Regillia sat in her private chamber, fingers steepled as she analyzed the data streaming across her ANTIS watch. The discomfort of being watched still lingered—an itch at the back of her mind.
"Eve, who is observing me?"
[ANALYSIS SUGGESTS MULTIPLE ENTITIES. PRIMARY SUSPECT: THE UNION.]
"The UNION?" Her brow furrowed. "They wouldn't act so overtly unless they had reason. What changed?"
[YOUR RECENT MOVEMENTS HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION. REQUESTING 19TH-GEN ASSAULT SHIPS, COMMISSIONING LAB EQUIPMENT, AND ACCESSING THE HUMAN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK ARE NOT ACTIONS TYPICAL OF A SEALED TALENT.]
A slow smirk curled her lips. "Good. Let them watch. If they're curious, I'll give them something to be curious about."
She leaned back, tapping a command into her watch. A holographic projection of the lower dimension's political landscape materialized before her—shifting borders, factional conflicts, and the ever-present shadow of the Racial Council.
"Eve, compile a list of known Unigen sightings in the past millennium."
[ACCESSING HIN DATABASES… COMPLETE. UNIGEN SIGHTINGS ARE RARE. THEY TYPICALLY RESIDE IN THEIR HOME TERRITORY, THE TEMPORAL SANCTUM. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN THREE RECORDED INCIDENTS OF UNIGENS TRAVELING BEYOND THEIR BORDERS IN THE LAST 500 YEARS.]
"Details."
[FIRST INCIDENT: A SINGLE UNIGEN WAS SPOTTED IN THE RUINS OF THE FALLEN STAR EMPIRE. PURPOSE UNKNOWN. SECOND INCIDENT: A GROUP OF FIVE UNIGENS VISITED THE EDGE OF THE LOWER DIMENSION. THIRD INCIDENT: A UNIGEN CHILD WAS FOUND WANDERING NEAR A HUMAN COLONY. THE CHILD WAS RETURNED TO THE SANCTUM SHORTLY AFTER.]
Regillia's eyes sharpened. "A child…"
[DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.]
"I wasn't." (She was.)
She dismissed the hologram and stood, pacing the room. "If I can't acquire a Unigen directly, I need an alternative. Eve, is there any recorded interaction between Unigens and other species? Any exchanges of knowledge?"
[UNIGENS DO NOT BARTER. THEY DO NOT TRADE. THEY DO NOT COMMUNICATE UNLESS NECESSARY. HOWEVER…] A pause. [THERE IS ONE INSTANCE WHERE A UNIGEN SPOKE TO AN OUTSIDER.]
Regillia halted. "Who?"
[THE EMPEROR.]
Her breath caught. "My father?"
[CORRECT. THE DETAILS ARE CLASSIFIED BEYOND YOUR CLEARANCE. BUT THE EVENT IS RECORDED IN THE IMPERIAL ARCHIVES UNDER SEAL 9-X.]
She exhaled slowly. "Of course it is."
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Enter."
The door slid open, revealing Caelus. His silver eyes, identical to hers, held none of her intensity—just detached observation.
"You've been active," he stated.
"And you've been lurking," she countered. "What do you want?"
"The UNION has taken notice of your movements. They've flagged your resource acquisitions as 'unusual' for a sealed talent."
Regillia scoffed. "Let them. I'm not breaking any laws."
"No. But you are drawing attention. Attention we don't need."
She studied him for a long moment. "You're worried?"
Caelus blinked. "I don't worry. I assess. And the assessment is that your actions increase risk."
She smirked. "Risk is just opportunity in disguise."
He didn't react.
"Fine," she relented. "I'll be more discreet. But the plan remains unchanged. We leave in a year."
Caelus gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
"Oh, and Caelus?"
He paused.
"Start packing."
One Year Later
Regillia stood at the edge of departure, her gaze fixed on the armada dominating the skies. For the past year, the empire had watched as her fleet—ten continent-sized 19th-generation assault ships—loomed in the upper atmosphere like silent sentinels. Below them, an endless stream of cargo was loaded: 10,000 containers, each rivaling the Empire State Building in scale, ferried by drones through shimmering anti-gravity fields.
She turned to her maid without breaking stride. "Has everything been loaded?"
The maid bowed. "Yes, Your Highness. All cargo is secure."
"ANTIS," Regillia commanded, "connect to the fleet. Take command."
[ACCESS GRANTED. FLEET CONTROL ENGAGED.]
A beam of light enveloped her and Caelus, teleporting them to the command ship's bridge—a vast chamber large enough to house a city. Holographic displays flickered to life as the ANTIS AI initiated scans.
"Search for tracking devices," she ordered. "Then plot a course for Exit Gate 125. Sublight speed until we clear the galaxy's hyperdrive lockdown."
Across the empire, trillions watched as the fleet ascended, shrinking into the void.
The departure of the ships alerted many. they dont know for what purpose this, is so they are scrambling for answers
In the Virtual World, thirteen figures materialized around a polished round table—the sect masters of the empire's most powerful factions.
Joseph of the Vermillion Sect spoke first. "That fleet carries enough resources to fund a civilization for 100s of years. my sources tell me it has as approximate value of 5 million qirium ,Where is it going?"
Cornelius Vanderbilt of the Titanium soul Sect steepled his fingers. "The First Princess commands it, according to my sources, no one knows her purpose and where she is going so this is concerning.The daughter of the human empire and the one which holds the forth 4th seat in the racial council is going somewhere without guards. Either she dont trust the guards or she is confident that no one will come after her. and it is during her talent sealing period.It is possible that this information leaks and other races finds out the princess is roaming around without guards"
Cornelius Vanderbilt an exalted relam expert said as he looked at the people who are attending the meeting.
A heavy silence followed.
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In a dimension between shadows, an endless archive of black crystal tablets floated in a void of inverted starlight. At its center stood a monolithic obelisk carved from frozen time, its surface etched with the names of the forgotten.
A figure clad in liquid darkness materialized before the obelisk, their form shifting between seven different silhouettes. They pressed a hand against the stone, and the archive trembled.
"The Anarchy acknowledges Shadow constant" the obelisk intoned, its voice like grinding tectonic plates.
The assassin's reply was a whisper of blades: "I bury truth in the empire's marrow. This one concerns the Ebonhart ."
A single crystal tablet split from the void, its surface blank until the assassin breathed onto it. The condensation formed words in a language that burned to perceive:
BLACK LOTUS BULLETIN
For the eyes of the all Silent Ones
Target Confirmed:
Regillia Aurelius Ebonhart (First Princess, Human Empire)
Status: Departing imperial core with 10 × 19th-Gen Voidrend-Class Assault Ships
Cargo Manifest: 7 million Qirium (confirmed: 1.2% is disguised Soulforged Weaponry)
Route: Projected through Dead Star Corridor to Exit Gate 125
Destination: Unknown
Bounty Addendum:
200,000 mid grade qirium verified kill
50,000 bonus if delivered alive for "harvesting"
can be use as bargaining chip or can be sold as slave at black market
Warning:
Target has activated Sanguine Decree Protocol (full imperial retaliation authorized). Ships armed with Oblivion Kiss warheads.
The obelisk absorbed the tablet, and across the lower dimension, shadows convulsed in hidden places:
In a pleasure den on Xanros Prime, a dancer's pupils flashed with the message before she dissolved into smoke.
The reflection in a warlord's wine glass rearranged into the bulletin.
A corpse in a cryo-crypt suddenly sat upright, its frostbitten lips reciting the coordinates.
"And the secondary broadcast?" the obelisk inquired.
The assassin's hood tilted. "To the Anarchy Nexus: 500,000 mid grade qirium for the one who brings me the head of the 'DEW.' That cockroach has stolen from our vaults for the last time."
A pulse of anti-light flooded the archive as the transmission concluded. Somewhere, a clock with no hands began ticking backward.
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A chime sounded from Regillia's ANTIS watch. A message flickered across the screen:
UNION NOTIFICATION: PRINCESS REGILLIA, YOU ARE SUMMONED TO THE INITIATION CEREMONY IN 200 STANDARD YEARS. FAILURE TO ATTEND WILL RESULT IN SANCTIONS.
She dismissed it with a flick of her wrist. "we will see it at that time. Activate Lightbreak engine at 100% capacity to exit gate 125"
ACKNOWLEDGED
The fleet's engines flared to life.