When Noah came to himself after suddenly being thrown out of the realm of memories, he found that he was back in that space of white void with the large mirror in front of him. However, if there was something different this time around, then it would be that the mirror was completely opaque, showing no reflections.

“Venus!” Noah shouted at the top of his voice, banging the unresponsive mirror with all his might. It was all in vain as nothing happened to the mirror, nor did it show any reaction. Only after hitting it more than ten times did he finally give up.

“Fuck!” He cursed out loud, anger lacing his tone. This whole situation was so confusing and there was just so much more he wished to learn from Venus… No; more than anything else, he just wanted to see her again. Hold her in his arms and joke and play around like they used to do in the past. He wanted to be with his family.

How long had it been since he hoped to see any of his old friends and how many times did he lose hope as he realized that things would never be the same as they once were? Now he had found one of his loved ones— he had found his family. A dear friend he never thought he would see again and he was about to lose her again? So soon? Just what the hell was this shit?

Fuck! Fuck! Fucking, damn it all…!

— Noah what happened inside?

Shut it! I am trying to think here!

Noah couldn't help but curse out loud due to his agitated state, but he soon took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Anger was not a bad emotion but there was no place for such emotions at the moment. He needed an ice-cold mind to analyze every single detail of the situation.

“Sorry. That was uncalled for.” Lashing out at others in moments of anger was childish behavior. Throwing tantrums was even worse. He had no qualms with being childish but now was really not the time for him to entertain such thoughts.

[Warning! Protocol Apocalypse activated. All surviving participants will be teleported out of the gate in twenty seconds. It is strongly advised to leave the atmosphere of the planet and distance yourself as far as possible to avoid any form of damage. Move with extreme haste!]

[Glory to the unending Empire. Glory to humanity.]

[00:00:19]

Noah couldn't help but sigh at the scene. He didn’t know exactly what this protocol represented but he did remember the warning about the self-destruction process that Venus had given him in his last moments with her. He also remembered the scarlet light that seemed to corrode everything inside the memory realm. Venus was trying to take that thing down with her while self-destructing the entire construct.

He gritted his teeth. He felt so utterly powerless at this moment. This was a feeling he had not felt in a long, long time. Even when he nearly died at Omid’s hands, he had no such feeling of despair and uselessness.

[00:00:07]

“The Queen of the Shadow realm, was it?” He did not know what the shadow realm was nor what it even represented. He did not know if it was even in this galaxy, this universe, or if this person was even alive at this point. The chances of him finding her with so little information were very difficult and in fact nearly impossible.

But—

“Making the impossible possible has always been my expertise after all.”

It wasn't like he had no clues whatsoever. At the very least, he knew that there were other White Star gates out there in the Sea of Stars. Perhaps his friends were also guarding those gates? It was something he would have to find out. He didn’t care how long it would take. He didn’t care what kind of things he would have to do.

He would find that person and then he would be able to come to a better understanding of what was transpiring in this universe.

[00:00:00]

[Forced transfer initiated]

Noah gave one last look at the facility as his body started to blur out before completely leaving this space. He had gained many things in this expedition but he had also lost a few.

What he needed to do now was simple. Leave this planet and then find a way to enter the wider civilizations of the Galaxy. He needed to find his way back to his family.

***

On the other side of the Gate, Dorothy stood silently, clad in her silvery armor. She had been in this position for the last few minutes, seemingly unbothered by the elapsed time and the scorching temperature.

Dorothy wasn’t alone though. Next to her, clad in a form-fitting black suit that hugged her body tightly, showing off all the contours of her lithe figure, was none other than Morgiana. Dorothy had managed to wake her up and make her presentable and while Morgiana was thankful, she still felt a little confused as to why they were waiting here without moving an inch.

“Are you sure it’s wise to wait in this place? If Omid comes out we could have some serious trouble in our hands. Neither of us has our Frames with us to fight him.”

“First… I do not need a Frame to beat a pirate that isn’t even an Overlord. Even if said pirate was once a Knight. Second, you don't even have to worry about such a possibility. Omid will certainly not come out of this place alive.”

Dorothy felt no fear. Omid was certainly formidable but this was only when taking into account the very outskirts of the Galaxy. The Forty Thieves were mostly deemed to be dangerous because of their staggering numbers and most importantly— their leader.

“You do not have to wait with me, you know? Alibaba is worried sick. Beam up and talk to him. I am sure you have many things to say to each other.”

Morgiana shrugged, “I do have many things to say. Our entire operation was completely changed after all. But more importantly… I want to see if that bastard is still alive and if yes, I want to punch him. Hard.”

Morgiana had gone through many moments throughout her life. Some she was not too proud of. But the way she was absolutely destroyed by that young boy had been a new low even for her. Furthermore, he betrayed her when she thought they were going to work as a team.

Well— from what Dorothy was saying, it wasn’t exactly a betrayal he was aiming for and the seemingly insignificant boy turned out to be even more dangerous than her wildest imagination. But still, this was just too much. Couldn’t he just have warned her and proposed the plan? She could have simulated a deep sleep.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Rumble Morgiana’s thoughts were interrupted as the ground started to tremble once more. It only lasted for an instant but this was definitely not just a small earthquake but the precursor of something much bigger.

“What is happening?” There was no one to answer Morgiana’s question. Dorothy was too focused on the gate and her wait was finally rewarded. The gate started to shine and soon, they were able to see a silhouette come out.

Morgiana had placed herself in a combat position, ready for anything, but all Dorothy did was wait. Her breath hitching in anticipation, she wondered how the star she was waiting for would look.

But soon, be it her, or even Morgiana for that matter, they couldn’t help but show a confused expression as they saw the silhouette more clearly as it rushed toward them.

After all, it was—

“A child?”

What in the seven seas was happening here?

***

Dorothy didn’t get much time to ponder on the appearance of her Star of Destiny. The moment Noah escaped the Star Gate her danger senses immediately kicked in, blaring ominous alarms right into her brain, warning her of the impending danger that was about to swallow them all.

“Noah?”

“You recognize him?” Dorothy asked in wonder while trying to hastily locate the source of danger. It was not the young child before her; that she was sure of.

Even though the amount of Dark Matter inside his body was extremely vast for his small frame and enough to impress her, it was definitely not enough to give her this feeling of impending dread and despair that were ringing her senses in alarm.

“Yeah. It’s the guy who punched me unconscious. Though… he definitely looked older than he is now.”

“Oh… A race that can change their age at their command? Interesting…”

Anyway, I have now confirmed that he’s the Star of Destiny I have been seeking, We finally meet…

“Ahem” Dorothy cleared her throat slightly. She may have been caught off guard by his child-like appearance at first but she knew that it was not a behavior worthy of her stature as the Emerald Queen. Now, she had to salvage her image and project a proper aura of majesty that befitted her title.

It didn’t take long for Noah to reach them both, considering he was running at a fast pace from the very moment he shot out from the Star Gate. Dorothy was already aware that something was seriously wrong but she needed to display the proper proceedings…

“Hello—”

“Hi! Hello! Greetings and salutations can wait for a little later, okay!? We are on a time limit here!! Also hi, Morgiana! Good to see that you are awake and well. Now ladies, we need to leave this planet ASAP. We don’t have much time… I think?”

Dorothy was utterly confused by his demeanor but her head throbbed in alarm once more and this time the alarms that had been ringing inside her rose several octaves, almost threatening to split her head from the inside out. The risk of death before them was simply that overwhelming.

“Just what the heck are you…” Morgiana began but Dorothy stopped her mid-sentence, her expression utterly serious and grave. The silvery-white mask shrouding her face once again manifested into existence and she immediately contacted the Legion of Pride using her interface.

“Beam us up right now. This is urgent. I repeat, this is extremely urgent!” She wasn’t trusting Noah blindly, that would be a rookie mistake.

No, it was her instincts that were constantly screaming at her of immediate danger that made her decide to ask to be transported. She didn’t wish to stay in this accursed place any longer.

It would generally take around ten to twenty minutes to leave the orbit of this planet with the small ship she had used to enter the atmosphere. In the first place, it wasn’t created for space exploration, so it lacked quite a bit of power to escape the gravity well. Furthermore, … she had this nagging feeling that she didn’t have the time or leisure to give the small ship a chance.

A message immediately reached her after her report,

｢Very well. But you know our beam isn’t as precise as the Empire’s. You need to be close to your spaceship for us to have more exact coordinates.｣

“Roger. Prepare a beam for three people.”

｢Understood.｣

She nodded and looked down at the child before them, the boy referred to as Noah by her friend. Well, he was not really a child per se, but he did look like a child in his current form.

It wasn’t as if she was particularly tall herself so it was quite refreshing to not have to look up at someone when she was trying to talk to them.

His short silver hair was a mesmerizing feature and while he did look like a small brat, the expression on his face was mature and cold. He was wearing a blue suit that was a little tight but there wasn’t much to cover anyway on his skinny body.

“My crewmate says we need to move. Do you think we have enough time?”

Noah gave her an appreciative look, “I honestly don’t know if we do. All I know is that this planet will self-destruct and I do not want to swim in the vacuum of space.”

Dorothy nodded her head; her expression betraying nothing. She definitely didn’t miss the implication behind his words.

He was not worried about dying even though a planetary explosion was imminent if his words were to be trusted. No, he was only worried about swimming in the vacuum of space? Either this was just an extrapolation or this boy… no, this man clearly had many tricks hidden in his bag.

As expected of the Golden Constellation, I guess.

She grinned while adjusting her helmet, “Shall we run now? We can exchange names on the way. What do you think, Morgiana?”

Morgiana was very conflicted but she knew that Dorothy was always a reliable ally. Far more reliable than Alibaba at the very least. It was better to listen to her now than to regret later. The earlier shock had been worrying enough so she didn’t wish to test things out.

My Frme though…

Her heart ached when she thought of her ship. It was a relatively rare ship that could double as a fully functional Frame. Building it had been expensive, to say the least, and they were still in debt because of her extravagance.

Catching the Forty Thieves would have made the debt go away in a flash but now… “Ugh…” just thinking about all the money she was losing and was about to lose made her physically retch and gag. However, it was water under the bridge now. There was nothing she would be able to do about it.

“Let’s go.” She completely ignored Noah and started her run. She still didn’t forget the sucker punch he had inflicted on her, but now wasn’t the time to confront him about it.

It didn’t take long for them to start running and no sooner had they made the decision, the ground started experiencing earth-shaking vibrations. The vibrations were of such magnitude that it made the previous earthquake feel like a child’s play. Things were not looking good for them.

“Damn!” Morgiana cursed out loud as she started putting more power in her legs. She felt like running had been the norm on this planet for her; definitely not something she would be remembering fondly, that’s for sure.

Behind them, the previously white gate was also showing signs of changes. The white light started flickering and crimson darkness started encroaching over it and swallowing the light.

This time it was definitely clear that something was seriously wrong with this place and they weren’t the only ones feeling the disturbance.

The rumbling of the earth and the change in the gate were accompanied by the roars of the beasts who were also feeling their impending doom.

“This… will be a little more complicated than I thought it would.” Dorothy sighed as they approached her ship. It was still hovering above. They would not be able to enter it immediately due to its altitude. The teleportation beam of the Legion of Pride wasn’t powerful enough to beam up an entire ship, no matter how small it was.

“Well, I have good news and bad news..” Dorothy started, “The good news is… it will only take anywhere between one to two minutes for my crew to calibrate the teleportation beam to our coordinates. As for the bad news… well, we will have to make sure no beast gets caught in the beam otherwise it will most likely kill us all.”

“Fuck…” Morgiana sighed as she looked in the distance. “I am going to kill Alibaba if I survive this shit!”

It seemed like it was time to fight for their life once again.