"No... like... L-Lovers."
The final word almost got stuck in her throat.
The silence that followed felt heavier than the silence of space outside the ship.
"Y-You like me?" Adrian asked, slightly blushing.
"Yes..."
"I guess... I... like you too," Adrian said, deeply blushing.
After a small moment of hesitation, they leaned toward each other and shared a gentle kiss.
"A-Anyway, it's getting late, I have to head to my room!" Riley said, blushing intensely as she hurried away.
Ren was watching from the shadows of the hallway.
"How cute," Ren whispered with a faint smile. "Though, it's quite sad that he must die today."
Adrian returned to his room shortly after. Within thirty minutes, he had fallen asleep.
A perfect time for Ren to strike.
He quietly entered Adrian's room, closing the door without a sound. He stood beside the bed for a moment, staring down at him. Slowly, he formed a dense sphere of gravitational energy in his palm and launched it straight at Adrian.
Before it could reach him, a blade flashed through the darkness and split the gravitational sphere clean in half.
"I knew you were up to something," Cosmic said coldly from behind.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, though his smile barely faded. "Hm... I suppose it wouldn't be that easy."
Cosmic lunged forward, his sword cutting through the air with lethal precision. Ren stepped aside effortlessly, placing two fingers against the blade. Instantly, the sword became unbearably heavy. It slammed into the floor with a metallic crash, and Cosmic's arm dropped with it. The gravitational force in the room intensified without warning. The bed beneath Adrian shattered as the pressure forced him into the ground, cracking the floor beneath him. Cosmic was crushed down as well, struggling to breathe under the immense weight.
"W-What's going on?" Adrian gasped, his body trembling under the crushing force.
To Ren's surprise, Cosmic forced himself up inch by inch and swung a punch at Ren's jaw. Ren stumbled half a step back, mildly impressed.
"Oh? I didn't think anyone could withstand my power."
Cosmic gave a strained smile.
"But I can always increase it."
The gravity doubled. Cosmic slammed back down, unable to move. Adrian felt his bones creak as the pressure threatened to break him completely.
Suddenly, Anthony burst into the room and drove a devastating punch into Ren's side. The impact launched Ren across the room and into the reinforced wall, denting it on impact. Ren coughed up blood as Anthony charged again, but Ren extended his hand and hurled Anthony backward with a violent gravitational surge. Anthony was pinned against the wall, suspended midair.
Ren's focus shifted toward Anthony.
That was their opening.
Adrian and Cosmic forced themselves upward just enough to strike. Adrian's fist collided with Ren's face while Cosmic drove a punch into his gut. The combined force blasted Ren into the wall again, the dent deepening this time. Blood spilled from his mouth as his body slid down.
But Ren slowly lifted one finger.
In an instant, all three of them were yanked upward and slammed against the ceiling. The gravitational force locked them in place, crushing and immobilizing them.
"Now then," Ren said calmly, blood dripping down his chin, "it is about time for you all to die."
He glanced toward Adrian.
"But before that… how about I kill the girl first?"
Adrian struggled desperately, but he couldn't move or even speak.
Ren exited the room and walked toward Riley's.
He opened the door.
Empty.
He checked under the bed, inside the closet, behind furniture.
Nothing.
"Hm…? Is she hiding?" Ren muttered. "Tsk. Too annoying."
He returned to the room where he had pinned them.
They were gone.
The ceiling was empty.
Ren's calm expression cracked for the first time. He rushed through the corridors, scanning every corner of the ship.
"They shouldn't have the power to escape that. How? Someone helped them."
Then realization struck.
Riley.
But how? She had no powers.
While Ren was lost in thought, Anthony appeared behind him and unleashed a crushing punch that slammed Ren into the floor, spiderweb cracks forming beneath him. Cosmic retrieved his sword and thrust it downward toward Ren's chest, but at the final split second, Ren twisted his body and rolled aside, the blade piercing the floor instead.
"How did he lift that sword? It should've been impossible," Ren thought, panic creeping in.
Adrian rushed forward, fist drawn back for a finishing blow. Ren vanished in a flicker of warped space, teleporting away at the last possible moment.
He reappeared inside the storage room and hid inside a massive cargo container, forcing himself to stay silent.
He was confused. Humiliated. Shaken.
After hours of searching, Adrian and the others finally gave up and regrouped.
Meanwhile, Ren remained hidden, replaying everything in his mind.
The only explanation was Riley.
She had recently discovered her ability but chose to keep it secret. When she saw Adrian and the others pinned helplessly to the ceiling, she acted. Her ability—Power Negation—had nullified Ren's gravitational control over them. She had also returned Cosmic's sword to its normal weight, restoring it from Ren's manipulation.
After piecing it together, Ren understood.
Riley possessed an ability that directly countered his.
He didn't know the exact mechanics yet.
But he now knew she was far from powerless.
That night, all of them slept in the same room to prevent another ambush.
Eventually, the spaceship slowed.
They had arrived at Earth B.