Kytan Veyron had just arrived to Mavkodus and was well-aware of Vincent Sparks' return. He was planning to have him eliminated right away by the hands of UoK themselves. All of the current members aside from Avu Fujimara - sat around the high table. They were in the presence of Lord Veyron.

  Heios was quiet as always, staring at the High Table, minding his own business. He would occasionally bat an eye towards Veyron to indicate that he's listening.

  Aria was sharpening her Signature Weapon, frustrated inside. Jasper was attentive to the conversation, not wanting to miss anything.

  Veyron was laid back on his seat. He had a clean and red Kobajin fur seat trimming with a golden accent. He had no smile and he also didn't have an expression. This was all business for him. He stared at the Followers, looking them in the eye before speaking.

  "I've become well aware of this situation. Frankly, I am unsurprised. After all, the enemy is only ever predictable to those who are not themselves the enemy. However, we are no longer in the dark. We know what our enemy looks like."

  He looked over at Jasper, who had his hands folded together in front of him.

  "Fortunately for us, I happen to know where he is. I assume I do not have to remind any of you that your task won't be easy, correct?"

  Heios nodded, and so did Aria.

  "The objective here is to eliminate him as soon as possible. We cannot and will not let him destroy any distributed goods from us. This can also impact the outlook on us for the galaxy so we want to maintain as many believers as we can."

  He pressed a button on the table - revealing a hologram on Eukaron. The hologram showed Vincent Sparks' exact location.

  "A certain... intel has informed me that he is on Eukaron. For what reason, you may ask? I am not sure, however that is where you will head next. It is not confirmed whether or not he will still be there when you arrive, which is why you shall leave immediately. Understood?"

  All three Followers nodded in unison.

  "Good. One more thing. I will tell you that the planet is very..." He couldn't think of any word other than 'trash'. "Anyway... You will not need any Soul Scanners. Sparks was previously one of you, you should be able to tell his Soul-Aura like a sore thumb." He stood up from his seat.

  Aria stood up, wanting to ask a question. "What of Grand Follower Fujimara, will he be joining us?" She asked.

  Veyron shook his head. "He has other important matters. The Nuvarians aren't fond of us, which is why I tasked him with handling with... a couple of things."

  Aria sat back down. She felt uncomfortable but decided to not say anything and simply nodded.

  "Run along now, no time should be wa-"

  The entire place would sound an alarm as red lights turned on and the emergency siren blared loudly, making everyone cover their ears.

  The emergency siren would stop after a few seconds, as the AI spoke over the intercom.

  "Warning: A foreign entity has entered Mavkodus airspace! Warning: A foreign entity has entered Mavkodus airspace!"

  Veyron turned towards Aria. "See to this matter at once." He demanded.

  Aria, Jasper and Heios all left the room.

  -

  The hangar was filled with a ship that none of the UoK members have ever seen before. It was a small shuttle, it only had enough room for about five people, but it wasn't any ordinary shuttle. It had a blue curved stripe around it, which indicated that it is an H73 Compact, made by the Septo Corporation.

  The girl stepped out of the ship, frustratingly sighing due to the inability of the ship making a good landing due to it's battle-scarred state. She wouldn't be fazed by the alarm that was ringing in the entire base since she already foresaw this. She sighed, keeping her arms half an inch away from her hips to release her Signature Weapon in case something happened.

  The blast doors opened and revealed Aria, Jasper and Heios. Aria summoned Enk-X, pointing it towards the girl.

  "A-" The girl stared at aria, keeping her guard up.

  "Who are you!? Why are you here!?" Aria asked in a hostile tone.

  "I..."

  Aria walked towards the girl. "If you're authorized then I need a number, now."

  Heios spotted the girl much later and stared at her, keeping his Soul ready for a battle. This girl was severely outnumbered. He was surprised that she had not called her weapon yet, especially in a place like this.

  "What's your number!?" Aria asked again.

  The girl laughed awkwardly. "Number...? Ah! Ah hahaha... Yeah, in fact... I do have a number." She half-joked, clearly not being too serious about the whole situation.

  "Ah... ahahaha!" She laughed again, scratching the back of her head. "It appears that I lost it at the time I left my planet... hahaha..."

  Aria had her sword pointed directly at the girl's face. "We don't do numbers, numbskull." She really just said that to humour herself. It was easy to fool people with a single remark.

  The girl stopped laughing quick. "Ah... right." And turned very serious.

  As Aria was about to cut the girl down, the girl cowered. "Wait wait wait wait! Wait! Wait! Just wait! I'm not your enemy!" She said as quick as possible, saving her from certain death.

  "This is a restricted space owned by Veyronia and under the rule of Dark Intrinium. State your reasoning of being here immediately or else you'll be killed on the spot." Aria demanded.

  The girl opened her eyes. "I know this is owned by- Wait... Veyronia? Agh! Alright alright, calm the fuck down, will you!?" She raised her hands in defense.

  The girl sighed, looking at Heios, who looked like he couldn't hold himself back anymore. "Look... I'm not a threat... I simply want to... well... join you guys." She said.

  Heios chuckled. "Heh?" He thought of it as some sick joke. Even Aria thought that it was a joke.

  "What a stupid joke, you don't really care about your own skin, do you?"

  "Just listen, for fuck's sakes! I've heard that this branch of Dark Intrinium is pretty strong! It's a perfect place to hone my ski-"

  "To hell with that! This ain't a training facility!" Heios shouted. He then turned to Jasper, who was standing there and just watching what was going down. "Hey, Jasper. Help me kill this fucker." He demanded, wanting to get this done as quickly as possible.

  Jasper sighed and stepped forward. "Yeah... you're right."

  "Agghhh! Are you seriously going to reject someone who could be a great addition to Veyron's ar-"

  "LORD Veyron." Aria corrected the girl.

  "Rmgh, LORD Veyron! I could be an asset! You don't even have to pay me!"

  Aria analyzed the girl up and down. She was tall and had a scrawny build, with bandages to hide her scars. She was noticeably pale as well, which could only mean one thing.

  "You're a Testharian, aren't you?"

  "...That obvious?" The girl sounded defeated.

  Heios actually got angry upon hearing that she was a Testharian and had his hands balled. "Testharian? The fuck did they do, spit out a reject?"

  "Listen, if you can't decide for yourselves, let me speak to Veyron h-"

  "One more mishap and I'm killing you where you stand." Aria said with a dark voice. "Lord Veyron is very much busy at the moment, you will not get a chance to speak with him anyway."

  "Listen... Just hear me out!" The girl put her hands up again.

  "Testharians are not what you think you are. They aren't some prestigious planet filled with all kinds of riches. They aren't prestigious people with dignity and respect. They are con artist, scammers, batshit crazy people! They'd do anything to deceive people into thinking they're their friends. Why do you think that the Great Kamisword rejected your idea of outposts, huh?"

  How did this girl know that?

  "Right? Why would an agreement not go through when there's an alliance? If the Testharians want to help us, then why are they acting so suspicious? Because there was no alliance to begin with! They terminated it long ago!"

  She waved her hands around. "The Testharians are not some peaceful, innocent people. They are selfish, self-centered, and a whole lot more! They'd kill each other if they had to just to get a bigger piece of the pie-"

  "Can you tell us something new?" Aria simply said. "Was it not that obvious? Lord Veyron simply wants the planet for himself. Who cares about some alliance or not? We're only following orders and that's the end of it."

  The girl put her hands down. "Well... err..." She looked around nervously, having run out of excuses. "When you put it that way... that makes kind o- Wait, that's besid- What do you mean by 'wanting the planet for himself'?"

  Aria lowered her Enk-X, which was a 2 meter long masamune. "He builds interest in Testharians. Especially the fact that the majority of them are Weapon-Types. It's an excellent asset to have on his side."

  The girl sighed in a defeated way. "Huh... well, Testharia's allied with Soul-Core now, betcha' didn't know that?"

  Aria though for a moment. "Hm... Maybe Lord Veyron will know what to do." She said under her breath. Putting her weapon away, she beckoned the girl. "Follow us then."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Heios and Jasper looked at each other in disbelief, but shrugged it off. Heios didn't, though, and looked at Aria. "Not a good idea, Aria. Testharians can't be trusted."

  "We'll just kill her if Lord Veyron says so." Aria replied.

  "Works." Heios followed the three, being last in line.

  The girl sighed again, clearly not having a good time.

  -

  Avu had just arrived back to Mavkodus. He had entered from the alternate hangar, which was located on the southern wing of the base. He was met with guards and servants, all of which bowed before him.

  He ignored them and continued walking towards the High Table room. He wasn't in a good mood today.

  As he entered, he noticed Jasper, Heios, Aria, and the new girl. Lord Veyron was not there as he left Mavkodus not long before he ordered them to kill Vincent Sparks.

  "Is this a joke?" He asked, frustrated. He had a lengthy talk with the Queen of Nuvaria about Dark Intrinium intruding their airspace, let alone his own presence. This enabled him to research the planet and it's power structure.

  "Not at all, she came here uninvited."

  "Look... I don't appreciate how you're calling me 'uninvited'-"

  Heios slapped her back, pushing her forward. "Eyes on the Grand Follower." He demanded.

  She sighed as she turned towards Avu, keeping a stoic expression.

  "Testharian, hm? What's your name?" Avu asked, his hands in his pockets and his eyes half-closed.

  "... My name's Satono Eria. I am- well... I was part of the Royal Family, before I was banished. Partially the reason of my being here is because I want to tear my family apart, and see Testharia in the hands of Dark Intrinium. That way, I can bask in the fact that their biggest mistake was casting me out."

  Jasper, Heios and Aria all looked at each other in confusion.

  "Satono Eria..." Avu repeated. "So... anguish brought you here."

  "I'm not angu- Listen... I know for sure that any other place would treat me better than how I was treated back at Testharia. People say it's a great planet with the kindest people in existence, but that's all a fucking lie. It's filled with narcissistic people, people who are so full of themselves. They'll tear even their closest kins apart just to get ahead. They're not democratic. They all lick the feet of the Royal Family and suck up to them whenever they please. They're all stupid, numbskulled, half-brained motherfuckers without the ability to reason, communicate or fucking THINK!"

  Satono was practically seething. "They casted me out because they were scared of me! Scared of my Soul! Scared that I couldn't improve, when I surpassed even Sachiel in strength! They feared my strength, so they threw me away like trash!" She yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

  Avu kept a calm expression, showing no emotion whatsoever. "Hm. Perhaps you should find a more suitable and peaceful planet to ease your mind. A group of people for yourself."

  "This group will do... Besides, a family needs to be brought down."

  "How can you prove that this group is for you? I am uncertain of your abilities."

  "... First of all, I am a Weapon-Type who is among the best in the galaxy. Second, if there's anything you want me to do, I'll do it. Third and last, I almost killed the Great Kamisword a year ago, if it weren't for her useless fucking princess sister."

  Aria put a hand on Avu's shoulder. "Brother... a Testharian with issues is more troublesome for us. We must dispose of her."

  Avu shook his head, walking towards Satono. He also heard the same thing from Heios. "I second that. She's far too dangerous. Testharian's are filthy anyways, and one with issues is even more filthy."

  "Stop calling me filthy, you misfit Venusian!"

  "Say what?" Heios walked up to her but was stopped by Jasper.

  "That's why your eyebrows are permanently furrowed, even the most dreadful place in the galaxy wanted you to fuck off."

  Avu was deep in thought, sitting on his chair. He was thinking if having a Testharian as the Fifth Follower was a good idea, especially when this Testharian had issues. In retrospect, a person with issues can be very dangerous. If he allowed her to join, then he'd have to keep a close eye on her, which may also mean putting her under heavy surveillance.

  But, she was a Testharian. And since Lord Veyron was heavily interested in the planet, having a member from that very same planet was very intriguing. He was already thinking of how useful she would be to them.

  .:. Having a Testharian on our side, and an Eria no less can prove to be very beneficial to us. This could help the development of Lord Veyron's conquer. .:.

  "Alright, Testharian. If you so desire to be one of us, then you shall be the Fifth Follower."

  "Wh-"

  Aria was taken aback by his decision. Why in Hell's name would he let a Testharian, an enemy race, into their ranks? She usually wouldn't doubt her brother's choices, and she didn't doubt her now. But, having a Testharian as the fifth member of the Uprising of Kytron was risky.

  What if she turned against them and killed them all in their sleep? What if she sabotaged their missions? Aria was deep in thought, not saying anything.

  "With all due respect... That's a fucking retarded decision!" Heios yelled, having no formality to address the Grand Follower. "It's a Testharian with mental issues, goddamnit! What if she's a trap? A spy sent by that bastard Sachiel Eria?"

  "Refer to me by 'it' one more time and I'm going to shove your head up your own ass! You sound more insane than I do!"

  "I really hope you know your place, Testharian... I know that your race isn't the smartest in the galaxy, but I expected atleast some self-respect-" Again, Heios was stopped by Jasper.

  Jasper really worked as a mediator without needing to do much.

  "If she was a trap, what are her chances of defeating any of us?" Avu said, looking at Heios.

  "... I don't know! Any Soul-Wielder has some tricks up their sleeve, like that oversized cunt back on Jagyen!"

  Avu's hand slightly twitched, indicating that he was just about ready to manifest his Signature Weapon.

  "I will kill you if you do not settle down, Heios. If you so think that this is a trap then believe what you will. I'll take humour from your own disappointment once you realize how much of a scared little boy you are inside that thick skull of yours."

  Heios clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the Grand Follower, so he kept quiet. "You... f..." He stared at him with pure hatred and left the room.

  "Brother... are you sure of this?" Aria asked, clearly concerned. "I don't think this is a good idea. I mean, we don't know anything about her."

  "All of you are capable of killing her if she does anything suspicious. So far, nothing has been suspicious. I am confident in my choice, now g-"

  The whole room overlapped with a cold brewing faint of energy. Satono, Jasper and Aria felt their necks getting cold. Avu stood up immediately, tapping on the table and pulling up a holographic console.

  "Bring up an aerial view of Testharia, Tristate City." He spoke into the command console.

  [AI]: "Connecting with aerial footage of Testharia, Tristate City."

  A female automated voice responded - a center omni-directional projector emerged from the table. It brought up a full-view of Tristate City from above.

  Satono looked at it. The capture was in real-time, it could only mean that a real time event was occuring.

  "Give me a Soul-Reading, Max."

  [AI]: "Enabling Soul-Reader." The console detected a massive sum of Soul-Energy. "Soul-Energy detected - Soul-Energy at a level of fundamental. - 9,483,048 has been detected within this area."

  The reader had a bar which previewed it's scanner details. The bar exceeded, meaning that there was an unquantifiable amount of Soul-Energy activity going on.

  The capture feed would suddenly cut only before a massive storm occured within the city.

  "That cold energy immediately nagged on me to the idea that something is going down on Testharia." Avu said, sitting back down.

  Jasper had his hands behind his head. "Damn... looks like someone's having fun."

  "The only time that many Soul-Energy signatures occur is when they're fighting. However, that's just speculation at the moment." Avu said. "We need to confirm what's going on over there."

  "...From the looks of it, it was stronger than a typhoon..."

  "You're meaning to tell us that one person caused that?" Aria asked, going back to sharpening her Enk-X.

  "Not certain, but I know it's nothing to take lightly. The Great Kamisword will most likely take care of it, so rest assured." Avu said, half-jokingly.

  "...Huh. You're putting an awful lot of faith on someone who we're later gonna go to war with." Satono said, sitting down.

  "Ultimately, Lord Veyron decides that."

  Satono nodded and turned her head towards the projector. She felt uneasy for some reason. There was a feeling of dread that she couldn't get rid of.

  "Our background is simple, Testharian. This group was created in the legacy of Lord Veyron's father, do you know anything about him?"

  Avu asked, approaching Satono.

  Satono shook her head.

  "I've never really heard of him, to be honest. I'm not very up to date on these things..." She said with an awkward laugh.

  "Kytron Veyron of Veyronia. The former leader of Dark Intrinium. The one who ruled the entire galaxy with an iron fist." Avu smiled just thinking about it.

  Clearly held a lot of respect for the late Kytron Veyron.

  "He was a man capable of everything. He made sure that he was on the front lines, taking anyone out who he thought doubted his strength."

  Avu walked around the table, keeping his hands behind his back.

  "Not just that - he was a very powerful Soul-Wielder, if not the strongest. He had hundreds or maybe thousands of people around the same level as him as his trophies."

  This Kytron Veyron that Avu Fujimara was talking about sounded like some kind of psychopathic serial killer.

  Satono didn't understand how this man was able to hold an entire galaxy under his thumb. In retrospect, thinking of him as some psychopath is the right thing to do. But you have authority over an entire galaxy, what would you do?

  Would you make it a utopia where everyone is equal and the economy is flourishing? Or would you simply be the ruler and have total control over everyone and everything? Would you be a good ruler, or would you be a tyrant?

  In retrospect, this Kytron Veyron was probably the latter.

  Though, no one knows what his true intentions were. Only thing that those Followers knew that he was indeed, one of the few in the entire human history that was capable of ruling an entire galaxy.

  "That's some... pretty interesting stuff." Satono said.

  "So, um... I take it that Kytron was killed?

  Avu nodded. "Correct. You seem to be quite smart, Testharian. Unfortunately, and at the humiliation on both the Veyron Family and Dark Intrinium, the late Lord had come across an opponent he was... incapable... of beating."

  Avu sat back down, seemingly frustrated. "A very... pestering thought."

  The room was filled with an uneasy silence as no one said anything. Even the AI wasn't talking.

  The silence lingered for a while as Satono tried to wrap her head around what Avu was saying. It sounded like an impossibility - how could someone kill Kytron Veyron, the man who ruled an entire galaxy?

  Whoever did it must be incredibly powerful.

  "How did it happen? Was this opponent stronger than Kytron Veyron?" She listened to him like she read a story.

  "Uncertain. It was a nobody." Avu looked at Satono, his eyes half-closed.

  "According to the Kyvernians during the time they were around - he was defeated by a Soul-Wielder who possessed two of the possibilities... A sign of possible Ascension or a higher level of evolution that is still yet to be discovered."

  Satono put her hand on her chin, deep in thought. She didn't know what this 'higher level of evolution' meant, but she assumed that it was something that was way beyond what humanity was capable of achieving.

  "... Ascension, what the hell is that?"

  Commonly known by all other Soul-Wielders, the highest someone can reach is the Simulacra Evolution, the fourth stage of the Evolution of Souls. The fifth stage has been untouched since the beginning of the universe, and no one has reached it since then. However, rumours can only go so far, and if this person has reached the fifth stage, then they have a type of Energy not even a normal Soul-Wielder can achieve.

  Ascension, or the impossible Fifth Evolution. But unfortunately...

  "Rumours will remain rumours until proven." Avu stood up. "If I truly had to say, the only reason why Lord Veyron took leadership to begin with... Is to find the very man who killed his father. It would hurt him to think that the man is still around."

  "... Is it really an unobtainable form?"

  Satono asked, curious. Sometimes, people need a reminder on how the Soul works.

  "It has to be possible, still. If the Soul is capable of anything and you will it... then surely, it should be possible."

  Avu thought. "If the rumour is true, then this Fifth Evolution will allow that person to rule the galaxy under their own power. A true world owner."

  "That gives me goosebumps just thinking about it." Satono scratched the back of her neck.

  "It's best to not dwell on it." Avu turned towards Satono. "Welcome to the UoK, Testharian." He smiled, which made the room feel more welcoming. "I should report what is going on in Testharia to Lord Veyron, looking forward to what you can do."

  Avu walked past Satono and exited the room. Aria looked at Satono, still not convinced.

  The entire concept of Ascension, or even the Fifth Evolution sounded impossible. If you were to ask anyone about it, they'd tell you the same thing.

  Ascension is a propechy, and the Fifth Evolution is a mere myth.

  It is not possible for a human to achieve such power and absolute authority over an entire galaxy.

  But, what if it was possible? What if there really is a higher level of evolution that no one has discovered yet? What if it's all true, and that Kytron Veyron was killed by someone who possesses the power of the Fifth Evolution. What if Transcendence was real?

  That's something that could cause panic among the public. Who knows, maybe that's the reason why no one wants to talk about it. They're scared of what they don't know. They're afraid of the possibility that it might be real.

  Everyone was a little quiet before Aria broke the silence.

  "Sparks, guys. We should prepare to leave." She said as she stood up, her Enk-X disappearing into thin air.

  "Finally. Can't wait to dissect him."

  Jasper said as he clapped his hands together, looking at Satono. "Welcome to the crew, I guess. I'm Jasper Emerson, the Third Follower. You know what I do to double-crossers? They get thousands of needles injected into their heart. That way, the blood pumps so fast that they explode in a matter of seconds. And you, my friend, are gonna get the first show."

  Satono chuckled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "... Wh... who's this freak?" She pointed at Jasper, who was still smiling at her.

  "That's Jasper for you. He's the crazy one." Aria said.

  "I thought that was that hot-headed Venusian." Satono pointed out.

  "Nope, that's Heios. He's just... misunderstood." Aria replied.