A few minutes after takeoff, Sylas sat in the cockpit, his eyes scanning the control panels and manuals spread before him.
Since the starfighter was an advanced model from another galaxy far far away (AN:😂😂😂), its systems were unfamiliar, and the symbols and text on the screens made no sense to him.
Although he was able to take off from Zelathar's Veil hangar that was only because of how similar the controls were to the ones in this galaxy.
Out of boredom Sylas wanted to go through the console but soon realized that e couldn't understand it.
Thankfully, Sera ever efficient, quickly translated the language, overlaying hologramic image of readable text onto the consoles and buttons beside the unreadable ones.
It took a few minutes but Sylas slowly picked up the language With Sera correcting his every mistake.
With each correction she provided, Sylas absorbed the knowledge, his mind understanding at an alarming rate another perk that comes with his aetherian talents.
Though he couldn't speak the language yet, he found himself recognizing words, understanding basic phrases, and even forming simple sentences in his mind.
He read through the ship's systems methodically, committing critical functions to memory while Sera guided him when he misinterpreted a command.
Just as he got bored and was about to move back to piloting and staring at space, his eyes landed on a button labeled "Warp."
His brows furrowed. By now, he had grasped the function of most controls, but this one still caught him off guard. Without hesitation, he pressed it.
A sharp chime echoed in the cockpit, followed by a system warning flashing across the main display:
[Warp Drive Engaged - Limited Distance Travel Only.]
Sylas was shocked.
Although he had an idea of what warp was since that was one of the popular ideas researchers on the Crimson military base were theorizing on.
Sylas leaned back, thinking.
If the ship had warp capabilities, even with restricted range, that would be huge, especially since his galaxy hadn't reach that level of development yet.
"Sera, input the galaxy map of known space," he instructed.
A holographic projection materialized in front of him, displaying the vast expanse of space, with numerous star systems labeled and detailed.
"Select our headquarters," he said.
Sera highlighted their star system, and the ship's navigation interface began processing the jump calculations.
A moment later, the system confirmed:
[Sufficient Energy Available for Warp Jump.]
Sylas exhaled, his fingers hovering over the controls. He tapped 'Yes' on the holographic screen.
A secondary confirmation appeared, flashing in red: "Are you certain?"
He pressed 'Yes' again.
A final alert displayed:
[Warning: Secure all restraints. Initiating Warp in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…]
The ship surged forward with an immense burst of acceleration, the objects in space outside vanishing behind them.
The sudden force pinned Sylas against his seat, the vibrations rattling the cockpit.
The sensation lasted only a few seconds before, with a sharp lurch, the ship re-emerged in real space.
The familiar sight of their home star system spread out before them.
Sylas and Sera sat in stunned silence for a few moments, their gazes locking as they processed what had just happened.
"That was… fast," Sylas muttered, still gripping the controls he immediately turned his eyes to the energy consumption.
[Energy Bar: 97% -> 7%]
"Warp travel efficiency: 97.8%," Sera noted. "Minimal energy expenditure, though the ship's capacity limits the range significantly. This is significant."
Sylas took a deep breath, shaking off the lingering effects of the jump. He quickly reoriented himself and took manual control of the ship.
"Let's get back to base."
Guiding the starfighter down through the planet's atmosphere, he set a course for the desert world that housed their headquarters.
The engines hummed steadily as he descended, his mind already racing with possibilities for future jumps.
One thing was certain—this ship had just become a powerful asset.
*******
Back on Zelathar's Veil, Akashia strolled through a massive palace, its walls forged from the rarest metals, glistening with an ethereal glow.
Aether visibly pulsed through the structure, flowing like liquid light through veins of the precious alloys.
Every step echoed through the grand halls, her presence the only disruption in the serene, timeless expanse.
After a few minutes of walking, she entered a vast throne hall.
At the far end, seated upon an imposing throne, was a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sylas—but older, his hair full, his beard thick, his presence commanding.
He looked like he was caught between middle age and the elder years, yet no wrinkles lined his face.
He exuded a raw, untamed energy, like a barbarian warlord, despite wearing a technologically advanced armour and being surrounded by unparalleled technological sophistication.
He was asleep, yet anyone who beheld him would immediately recognize his immense power.
Akashia approached and tapped him lightly.
Moments passed before the man stirred, his movements slow and deliberate as if waking from a deep hibernation.
His black eyes, sharp and ancient, flickered open. In a groggy voice, he asked, "Akashia, why have you woken me?"
She smirked. "I didn't want you to miss something fun."
Zelathar stretched before rubbing his eyes. "How long has it been?"
"Almost 5,000 years," Akashia answered.
Zelathar nodded slowly, not at all concerned about how long he slept, "And what, exactly, is so interesting that you disturb my rest?"
Akashia leaned against the arm of his throne. "One of your descendants is about to start a massive war."
Zelathar let out a disgruntled sigh. "I have no desire to watch fools use the power I built to wage mindless destruction."
Akashia chuckled. "Not those descendants. The ones who came with us to this galaxy to live in peace."
Zelathar raised a brow, genuine surprise flickering across his face. "Finally, one of them seeks power. But why now?"
As much as Zelathar loved fun he wasn't going to force anyone to do anything, he was far above that.
"Because they were slaughtered. Over eight generations of them. The youngest survivor has just left."
Zelathar remained silent for a moment, then merely shrugged.
Zelathar didn't really care about them that much even though they had his blood.
For one he never knew them.
The ones he did know were either still live elsewhere or perished long ago.
In fact he saw this ones as fools as well especially since they didn't choose to use their gifts but instead decided to live 'peacefully' leaving themselves at the mercy of others even though they had everything to be in charge themselves.
Akashia showed Zelathar a video of Sylas tests and training.
He chuckled for a bit before saying, "This should be fun."