Astraeus Tower
Starlight Headquarters
Orbital space station
Agartha, Anu Solar system
Divine Federation
Pleiades star sector
Leon and Rex sat in the Strategium Sanctum, the air thick with the hum of anticipation and the weight of strategy. The chamber was vast, its stone walls adorned with silver banners, each bearing the intricate sigils of the Twelve Celestial Houses. The banners fluttered gently, as though alive, the threads of light woven into their fabric pulsing with raw mana, casting an ethereal glow over the room. Leon's gaze lifted to the dome-shaped ceiling, which flickered with the shifting map of the Divine Federation, a living tapestry of worlds, systems, and borders. The map seemed to breathe with the heartbeat of the cosmos itself, its vastness both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. Leon's mind raced as he attempted to process everything they had witnessed—an impossible feat when every memory felt like it had been etched in the deepest corners of his soul.
It had been some time since their return from the Ebony Zone, and Rex had brought Leon here, to the Sanctum, to meet with Admiral Wilcock. The Admiral was known for his sharp intellect and his cold, calculated approach to the Federation's military strategies. While waiting for Wilcock, Leon's thoughts drifted to Aria, who had excused herself earlier. Her spell, one she had perfected to split her essence between two locations, was beginning to take its toll. The strain on her was evident, and soon she would need to rest. With her absence, the Sanctum felt quieter, the weight of their conversation pressing down on Leon.
Leon's mind, ever restless, turned to the memories he had recently acquired from Alexander. He had tried to sift through them, to pull threads of meaning from the tangled web that was his family's past. Yet, every attempt to connect the pieces was thwarted by a persistent, almost suffocating influence. His mother. Her presence, even in absence, seemed to bleed into every thought, every memory, making it impossible for Leon to focus.
With a quiet exhale, Leon pushed aside the haze that clouded his thoughts and redirected his attention to the intelligence gathered from Delacroix. The intel was crucial, yet as he examined the data, the pieces didn't seem to align in any coherent pattern. There was too much missing—too many gaps in the story. And then, there was the larger question that lingered in the back of his mind: what was his mother's true goal? What was it that drove her to manipulate the pieces of the celestial chessboard with such careful precision?
The ongoing tension between the Divine Federation and the Ganymede Empire was another puzzle piece that didn't quite fit. It had been building for years, with skirmishes breaking out across various border worlds. But something felt off. There should have been full-scale war by now—an all-out battle between these two galactic superpowers, a conflict that had been simmering since the Lamentias Event. Yet, here they were, with only small clashes in the outer rim, a far cry from the devastating war that should have erupted by now.
Leon's mind churned as he examined the geopolitical landscape. The Federation's strained relationship with the Ganymede Empire had always been cold, frosty even, like two wolves circling one another, waiting for the first move. But now, with Terra's Awakening, the situation had changed. Small-scale battles were erupting along border planets—clashes that were only a fraction of what they could escalate into. The stars themselves seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the spark that would ignite the powder keg of the galaxy.
Leon's mind drifted to the recent series of events that had set the galaxy on edge, the small-scale battles that had erupted almost a year before he emerged from seclusion. It had been a mere spark—a single, seemingly insignificant item—that had ignited the powder keg of conflict. Just in time for him to be dragged into the mess, as though the universe had waited for his return. He had been pulled from his self-imposed isolation by the very thing that had driven the first clashes between the Divine Federation and the Ganymede Empire. It was almost as if fate itself had conspired to draw him back into the fray.
As he pondered this, the door to the Strategium Sanctum slid open with a soft hiss, breaking his reverie. Admiral Wilcock entered with his usual air of authority, his movements deliberate and sharp. Behind him, a young assistant scribbled notes rapidly, trying to keep up with the Admiral's stream of commands. The room seemed to grow colder as Wilcock's steely eyes landed on Leon, his gaze narrowing with an unspoken judgment.
"Haravok," the Admiral barked, his voice rough with the weight of pent-up frustration. "You're here. Well, well, you've got some nerve showing up now, of all times. I suppose now that you're done with your little parties, you care to grace us with your presence?"
Leon met his gaze with the same cocky, nonchalant expression that Wilcock knew all too well. It reminded him of Jonathan, the resemblance was very striking. He sighed, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of too many burdens.
"Admiral ," Leon replied coolly, his voice unwavering. The Admiral's eyes lingered on his face for a moment longer, searching for any hint of the cocky arrogance that had defined his younger years. But Leon's expression didn't falter.
"You just had to make a mess at Ebony Zone, didn't you?" Wilcock's voice was tinged with annoyance, the edge of frustration cutting through his words. "Do you have any idea what it took to keep things from spiraling out of control? What the hell did you do to Delacroix?"
Leon remained calm, unfazed by the Admiral's outburst. He reached into his dimensional band and withdrew a small vial, delicate and clear as glass, though within it swirled a faint, ethereal light. With a subtle shift of his fingers, Leon used his Odic force to propel the vial across the room, sending it gliding effortlessly into the Admiral's waiting hands.
Wilcock raised an eyebrow, inspecting the vial with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "What's this?" he asked, his voice betraying a trace of uncertainty.
"Delacroix's consciousness," Leon answered, his tone steady. "I was able to strip his astral self from his body. As long as it remains separated, you can always revive him. Sector Zero will think he's dead, that I killed him. But they won't know that he's in suspended animation."
The Admiral's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he processed the gravity of what Leon was suggesting. He turned the vial over in his hands, his gaze never leaving it. "So, keep him alive until the trial," Wilcock said, his voice flat with begrudging admiration. "That's quite the technique you've got there. But how the hell did you use your power in there without authorization?"
Leon's smile was knowing but fleeting. "State secret," he said cryptically. It was his semi divinity that had granted him an edge in that environment. His divine essence amplified every aspect of his being, allowing him to bypass the suppression that had been placed on prisoners and keep his abilities intact, something no one else could have managed.
"Hmm," the Admiral muttered, clearly less than pleased with the answer. "So, what do you want, Haravok?" His tone shifted, becoming more pragmatic, a sharpness returning to his voice. "You do realize I'm busy. There's a whole war to manage out there, and I'm only here because Rex assured me this was important."
Leon straightened in his seat, the weight of his words heavier now, more deliberate. "It is important, Admiral. You've been dealing with the Ganymede Empire's small-scale attacks, but there's something much bigger at play here." He leaned forward, his eyes locked onto Wilcock's. "What if I told you there's a reason Ganymede is on the offensive right now?"
The Admiral's gaze hardened, his lips thinning into a tight line. "Those bastards always wanted the Euripython system," Wilcock replied, his voice laced with bitterness. "The treaty that kept both sides out of it became meaningless the moment Sector Zero made an attempt on Terra. And now, here we are, with skirmishes breaking out all over the Outer Rim. But what's your angle, Haravok?" He paused, a flash of understanding crossing his face. "You know something we don't, don't you?"
Leon's silence was all the confirmation the Admiral needed. The tension in the room thickened, as the weight of the unspoken truth hung between them like a sword poised to fall.