In a simplistic, rustic, nigh-ancient looking stone chamber, a ringing sound suddenly interrupted the long-lasting silence. Placed on the room's sole table, there lay a small communication artefact, one that had only ever been contacted when regular formal appearances were in order–or when either an important matter or a concerning emergency had occurred.
Slowly awakening from his cultivation session, a black-haired man looking to be in his late forties opened his eyes, manipulating some Energy to accept the call. His voice was calm, yet overbearing and heavy, and the gaze with which he was staring at the holographic form of the one who had contacted him betrayed no emotional fluctuation.
"Speak."
Only after he had been given express permission did the middle-aged general dare to open his mouth. Not raising his head and kneeling respectfully from the very beginning, he began his report. If a certain wage slave wasting away on a particular Guarding Eye had been able to hear him, then he would have instantly recognized his voice as that of his ruthless superior.
"Approximately 30 minutes ago, a being we suspect to be a Heaven's Chosen has appeared on Enki XVII. The Planetary Destruction Cannon was unable to pose any threat, and a Guarding Eye has been occupied by him. This individual has understood our aggressive actions to be a declaration of war. How are we to proceed?"
As the Prime Grand General of the Enki Imperium, Shara naturally was aware of the troublemakers that had descended upon their worlds a few years ago. With how many citizens they had, it was only natural for there to be a few Heaven's Chosen amongst them, which was why they had learned about the impending threat decades before the Heavenly Succession's beginning.
At that point, the Elders Council, the military and the Imperator all agreed to significantly increase their surveillance efforts, and that they would adopt an 'attack first and ask questions later'-policy. If someone died to their onslaught, then they weren't worthy of being taken into consideration, yet if they barely survived, then they could be apprehended and either studied, or subdued. But in the case that they managed to pose a legitimate danger, then they had to be prepared to go all out.
"Noted. Pass my order to the other Grand Generals: Except for the local garrisons and our emergency measures, all troops are to board the Voidfaring Vessels and head to Enki XVII. You are to use all means at your disposal to eradicate the threat, no matter the cost. If we lose a world, then so be it. I will personally pass this report along to the Imperator and request for elite reinforcements. Dismissed."
Saluting respectfully, the middle-aged officer ended the connection, leaving the chamber just as silent as it had been before his call. What was different now, however, was that the one inhabiting it would no longer be in seclusion.
'What we feared has come to pass, and relatively early at that. But there is nothing that we can do about it now. Time to get the formalities out of the way and get the war machine rolling.'
Rising to his feet, the man shrugged off the accumulated dust from his navy-blue uniform, then strode out of his remote retreat. Surrounded on all sides by towering trees and cliffs, a strong wind assaulted him, tousling his hair. With how expansive the universe that Enki I housed was, there were plenty of planets for the higher-ups of the Imperium to make use of–and this one was Shara's private property. It had long been terraformed to become inhabitable even by regular folk and had withstood millions of years since then, all the while playing host to him.
To his people, he was both a relic of the past, as well as the most powerful defender of their present. There had been quite a few who had succeeded in reaching the same realm as him, but none of them had ever been able to hold a candle to him–all except for one person: their Eternal Imperator, the man who he was about to meet.
'We're seeing each other quite frequently nowadays. I can't believe it's only been half a century...'
Shaking his head in reminiscence, he darted into the sky and past the atmosphere, then sped up significantly once he arrived in space. Making his way to the nearest Teleportation Hub, a massive space station–many of which were spread throughout the universe to allow for rapid transportation–he soon found himself hovering before an enormous megastructure.
Located close to the centre of this world's universe, there lay what was once the home planet of their people, and the origin point from where it all had begun. By now, it had been transformed into a celestial body-sized hybrid of a luxurious palace and a war fortress. With Herculean efforts, they had transported many Energy Veins here over the long years, allowing it to have the highest Energy concentration known to their kind.
Taking a moment to appreciate this marvel, the corners of Shara's lips rose a little, then he approached. As he didn't bother to hide himself, he was soon detected and recognized, and summarily allowed to go straight to the most exalted of locations, the throne room.
Stopping in front of the gates, he saluted respectfully, then waited for them to open and allow his entry. Once they did, he strode inside and walked forwards until he stood only a few dozens of meters away from the elevated position from which their ruler was watching over them all.
"My Lord, it is time. A remarkable foe has appeared."
Receiving his solemn report were two regally dressed men who looked considerably alike, both seeming to be in their early twenties. One of them was seated on the throne and had a deep, profound look in his eyes, whereas the other was standing next to him and had a hint of genuinely youthful air radiating from him.
These were the Founding and Eternal Imperator of the Enki Imperium, Ziusudra, and Enmerkar, his only child, who had been born a mere 25 years ago. After they had learned of the Heavenly Succession, the previously uninterested ruler had finally felt motivated to continue his line, and unsurprisingly, had fathered a son worthy to be a powerful Heaven's Chosen.
"All of my personal troops shall be temporarily put under your command. My old friend, I'll leave the eradication or suppression of the threat in your capable hands. I shall await your victorious return!"
Flashing a calm and unperturbed smile, Ziusudra threw a command token into the shadows, where it was caught by a heretofore concealed figure. Even the Prime Grand General couldn't help but have a quick look at this person, before nodding in satisfaction.
"Now that he has grown to this extent, Ganzer will be a great help. Thank you for dispatching him, my Lord!"
This shadowy figure who had already melted away into the darkness again was their second most promising Heaven's Chosen, who had been groomed to become a powerful assassin ever since he had been discovered. With complete loyalty to the ruler of all, he had recently turned into their sharpest, most untraceable blade.
"It is not just he who will be supporting you. I trust you to take care of Enmerkar for me as well. Nothing is more precious than experience, therefore I hope to let him accumulate some as your second in command."
Momentarily surprised, Shara glanced at the young man who could barely suppress the excited smile threatening to light up his face, and the corners of his lips rose into a smirk.
'Ah, youth. A time so long ago that I barely have any recollection of it. Still, it's nice to be young. With his Talents, if he can stay motivated like this, then he will catch up to us, or even surpass us, in no time.'
Indulging in a hint of wistfulness for a moment, he soon nodded, his expression a serious, earnest one.
"It would be my honour! I promise to keep the Young Lord safe!"
Approving of his vow, Ziusudra's smile widened.
"Perfect. I have full confidence in your abilities."
A bit annoyed at the two of them treating him like a child, yet aware that he truly had barely any experience to rely on, Enmerkar rolled his eyes, interrupting their discussion from the side.
"Father, Uncle. The two of you are being too cautious about this. Haven't I sufficiently proven that I can look after myself? I passed all of your tests, remember?"
Thinking back to the decade or so that this youngster had spent on his private planet, where he had educated him in between his cultivation sessions, Shara couldn't help but chuckle. Even the Imperator joined in as well, before enlightening his naïve son.
"Right you are. But this is an unprecedented situation. For all we know, this foe could very well be your equal, or stronger. Everything is possible, so we have to tread carefully. This Imperium can be lost, but you cannot. Make absolutely certain of your success before ever risking your safety. If Shara judges our enemy to be more than we can handle, then you at least have to make it out of here alive."
Shocked at how seriously his father was taking what he had thought of as a fun, exciting trip, Enmerkar's demeanour changed, his immature conduct fading away, replaced by a sincere, dignified air.
"I understand, Father! Forgive me, I looked down upon our enemy. You are right, it is better to overestimate them instead!"
Although he spoke with conviction, the two veterans could still tell that he didn't yet know what he was getting himself into–but that was fine, because Shara was here. He had weathered too many storms to count and could intervene if all went downhill.
"It's good that you get it. Listen to your Uncle and be on your best behaviour. If you can manage to return in one piece, then you'll have made me proud, therefore don't chase after glory!"
Warning his son once again, the Imperator handed him a Storage Ring, then shooed him out of the throne room, where he would have to wait for the two 'adults' to finish their conversation.
"... don't worry, my Lord. Even if it costs me my life, I won't allow him to die."
Sighing heavily in response to his old friend's promise, Ziusudra showed a wry, helpless smile. Having become a father not too long ago, all of this was a new experience for him, and he was deeply attached to his sole progeny. All things considered, he felt that he had raised him well so far. Still, he didn't want anything to happen to this loyal companion of his either!
"You both are to return here alive–that's an order."
Silently gazing back at him, Shara eventually nodded heavily, resolved to not let his Imperator down. Even though he couldn't promise anything, as he had no clue what he was about to encounter, he could at least assure that he would surpass his limits and do more than merely his best!
"Then I will take my leave!"
Saluting and bowing slightly, mostly out of habitual formality rather than any necessity–as the two of them were close enough to ignore this nonsense–he bode farewell. Bringing along Enmerkar, he went to the largest Voidfaring Vessel kept in the palace and boarded it, where all of the elites that had been assigned to him were already waiting for him.
There were not only soldiers, but also experts of various fields, as well as some of the most legendary scientists their civilization had ever seen. Naturally, those last ones had been given the opportunity and resources to make it far on the path of cultivation, allowing them to live a lot longer than they otherwise would have. That way, they could serve their people for tens to hundreds of thousands of years to come.
Taking note of Enmerkar's excitement, which was about to bubble over, Shara walked to the command bridge and took his rightful place. Exuding an aura of unquestionable authority and an iron-blooded will, he began to instruct his forces.
"Get ready, we'll take off for Enki XVII in thirty seconds."
Once some literal last minute examinations and inspections had finished, the vessel's engines roared to life. They then teleported them to the edge of this world's universe, before proceeding to catapult them into the depths of the Lesser True Void.
At the same time, the usually composed expression on Ziusudra's face suddenly changed, as he furrowed his brows and peered into the depths of the void.
"Strange. Is it just me... or is something different?"