"Done with the test?"

The words resounded behind Scientist Luthor, who held a tablet device in his hands, eyes knitted in quiet disbelief at the screen.

The question drew him out of it, and he turned to the side to find the golden figure whose eyes were currently looking through the glass enclosure before them.

There, on a bed with a half-covered layer glowing in runes, was White, who remained motionless.

"Galaxy Altharion. Yes, we are. I’m sorry if it took longer than usual."

He said, passing the tab to Galaxy Altharion, whose golden eyes knitted at the screen.

His fingers brushed across its surface, dragging up numbers and words after words with a speed that was beyond human.

"And all of this is correct?"

He asked, turning to the scientist, who nodded.

"We did the estimations as close to the true factor as we could."

"His adaptation to space is absolutely unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Almost as if he’s been birthed from it."

"I could confidently say he has the highest Galaxial Attunement results in the entire EGES."

Scientist Luthor explained.

"Hmmm, and quite resistant to anesthetics too," Galaxy Altharion added.

Scientist Luthor paused in confusion before glancing toward the bed beyond the glass.

Shock flashed across his face when he realized White was gone, and he turned at the sound of footsteps approaching.

There, rubbing his neck, was none other than White, leaving Scientist Luthor in shock.

"The anesthetic dose you were given should have knocked you out for at least eight hours. It’s barely been five hours."

To White, it had felt like nothing more than an annoying stinging pain around his neck that was quickly fading.

"So... what’s the third test?"

He asked as Galaxy Altharion walked towards him, pausing halfway to turn and look back at Scientist Luthor.

"You don’t mind if I keep this tab to myself... do you?"

He asked, and the scientist froze.

The tablet was where all the information on the subject was stored, and from there it would be transferred and archived into the main information line, where every subject’s information was held for future use by Humanity Ascension.

He couldn’t hand it over until White’s information had been safely stored, yet the moment Scientist Luthor looked into those golden eyes that seemed to pierce straight into his soul, a cold chill crawled down his spine.

He forced a smile and waved, saying

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just get another tab."

"Thank you."

Galaxy Altharion said before moving to the exit, signaling for White to follow him.

"Hmmm."

White hummed quietly, feeling as if he had just witnessed a robbery scene happen, but then he shrugged it off, following after Galaxy Altharion.

________

"So... what was the third test again?"

He asked again as they ascended into the sky.

They were moving at a speed that turned them into beams of light, and what’s more, they had been moving upward like this for two hours now.

"There’s no third test."

Galaxy Altharion said curtly, and White paused, but then the man continued moving, forcing him to catch up.

"So... we’re going to the main institute then?"

He asked, the answer seeming obvious.

"I just received seven distress signals from EGES member vessels scattered across space. They’ve been attacked by Slitrites, and they’re calling for help."

He said, and White’s brow twitched.

"Wait, wait, wait. I thought there would be some sort of training, you know? Like a six-month training to get used to the spatial terms and stuff like how to pilot a jet..."

"It’s called a vessel."

Galaxy Altharion corrected.

"Exactly, stuff like that. I’ll need to learn all of that first, right?"

He asked, but then something appeared within White’s sensory range, and he immediately paused mid-air.

Galaxy Altharion continued, and White watched with narrowed eyes as a part of space suddenly opened and Galaxy Altharion stepped in.

After he did, it began to materialize.

A black jet, massive yet sleek, almost perfectly fused with the darkness of the void around them.

The hatch had currently been opened, allowing Galaxy Altharion in, and White himself would have flown in too if not for his senses instantly seeing through the camouflage and noticing the heaviness in the space.

Galaxy Altharion paused, then turned back to him, getting on one knee while stretching his hand down for White.

All of it seemed to White like him being rushed into a trap, but then he came to a conclusion.

’If they try anything funny, I’ll just blow up the jet to bits with a black hole.’

With that, he took Galaxy Altherion’s hands and was raised in immediately.

The hatch closed, right after which the jet sped into the distance.

_________

"You’ll get your training... straight from the real deal."

Galaxy Altharion said, breaking off the hold as he resumed walking forward.

There was darkness everywhere at first, but then it quickly lit up, and White paused before lowering his eyes.

There on one knee was a blue-colored creature that cradled White’s hand like a baby, his long lips slowly inching forward for a kiss.

"Eeuuughhh!"

He exclaimed, snapping back his hand and knocking the blue guy straight on the face.

"You should have savored Captain Altharion’s handhold. He only ever gives it once."

A second voice resounded behind him as he watched another creature, this time a purple-skinned alien, walking just by his legs.

Both were very short, with their entire height barely reaching White’s knees.

"What are you?"

White asked.

These creatures were obviously not humans.

It wasn’t just the skin color and short height, but the single glowing antenna above their heads.

Funny enough, the purple one had a blue-colored antenna, while the blue one had a purple-colored antenna.

"Those are Puffin and Quffin... they’re cleaners."

"Oh, fuck you, Llumino!"

White turned his gaze from the aliens, looking forward.

Blue hair, pale white face, holding a mocking grin with a coat hanging off his shoulder.

It was none other than one of the people White had met after he broke apart the realm during the first test.

"You’re an EGES member... of course."

White deduced.

"Not just an EGES member."

He corrected, continuing,

"I’m part of the Astral Guard Squad, under the command of the unbeatable, untouchable, unavoidable, greatly revered, unique, powerful,"

He paused as if he’d lost the next words to use, whispering,

"Give me some more words, Callisto."

"Don’t jinx it."

"And mighty Captain Altharion!"

He finally completed as White rolled his eyes.

He moved forward, noticing that the pink-haired girl from the test was also there.

’So she too is a member of Astral Guard.’

"Xup!"

She waved, though her eyes remained fixed on hundreds of holographic flickering in and out of existence.

White finally caught up to Galaxy Altharion, who was currently standing behind two people seated down while the same holographic flashed before them, their hands becoming a blur from how fast they moved.

"How bad is it?"

White’s ears picked up the question from Galaxy Altharion.

"Very bad."

A feminine voice replied.

White couldn’t see her face, but he could still make out the clear purple hair tied down into two long knots behind her.

"We’ve already lost contact with six of the vessels. Trying to track down the location of the seventh, and the only active one."

It was another feminine voice, this one with long white hair, whose sight made White’s heart skip up a bit, before quickly regaining himself.

"Tell me you’ve already gotten the coordinates."

Galaxy Altharion said.

"We already do, and we’re heading there now. Just needed more accuracy..."

She replied.

"And we have it."

"Taking control of their entire vessel cameras."

The purple-haired lady replied, and a massive footage screen appeared in the cockpit, drawing everyone’s attention.

"The hell?"

White muttered beneath his breath, looking at the footage.

It was like a swarm of ants on food, except instead of ants, they were rat-like creatures that looked like a mix between humanoid rats and bare pitch-black skin.

They numbered more than three hundred, and right now they completely covered up seven massive jets, which all continuously fired beams of light, blowing holes through the attacking creatures, but it was just like fighting ants.

No matter how many they killed, there were only more of them coming.

"Speed up."

Galaxy Altharion said, and White unconsciously jerked forward, quickly grabbing onto a chair by the side as the jet suddenly blasted forward with insane speed.

"Llumino."

Galaxy Altharion called, and the blue-haired man finally rose tiredly.

"Got it!"

CRAAACKLE!

The sound of lightning crackling blinded the entire cockpit for a second.

White closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he found sparks of blue lightning flashing around, but someone was missing.

"Wait, where’s Llumi,"

He didn’t complete those words when,

...