"Alex is coming..."

    Her words left them both speechless. Olivia, still shaken, struggled to process her mother''s statement.

    To her, it sounded like the incoherent talk of someone just waking from a long coma. But William thought differently.

    He stepped back slightly, his gaze sharp as he studied his wife. The faint smile on her lips hinted that she knew more than she was saying.

    "What do you mean?" he asked, raising a brow.

    It was strange enough that some mysterious energy had brought her back to life, but unlike Olivia, William''s instincts were still intact. Something bigger was happening here.

    "Exactly what it sounds like," she replied, her enigmatic smile unwavering. "I''m not entirely sure, but I felt Alex—his presence. Maybe in my consciousness, or my spirit? He mentioned something about entanglement."

    Olivia finally lifted her head, her expression shifting as doubt gave way to curiosity. Maybe her mother''s words weren''t ramblings after all.

    Sarah glanced at both of them, a reassuring warmth in her gaze. She looked out the window, her voice soft but confident. "It''s going to be fine. You''ll see."

    William and Olivia exchanged puzzled looks before turning their attention back to her.

    "Mom, can you tell us everything?" Olivia asked, moving to sit beside her on the bed while William pulled up a chair.

    "Of course," Sarah said. But then her eyes flicked toward the doorway, and she smiled. "First, why don''t you introduce me to our guest?"

    They followed her gaze and saw Shawn standing quietly by the door. He had returned moments earlier but stayed back to give them some privacy.

    "Hello, mother-in-law," Shawn said, stepping into the room with a faint smile.

    ........

    A Few Days Later

    Sol System, beyond the Oort Cloud, aboard James''s ship.

    Julia and her team had just returned from yet another gruelling battle with the void creatures lurking in their sector.

    But as time went on, the reality became clearer—Class D hunters like them were becoming less effective. Stronger and more dangerous creatures were appearing with each encounter.

    [You''re correct. However, once the mission begins, the defence of our home will fall to you and the others.]

    "What?" Julia shot upright. "Are they taking everyone above Class D?"

    [No. Only hunters from Class B and higher.]

    "Class B, huh?" Julia frowned. "But would they really take everyone at those levels?"

    [Of course not. A few will remain to safeguard the home systems.]

    "Right..." Julia sighed and flopped back onto her bed. "When is this mission happening?"

    [It''s scheduled to start after sealing the veil tears around the system, which will take approximately three days.]

    "By the end of the week, then," she muttered, calculating the timeline.

    Her gaze fell to her hand, and she stared at it in silence. ''We''re already struggling to stay useful...''

    Her fingers curled into a fist. ''I—no, we—have to get stronger.''

    ...

    Like Julia, all hunters across the Milky Way galaxy received news of the arrangement.

    The introduction of void weapons and disruptors had made combating void creatures significantly easier.

    Hunters could now sustain their Manastorm states more frequently, and veil tears in nearby regions were successfully sealed, albeit temporarily.

    Within three days, most of the tears were closed, bringing a brief sense of calm to the star systems within the empire. However, the hunters knew it was only a matter of time before the next wave of chaos arrived.

    Preparations for the next mission were already underway. Leading the operation were two S-Class hunters, Evelyn Stone and Charlotte Lane.

    Charlotte had been temporarily stationed in the sector as a replacement for Zol. Until his recovery, she would serve as the sector''s guardian.

    With preparations complete, a sizable fleet of spaceships readied itself to head toward the borders.

    The mission''s objective was straightforward: reach the edges of the galaxy, eliminate as many void creatures as possible to slow their advance or completely halt it. And if the opportunity arose, take down the leading monster.