Ash floated.
Everything was silent.
The asteroid was gone, broken into pieces. Its remains drifted through space like dust in water. Far away, strange ships moved through the wreckage—dark, metallic things that watched but did not help. Ash's body hung in the emptiness. His clothes were ripped. Dust clung to him. A soft white glow covered his skin.
Then—darkness.
————
Warmth.
It wrapped around him gently. The freezing cold of space disappeared. In its place was something alive, something full of energy.
Ash felt like he was refreshed, not in space anymore—but on a bed.
'Where… am I?'
He could see, but he couldn't move. All he could see was a beautiful ceiling made of gold.
'what is this, why can't i move?'
It felt like he was stuck inside someone else. Watching through their eyes. He could tell this because the person's head was moving on its own and Ash wasn't in control.
A deep voice spoke from above. Calm, Heavy and Unshaken.
"He comes, as the stars have spoken. At last, another god-born walks among our blood. The stars smile upon us this night. Let us honor this gift with feast and flame. Now… what name shall I carve into fate for you?"
Ash tried to turn his head to look around, but he couldn't. The body he was in didn't respond to him. The person next to him stood a figure with glowing golden eyes, full of power. He wasn't alone others were there some had the same glow to thier eyes while some didn't. It feels like there was a gap of power between the two.
The same deep voice spoke again.
"Ah, yes—I know. From this day forth, you shall be called—Tachyros."
'Tachyros?'
The name felt strange… but right. It wasn't his name. But somehow, it belonged to the body he was in. Like it had always been there.
He tried to speak. Tried to ask where he was. But no words came. He was just a passenger.
The vision changed with a bright light.
Now he was now outside. He was kneeling.
All he could hear distant talking.
The area was beautiful—unlike anything he had ever seen. Ash stare at the distance mountains, he could see dragon like creatures, for a moment he thought this was still home. Still his planet. Well he still would, if not for the three burning suns in the sky.
'well, am really not in varagos anymore'
He felt something pull at him. Like he belonged there. But again—he couldn't move.
Then his head move to the side against his will. He saw children they were lined up at his side both left and right. They all have glowing eyes. Ash guess that they should also be god-born like the body he was on.
An old man with the same glowing eyes and bushy beard. Walk to the kids one by one holding their hands and whispering words that sounded ancient to Ash.
Behind him was another man with a bowl. He doesn't have the glow eyes but something about him shows strength.
The old man with glowing eyes stand next to Ash. It looked like his turn in whatever ritual was taking place.
Ash—no, Tachyros— stretched his arms forward.
The old man hand—calm and strong—reached down. It touched him.
The old man spoke.
"Such power… A quiet storm beneath still waters. Even the gods shall come to dread your shadow. It does not boast, it does not blaze—yet when wielded true, it rends the world asunder. A hidden blade, sharpest when unseen.
Rise now, Tachyros. Rise up, for you are no longer flesh alone. You are the Phantom— the ghost that walks the worlds, the silence before ruin. The whisper that ends kings."
Tachyros slowly rise up
"Rise, for now you shall be named Phantom—ghost of the world, unseen and unbound, the shadow that walks where even gods dare not tread."
A spark of light jumped between them.
Then—
Laughter.
Ash heard it echo through a courtyard.
Now he was running. Fast. So fast the world blurred around him. His steps were light. The sky bent to his speed. It felt like flying.
Someone behind him reached out, trying to catch him.
"By the gods, how are you this swift?"
A young boy's voice, breathless but laughing.
Tachyros—didn't slow. The words came like wind from his chest.
"Mayhap you're just too slow to hunt a storm."
Another figure darted at him from the side.
Her red hair blazed like fire, her eyes lit with challenge.
"One day, your legs will fail you. Then I shall be the one who leads."
Tachyros met her gaze as he surged past.
"Then run. Let the winds and time choose the victor."
They both laughed again. The kind of laugh born in battle-brothers—and fire-forged bonds.
Ash felt something stir in his chest. Like he knew them. Like he missed them. But they weren't his memories. They didn't belong to him.
"Tachyros"
Someone called his name.
Tachyros turned.
At the edge of the courtyard stood a man holding a small bundle—wrapped in cloth.
"Come, look upon her. The stars smile once more, and in their grace, they've sent us another god-born."
Tachyros walked over. Ash felt the motion in his bones.
The bundle moved. A tiny hand reached out, fingers curling.
'A baby?'
Something inside Ash shifted. Like he was remembering something that never happened. The world around him—pillars, courtyard, sky—started breaking apart.
Cracks of light filled everything.
Then the world shattered.
Ash's eyes snapped open.
Silence pressed in around him, thick and cold. His hand moved to his face, and his fingers came away wet. Tears. They trailed down his skin, but inside, he felt nothing.
'What the—'
His voice didn't carry, just a whisper swallowed by the void.
All around him, wreckage drifted—broken ships, torn stone, twisted metal, each piece spinning slowly through the dark. He caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a shard. A faint white glow wrapped around his body, soft and steady, like something unseen was holding him together.
He took a breath. Then another. Deep. Even.
Too even.
Air filled his lungs, thick and real, when there shouldn't have been any air at all. He exhaled, but it didn't clear his mind. His hands curled into fists.
'I can breathe, but how—'
To the side, something moved.
Speedy hovered nearby, motionless. But there was light winds around him—subtle, almost like a current, swirling and twisting around his body. The same faint white glow clung to him like a second skin, pulsing with a quiet energy.
'His veinflow is still active, so he is still alive.'
Ash turned.
'My blade—where did I drop it?'
There. A few meters away, floating just out of reach. He shifted his body, slowly drifting toward it, every movement strange, like swimming through thick air.
His fingers closed around the hilt.
Then his eyes locked forward.
In the distance, faint shapes floated—figures. His chest tightened.
'They better be alive.'
A low hum stirred in his suit. A pulse, like something waking up beneath his feet. Then the flicker—
Blue fire burst from his boots.
The force pulled at his body, and he surged forward, cutting through the black like a thrown spear.
————
Max drifted in the void, his suit torn wide open, blackened flesh exposed to the cold. His left arm was gone. His right leg—missing. Energy crackled at the edges of the wounds, faint traces of the blast still clinging to him.
Inside the shattered helmet, a voice echoed, flat and mechanical.
"[WARNING: Host vitals critical. Heartbeat… absent. Initiating emergency resuscitation protocol.]"
A jolt surged through his body. His fingers twitched. His chest rose once, then fell back still.
"[WARNING: Host remains unresponsive. Increasing charge.]"
Another pulse. Stronger. His body jerked, spine arching, but no breath followed.
"[ALERT: Unidentified cellular activity detected. Attempting removal…]"
The AI paused.
"[ERROR: Foreign cells cannot be removed. Anomaly detected… initiating adaptation protocol.]"
White light bled through the severed ends of his limbs. Thin strands coiled out like threads of silk, weaving through empty space. Bone shaped itself. Muscle wrapped around it. Skin followed, pale and whole.
Ash cut through the debris, his thrusters blazing, eyes locked onto Max. He slowed, seeing the glow swirl around him. The missing limbs—reforming.
His breath caught.
"Max!"
His voice cracked across the vold. He lunged, arm outstretched just as the final surge of energy rippled through Max's chest.
A sudden gasp. Max's eyes snapped open.
Ash grabbed him and gave him a hug, relief hitting like a wave.
"You idiot! I thought you were dead!"
Max blinked slowly.
"What…?" His voice came low, dry.
"[Host has been drifting in space for… 48 hours, 36 minutes.]"
His mind kicked back online.
'Forty-eight hours.'
His gut clenched.
"Two days?"
"[Affirmative. During this time, host's body has undergone an unforeseen transformation.]"
He looked down. His hand clenched, skin whole. No pain. No tightness. Just strength. Solid and raw.
"What the hell does that mean—"
Ash turned, already facing forward.
"No time. We need to find Kael."
The jets on his boots fired. He launched ahead, light trailing behind him.
Max took a breath. His body moved with him—fast, smooth, alive. He leaned forward. Fire burst from the thrusters beneath him, and he shot after Ash, cutting through the wreckage.
They flew side by side, chasing the last survivor of thier team.
————
Kael drifted, motionless, limbs loose in the void. His suit was torn where the blast had struck hardest, the edges singed and curled. Embers danced past his visor, the last traces of the battlefield still glowing.
A burst of static cut through Max's comms.
"[Heartbeat detected. Subject is alive.]"
He let out a slow breath, shoulders easing.
"Good… He's still breathing."
The AI went on.
"[All heartbeats in this area remain active.]"
Max's brows pulled together.
"What? You mean everyone survived that?"
"[Affirmative.]"
Below, Kael's fingers twitched. His chest moved. Slowly, his eyes cracked open, dazed by drifting light and shadow. The world spun as his senses caught up.
"[They appear to be regaining consciousness.]"
Two figures hovered nearby, silhouettes against the fractured light. His vision sharpened.
Ash's voice rang out.
"Took you long enough."
Kael blinked. The memory hit like a wave—fire, pressure, the asteroid shattering underfoot. He shifted, groaning.
"Ugh… What the hell happened? And why are both of you glowing"
Max crossed his arms.
"The asteroid got blown to hell. You blacked out like the rest of us. And you are also glowing."
Kael flexed his hands. His arms ached, muscles tight from the hit. He turned his head slowly, taking in the field of floating bodies.
"Damn… So we lost?"
Ash didn't look back.
"Not yet. We're still breathing. That means we've still got a shot."
Kael let the words sink in. He sat up straighter, eyes sweeping the wreckage. Some of the others twitched faintly. Others floated still, but their vitals flickered on the HUD.
Max narrowed his eyes.
"We should move. Apex troops won't wait long."
Ash's body lit with faint blue glow from his boots.
"Then let's not waste time."