Triple X System-Chapter 256: Kill Me

King Troy’s throne room was dimly lit, the only sound the soft hum of the holographic display projecting before him. Reze, the brilliant scientist, stood before the screen, her eyes fixed on the data streaming across its surface.

"Your Majesty." She began, her voice crisp. "I’ve received an update on the situation with Kyle and the space guard group he...acquired."

Troy’s eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. "Go on."

Reze nodded, her fingers flying across the holographic interface. The screen flickered, displaying a grainy image of Kyle’s ship descending onto Kraken’s surface.

"They landed approximately 72 hours ago, sire. Initial reports indicate they encountered a Krael, one of Kraken’s most powerful servants."

Troy’s grip on the armrest tightened. "A Krael? That’s not good."

He didn’t speak out of pity or concern for Kyle, but his own citizens and guards that’d accompanied Kyle in the mission.

Reze nodded, her eyes somber. "They managed to take down the Krael, but not without casualties. The ship’s engines were overloaded, and Kyle ordered a retreat."

"I see~" Troy gritted his teeth, controlling his boiling rage.

The loss of soldiers were a considerable hit to him, considering the events of the kingdom. While they’d awakened, their powers were still foreign and yet to be activated or known.

And the death of over 50 individuals, from the effects of the world tears made it all the more enraging.

"What’s next?" Troy asked, watching the scene with focused eyes.

The feed cut off abruptly, replaced by a jumbled mess of static.

"What happened?" Troy demanded, his voice low.

Reze’s expression was troubled. "It appears...someone or something pulled the ship down, sire. The feed cut off shortly after."

Troy’s face contorted in rage, his eyes blazing with fury. "Idiot! He was supposed to gather intel, not get the guards killed!"

Reze took a step back, her eyes downcast. "Sire, if I may...Kyle’s abilities are still unknown. Perhaps—"

Troy slammed his fist on the armrest, his voice echoing through the throne room. "I don’t care about his abilities! I care about results! Find out what happened to them, Reze. Now."

Reze nodded, her expression calm. "I’ll do my best, sire. However...there’s something else."

Troy’s eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

Reze hesitated before speaking. "The Krael... it identified Kyle as a Shadow Weaver."

The throne room fell silent, Troy’s expression unreadable.

"A Shadow Weaver?" He repeated, his voice low. "This gets more interesting by the minute."

Reze nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen. "I’ll continue monitoring the situation, sire."

Troy nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. "See that you do, Reze. I want to know everything about Kyle’s activities on Kraken."

As Reze bowed and exited the throne room, Troy’s eyes narrowed, his mind working overtime.

’A Shadow Weaver? Is that his ability or perhaps a title bestowed to him?’ Troy inwardly thought to himself, placing his hand in his chin.

There was little knowledge about various abilities, not taking a liking to such. Not feeling the need arise, but still.. Lumia kingdom had records on some abilities, not entirely clueless.

But he doubted they had any info on an ability called Shadow Weaver.

"Could this be a bad sign from karma about sending him to Kraken, with a group of inexperienced space guards?" The thought itself plagued troy’s mind.

This was either going to be a disaster, or the best thing that had happened to him in years.

...

King Troy’s eyes narrowed as he watched Reze exit the throne room. He needed to know more about Kyle’s abilities, and fast. The door slid open, and Ona, his right-hand woman and commander of the space guards, limped in, her eyes downcast.

"Your Majesty." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Troy’s expression softened, seeing the pain etched on Ona’s face. He knew she was still recovering from the vampire’s processing, which had left her unable to participate in the fight against the dragon’s invasion.

"Ona, come in." Troy said, his voice gentle.

Ona approached, her movements stiff, and knelt before him. "I beg your forgiveness, sire. I failed you."

She started, her tone laced with guilt and failure, the terrible stench of defeat and cowardness not being able to do a thing while the kingdom was in danger.

She’d worked her way from a poor background to this stage. Training constantly, heading out on several quest with Troy to train herself and shamaroen her senses.

Leading to her growth and promotion to the commander of all the space guards. Spearheading the kingdom defenses and offense, utilizing groups of trained individuals under her care. The first woman to ever be appointed such, in the history of lumia’s kingdom.

But she’d screwed all that up now when it mattered the most. And all her efforts, her achievements, the thanks she got faded. Summing up to nothing, a sheer testament to reality on how weak she was.

Troy’s eyes narrowed, his grip on the armrest tightening. "You did nothing wrong, Ona. The vampire’s influence was not your fault."

Ona’s eyes brimmed with tears. "Y-your don’t have to console me, your majesty. I’m a failure to my peers and the kingdom. Please, sire...kill me. I need to atone for my failure."

Troy’s expression hardened, the air around him shifted. Invincible to the human eyes, wrapping around his body, boosting his movement speed as he disappeared from where he sat.

Appearing just right in front of ona, he reached out, lifting Ona to her feet. "No, Ona. I need you. As punishment for your crimes, I task you with coordinating the defenses of the castle and the 200 citizens now living here."

"But-" She wanted to protest, but was interrupted by the king.

"Are you questioning my orders?" A light frown crept to troy’s face, getting annoyed by ona’s suicidal attempts.

"N-not your highness~ I would never dare." Ona stuttered, bowing her head.

’He’s changed.’ She’d just gotten briefed in the events that occured by Lisa, indicating a lot had happened in such a short timeframe.

But she could tell there were major changes in not only the castle, but the kingdom. Everyone had gotten an upgrade and change in personality. Courtesy of the world tears effects.

Her eyes widened, a mix of gratitude and determination on her face. "Thank you, sire. I won’t fail you again."

As Ona limped out, Troy’s mind turned to the meeting with Lisa, the independent elf woman from the neighboring kingdom. Greatly making an impact in the invasion, leaving her drained.

He made his way to the medical bay, where Lisa lay recovering, her skin pale and drawn.

"Lisa." Troy said, his voice soft.

Lisa’s eyes fluttered open, a weak smile on her face. "Troy, I’m sorry."

Troy took her hand, his expression concerned. "Are you alright, Lisa?" He asked to which she nodded.

"The scents, they’re overwhelming." Troy lightly smiled, sniffing the air. Filled with a mix of sweet aroma, coming from Lisa.

Lisa’s eyes closed, her lips curving into a bittersweet smile. "The savage humanoid beasts, they’re much stronger than we anticipated, Troy. They took a toll on my powers, it’ll probably take some time before I fully recover."

"It’s alright, take your time. I’ll send word to your father about your safety, and don’t worry ~ I’ll be held accountable for any punishment he orders." Troy calmly spoke, his grip on her hand tightened.

"We’ll get you back to your kingdom, Lisa. Don’t worry."

As he spoke, a scientist, Dr. Winter, entered the room, her eyes fixed on Lisa’s vitals. "Your Majesty, Lisa’s condition is stable, but she’s still recovering from the injuries sustained from the beast ability and overexerting her ability."

Troy nodded, his mind racing. "Keep me updated, Doctor. I need to speak with the council about this new development."

As he left the medical bay, Troy’s thoughts turned to Kyle, the mysterious Shadow Weaver on Kraken. He needed to know more about this young man and his abilities.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a figure watched Troy, it’s eyes narrowed in calculation. The game was afoot, and the pieces were beginning to move.

Troy’s meeting with the council was intense, comprising of wheeler. Now in his human form, bandaged all over. And some few other nobles of 5, excluding Troy and wheeler.

The discussion revolving around the dragon’s invasion and the growing threat of the savage humanoid beasts.

"We need to take action, your highness." One of the council members urged. "We can’t just sit back and let these creatures destroy our world."

Troy’s expression was grim. "We will, but we need to be strategic. We can’t afford to lose more lives."

As the meeting adjourned, Troy’s mind turned to Kyle once more. He needed to know what this young man was capable of.

As he somehow felt he was the key, to all these unprecedented events unfolding.

In the darkness, the figure watching Troy smiled, their eyes glinning with excitement. The game was unfolding perfectly.

Troy’s day ended with a visit to the training grounds, where the space guards were drilling, their movements precise and deadly. Ona watched them, her eyes critical, and Troy knew she was back to her old self.

As he left the training grounds, Troy felt a sense of hope. With Ona back, and Kyle’s mysterious abilities on the horizon, perhaps they could turn the tide against the dragon and the savage humanoid beasts.

But for now, Troy needed to focus on the present, and the threats that lurked in every shadow.

In the shadows, the figure watched, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The game was far from over, and the players were just beginning to take their positions.

"Seems it time to report back home." The figure spoke in a deep tone, a pair of two red eyes glowing in the dark.