CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: LEAVING

In the dark tunnels, the steady drip of water mixed with a sharp clicking sound that echoed against the sewage walls.

If anyone had seen it, they might’ve wondered why the President himself was there. But this wasn’t the President. Not truly. This was Razel. Or rather, Ra’Zel.

He walked slowly, his footsteps steady, unhurried. His head tilted slightly at the faint noise that cut through the silence. He stopped.

"Come out," he said flatly.

The tunnel went still.

He narrowed his eyes. "Come out before I bring you out."

The silence broke with a heavy rumble.

From the shadows, a bulky green alien burst forward, its body massive, dwarfing the size of any human.

Its feet splashed through the shallow water as it charged, the tunnel shaking from its weight.

With a guttural roar, it leapt, both hands raised high, ready to smash him into the concrete.

The impact never landed.

The creature froze mid-swing, its arms suddenly limp. A wet squelch echoed as its chest caved inward.

In the next instant, its corpse was hurled aside, crashing into the sewage water with a splash.

Ra’Zel stood there, calm and unmoving, a massive heart gripped in his hand. It was still beating, twitching faintly, before he slowly crushed it in his fist.

Flesh and blood spilled between his fingers as the organ collapsed into pulp.

His voice carried cold and low through the tunnel.

"I will not ask again."

Sudden stomps echoed through the tunnel, each one heavier than the last.

Out of the shadows, a larger alien emerged, similar to the last brute, but taller, broader, and this one burned red in its skin. Its bulk filled the passage, its steps making the sewage tremble.

The creature loomed over Razel, glaring down. Its guttural voice rumbled, carrying crude but clear words.

"What you want?"

Razel tilted his head, surprised. For such a thing to grasp human tongue this quickly was impressive. His lips curved into a faint smile.

"I want your assistance," Razel said, his tone calm, measured. "I have a... friend hiding in a city named Grayson. You will cause chaos there. Draw him out. Alive is preferred. Dead is acceptable. If so, bring me the body."

The alien’s nostrils flared. Its massive chest expanded as it growled low.

"We not slave," it rumbled. "We warriors. We not work... for you kind."

Razel sighed, his expression more annoyed than angry. "A demonstration, then."

In the blink of an eye, his form blurred. His human disguise flickered away, replaced by glowing blue. In less than a heartbeat, he was in front of the giant.

The alien froze, clutching its head as an invisible force crushed into it.

Its growls turned into roars, its body thrashing in pain.

For ten long minutes, the sewage echoed with its howls until the sound broke into desperate mutters.

"Stop... Grotto do it... Grotto do it... stop..."

Razel shifted back into his human form, smoothing his suit as if nothing had happened. He returned to his original spot, calm and composed.

"Good."

From the dark behind the red giant, more shapes stirred. Faintly glowing eyes appeared in the black, dozens of them, maybe more, watching.

Razel’s gaze swept over them, his voice dropping low, soft, but sharp enough to cut through the cavern.

"I am not asking. I am not negotiating. You exist because I allow it. Your purpose is because I command it. The attack will happen. Or your species’ first and last experience on this world will be one of utter extinction. Do you understand?"

The giant, Grotto, stared at him, then gave a slow nod.

Razel turned, walking away, his footsteps steady against the stone.

A deep voice rumbled after him. "Reward?"

Razel didn’t stop or glance back. His reply was quiet, but final.

"Your lives."

Razel stepped deeper into the darkness, his shoes echoing faintly against wet stone.

His gaze dropped to his wrist. With a tap of his finger against the sleek watch strapped there, his body blurred, vibrated, and flashed—

When it stabilized, he was no longer in the tunnels. He now stood inside a vast, dimly lit office.

The walls were lined with towering bookshelves and sleek monitors.

The place was empty except for him, the quiet hum of machinery filling the silence.

He lowered himself into the leather chair behind the desk, his hands steepling together.

An AI voice broke the stillness.

[Lord Ra’Zel, is it wise to entrust the task of capturing a Serakai to those brutes? They have strength, yes, but no refinement. They lack the capacity to contain that kind of power.]

Razel leaned back, unfazed. His voice was calm, deliberate. "It would matter if this Serakai were competent. But I doubt it. I believe what we are dealing with is young. Clueless. Hardly a threat."

"Do you suspect any other alien slipped through Earth’s orbit since our arrival?"

The AI went silent.

Razel’s brow furrowed, his blue eyes glowing faintly. "And?"

[Impossible, my lord. I have monitored the orbit closely. No vessel has breached it.]

"And the Nova Prisonship?" Razel asked.

[No record of any Serakai escaping. None were released.]

Razel’s lips curved into a thin smile. "Then it leaves only one possibility. This Serakai was shipped here long before we came."

The AI hesitated, its tone turning sharper. [Still... this is a Serakai. They are masters of energy. Any energy. Even the youngest of them is dangerous. They remain one of the most feared species in the cosmos for a reason.]

Razel gave a dismissive chuckle. "So much hype. What they can do, I can do better. Even then, if this one is young, I doubt he’s mastered even a single energy. Their kind take millions, billions, of years to refine just one."

[All the same, caution would be prudent.]

Razel’s smile faded, his voice flattening. "And we are cautious. That’s why I’m not engaging him directly. I’ll keep sending mercenaries. Aliens who want blood, chaos, coin. Let them test him. Let them peel away the truth. If he’s young and untrained, they’ll flush him out. If not..."

He leaned forward, fingers brushing the edge of the desk.

"...then my creations will."