Somewhere in the vastness of space, a spaceship floated silently among the stars.
"Good, you've all gathered," said a man who appeared to be the leader of the group.
He had sky-blue eyes and snow-white hair, yet looked no older than his mid-twenties. His sharp gaze carried a sense of seriousness. He stood in what looked like the control room of the ship, facing his three companions.
"Are you finally going to explain this request, Leader?" asked one of them a woman with black hair tied into a side ponytail, dark brown eyes, and clothing resembling a traditional yukata.
"Yeah, I'll go over the details now."
"Why all the secrecy? Not even we were allowed to meet the client," said a muscular man with a stern face. His physique was massive his strength evident even beneath his clothes.
"Because the client is one of Yinzhou's generals. General Lin Feng," the leader replied.
At the mention of that name, all three of his companions grew visibly serious.
"So that's why we suddenly received a new request while we were still working on another," said the muscular man Ballack. "It's connected to Yinzhou… Does this involve you too, Leader? You're from there, right?"
"You're right, Ballack."
"Did you already know about this, Mei?" asked the woman in the yukata Kagura looking toward the last member, who was monitoring the ship's systems.
"Yeah… This has to do with my family as well," Mei replied.
She had white hair tied into a ponytail, deep blue eyes, and wore a short skirt with a long, blue-and-white coat. A headband resembling fox ears adorned her head, giving her an air of both elegance and authority.
Ballack and Kagura glanced at each other, then turned their eyes to the leader Tianluo.
Tianluo began explaining. The mission was to retrieve the body of a Yinzhou general, who had been listed as missing for 1,000 years. Despite her disappearance, Yinzhou had never given up searching. The reason? Her life signal had remained active for all that time proof, they believed, that she was still alive.
"How vast is a solar system? How many galaxies are there? How many planets and stars in just one galaxy?" Tianluo said, as if reading their thoughts. "Even with a millennium of searching, it's no surprise they found nothing."
But two days ago, something changed. Yinzhou received a signal confirmation of the general's death. Along with that came her coordinates. With that, a warp system could be used to reach her, no matter how far.
"Planet codename: Matera. Located five star systems away from the Hyperion Nebula specifically in the Astrea Star System," Mei added.
"No wonder they couldn't find her. Even 1,000 years isn't enough to scan all of Yinzhou's territory," Kagura remarked.
"But something still doesn't add up," Ballack said. "Even if Yinzhou couldn't find her, how did General Jiang never manage to contact them herself?"
"That's because "
"Warp jump successful… We've arrived," Mei interrupted Tianluo.
The ship's monitor displayed a haunting image: a red planet, half-destroyed and lifeless.
Without needing an answer from Tianluo, the others understood.
"A dead planet… No wonder," Ballack muttered.
*
Not far from Planet Matera, another ship was seen soaring through space a sleek, black vessel with an ominous design.
"A dead planet, Matera… Hahaha. The corpse of General Jiang Bailou of Yinzhou. If we can get our hands on it and convert her into an android… Kuhahaha! My army will be unstoppable."
"But Master," said a subordinate, "didn't Yinzhou send adventurers to secure the body? According to reports, they're S-rank."
"Hmph. Adventurers? S-rank, E-rank they're all just flies compared to my army."
The man had a brutal appearance: a hulking frame, cruel eyes one of them covered and loose red pants paired with an unbuttoned black jacket, revealing his bare chest.
"How long until we arrive?" he asked one of the crew, who was operating the ship's controls.
"Thirty more minutes, Captain. Once the warp system finishes charging, we'll jump instantly."
"Good," he said, baring a predator's grin.
*
"Tianluo, are you sure the signal came from this area?" Kagura asked, walking beside her leader.
"According to the data, it should be accurate."
"But there's nothing here just empty land. No signs of ruins or any place something could be hidden."
"Hmm… Mei, what about over there? Are you picking anything up?" Tianluo asked, contacting her from the field.
He had split the team into two: two stayed on the ship monitoring from above, while the other two scouted on the ground.
"The sensors aren't detecting anything either."
Mei paused, scanning and double-checking. Meanwhile, Ballack lounged in a chair, munching on snacks.
"!?"
"Little Mei… We've got company," Ballack said suddenly, standing and peering out the window.
"What?" Startled, Mei quickly expanded the ship's detection radius.
He was right. Mei activated "ghost mode," rendering the ship invisible but it also meant the ship couldn't move.
"Tianluo! A pirate ship detected. Markings match the Blackbeard fleet."
"Blackbeard!?" Tianluo grit his teeth. "Tch. Information must've leaked."
"We have to find General Jiang's body fast. The Blackbeard fleet isn't the real problem it's the damage they could do to the body if they attack the planet. Kagura! How's it going?"
"I've scattered talismans in every direction, but nothing yet."
"Move faster. We've only got around ten minutes."
"Ugh… I hate missions like this," Kagura groaned, pushing her energy to the limit.
*
In a dark room, dimly lit, I slowly opened my eyes. The sorrow that had lingered for a week still remained, but I couldn't afford to dwell in it any longer.
"Sensei… I'll step out for a bit."
I spoke to a coffin resting in front of me. Sensei's coffin.
I hadn't buried her not because I didn't want to, but because of her last wish. She said someone would eventually come to retrieve her body and bring it home to Yinzhou. So I cast a space-time isolation spell around her body, suspending its decomposition.
I opened the exit I had made with earth magic.
As soon as I stepped out, a piece of yellow paper fluttered in the wind and stuck to my face.
"Huh? Paper? On a planet where even trees and insects no longer exist…?"
*
"Tianluo! One of my talismans picked something up!" Kagura exclaimed.
"The sensors are detecting a life signal too," Mei chimed in.
"Blackbeard?" Tianluo asked.
"No. The fleet's still en route, charging their warp system. This one's different."
"Location?" he asked.
"Twenty kilometers north," Kagura replied. She took off running, Tianluo close behind.
*
Mana is what we use to cast magic. But it's more than that it's a type of energy. And all energy has a root: ether.
That's what Sensei told me.
In the vast universe, people wield all kinds of powers. I might be a top-tier magic user, but out there, there are abilities beyond magic.
Sensei's family, for example, used something called the Immortal Method, based on qi another form of ether energy.
I held the strange paper. It wasn't infused with mana, but it pulsed with energy. And then I sensed several energy signatures rapidly approaching.
I wasn't surprised. I had been waiting.
Sensei said people would come to bring her home.
I crafted a chair and table with earth magic, conjured a cup, and sat as if I were drinking even though the cup was empty.
This planet was supposed to be dead. Yet this area our home still had life energy. Plants grew here. A spring never ran dry. In twenty years, I never once lacked food, herbs, or vegetables. The meat, it turned out, was all illusions made by Sensei.
But even that wasn't the reason I survived. The planet itself had been sustaining me.
"When I leave this place… the first thing I'll do is eat real meat."
At that exact moment, two figures one man, one woman appeared before me. Just in time to see me fake-drinking water.
"Yo," I said. "I've been waiting."