appeared across his surface like glass about to shatter into pieces.
— Calm yourselves! — Etron said firmly to the rest of the crew.
The Aings looked at their leader with admiration, amazed that he could remain calm in such a situation.
What none of them noticed was that, although Etron appeared calm, the glow of his own body had also dimmed almost imperceptibly, trembling ever so slightly.
> "Omega Sect! What kind of cursed prison is this?!" Etron thought in horror.
Each red dot represented a danger equal to or greater than Level 7. There were so many red dots on the screen that Etron briefly wondered whether the scanner had mapped the entire universe rather than a single planet.
— Sir, perhaps the monitor is damaged! It's impossible for a planet to have this many Level 7s. It makes no sense — there aren't enough resources to sustain such growth, — one of the Aings said, trying to calm himself.
Hearing this, the others agreed with his analysis. It was far easier to believe the monitor was malfunctioning than to accept the alternative.
— Asta Two is not an ordinary prison, — said a voice from behind Etron.
The voice was soft and melodic, like a perfect note played on an unusual piano.
— Princess, what does that mean? — Etron asked without turning around.
When the remaining Aings heard Etron mention the word princess, they all raised their hands to face level and formed a heart-shaped symbol with their fingers, pressing it between their brows while giving a slight bow.
— May the spirit ascend!!! — they shouted in unison.
— My father sent me here. The original plan was for you to complete the Johns' mission while I traveled to the planet's capital to speak with Tails, the ruler of this world, and request protection, — the princess said, paying no attention to the Aings' greeting.
— Tails? Does the princess mean the disciple who stole the Omega Sect's sacred scripture? — Etron asked, mouth wide open in astonishment.
He truly admired his king's courage for even considering an alliance with a criminal listed among the most dangerous beings in the universe.
— While fleeing, Tails crash-landed on this planet and discovered that the native creatures here evolved far more easily than anywhere else in the known universe. Because of that, he decided to build his own army. The idea proved remarkably successful. In barely three hundred years, some creatures reached Level 6, and a few even attained Evolutionary Level 7. How do you think the hunt for Tails ended? — the princess asked Etron.
— Obviously with Tails' defeat. Both he and his allies were sentenced to never leave this planet. That's common knowledge, — Etron replied with absolute certainty.
The princess gave a faint smile, clearly pleased with her little display of knowledge, and said:
— If they were sentenced never to leave this planet, then how do you explain the appearance of beings like David John, the Voracious Emperor, and, more recently, Taisu — Tails' right-hand man — in the free universe?
— David John is a native of Asta Two? — Etron asked, stunned by the revelation that the vice-leader of the Universal Alliance had originated from a prison planet.
Then he remembered the message entrusted to him by the Voracious Emperor.
> "Once I finish the clan's mission, I'll deliver the Voracious Emperor's message. It's best to build ties with the clan he values so highly. It may prove useful in the future," Etron thought to himself.
— Of course he is. Since this will be our home for a very long time, I'll tell you what was never revealed about Asta Two. Yes, Tails lost the war. But according to footage from a thousand years ago, when Tails was about to be taken away for judgment by the Omega Sect disciples, two children of unknown origin tried to play heroes and were executed as an example.
— After that, everyone involved in the war vanished without a trace — except for Tails and Taisu. No one besides the universal leaders truly knows what happened. But ever since then, Tails made an agreement with the Universal Alliance and the Omega Sect: no one would be allowed to enter Asta Two. The planet was later officially registered as Orion, the name used by its natives.
— The key to understanding why Asta Two is not a normal prison lies in the phrase "entry prohibition," — the princess said with satisfaction to Etron and the rest of the crew.
When her father had first told her about Asta Two, she too had been shocked by the sheer scale of the mystery surrounding the smallest prison in the universe.
Seeing Etron's expression now filled her with complete satisfaction.
After hearing everything, Etron and the rest of the Aing crew finally understood where the princess had been leading with her long and absurd story.
Asta Two was not merely a prison world.
It was also a Forbidden Zone!!!
One of the Aings suddenly dissolved into tiny particles of light, as
though a biological being had suffered a heart attack from overwhelming terror.