The war room was thick with tension, the hum of machinery and flickering holograms casting an eerie glow over the polished obsidian table. The walls, adorned with the symbols of Mars' Sovereign, felt heavier than ever. Outside, the distant rumble of warships taking off shook the foundation of the palace, a constant reminder that time was slipping through their fingers.
Miu leaned against Takashima's arm, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "It's like the whole team is together once again."
Across from her, Vayne lifted his porcelain cup, taking a slow, deliberate sip. His movements were calm, unfazed by the chaos outside. "Indeed. Been almost two decades."
Crowne, sitting back with his legs propped on the table, scoffed. "Always sipping down some tea, huh?"
Vayne barely spared him a glance. "I wouldn't expect an inelegant man to understand."
Crowne flicked a knife between his fingers, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "There it is. You know, one day, you might actually have to do something other than sip that overpriced leaf water."
Blitz rolled her eyes. "Enough. We have bigger issues."
Kaelus Redspire sat at the head of the table, his sharp silver gaze unwavering. He didn't need to slam a fist on the table or bark orders to command attention—his presence alone was enough. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of authority.
"We aren't here for a reunion." His tone was firm, cutting through the room like steel. "The situation has worsened."
Crowne leaned over, confused. "We aren't?"
He let out a sigh, shaking his head.
Takashima adjusted his glasses. "Alexander isn't here, so it's not a proper reunion."
Andrew tapped his fingers against the table. "Why are we summoned?"
Kaelus exhaled, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group. "Because Mars is on the brink of falling."
The room fell silent.
Takashima, uncharacteristically serious, spoke next. "We need to hold the line for one month. That's how long the evacuation will take. After that, Mars is lost."
Miu sighed, stretching lazily against Takashima. "That's it? Stall for time?"
Kaelus's expression hardened. "Not just stall. We make them bleed for every inch they take. We make it cost them."
Crowne smirked, drumming his fingers against the table. "Now that's more like it." He twirled his knife once before letting it embed into the table. "I assume this is where we come in?"
Blitz crossed her arms. "You want us on the frontlines."
Kaelus nodded. "Alongside Angel Squad and the strongest forces we have left. You're some of the only ones capable of holding back Lionel's elites."
Angel Squad is a great force… but they're barely second-rate," Crowne said harshly.
"But they will grow," Kaelus replied, his voice steady.
"With you, we can evacuate the millions," Andrew added.
"Good, but wasn't there over 100 million on Mars?"
"Correct."
"Mercury gave us some ships," Kaelus continued. "But those will be used solely for evacuation."
Andrew frowned. "Once we're in orbit… we'll be sitting ducks."
"Our warships will help prevent that, but you're right," Kaelus admitted. "That's why… we must space jump."
Takashima slammed his fists onto the table. "That's impossible! That takes an incredible amount of magic power!"
"We'd have to keep the jump open for ten seconds," he continued, adjusting his glasses. "Which is hard enough on its own—"
"That's why…" Kaelus met his gaze. "We must use Mars' magic stone."
For the first time, Vayne set his tea cup down.
"I see… That would do it."
Crowne leaned back, grinning. "I love it! If we're abandoning Mars, why not take the most valuable thing it has?"
Takashima sighed. "I hate the idea."
"I do too," Kaelus admitted. "But it's the only way."
"So then… you want one of us to retrieve it?"
"Yes," Kaelus confirmed. "It's deep under the Citadel."
Takashima exhaled. "The magic stone… Once it's removed from Mars' core, all of its life-sustaining properties will stop immediately."
Kaelus nodded. "Mars will become the red planet it was 300 years ago."
"Let us begin"
They rose from their seats, making their way deeper into the citadel. The air grew heavier, charged with ancient power as they approached the farthest chamber in the palace.
Before them stood a massive magical door, towering and etched with intricate runes pulsing faintly with energy. The very air around it hummed, as if aware of their presence.
Kaelus stepped forward, raising his hand. At his command, the runes flared to life, the door trembling as it slowly creaked open, revealing a descent into the depths of Mars.
He turned his gaze toward Crowne. "Will you do me the honor of retrieving it?"
Crowne's grin widened. "That I shall."
Taking a few steps back, he crouched low, then bolted forward—launching himself off the edge, diving into the vault below.
The Caverns of Mars…
The ancient ruins stretched endlessly, their walls carved with symbols that had long since faded into obscurity. The deeper Crowne went, the more the architecture shifted—what had once been smooth metallic tunnels now twisted into something far older. Giant stone pillars, worn down by time, lined the passageways, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that flickered weakly, like a dying heartbeat. The air was thick, not just with dust but with an energy that pressed against the skin, pulsing with a presence that had been undisturbed for centuries.
He smirked, adjusting the comm in his ear. "Oi, Takashima, you still alive up there?"
Static crackled before Takashima's voice cut through. "Barely. Some of us don't get to skulk around in old ruins while a war rages overhead."
"Haha, lucky me," Crowne chuckled, stepping over a collapsed archway.
"I wouldn't say that," Takashima muttered.
Crowne rolled his eyes. "Well, how much farther?"
"You're almost there."
"Good, 'cause I'm getting sick of this place."
Takashima sighed. "You're approaching the lower vault. The energy readings are off the charts. Be careful."
"Yeah, yeah." Crowne pressed forward, but the deeper he went, the stranger everything felt. This wasn't just some old Martian ruin—something about it felt… alive.
Ahead, a massive metal door stood at the end of the corridor. It was heavily rusted, its once-smooth surface now jagged with time and corrosion.
"Well… this thing's seen better days," Crowne muttered.
Takashima's voice crackled in. "No one's been down there in over 300 years."
Crowne scoffed. "And here I was hoping for a welcome mat."
Without hesitation, he reeled back and kicked the door off its hinges. It groaned in protest before collapsing inward with a deafening crash.
"Was that necessary?" Takashima deadpanned.
"Of course," Crowne grinned, stepping through the ruined entrance. "Makes me feel cool."
Beyond the door, an eerie chamber stretched out before him. Unlike the rest of the ruins, this room was pristine—untouched by time. At its center, resting on an obsidian pedestal, was a bright green stone no larger than a baseball, pulsing like a living heart.
"There it is," Crowne breathed.
Takashima's voice sharpened. "Go grab it."
"One second."
"…What do you mean 'one second'?"
Crowne's smirk widened. "Something's down here."
"That's impossible. The vault was sealed—"
"It's a magic beast."
The air shifted.
Something moved in the shadows.
Crowne's eyes flicked to the shifting mass, barely visible in the dim light. He didn't need to see it fully—he could feel it. The weight of its presence, the primal energy thick in the air.
From the darkness, it lunged.
A massive serpent, its scales glistening like liquid obsidian, its fangs longer than Crowne's entire body.
"Wow! You're big and ugly!" Crowne laughed as he dodged. "So beautiful!!"
"Hurry up and kill it!" Takashima snapped.
The snake struck again, its mouth wide enough to swallow him whole—
And then it stopped.
Crowne had caught it with one hand.
A shudder ran through the beast's body. Its instincts screamed, its massive form coiling back in hesitation.
Crowne's grin stretched. His eyes gleamed in the dim light, the aura around him radiating something far worse than the creature itself.
"What's wrong?" Crowne cooed, tightening his grip. "The fun's just beginning."
The beast let out a low, guttural hiss—
And then Crowne moved.
Fangs shattered. Scales cracked. The serpent barely had time to react before Crowne's attacks tore through its body, his movements precise, brutal, merciless. The chamber filled with the sound of carnage, each strike more devastating than the last.
Takashima listened to the chaos on the comms, shaking his head. "He's having way too much fun."
It wasn't long before the beast's mutilated body lay still, blood pooling beneath it. Crowne stepped over the mess, shaking off the crimson splatters.
"Well, that's that," he sighed, dusting off his coat. "Yoink."
He reached for the stone.
The moment his fingers touched it, everything changed.
The pulsing energy vanished. The glowing runes that lined the chamber flickered—then died. The entire ruin, once brimming with ancient power, fell into complete silence.
Somewhere, far above, Aika shivered.
Kai noticed. "What's wrong?"
She clutched her staff tighter, eyes narrowing as an uneasy feeling crawled up her spine.
"Something doesn't feel right…" she whispered.
A cold breeze swept through the battlefield, carrying with it the sense of something shifting.
"…It's like something just changed—drastically."
The Mystic Forest… was dying almost instantly.
As the ancient power of Mars faded, the once-vibrant, untamed wilds withered away, their life force severed at the root. Trees that had stood for centuries shriveled into brittle husks, their glowing leaves flickering out like dying embers. The air, once rich with magic, now hung heavy with an eerie stillness.
Deep beneath the surface, Crowne made his way back up, grinning like he had just returned from a vacation.
"I'm back!" He struck a dramatic pose as he stepped onto solid ground.
Vayne barely looked up, sighing as he reached over and plucked the magic stone straight from Crowne's grip. "Thanks…"
"Rude," Crowne muttered, brushing the dust off his coat.
"Let's go," Vayne said, turning toward the transport.
The group moved quickly, making their way to Mercury's largest cargo ship, The Zenith, where the rest of the evacuation efforts were underway. The colossal vessel loomed over the docks, a masterpiece of engineering, its reinforced plating and state-of-the-art defenses glowing beneath the floodlights. It was their best chance at escape.
As soon as they entered the bridge, Takashima rushed forward, his expression tense.
"Hand it to me. Quickly."
Crowne raised a brow. "What's got you in a rush?"
Before Takashima could answer—
"Blitz BLITZ. THAT'S WHO!"
The entire bridge shook with Blitz's voice as she tore into a group of engineers, gesturing wildly at the ship's internal systems.
"If even one calculation is off, Lionel will shred this ship to pieces! This needs to be PERFECT!"
Crowne smirked. "I see she's in a good mood."
Takashima rubbed his temples. "It's been a nightmare. If we don't get this working, she's about to bite my head off."
"I heard that!" Blitz shouted from across the bridge.
Crowne grinned wider. "Kinda deserved, don't you think?"
Takashima groaned. "Just give it here."
Vayne handed over the stone without another word.
Takashima moved fast, pressing a button on the control panel to reveal a slot that had been meticulously designed to house the artifact. With careful precision, he placed the magic stone into the terminal.
A deep roar vibrated through the ship.
The entire vessel came alive.
Lights flared, energy surged through the systems, and the ship's core pulsed with newfound power.
Crowne let out a loud, gleeful laugh. "Now this is exciting!"
Takashima exhaled, his shoulders finally relaxing. "This is the last piece… now we can prepare."
He turned back to the group, his voice steady but firm. "All of you—gather the rest of the teachers. Make your way to the front lines."
Crowne didn't need to be told twice. "On it!"
Without hesitation, he spun on his heel and rushed out, knocking over two unfortunate soldiers in his way.
Takashima sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Idiot."
Vayne chuckled softly before looking Takashima in the eye.
"Well, Takashima…" He extended a hand.
Takashima hesitated for only a second before shaking it.
"Take care," Vayne said.
Takashima nodded. "May the Spirit be with you."