39th of Trian Ruins, Trian Month.
It was business as usual for Star Disc Region.
As one of the many explored regions, this region was common knowledge in the elite circles.
Sia too had the info about this region.
The space in this region was cut into many vertical layers. It's like someone had a knife and cut the space from the sky.
It was like cutting loaves from bread. But with each loaf of significantly different thickness.
Here, for every few meters, the stability of space fluctuated.
Sia tapped the ground and stretched her hand towards one of the mountains in the region.
In an instant, the gravity between her and the earth nullified and a new gravity between her and the mountain was established.
As a result, Sia flew towards the mountain. Despite the force being the same, her speed fluctuated greatly.
The mountain was just one mile from Sia.
For the first hundred meters, Sia's speed rapidly as the space around her was completely loose and accelerated her even further.
For the next three hundred meters, it was incredibly hard and slowed her down.
Her speed rose, fell, rose, and fell before she finally reached the mountain top.
In fact, she was on one of the many mountains enclosing an area.
The space until the mountains was fluctuating, but relatively stable. But the area enclosed by the mountains was…
Kacha! Kraack! Boom!
Black lines appeared in empty air as the space cracked apart. Grayish substances leaked out of the space cracks and turned the existing space chaotic.
The space cracks and chaotic space combined to blast the space. When space blasted, the cracks expanded rapidly before disappearing instantly.
Anything in the vicinity of the blast was spliced and bombarded into splinters.
The place with most space blasts was naturally the center.
At the center was a black crystal. Its dimensions were comparable to a three-story house.
It looked like an ice crystal growing out in an arctic region, except it was pitch black.
'Space Jade…' Sia recalled the name of the item and narrowed her eyes.
Space Jade was an excellent item for improving one's space affinity. Not only that, it directly improved one's space body, thus enabling quick progress.
But it was very dangerous.
The closer you get to the space jade, the more space blasts you'd encounter.
If they try to take the whole thing away, even level 9s would be sliced to pieces by the space cracks.
The only acceptable solution was to break away a piece of the jade and take that piece.
If one tried to be too greedy, they'd die.
Because once it sensed the loss of a part of itself, the space jade would fiercely retaliate.
'How troublesome.'
So, unlike the other regions she visited, this place had no visitors. Even space awakeners who wanted to try their luck would only meditate in the periphery.
Even for a strong level 8, reaching the Space Jade was dangerous.
Sia had the confidence in reaching the space jade and plucking a piece. But she wasn't so confident in returning unscathed.
'It looks like I can only ask.' She sighed.
The original plan was to do it herself. But after what she'd been through, Sia accepted that sometimes she needed help.
Closing her eyes, Sia dived deep inside her own being.
A card lay in silence.
'Enigma!'
Infusing aura into the card, Sia thought.
A silver light flashed in the region.
The next thing Sia knew, Enigma was grabbing for the space jade.
Sia felt tired and her eyelids closed down.
She went into a deep sleep and a memory flashed in her mind.
*** *** ***
"…Dean, why did you call me?" Sia in the defense's academy uniform stared at the scar-faced man.
Her tone was respectful and polite.
After recognizing her talents, Evander had in fact helped her a lot. Be it resources, arranging good teachers, or information about new missions, he supported her.
'I want to see someone who can end the war.' He told her. 'Those abyssals…those bugs need to be butchered.'
There were several nerves popping up on his forehead when he said those words. That was how violent his rage was.
While she had complicated feelings about this, Sia gave her all into training.
Evander even said he'd consider taking her as a disciple.
Then suddenly one day he called her. 'Don't inform anyone. It's about discipline-master matter.'
The message came from a slightly stiff Evander's voice on the comm.
It was a red flag, but Sia didn't doubt him.
When she finally reached his office, he greeted her and asked her to drink the tea.
"Do you know about Sarah's mother?" He asked and even without her response, started narrating.
Sia sipped the tea out of politeness and watched Evander's eyes turn bloodshot with each passing second.
She frowned as an ominous premonition passed in her mind.
"…Why did you?"
She couldn't feel any aura in her body.
"Abyssals needed to be slaughtered! Abyssals are nonhumans. Nonhumans need to be slaughtered!" Evander said in a robotic voice.
Sia's face grew pale as she started to lose the sensation of her legs.
Still, she forcibly pushed herself up against the sofa and tried to stand up.
"Why?!" She pointed at him and yelled.
Evander's eyes were cold. He said again. "You're useful to the advancement of humanity. A worthy sacrifice."
"…What the?" Sia didn't know what he was talking about.
But the hand she pointed at him dropped with the arm and Sia lost the sensation in her arms.
She collapsed on the sofa and glared at him. "Sarah's father, is this your honor? Kidnapping a first-year cadet?"
She thought he was a righteous warrior who risked everything for justice.
But now…
"Nonhumans be damned!" Evander said with bloodshot eyes.
Sia's eyes turned heavy, but using the last of her strength, she asked.
"Why?"
Why betray?
Why such a despicable act?
Evander's bloodshot eyes stilled for a moment as if he was struggling. Then, he spat.
"Revenge."
Hearing those words, Sia lost consciousness.
So, she didn't see the tears of blood dripping from Evander's eyes.