A sharp noise cracked through the smoky air behind him. Rio spun around instantly.
"No! I'm not a spy—I just got here… I followed a wave of terror leaking from Earth."
He narrowed his eyes.
(Wait a second... This isn't the same guy... is it?)
From the shadows, a new figure stepped forward—another winged warrior, taller and more composed, his jet-black feathers rustling as if moved by a wind no one else could feel.
"So... you're a former Earthling," the warrior said slowly, voice dripping with ancient suspicion. "But that's not possible. This star lies 110 light-years from your home planet, MARU."
Rio's eyes widened.
(What the hell? How does he know all that? If I'm that far from home, how did I even get here?)
The winged warrior seemed to smirk, though his face barely moved.
"Some of us possess telepathy. Through it, we can understand your language... even witness fragments of your memories. Until you reach the threshold of powerful warrior than me , your mind is an open scroll to some of us."
Rio blinked, his thoughts racing.
"That's... amazing and terrifying. You guys—and girls—seem oddly calm for having that much power. Even the TIER-5 aura here is overwhelming..."
His gaze flicked to a female warrior nearby—She stood like a shadow kissed by moonlight, her long dark hair cascading in silken waves down her back, framing a face both fierce and enchanting. Midnight wings unfurled behind her, vast and graceful, each feather catching the light like obsidian glass. There was a quiet power in her presence—a beauty that mesmerized, edged with mystery and danger.
(Okay, she might be a dream girl—)
"Ahem," the winged warrior interrupted. "I can read your thoughts, kid. You may want to put a leash on those... or you'll find yourself in more than one kind of trouble. She is Zanna the second after leader !"
(Shit! Uhmm... Yes! No! What do I even—?)
Before Rio could scramble his thoughts further, another armored figure appeared. This one wasn't smiling.
Without a word, he clamped metal cuffs on Rio's wrists and a strange, humming collar around his neck.
" War-Mortal," that warrior growled. "Come with me. No tricks, or I'll crush you before you blink."
Rio tried to keep things light. "Uhh, hey—do you also have mind reading or something?"
"I don't," that warrior replied coldly, "but that won't change your fate. A mortal like you is lucky to meet our leader, Nyxara. She may kill you instantly... or she may not."
(If I were even a little stronger... you'd be dead by now... Ugh, what is this pressure? Why is the air so heavy?)
The warrior dragged him across blackened corridors until the gates of the Throne Hall opened.
Rio stumbled inside—and stopped dead.
Before him stood thirty or more TIER-5 warriors, each with chilling composure. Two radiated far beyond that—TIER-6 warriors, silent and glowing like gods in mortal shells.
And seated above them all was her.
Rio's breath hitched.
(Holy shit... who is this lethal goddess?)
Her skin shimmered like marble under starlight. Her crimson eyes glowed with ethereal calm, and her voice, when it came, felt like velvet cutting through frost. Her clothes showing a appealing genuine figure--graceful, glowing, with silver hair braided like threads of moonlight.
"Stand, humman."
"Do you know why you're here?"
Rio straightened. "I… I don't know what I've done, but I swear I didn't break any laws."
(Her scent... it's like serenity itself. Like the one described in the Tomb of the Furine back on MARU...)
The woman—Nyxara—glanced at her guards.
"All warriors, remain here. Unberwyn Duo—bring this humman to the Golden Plateau."
Two warriors stepped forward—twins, flawless and unnerving. One male, the other female, both clad in silver armor streaked with obsidian.
(I must be mad... because I'm not even scared anymore. Either I'm enjoying this... or something's seriously wrong with me.)
Rio cleared his throat. "Hey, can someone at least tell me where we're going and why?"
"A mortal dares question the Lady?" the male twin hissed, eyes narrowing.
"If not for the sacrificial rite, I'd kill you here and now!"
"Pathetic," the female twin chuckled. "You answered him? Hah! You're growing soft, brother."
Flushed with anger, the male twin lashed out—kicking Rio hard in the side. The force knocked the wind out of him, but the GODWAR suit's remaining energy softened the blow.
(Ahhh—dammit. This isn't good. I don't want to die here. I haven't even found the girl from my dreams yet...)
Nyxara rose from her throne, descending the steps like a descending star.
"I never intended to sacrifice you, Rio Ryunn."
Her voice was a whisper laced with thunder.
"I wanted you as my slave—until death would part us. But your blood may hold the key to what my people have failed to accomplish for 3,000 of our years... That's over 18,000 years for your kind."
She stepped closer, her gaze locked onto his.
"I, too, have telepathy. And I know who you are."
Rio stood frozen as the twin warriors bowed.
"We are ready, my lady," the male twin said softly.
The path to the Golden Plateau awaited.