Henry stared at the still form of Erik, the cloth over his mouth unmoving. He wished to see it move, to show him he wasn’t truly dead and he was breathing underneath, yet nothing happened. The room was silent and dark.

Voices from the other room interrupted his grim thoughts. Peering through the door, Henry saw Xerath, Kyburn, Tyrgve, and Hazam all in one room. Stepping through, Henry noticed the Emarine were also inside, on the edges of the room, listening intently to the humans chatting away.

Yvlana looked happier and her face brightened each time she met Kaladin’s gaze. Henry felt happy for them to be reunited after all this time. Very little was explained to him yet but he knew enough to know it had been a long time since they had seen each other.

Rayman sat in the corner opposite of them, looking depressed and slightly unaware of the conversation. His mind seemed to be wondering as he mourned Erik.

“Thrak definitely got through our defenses,” Kyburn reported. “We need to send out hunting parties immediately before they cause a panic among the people. This must be contained.”

“Indeed,” Lamir said from the corner of the room. “I know all too well what widespread panic can do.

“Then I will go and track them down.” Kaladin leaned forward. “Felkuru and I can find them easily. Your human trackers will take too long. No offense.”

“None taken,” Xerath said. “I am glad you are on our side. When can you leave?”

“Immediately.” Kaladin stepped forward. “I’ll be back by dawn.”

“Wait.” Yvlana chased after him as he left the room.

“He not waste time,” Hazam commented. “I like that.”

“What of my people?” Trygve asked. “There are still Thrak roaming in my country causing unknown havoc. Please aid my people.”

“Our borders will be open to you,” Xerath replied. “I swear. Xer will aid you and your people. This is the time to band together and fight these aliens with all our might.”

“I agree,” Trygve said. “Some will protest and refuse to leave, however.”

“You’ll have to convince them then,” Kyburn said. “Make them understand what’s at stake. This is not the time to hold past grudges. We must work together if we are to defeat the Thrak entirely.”

“We don’t know how many there are.” Henry added. “There could be an untold amount. They came out of nowhere from the ground. Only God knows where and how many will come out beneath us.”

“They live underground,” Lamir spoke over the room, his voice drawing all the attention. “They are ruthless and won’t stop at anything to get what they want. Three thousand years ago they intended to consume this planet's core but Kaladin was able to stop them. If they’re intent is doing the same, there is nothing we can do.”

“So we do nothing?” Henry shot back.

“No. That is not what I am saying.” Lamir raised an eyebrow. “They act in a strange manner than before. Something has changed. They came to the surface for a reason. If they wanted to simply destroy this planet they would have done so already.”

“So why haven’t they?” Xerath asked. “Tell us more, please.”

“I don’t know the answer to that question,” Lamir said. “The Thrak have a leader but in all my years of fighting them before coming here, I have never seen him or her. Normally, when the Thrak invade a planet they go straight for the core and consume it. It makes them more powerful and that is their primary focus but for whatever reason, they haven’t done so now.”

“Consume the core?” Henry looked confused. “What is in the core that they can eat?”

“All planets have a lifeforce, unlike you or I. It is a living organism but cannot communicate, only grow. Think of it as a heart, or a seed. The older a planet, the more it grows but it depends on what it feeds off of.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The whole room was in stunned silence. Lamir noticed this and looked awkward for the first time but continued to speak.

“Isulia used to be an Emarine colony before the Thrak invaded from the stars.” Lamir continued. “We had only begun the colony but we experienced strange phenomena different from our other colonies and homeworld. My point is, the Thrak feed off of planets even though they don’t necessarily need to. Someone or something is controlling them, using them to feed off the planets.”

“Who?” Henry asked.

“I don’t know.” Lamir sighed.

“Do you have weapons from your civilization that can combat these creatures?” Trygve asked Lamir.

“Not here,” he said. “We were abandoned on this planet, unable to fend for ourselves. If not for our bunkers and Kaladin’s… sacrifice, this planet would be dead already.”

“Sacrifice?” Kyburn frowned. “What did he do?”

“He stayed behind to set off a core bomb that whipped out the Thrak,” Lamir said. “Though it looks like it didn’t work as well as we hoped.”

“What about Felkuru and the Vog?” Henry questioned. “How did they get here? They are not native to Isulia and they certainly don’t have the technology to space travel.”

“You would not believe me,” Lamir said. “Ask Kaladin when he returns. I still don’t fully believe it.”

“What do we do now?” Yvlana walked back in the room. “You humans won’t stand a chance if you don’t work together.”

“You did not go with him?” Lamir asked.

“He wanted me to help them.” Yvlana pointed with her chin.

“Which we thank you for,” Xerath said, nodding to her and Lamir. “Without you, we would already be lost.”

“We owe him for waking us,” Lamir said. “And...“ he looked to the room in which Erik’s body lay.

“Yes,” Kyburn said. “Without the boy, you would still be in cryo-sleep. Thank him.”

Xerath glanced at Henry, he blushed slightly at the praise from the Emarine and Xerath’s attention along with everyone else in the room overwhelmed him. Kyburn smiled and nodded to him, knowing his part in awakening them.

“Enough! You humans sit around and talk. All you do is talk. The Thrak are on your doorstep.” she pointed at Xerath and Kyburn. “I for one will not do nothing. We should be preparing the walls. As we speak they could be climbing over into your lands unhindered. This country is large, yes?”

“Yes.” Xerath frowned at her words and her outburst.

“Then they could come in at any point where it is unguarded. They could tunnel beneath your walls. They could already live inside Xer. You have many mountains, yes?” she asked again.

“Zulin,” Kyburn whispered.

The town was in between two mountains. Henry realized this fact before Kyburn mentioned it. “What about the mountains?” Henry asked.

“Thrak would thrive there,” Yvlana said. “If they do hide in your country already. They will be in the mountains.”

“This is true,” Lamir confirmed.

“Then what do you suggest?” Xerath asked the Emarine. “You two have fought them before, what can we do to protect ourselves.”

“You cannot,” Yvlana said bluntly. “We are all doomed. Eventually. Our only option is to leave this planet, but we can't do that so...” she trailed off.

Lamir glared at her, “You must gather behind your walls. If that doesn’t work, then hide behind your city walls. That is all you can do.”

“What about the weapons in Riqun?” Kyburn asked. “You said you had more weapons and bigger ones too.”

“This is true,” Yvlana said. “But the Thrak have taken that area. We cannot return unless we fight through them.”

“What of the other ruins?” Henry asked. “There is one in Vulkira, Tykin, and two in Xer.”

“We cannot risk going into other countries, they will be watching for us,” Lamir said. “But perhaps we can visit the ones in Xer. Show us on the map.”

A blue light activated from Lamir’s chest, shining onto the table in the middle of the room. The beam of light revealed a translucent map that Henry dragged his hands through.

“Amazing,” Tyrgve breathed. “Your technology is incredible. What is this?”

“It is a hologram of Isulia, though it is outdated by three thousand years.” Lamir shrugged. “Much of the terrain has changed by time.”

“There.” Kyburn pointed to the southwest in the Frossland Mountains.

“There too.” Henry pointed a finger. “It’s below Shonax.”

“Then we must visit these places,” Lamir said.

“We have little time, we must go,” Yvlana said.

As if on cue, shouting through the castle reached their ears.

“Your majesty!” voices shouted and screamed. “Your majesty!”

Two scouts burst through the door, interrupting them, their heavy breathing preventing them from speaking.

“Thrak… in… Xer…” one panted.

“Coming from…” the other gulped. “Frossland Mountains.”

Yvlana spoke in her language, probably swearing and punched the wall.

“How many?” Xerath asked.

“Sire.” they panted in unison. “They're everywhere. In Zulin too.”

“The whole southwest of Xer is lost.”