{Suraian, Capital Planet of the West Human Federation.}
BAM!
In a modest house radiating warmth from the outside, a man and a woman sat across from each other at the dining table. Their gazes locked intensely, but the atmosphere between them was far from romantic—it was tense and suffocating.
The woman was mesmerizing. Her long, flowing hair cascaded down her back like liquid gold, resembling a golden waterfall. Her face was flawless, with a petite nose, full lips exuding elegance, and glowing golden skin that seemed kissed by sunlight. Across from her sat a man equally captivating. His jet-black hair, dark and deep eyes, and chiseled features—strong cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and sword-like arched brows—gave him an aura of strength.
Though it was evident they were husband and wife—from the rings on their fingers and the large wedding photo displayed on the wall behind them—the air between them was cold, as if an invisible chasm separated them.
The tension peaked when the beautiful woman with dark auburn hair slammed her hand onto the table. The resounding thud of wood shattered the silence. Her eyes, once enchanting, now burned with anger as they bore into the man before her. Her lips were pressed tightly together, holding back the sharp words threatening to spill out. The once warm home now felt oppressive, filled with an energy that seemed ready to explode.
“Lyna, I have to do this! It’s my duty as a human, as a man, and as a soldier of the West Human Federation!” the man said, trying to calm the woman he called Lyna.
But instead of quelling her fury, his words ignited it further. Lyna, who had been holding herself back, could no longer contain the storm inside her.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘YOUR DUTY’? DO YOU THINK YOU’RE SOME KIND OF HERO FOR HUMANITY? OR ARE YOU JUST DELUDED BY YOUR OWN FOOLISH FANTASIES?”
Lyna’s roar reverberated through the room, more like the snarl of a wild beast. Her face flushed, and her eyes began to glisten with tears. Beneath the outburst of rage lay a deep-seated worry she couldn’t hide.
“Lyna, please try to understand… You already know the truth. All those reports saying we’re winning against the Arachnoax are lies. The reality is, our defensive lines are shrinking. Hundreds of planets, along with their entire populations, have been devoured by those godforsaken insects!”
“AND WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?” Lyna shouted, cutting him off. “DID THEY KILL YOUR PARENTS YOU NEVER MET? YOUR FRIENDS THAT NEVER EXISTED? OR THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE I NEVER KNEW ABOUT? ANSWER ME! WHAT DOES THIS WAR HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?”
“Lyna—”
“AS FAR AS I KNOW, YOU’RE JUST AN OFFICE WORKER WHOSE JOB IS TO RECEIVE AND SEND MESSAGES! YOU’RE NOT A SOLDIER, NOT SOMEONE WHO WIELDS A WEAPON, AND DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE WHO FIGHTS GIANT INSECTS THE SIZE OF A HOUSE!”
“Lyna—”
“AND IF YOU THINK YOUR MUSCLE TRAINING TO KEEP YOUR BODY IN SHAPE WILL BE USEFUL IN WAR, YOU NEED TO SNAP OUT OF YOUR DELUSIONS! ANY RANDOM SOLDIER ON THE FRONT LINE COULD BREAK YOUR NECK WITH ONE FINGER!”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Lyna—”
“OR DO YOU THINK YOUR HIGH SCORES IN WAR SIMULATION GAMES WILL HELP IN AN ACTUAL BATTLE? ARE YOU STILL A CHILD? DO YOU STILL WET YOUR BED? YOU’RE OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE GRANDCHILDREN ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF SOME BACKWATER PLANET! WAKE UP!”
“Lyna, I beg you—”
“WAKE UP! YOU’RE WEAK! EVEN I COULD BEAT YOU IN A ONE-ON-ONE FIGHT! YOU’RE TOO SOFT! JUST LOOK AT YOU, YOU STILL FEEL SORRY FOR OLD LADIES TRYING TO CROSS THE STREET! AND YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ARACHNOAX? WAKE UP, PLEASE!!”
“…”
The man remained silent, unable to find the right words to respond. The ensuing silence only made Lyna’s anger feel even more painful. Though she was the one shouting and hurling insults, her own heart was the one most wounded. The man before her wasn’t just her husband, the person she deeply loved—he was the one she trusted most in this world.
For that reason, it was a blatant lie when Lyna called him weak. If he truly were weak, she would never have entrusted her future and her life to be by his side.
But the pain tearing through Lyna’s heart couldn’t surpass the fear swelling inside her as she saw the unshakable determination in the man’s eyes. He was stubborn—more unyielding than steel. Once he decided on something, nothing could stop him, short of a meteor shower wiping out the galaxy. This had already been proven, such as when he convinced the noble Kata family—including her father, the esteemed grand commander of Suraian’s military—to allow their cherished daughter to marry a commoner.
That alone was a miracle, considering her husband’s sloth-like habits: preferring to laze around and hardly lifting a finger. Yet, there was one thing that set him apart. His eyes, usually blank and filled with boredom, would blaze with a fiery determination when he found a goal that truly motivated him.
And now, those eyes burned with the same fire.
That fire was his decision to go to the front lines and face the Arachnoax.
Three years ago, humanity first encountered a new alien species that emerged in the region of the East Human Federation. This species introduced themselves as the Arachnoax. Initially, they were friendly and displayed no aggression toward humanity. Unlike humans, where each individual possesses their own consciousness, the Arachnoax do not live as separate entities. They are part of a collective consciousness entirely controlled by their leader, known as the Broodmother.
Under the Broodmother's control, each Arachnoax individual has no will of their own. They exist solely to serve the leader's commands. This system caught the attention of the East Human Federation, which follows communal politics that sometimes verge on dictatorship. They saw potential in studying a governance system based on a collective consciousness like a hivemind.
Interest in this grew even stronger when it was discovered that the Broodmother possessed psychic abilities far surpassing human capabilities. The North Human Federation, which reveres psychics as deities, even showed a dangerous level of sympathy toward the Arachnoax. Meanwhile, the South and West Human Federations remained cautious, though they harbored no outright hatred toward the species.
Collaboration and knowledge exchange between the East, North, and the Arachnoax began, promising significant advancements for the Human Federation. However, everything changed two years ago.
When human psychics began studying the hivemind, they slowly lost control over their own minds. They became puppets entirely controlled by the Broodmother, unable to resist her command. This led to a catastrophic disaster. Psychics, who held significant influence across the Human Federation, suddenly turned against humanity.
A massive invasion by the Arachnoax ensued, dismantling humanity's defenses one by one. A ring of destruction slowly engulfed civilization, and what once seemed like allies turned into a living nightmare.
The psychics, who had been humanity's most powerful weapon, were suddenly neutralized and turned against their own kind. This forced humanity to rely entirely on their technology—most of which, ironically, was designed to harness psychic abilities. However, the Human Federation was not a weak civilization. As an entity that had faced various alien species in intergalactic wars, the South, North, East, and West Human Federations had honed their strength for centuries.
A great war erupted, spanning thousands of galaxies and nebulae under humanity's control. Although humans had confidence in their technological superiority, reality told a different story. On the battlefield, firepower alone was not enough.