The journey to Ossivar was filled with typical space travel boredom. Lucas had asked "Are we there yet?" forty-two times (according to ROT's count), and Blade was considering throwing the brat out of the airlock.

  ?"So," Niko swivelled his pilot chair to face the back while chewing on protein chips. "Where are we actually going?"

  ?"Ossivar," Blade answered briefly without opening his closed eyes.

  ?"What for? Going to a slum like that?" asked Niko again with a full mouth.

  ?"To get a new Katana," answered Blade. He opened his eyes slightly, staring at the cockpit ceiling. "My old sword... is no longer worthy. I need a weapon that can channel Lux Energy without shattering into pieces."

  ?Lucas's eyes immediately lit up. He turned quickly toward Niko. "See! That's what I meant! Blade can use Lux Energy! Cool, right?"

  ?Niko choked on his chips. He stared at Blade with bulging eyes behind his goggles. "Seriously? You're a Lux user? You can manipulate that light energy?"

  ?Blade just shrugged indifferently. "A little. Still basic."

  ?Niko swallowed hard, his expression changing into a mix of awe and sadness. "That is... extraordinary. I always hoped I could control that energy. If only I had power like that... maybe I could have protected my parents back then."

  ?The atmosphere in the cockpit suddenly went silent. Lucas, who was sensitive to emotional changes, patted Niko's shoulder gently.

  ?"It's okay, Niko," said Lucas with his signature sincere smile. "We will become strong together. Me too... I promised Uncle Garp. When I come home later, I won't be a crybaby who needs protection anymore. We will protect the people we love with our own hands."

  ?Blade briefly recalled his mother's words again. Blade wandering freely didn't mean he had no clear goal; he was searching for a figure his mother always told him about when he was very little. They were left by a father figure when Blade was still very small; his father left them without Blade knowing his clear purpose. Blade always thought that his father had abandoned them.

  ?Blade secretly glanced at the two of them. There was a strange warmth spreading in his chest hearing those naive words. Before, he thought power was a tool to kill or survive. But they... saw power as a tool to protect. Blade also sometimes wondered why he, who usually lived and wandered alone, felt this way. When he met Lucas for the first time, the conviction that was once shrouded in strong feelings began to crack, replaced by a spark of hope. Maybe that was what Blade had been looking for all this time in his lonely journey.

  ?"Hey," called Lucas, breaking the silence. "Is Ossivar close yet?"

  ?"Gosh, Lucas!" complained Niko. "You just asked five minutes ago!"

  ?"But I'm curious! What kind of place is Ossivar?"

  ?"A market," answered Blade.

  ?"What kind of market? Are there fish sellers? Or robot sellers?" pressed Lucas.

  ?"A market that..." Blade stopped his sentence as the arrival alarm chimed Ding!

  ?Their ship, which was traveling at light speed, stopped instantly. The stars that were previously distorted could finally be seen clearly again.

  ?"See for yourself," said Blade.

  ?In front of them, floating in the dark void of space, stretched a view that made their breath catch.

  ?It wasn't a planet. Not an asteroid.

  It was a Hand.

  ?A giant fossil hand the size of a small moon, severed at the wrist, floating silently in space. But the hand was not dead. On the surface and deep within its petrified skin, millions of colorful lights twinkled like glowing mushrooms. Buildings were built clinging to the gaps between its fingers, spaceships flew in and out of that hand like flies. Inside the hand, irregular buildings, levitating vehicles passing back and forth everywhere, shops clinging everywhere—everything was sold here.

  ?The difference between Ossivar and StarCross on Planet Omnira was the content. In StarCross, people came to export or import goods from outside to be traded there, whereas Ossivar itself was a market that could be said to be almost close to a black market; inside was a mixture of sales ranging from legal to illegal.

  ?"That... That is a corpse's hand?!" shouted Lucas hysterically. "We're going to land on a corpse?!"

  ?"That is Ossivar," explained Blade calmly. "A fossil hand of an ancient cosmic being. Now it's a nest for hundreds of alien races and merchants from all corners of the galaxy."

  ?Niko pointed toward the Middle Finger of that hand, where a pristine white tower stood in contrast to the slums below. There was a globe emblem surrounded by wings at its peak.

  ?"Look at that," said Niko. "That is the UCO Watchtower. They really plant their flag everywhere, huh."

  ?"Of course," replied Blade while steering the ship into the Palm (landing area). "This area falls within the UCO Jurisdiction Zone. They maintain the security of this market, and in exchange, they collect huge taxes from every transaction."

  ?Lucas scratched his head, which wasn't itchy. "I still don't understand this UCO territory stuff."

  Niko sighed, then began explaining in a tone one might use with a kindergarten child.

  “Look, Lucas. Hundreds of years ago, before the UCO was formed, war was everywhere. The weak were constantly oppressed. Then came a war so devastating that nearly all alien tribes—including humans, vampires, werewolves, and even some gods—united against a single tribe.

  That tribe was known as the Spartans.

  After the war ended, they decided to establish an alliance—an organization we now know as the Unified Cosmic Order (UCO).”

  "Since then, many have joined and signed the alliance letter. But on the condition that they stand on the laws that have been established, the UCO will also have authority on their planet and can utilize their natural resources."

  “Oh… so that’s how it is. They had to form an alliance just to fight a single Spartan tribe? From what little I know about that race, they’re forbidden from studying Lux Energy. Is that a form of punishment for what their people did in the past?” Lucas said in a careful, slightly serious tone.

  "?Yeah… I’ve heard about that too.”

  ?Their ship landed smoothly at Docking Area 42—inside the giant hand area.

  ?As soon as the ship door opened, they were immediately assaulted by the hustle and bustle of Ossivar. The smell of foreign spices, the sound of merchants shouting, and noisy music filled the air. There were so many buildings; there were shops that floated, food stalls that were upside down, and neon bridges connecting the thumb and forefinger.

  ?"Watch your wallets," warned Blade.

  ?"Hello Sir! Want to buy a third eye? Still fresh!" offered a multi-eyed alien.

  ?"No, thank you!" refused Lucas politely.

  ?"How much for this round robot?" asked a scrap merchant while pointing at ROT.

  ?BEEP-ZAP! ROT shocked the merchant's finger.

  ?"Okay, we split up here," said Blade while adjusting his sword sheath. "I want to find a weapon shop. You two do whatever you want, don't cause trouble. We meet at the ship at 18:00 standard time."

  ?"Aye, Captain!" shouted Niko. "I want to look for rare spare parts. Lucas, you coming with me?"

  ?Lucas looked left and right, his eyes fixed on a stall displaying a giant grilled fish. His stomach growled. "Uh... I want to walk around and find food first. I'll catch up later!"

  ?"Don't get lost!" shouted Niko while walking away with ROT.

  ?Lucas nodded, then walked alone in the middle of the alien crowd, feeling small but very alive.

  ?Meanwhile, in a dark, damp alley beneath the slum district, a hooded figure was trembling violently.“Elsewhere, in a dark and damp alley beneath the slum district, a hooded figure trembled uncontrollably.”

  ?"Blood... Blood..." it hissed. Its voice was like the grating of rough sandpaper.

  ?It scratched the alley wall until it left deep marks. Its nose sniffed the air, its pupils dilating until they covered the entire pitch-black eyeballs.

  ?"What aroma is this? Sweet... Strong... Glowing..."

  ?The creature licked its cracked lips. It had never tasted the aroma of blood this pure in its entire life. "Human blood... but not an ordinary human. This is king's blood... god's blood..."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  ?It grinned, revealing rows of sharp and irregular fangs. "I must find him."

  ?In the market district, Blade stood in front of a small, dusty antique shop. The owner was an old alien from the Cephalopod race (resembling an octopus) who was wiping his merchandise with four hands at once.

  ?On the back wall, a Katana was displayed. The sheath was jet black without decoration, but the hilt was made of polished white bone. The blade emitted a cold aura that made the hair on Blade's neck stand up.

  ?"Good eye, Kid," said the old alien with a hoarse voice. "That is Yami-Kiri. The Darkness Splitter. Forged from a meteorite that fell on an ice planet."

  ?"How much?" asked Blade directly.

  ?"Five hundred million credits."

  ?Blade choked on his own spit. "Are you trying to rob me?"

  ?The alien chuckled. "Quality has a price. But... if you don't have money, there is another way."

  ?The alien pointed to one of the ground floors down below with one of his tentacles. "In the Underground Arena down there, a Challenge Tournament is being held. The grand prize is an Aether Crystal. That thing is very rare, I want it for my collection. If you can win the tournament and bring the crystal to me... this Katana is yours."

  ?Blade stared at the Katana once more. He could imagine how perfect that sword would be in his hand.

  ?"Deal," said Blade coldly, then turned toward the elevator to the ground floor.

  ?Elsewhere, Niko was in paradise. He stood in an old bookstore that smelled of decaying paper. His fingers traced rows of thick books. His eyes stopped at one title: "The Lost Archives: History of the Techno Tribe".

  ?Meanwhile, Lucas was sitting at an open-air food stall, enjoying a bowl of soup that tasted like curry but was purple. He ate voraciously while watching a giant hologram screen floating in the middle of the market square.

  ?The screen was broadcasting live from the Underground Arena below.

  ?"AND THE WINNER IS... GORGON THE DESTROYER!" shouted the commentator as a giant alien on screen slammed his opponent out of the ring.

  ?Lucas chewed his food casually. "Whoa, pretty exciting."

  ?"NEXT CHALLENGER... A HUMAN! GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR... BLADE!"

  ?"PFFFTT!" Lucas sprayed purple broth from his mouth. "BLADE?!"

  ?On the screen, Blade was seen walking calmly into the arena, arms crossed over his chest, his face flat as if he were queuing to buy cinema tickets, not about to fight for his life.

  ?The audience cheered loudly. "Human! Human!"

  ?In this galaxy, humans had a unique reputation. Their physique was average, but their ability to manipulate Lux (Soul Light Energy) made them respected as unpredictable fighters. However, it was not that easy to use Lux Energy; in this world, only about 20% of humans were capable of using it.

  ?Blade's opponent was a three-meter-tall alien. His body was full of bulging green muscles, his head covered by an iron helmet welded shut, and both his hands were shackled by heavy chains that he used as weapons.

  ?"START!"

  ?The big alien wasted no time. He jumped high toward Blade, slamming both hands onto the arena floor. The stone floor cracked. Blade jumped back nimbly, his cloak fluttering.

  ?Lucas held his breath, soup full in his mouth, squeezing his soup bowl. "Get him, Blade!!"

  ?Blade took a deep breath, focusing his mind. He didn't have a new sword yet, so he used his old sword which had many scratches.

  ?Focus. Flow.

  ?Thin blue light (Lux) began to envelop his sword blade. Blade lowered his stance. As the alien roared and lunged forward, Blade did not retreat. He flowed energy into his legs—Flash Step.

  ?Blade shot as fast as lightning past under the alien's crotch, his sword slashing the giant's heel tendon.

  ?The alien roared in pain, falling to his knees. But he was quick to react. His huge hand snatched backward, catching Blade's body right after he landed the attack.

  ?"Hmph!" Blade coughed blood as he was squeezed by the giant hand. He was thrown hard to the edge of the arena, hitting the barrier wall until it cracked.

  ?The audience went crazy. Bets increased. Lucas stood up from his chair, panicked.

  ?Blade rose slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his lips. His eyes sharpened. He is strong, but stupid. He always jumps to close the distance.

  ?The alien roared again, jumping high into the air for a finishing attack. His body fell like a meteor toward Blade.

  ?Now.

  ?Blade closed his eyes for a second. He pumped all his remaining Lux energy to a single point at the tip of the sword, then shifted it again suddenly to his leg muscles.

  ?Explosive Step.

  ?Right before the alien landed, Blade disappeared from view. He appeared on the alien's right side in a split second.

  ?A clean horizontal slash. The big alien's right leg was cut off neatly.

  ?The giant fell with a thud, howling in pain. The audience cheered hysterically. Blade raised his sword, preparing for the final attack to end it—

  ?Suddenly, the ceiling from the floor above them exploded. Building debris fell onto the arena. Blade jumped back, shocked. The alien he had fought was crushed by giant concrete and fainted instantly.

  ?From behind the dust of the ruins, a terrifying creature emerged.

  ?Not a fighter alien. Not a robot.

  It was a nightmare.

  ?The creature was as big as a two-story building. Its skin was pale as a corpse, but its muscles swelled unnaturally until they tore its own skin. Disgusting fleshy wings grew from its back. Its mouth was torn to its ears, dripping thick saliva.

  ?"BLOOD... WHERE IS... THAT BLOOD?!"

  ?The creature's scream was not the sound of vocal cords, but a sonic wave that shattered the glass around the arena.

  ?"That... That is a VAMPIRE!" shouted one of the spectators. "A RAMPAGING VAMPIRE! RUN!!"

  ?Mass panic occurred. The audience who had been cheering were now trampling each other to get out.

  ?Blade was frozen in place. He felt the creature's aura. This was not his level. This was a pure monster.

  ?At the food stall, Lucas leaped over the table. "BLADE!" He ran with all his might toward the arena below, breaking through the crowd of panicked aliens. On the way, he met Niko who was flying, being pulled by ROT.

  ?"Lucas! Did you see that?! That's Blood Frenzy! A mutated Vampire!" shouted Niko hysterically. "We have to run! Blade must have already escaped!"

  ?"No! We have to help him!" argued Lucas, continuing to run.

  ?In the arena, the Monster Vampire sniffed the air. Its massive head turned, its wild eyes staring straight at... the arena entrance. The place where Lucas had just appeared.

  ?"GLOWING... BLOOD!!"

  ?The monster roared, and jumped lunging toward Lucas.

  ?"LUCAS! LOOK OUT!" shouted Blade. He tried to chase, but his legs were too slow compared to the monster.

  ?Lucas froze. The giant shadow of the monster covered his small body. Claws the size of a car swung down to crush him.

  ?I'm dead, thought Lucas.

  ?Moments before the attack arrived, the air temperature dropped drastically. Frost appeared on Lucas's eyelashes.

  ?A young man appeared out of nowhere, standing right between Lucas and the monster. He wore a pristine white cloak with gold epaulets on his shoulders. His hair was silver-white, and his expression was... bored.

  ?"So noisy," muttered the young man. "Even though I was on my lunch break."

  ?The Vampire Monster didn't care. Swinging claws the size of a truck slammed down.

  ?The young man didn't dodge. He only raised his right hand casually moments before the monster's swing reached where he stood;

  ?Glacial Rend, muttered the young man.

  ?A sound of an explosion was heard, but not a fire explosion. It was an explosion of air pressure.

  ?The monster's arm shattered into pieces starting from the fingers, wrist, elbow, to the shoulder, exploding into shards of frozen flesh and ice crystals.

  ?The monster was thrown backward, hitting the arena wall until it collapsed, then lay helpless. Most of its body was now covered in a thick layer of blue ice.

  ?Silence.

  The entire Ossivar market was silent.

  ?Blade lowered his sword, his mouth slightly open. Niko pressed the zoom button on his goggles. Lucas stared at the young man's back with sparkling eyes.

  ?Some aliens in the crowd began to whisper in fear.

  "That silver hair... That white cloak..."

  "It's him..."

  "The Ice General..."

  ?[GLACIUS - VICE GENERAL UCO (REINHARD'S RIGHT HAND)]

  ?Glacius shook his hand, cleaning ice shards stuck to his glove. He stared at the frozen monster carcass with a cold analytical gaze.

  ?Demon Soul Transformation, thought Glacius. This lowly vampire forced a metamorphosis by burning all the blood in his body. His bones enlarged, muscles tore the skin... he traded his sanity for momentary power. But why? What was the trigger?

  ?Glacius glanced briefly at Lucas who was still sitting on the ground. His eyes narrowed slightly.

  ?Glowing blood... that creature screamed about glowing blood. Is this kid...?

  ?However, Glacius immediately dismissed that thought. He had a tight patrol schedule.

  ?"The area is safe," said Glacius flatly, his voice not loud but heard clearly throughout the arena. He waved his hand slowly, then his body faded into snowflakes and vanished carried by the wind.

  ?"WOOOAHHH!!"

  ?Cheers from the audience broke out louder than before.

  ?Lucas was still sitting there, staring at the spot where Glacius had stood. His heart was beating fast.

  ?"Amazing..." whispered Lucas. "So that's what it feels like to be strong... He protected everyone without breaking a sweat."

  ?One hour later, at Docking Area 42.

  ?Blade walked limping toward the ship, his face gloomy. Lucas and Niko were already waiting there.

  ?"Blade!" exclaimed Lucas in relief. "Are you okay?"

  ?"Just a scratch," answered Blade curtly.

  ?"Did you get the Katana?" asked Niko carefully.

  ?Blade shook his head slowly. "The tournament was canceled because of the chaos earlier. But I managed to grab the crystal in the middle of the chaos, I will go to the old alien shop owner later." His shoulders dropped slowly, the tension that had bound his body disappearing.

  ?"BUT THAT WAS SO COOL, RIGHT?!" shouted Niko suddenly, breaking the mood. "Glacius! The Ice General! Gosh, I almost peed my pants watching him freeze that monster!"

  ?"He was so strong," added Lucas enthusiastically. "One hit, BOOM! The monster became shaved ice!"

  ?After that incident, the market returned to its original state, as usual crowded and with noise everywhere. The three of them then stopped at a roadside food stall to calm their nerves. While eating space squid satay, the topic of conversation did not stray far from Glacius's greatness.

  ?"If I were as strong as him," said Lucas while staring at the stall's ceiling, "I could protect Uncle Garp, protect you guys, protect everyone."

  ?"He is on a different level, Kid," cut in a heavy voice.

  ?They turned. A man in a shabby black cloak sat at the table next to them, holding a glass of drink that was half empty. His face was covered by a hood.

  ?"Glacius is one of the monsters among monsters," continued the man. "At that age, he has already reached Grade S for his power in controlling Lux energy. But don't worry... you guys also have the potential to surpass him."

  ?Lucas and Niko's eyes widened. "Really?! How, Mister Mysterious?"

  ?"Training," answered the man briefly. "Training until your bones feel like breaking and your soul burns."

  ?Niko and Lucas's shoulders immediately slumped. "Well... cliché answer." "Thought there was a magic pill."

  ?The black-cloaked man chuckled softly. He placed a shabby piece of paper on their table.

  ?"I am not a teacher. I cannot teach you. But I know someone who can. He is old, fierce, and lives in a place God hates. Many beg to be his students, but all are rejected."

  ?The man stood up, tightening his cloak. "But you guys... maybe you have luck."

  ?He walked out of the stall.

  ?Lucas, who had been observing since earlier, suddenly felt something familiar from that person's aura. Something that... transcended time.

  ?"Hey! Wait!" called Lucas, half standing.

  ?He ran out of the stall, but the market alley was empty. The black-cloaked man was swallowed by the crowd as if he had never been there.

  ?Lucas returned to the table, picking up the paper. Written there were the coordinates of a place.

  ?"So?" asked Niko hesitantly. "Do we look for this person?"

  ?Lucas stared at the paper, then looked at his own fist. The image of Glacius destroying the monster easily was still imagined in his head. "I want to go. I want to become strong."

  ?Blade stared at the writing for a long time. He remembered how his old sword was useless against the monster earlier. He remembered how helpless he was when Glacius arrived.

  ?"If this person can teach me how to cut a building-sized monster with a single slash..." Blade crumpled the paper, then grinned thinly. "Then I am willing to go to hell itself."

  ?"Okay!" shouted Niko. "In that case, next destination: Find that scary old guy!"

  ?And just like that, without them realizing, the wheels of fate had just turned. That small clue would lead them to meet a legend who would change them forever.

  ?To be continued...

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