When we look at the night sky, we see the stars of our Milky Way—a rippling sea of distant suns, scattered like countless pearls upon the endless night. Beyond them, all that lies within our sight is an infinite void that stretches for millions upon millions of miles.
And past that darkness lies the first light from the dawn of creation, still shooting across the universe. Until now, no one on Earth had seen those ancient rays with their own eyes; our technology simply couldn't let us reach that far.
But Ren, who had lived for millions of years on Earth as an immortal, was witnessing those first sparks of creation as he drifted through space, sailing across the edges of the Milky Way.
Seeing those lights from within his armored suit, he thought about the moments after the Big Bang occurred: the cosmic ocean of helium and hydrogen gases coalescing to form stars, and the stars drawing closer due to gravity, building galaxies.
A smile spread across his face as he felt joy witnessing the distant past, the very moment when creation began.
No one had ever developed the technology to travel through space in a suit at near light speed, to overcome the immense challenges of time dilation, energy requirements, radiation exposure, maintenance, and countless other obstacles. Yet, here was Ren, equipped with the unimaginable.
A few decades ago, when the Raha Space Telescope detected unusual electromagnetic emissions, Ren immediately went to work. He mapped the optical light reflections and analyzed the blocked background starlight, eventually realizing that an alien grand fleet was making its way toward Earth.
He had put his millions of years of knowledge and experience to use, constructing a suit capable of traveling through space at near-light speed.
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"How long do you have, Paps?" Ira asked, her voice soft and shaken.
Ren looked down, his face serious but gentle. "Give or take a few days."
Ira swallowed hard, a few drops of tears fell down on the table. "Does it have to be you?"
Ren sighed deeply, his eyes distant as he thought about what lay ahead. "No one else can survive syncing with the prototype. Not even you."
He turned his gaze to Ira, his expression softening with affection. "You know why you cannot go through the sync," he said gently, his eyes drifting to her growing belly.
Ira placed a protective hand on her stomach. "I know."
"What if we just wait a few weeks? Maybe by then, I could handle it better than you," Ira said, her eyes pleading.
Ren shook his head slowly. "Time is not on our side," he said firmly. "A week equals the loss of civilization."
Ira frowned, her frustration bubbling up. "But you have seen the rise and fall of thousands of civilizations. Why should this one be special?"
"Because I want my children, and their children, to experience the beauty of life—the simple joys, the connections we make, and the chance to grow and dream freely," he said, his voice steady but tender. "That's why this matters to me."
Ira opened her mouth to argue, but Ren gently raised a hand, stopping her. "No, Ira," he said softly, a wistful smile crossing his lips. "Your mother believed in the human thought, just like I do." He paused, his eyes misting over as memories surfaced. "If the Axions truly end me, then maybe—just maybe—I will get to see her again. And that thought brings me peace."
"We 100% do not know if those particles are killing you or just erasing the physical matter out of you," Ira said, with worry.
Ren shrugged lightly, a hint of resignation in his eyes. "Well, we don't have the tools to determine which," he replied with a sad smile.
"Then... is this goodbye?"
"It is," he said. He took a deep breath, his voice filled with warmth. "Remember how we used to bring you here every week for that ice cream you loved? Those were the happiest moments of our lives."
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As he neared the alien fleet, the silence of space seemed to amplify the echo of his last conversation with Ira.
Ren's armored suit glided silently through the void, the immense darkness around him slowly giving way to the distant glimmer of the alien fleet. He felt the weight of the Axion particles being loaded into the suit's core, their energy humming like a heartbeat in his ears. The plan was simple: a direct collision, detonating the Axions on contact with the enemy, sacrificing himself for the hope of humanity's survival.
Death was no stranger to him. He had embraced it countless times, only to return each time. Despite this, he wasn't endowed with supernatural powers—he was as human as anyone else. The difference was that the concept of staying dead simply didn't apply to him.
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He could have built energy-based bolters or ion beam propellers, launched them at the incoming fleet, and then rushed back to Earth. But the Axions, once exposed to an open atmosphere(earth or vacuum) or detached from an intelligent living host, would instantly vanish into the quantum realm, rendering such a plan useless. This left him with only one option: wear the suit, channel the Axions directly, and make physical contact with the fleet before triggering the detonation. The calculated blast radius was sufficient to consume the entire alien fleet.
The suit he wore contained systems he had hoped to develop further in the future to protect humanity—an arsenal of tools that had yet to reach their potential. The Viperion rifle, a next-generation precision weapon designed for long-range engagements, Adaptive Energy Shielding, a Quantum Reflex Processor, Graviton Thrusters, an Integrated Nanite Repair System, Photon Blades, a Cloaking Device, twin warp drives and the Neural Link Combat Control—all cutting-edge advancements meant to safeguard his people. These were supposed to be tools of defense, the technology that could have enabled a peaceful future.
But now, all those innovations would serve a single, tragic purpose. Instead of perfecting these systems to protect humanity over centuries, Ren had to use a prototype in its infancy—to make a desperate, last stand. His mission had gone from a vision of lasting hope to a final, irreversible act. He accepted that; it was the price of giving his children, and the children of Earth, a chance to live.
Maybe Ira will continue to develop the tech to realize the Manas Project.
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The instant Ren collided with the alien fleet, it felt as though time itself had frozen. For a fleeting second, all was still—an eerie calm swept across the battlefield as if the universe itself held its breath. Then, in an instant, the Axions roared to life. The energy within his suit burst forth, racing outward with blinding intensity.
A cataclysmic burst erupted—a star igniting in the cold void of space. The Axions collided with reality, detonating with an incomprehensible force. White-hot light expanded, obliterating all form and substance, and erasing the alien fleet entirely. The brilliance of the explosion consumed everything in its path, burning like a newly-born sun, yet far more violent—a cosmic wave that swept away the darkness.
The ships, the darkness, and even the distant starlight bowed before the unstoppable force. For a single heartbeat, there was only light—a pure, consuming radiance that dissolved the boundaries between matter and energy. The alien vessels shattered into nothingness. And then, just as quickly as it had come, the light began to fade.
Ren felt the Axion energy collide with his body. The charged particles met his flesh, disintegrating it instantly. Every nerve screamed in agony as his body began to disintegrate, each particle of his being ripped away, piece by piece. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt—a searing, relentless wave that made every previous death seem like a fleeting discomfort. It was not just the dissolution of flesh but a total unmaking, stripping away of everything that made him physical.
Built to channel the Axions, the suit also began to break down, adhering to his form as the energy surged. As Ren's body disintegrated, the suit transformed into a container—something that could hold his essence. The energy melted it into his very being, and for a brief moment, Ren felt as though he was both burning and fading, suspended between existence and nothingness.
In those final milliseconds, as Ren's body vanished from reality, the suit changed state, becoming ethereal, clinging to Ren's soul like a second skin. It held on tightly, becoming a part of him in a way it never had before, encasing his soul as if it were an extension of himself. The agony subsided into a strange calm, and Ren found himself no longer bound by flesh, but by the armor that had once protected his mortal form. His soul remained, shielded, as the suit had become his final sanctuary.
As Ren was erased from reality, the universe no longer recognized his armored soul as part of the living and quietly delivered him to the afterlife.
This time the darkness enveloped his mind, muddling his senses. His soul drifted calmly, sinking deeper into what felt like an abyss until it touched a murky swamp.
Thick, dark fluid bubbled and popped across the swamp's surface, releasing gray vapors that swirled into nothing. Ren's soul descended further, the warmth of the swamp somehow comforting even in this forsaken place.
From within the depths, a swirling rope unfurled, splitting into numerous thin strings that spread out across the marsh. Each thread latched onto wandering souls, guiding them into the countless portals scattered across the swamp, each shimmering with an eerie glow.
Ren’s soul was caught in one such thread, pulled towards a portal radiating emptiness.
"Looks like he's dead for real this time," said E.
M leaned forward, "Only physically. His essence remains intact. It always does."
A scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So, what do we do now? He's done his job long ago, and still hasn't found his way back to @#$%^&&*."
Though half-awake and barely conscious in this unfamiliar afterlife, Ren could still hear the conversation—just bits and pieces, as though the words were echoing in a distant tunnel. His thoughts were fractured, and in his broken memory, he made a wish as any soul might: “mi vif wnt tt si mi vvihf.”
E listened closely, her brow furrowed before her expression softened in acknowledgment. "He wants to meet his mate."
M gave a knowing nod, "Then let’s send him to his authority. Sir 0 has said nothing, after all."
A shrugged dramatically, as his hands glowed blue. "To the Jade lake, then.”
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Ren’s soul manifested above an emerald lake, suspended for a moment before being drawn into its depths. The waters were calm and jade green, gently embracing Ren's soul as it descended. He felt a comforting coolness, drinking it in as if it was exactly what he needed after all he had endured. Streams of green, gold, and violet light swirled around him, flowing into the core of his being.
Ren's wish—broken and barely formed—had been heard. The lake seemed to respond, and the authority that dwelled within its depths acknowledged his plea. Slowly, Ren's soul was lifted, his form rising from the jade waters, sent away to find what he desired.
As his soul was whisked away, the suit began to pulse faintly. The neutron star core, depleted and dark from the battle, seemed to awaken momentarily. The suit absorbed a few gulps of the emerald water, and it thrummed to life—a brief resurgence that brought back a glimmer of vitality.
“Welcome to Samsara!”