within the void of space, a black sphere made it’s way through the stars as a white aura surrounded it from it’s immense speed. Three warriors sat within the control room of the ship with the leader of the squad sitting in a black chair in the center of the steel room with the other two at the control panels with a large window in front of them as stars flew past them like comets.
The trio all wore black and red space armor, the leader had short brown hair with green eyes while his 2nd in command Sora had black hair with hazel eyes. “Looks like we’re approaching the planet Vox captain” Sora looked at his commander who just rested his fist against his cheek with a stern look on his face as the large pink planet came into view.
Their 3rd member Kodo had short spikey With blue eyes. With a muscular body. Compared to him, the pair seemed weak. Their spaceship finally entered the planet’s atmosphere, descending down in a ball of flames as they drew closer to the planet’s surface.
Their leader pulled out a black earpiece placing it into his ear containing the leader of their organization…
“Report Totama, I’ve been informed you and your squad have just entered planet Vox’s atmosphere is that correct?”
“Yes my lord, we should be landing in Just a few minutes. I’ll have my men scout for any valuable resources before we commence with wiping out the planet’s population”
Over the earpiece they could hear: “Good, make sure to wipe out any civilians that cause trouble no matter their age and remember…failure will result in severe punishment” Turning off his mic Totama looked at his men announcing: “You heard lord Zeneth, we must secure this planet by any means necessary! Sora, you will scout ahead for any targets with high spiritual energy while Kodo will scan the area for any rare resources that could be of use to us”
“Yes sir” Sora nodded as their ship impacted in the middle of a field on a random part of the planet. The three soldiers stood up as the door to their spaceship slowly opened before them. A warn heavy breeze hit their face as the change in gravity and air began to affect them.
Sora slowly stepped outside, the warm air felt as though each breath was weighing him down. “The pressure on this planet feels stronger than on planet Kasada, the home of our lord” Looking around, Sora couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the planet, the sky was pink with red grass and a pale-blue landscape. (Wow, so many different colors on this planet. I would love to live here once I adjust to the pressure. Maybe lord Zeneth could give me a post on vox)
Getting back to work he ascended into the air flying slowly across the sky for any signs of lifeforms. After about a minute of searching he noticed two blue figures below him by a red tree with strange orange and red fruit hanging from the branches. He descended down in front of the pair who turned and looked at him. They had dark-blue skin with large eyes that reassembled a fly with two small antennas sticking out of their head.
“Oh hello traveler, is there something we can do for you? We don’t get many guests around here” Guessing by the voice and the small one beside him, Sora assumed this was a father picking fruit with his child like your normal family activity. “I’ve just come to make sure this planet is doing well, I travel to different planets in case some are in need of aid. Would you mind standing still for just a moment?”
Sora aimed his black glove on his left hand towards the pair as a blue light slowly scanned their bodies. A number appeared beside them showing their spirit level which was an estimation of how strong a target was. (Hmm, 105 and 150. Not the weakest I’ve seen but no cause for concern)
“Appreciate your time, sorry for bothering you” Sora returned to Totama informing him of the only nearby inhabitance being low-level villagers. The leader smirked crossing his arms. “If 105 is the best this planet has to offer, then Vox is as good as ours. My spirit level is around 1,500 while I’m sure you both are about 1,000. Even if someone stronger shows, I’ll just wipe them out”
Sora stood conflicted, he knew rebelling against Z – force was a terrible idea, but the thought of harming innocent people made a knot form in his chest. Most of the planets he wiped out with his squad were filled with ravenous monsters that attacked anything that moved. But…could he attack innocent people that didn’t deserve such a gruesome fate?”
The Z – force soldier aimed his fingers like a gun to the back of his captain, firing a beam of red energy straight through his chest, missing his heart by mere inches. Totama’s eyes widened as a fierce pain surged through his body before he hit the ground lying on his stomach.
“S-Sora you bastard! Why on earth would y-you attack your own commander!?” Totama looked up at him with a look of anger as blood ran down his bottom lip with a gaping hole in his back. Sora aimed his index finger toward his captain before looking away firing another blast. His captain laid motionless in a pool of blood.
His body shook in both fear and confliction as he ran towards the ship. Just as he was within a few feet, a burst of pink energy blew up in between him and his destination. Looking behind him he saw Kodo aiming his palm towards his team member, a Look of anger with tears running down his face. “You trader! How could you do this!?”
Sora clinched his fists as a red aura burst around him. “I tolerated killing planets filled with mindless monsters, but innocent people are where I draw the line Kodo!” He put his hands up in fighting stance as the soldier above him began firing a barrage of pink energy blasts continuously.
Sora advanced right for his attacker, evading the many blasts raining down around him before sending a fierce blow to Kodo’s gut with such force, his chest plate cracked as he was sent smashing through several travels, landing in a green lake a mile away. “There, now I just need to start the ship before that bastard comes back!”
Running into the ship, the ex-soldier began pushing buttons on the control pad quickly as the door closed compressing the ship as the engines started up. Just as the ship slowly took off, Kodo burst out of the lake with water flying up from the sheer force of his power. “SORA! I WON’T LET YOU ESCAPE!” Focusing his hand towards the ship, he fired a powerful energy blast straight for the ship, damaging one of the engines just as it blasted off into space.
Inside the ship red lights began flashing as an A.I voice repeated: “WARNING...WARNING” That’s when a crack began to form on the ship’s window. “Damn it, looks like I'll just have to have the ship land in the nearest planet with inhabitable conditions!” Typing it in to the command panel for the A.I to follow, he could feel the oxygen within the ship being pulled out into the void of space as he grew dizzy from the lack of air. As the ship set a course to the nearest planet, Sora lost consciousness...
The A.I locked-on to a large blue planet not far from planet vox as it entered the atmosphere. However, without anyone to control the ship’s landing, it impacted a large blue field near a village. As the spacecraft sat within a large crater, the door opened causing the unconscious warrior to fall out and roll to the bottom of the hole out-cold.
Not long after, one of the villagers spotted the crater and carefully made their way down. They wore a white hooded-robe as they looked down on the figure lying before him. Reaching down the figure placed their pale-blue hand on the warrior’s chest, sending a sudden shockwave to the foreigner's heart with an abrupt shake with green energy flowing from the figure’s palm.
Sora let out a gasp of air as his eyes sprung open out of breath. His eyes darted around checking his surroundings. That’s when he noticed the hooded figure standing in front of him. Caught off guard the man quickly stood up, placing his hand upon the recked ship for support, struggling to get himself to focus.
“Welcome to planet Kepra, we are a peaceful race known as kepreans” The extraterrestrial pulled back his white hood to reveal an alien with pale-blue skin, long white hair with green eyes. “Welcome traveler, you were unconscious when I found you, luckily, I managed to revive you before it was too late. From the look of your ship, I'm surprised you even survived such a crash”
The young warrior looked at his ship, finding it severely damaged to the point he knew he wouldn’t be able to use anytime soon even if he knew how to fix such damage. “Sorry how rude of me, my name is Sora, I'm a space patroller whose job originally was to visit planets and erase dangerous threats like monsters and hostile aliens. But now I guess I'm just another guy travelling through space. I quit my team and was attacked before landing here”
“Hmmm, so you realized what you were doing was wrong and not the selfless deed you thought it was correct?” Sora paused for a moment before looking at them with a surprised expression. “Y-yea...how did you know?”
“Kepreans have the ability to read the minds of those around them with near ease...I can see you are filled with conflicting feelings, the want to make the world a better place, while also wanting to grow stronger and prove yourself as a warrior...I may be able to help you Sora. Peaceful we may be...but there are plenty of warriors constantly training if the need arises for them....come”
“Wait, may I ask your name before we go?” The alien stopped at the top of the crater responding: “Kiono” The pair made their way out of the hole walking towards the village a few meters away. Sora looked around at the beautiful land around him. The grass was light-blue with a purple sky and blue bodies of water that seem to take up a good portion of the area around them. Their village seem to be made of a gray clay that they had mixed together to form their dome like houses.
Most of the houses were circular domes with circular windows without glass. The houses were spread out through the village with a sand path leading through the village. Sora could feel the planet’s calming breeze brush pasts him as he followed close behind. They walked down the path until they reached a large gray dome house with a blue door.
As they reached the door, it slid open to reveal a large gray room with a green throne against the wall with an old man with a long white beard wearing a white and gold robe. He like the rest of the kepreans had pale blue skin but his eyes glowed with an orange glisten. “Welcome traveler, it’s been so long since we’ve seen any outsiders. Do what do we owe the pleasure?”
Kiono slowly stepped forward responding: “Great elder, this man has crash-landed on our world and is hoping to train with our greatest warriors in order to improve his skills as a warrior” Their elder looked upon the man. “Is this true? Would you like to train with the warriors of Kepra? We’d be more than happy to help improve your skills as a fighter”
Sora bowed before him responding: “Yes sir, I fear my fighting skills isn’t enough to defend against a coming threat I fear will appear not long from now” Without a word the elder nodded to Kiono before the young alien lead his new ally out of the elder’s house and further down the sandy path where there was a large square area filled with sand as a squad of kepreans proceeded to train, practicing punches and kicks in sync as the pair came up to them.
Each warrior seemed to wear a white cloth open-vest revealing their chest with white GI pants, but each of them had different color belts around their waist similar to the ranking system at a child’s karate class. Two had white belts meaning they were novice warriors in martial arts, the 3rd had a brown belt meaning they were just below mastery of martial arts and the 4th had a black belt which symbolized their overall mastery of their style of martial arts.
Each warrior had muscular bodies while each warrior had a different haircut to tell them apart. The black belt had black hair pulled back into a ponytail, he stopped and watched as their guest made their way over to the training area. “Ah, I'm assuming our guest has come looking to train with yours truly. Before I can train you, allow me to duel you, so I may see jusat how strong a fighter you are”
“Alright” Sora stepped forward putting his hands up ready to duel. The others backed up, watching the coming as the keprean warrior stood with his hands behind his back in a formal manner, waiting for his opponet to strike.
“Here I come!” Sora shouted jumping right for him. His target didn’t move as the fighter sent a barrage of strikes right for them in fierce succession, only for the keprean to dodge each one with ease, as if anticipating his target’s movements. In an abrupt strike, the warrior sent a sudden strike to Sora’s abdomen, sending him staggering back before the human caught his balance.
“Damn it, looks like you’re a lot faster than I give you credit for” The black belt smiled, once again placing his hands behind his back. “I will take that as a complement. This black belt is a symbol of my mastery over my people's fighting style. It takes a lot of focus and training to reach such a rank. Seeing your skills up close, you have a long way to go, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t trained hard yourself. You may only be a purple or blue belt in my opinion, but that’s only 3 or 4 ranks from mastery, that alone shows you’ve learned over the years and retained what you’ve learned. Let us continue you. But this time...I want you to come at me as if you intend to kill me, only then can you truly realize the difference in our skills. Also, my name is Vuzel...now let us continue”
Sora clinched his fist picturing Zenith as his target. He advanced right for them, throwing a fierce blow right for Vuzel’s head, only for the skilled warrior to lean to the side and dogging the coming attack by mere inches. Given an opening, the keprean aimed his palm inches from his target’s chest, sending a sheer force of spirt energy at him, causing the foe to go flying back, impacting a large rock a few meters away.
“Your movements are slowed down by your use of rage as your adrenaline and power. However, rage will only blind you and make you sloppy as a warrior. You must remain calm and focus on your surroundings” Vuzel watched as Sora stepped out of the broken rock, walking back over to his target.
“So, rage only slows me down huh?” Closing his eyes, Sora took a deep breath, feeling his clenched muscles relax before moving straight for his combatant. Keeping his eyes closed. He sensed his surroundings, focusing on any kind of movement before sending a powerful kick right for the keprean warrior who managed to block with his wrist just in time as a powerful shockwave shook the area.
“Well done, you managed to increase your speed by relaxing your body, thereby boosting the impact of your attack. Improving your skills like this will better your chances in a fight against a real threat. Now that I've seen your skills i8n action...it’s time for you to see what a master warrior of the kepreans are capable of!”
Backflipping away from his opponet to gain distance, Sora made sure to sense the area around him continuously for any sign of change in his foe’s spiritual flow. That’s when the alien fired four green energy spheres into the air as they flew over to Sora before aligning into the shape of a square as a pillar of energy shot out from the combined orbs, trapping the human within a pillar of green light. “Burst!”
The human could only put up his guard as the walls around him lit up in a blinding ray of light. As the smoke cleared, the others saw the valiant warrior still standing though covered in bruises. “Well done Sora, your defense is impressive. You probably expected me to come at you using melee attacks, but I wanted to show you that I'm also capable of spirit energy attacks as well. Though I haven’t mastered that many, there’s one that I've created that may seem simple to some, but is still a lethal attack. Allow me to show you. All the others may want to get further away for this”
As the group of spectators backed away slowly, Vuzel aimed his open palm directed towards his training partner, beginning to focus all of his spiritual energy into one focused sphere of green energy. Sora grew uneasy by the intense feeling of power radiating from the condensed sphere of light.
The keprean smirked commenting: “this may seem like just another mere ball of energy, but I assure you...this sphere has enough power to do considerable amount of damage to anything it comes in contact with. Let’s see if you can stop it from destroying a good portion of this planet...spiritual sphere!” All watched in anticipation as the orb of immense power soared across the field, giving off a gust of wind by it’s sheer level of power. Without thinking, Sora threw both hands out, slowing the attack down the best he could as he felt himself get pushed back by it’s fierce power.
“D-damn it...this power...it’s far greater than any of the creatures I've faced on my countless ventures through space! C-come on, budge!” Sweat began running down the warrior’s face as he was forced back by the attack. Sora looked behind him to see a large bolder. (Crap, things will get a lot harder if I don’t stop this attack before I get pinned against that bolder!)
Still struggling with the powerful ball of energy, Sora began planning for a way to counter the projectile, that’s when he closed his eyes...focusing all his power into a single sphere of spiritual energy as well attempting to counter Vuzel’s The black belt as well as the others watched in interest when a red flame-like aura manifested from Sora’s body.
The bruised fighter focused every ounce of energy he had into the one attack as a red energy ball formed between his palms and the drilling orb of green light. With the solder pouring more and more power into the attacks, he could feel his body slowing down before coming to an abrupt stop mere inches from the rock behind him.
With the last of his strength, Sora managed to send the projectile off into the sky as it left the planet’s atmosphere before both spheres of light erupted into a ray of light before fading with mere green and red wisps of energy left from the blast. “Huff...huff...looks like I managed to pull it off” The group applauded the young man before Sora collapsed onto the soil out cold...
Meanwhile across the universe....
Stolen story; please report.
Zenith sat in his chair in the dark, only his silhouette visible as he sat within the dark, his fist resting on his cheek. A low-rank z-force minion came running into the steel room crying out: “Lord Zenith! I’ve just been informed that Sora of squad two has turned traitor and has killed his commanding officer Totama!”
“Oh really? Heh, never thought such a weak soldier would have the balls do make such a foolish decision...Never the less, have our squads three and four go after the miserable fool. Though Sora may be the 2nd highest ranking squad, it’s highly doubtful he’ll be capable of taking on two whole squads all on his own. Last time I checked, his spirit level was mere 1200, such a pathetic level is nothing more than a pebble against an asteroid when compared to one such as myself...”
CHAPTER 2 A coming Threat
A week had passed since the young warrior had landed on Kepra, his spiritual level had grown from a mere 1,200 to 1,900. As he stood in the training area practicing his strikes, Vuzel walked down the path over to him before commenting: “Alright Sora, it’s time we duel to see just how much you’ve grown as a warrior in these past few days, though it’s been a short time, you’ve trained hard and I can sense your power has grown since then”
Sora turned to him putting his fists up ready to duel with a smirk on his face. “Let’s go, I'm sure I'm strong enough to match you Vuzel!” Just as before, his opponet stood before him with his hands behind his back as Sora moved right for him with a red aura swarming around his body. The young warrior threw a strong punch right for his target who managed to evade the coming strike, that’s when he realized Sora had anticipated it and flipped over him before throwing his hand out toward his target. Vuzel turned around to see Sora unleash a powerful red energy wave in the shape of a large red explosion, sending the Keprean warrior staggering across the field before impacting a large tree knocking the air out of him.
Just before he could move, he heard four energy blasts fired in his direction, only to see four spheres of red light floating above the tree. A pillar of light isolated the target in the tree when Sora cried out: “Burst!” In a fierce ray of light, the pillar erupted in an explosion, utterly destroying the tree. The light vanished with Vuzel standing in an area of scorched land. His body shaking as he breathed heavily from the damage of the attack.
“I-impressive Sora, your speed and use of my own technique was a smart move on your part. As much as I would like to continue such a fight, I'm going to have to end it early so I'm not too injured incase I'm needed for something. Congratulations young warrior, you pass my test, I now consider you an equal. I may have more techniques up my sleeve, but one can be the greatest warrior even without such unique abilities. One’s fighting skill is based on strategy and strength as well as learning to balance the too. If unbalanced, that could lead to defeat. Rember to grow stronger but also plan for unseen situations”
Sora bowed to his mentor when he suddenly felt something off in the distance. (What is that!? It’s faint...but I can feel several levels of energy headed towards this planet. No...could they have found me!?) He turned to Vuzel telling him to go rest while he took care of something.
“Hehe, do you take me for a fool Sora? I too can feel the multiple spirit levels headed for this planet. They may be lower than ours, but there’s still eight of them in total which could prove troublesome if they land in any of the villages without a warrior nearby to defend them. I shall send my fellow warriors to scout for the enemy’s landing points while you deal with them”
Sora nodded as he looked up to see two black spheres with a gold “Z” on the side of them as the two ships flew past them, impacting two different directions. “I’ll take the one to the west while you and your fighters handle the one to the east. I’ll try to head to you once I deal with my targets” Taking a deep breath, Sora let the spiritual energy flow around him as wind began to build up around his feet before he floated up into the air. (I’m not used to flying yet, but now’s a good time to start!)
Sora made sure to ascend high enough out of the way of any trees before making his way towards the 1st landing point. Focusing his power around the outline of his body, he managed to pick up speed, flying over the water as a red aura surged around his body, his hair blowing in the wind by the sheer speed. Making sure to focus on his destination, Sora hoped keeping his eyes locked on the impact location would keep him from losing concentration on his flying.
In mere minutes the young warrior could see the dark spacecraft coming into view as it sat inside a large crater. “There it is!” Sora dropped down beside it approaching the large spherical ship. He approached the ship causing it to open before him by it’s sensors. He walked inside, looking around the large control room for any Z-force solders hiding inside. “Hmph, most Z-force henchmen lower-rank than my squad are usually wimps, but seems they’ve actually left the ship”
Stepping back outside he closed his eyes...sensing the location of Zenith’s men. That’s when he deflected an energy projectile with one hand as it was deflected into the air bursting like a firework. “Nice try, but it’ll take more than a surprise attack to hit me” A solder stepped out wearing black and white space armor similar to Sora’s but was a short man wearing a space helmet.
“Heh, I've trained far more than you and your squad three, what makes you think you or squad four has any chance of winning?” The henchmen aimed his black laser gun towards the ex-soldier, his hands shaking in fear. “Unable to fight Sora one on one, the man called his men to his location threw his ear microphone as three other Z-force henchmen jumped out all aiming their guns at him. “Halt Sora! By the order of lord Zenith, you’ve been ordered to return to him, dead or alive!”
“Maybe if the 1st squad of your force was here, I'd have some trouble, but your spirit levels normally range around 800 to 900, far enough from my power to make this easy”
“All of you, open fire!” The men of squad three aimed their guns toward their target firing countless blasts of red lasers at Sora who used his aura as a shield to defend against them, slowly raising his left hand up, he aimed his open palm towards them, firing off an energy blast. The squad cried out in fear as they were obliterated by the attack.
The young warrior felt a slight feeling of guild for killing the men he once worked alongside, but knew if he didn’t fight back, they would just continue to attack. Now to head over to the 2nd landing point to help Vuzel” Sora took off once again flying through the sky locked-on to the spirit energy of his ally to lead him to the battle.
In just a few minutes he touched down beside Vuzel who had already taken out two henchmen with just two remaining. “Looks like you’re handling yourself well” Sora commented putting his hands up in offensive position beside Vuzel.
“Heh, I may be injured from our duel, but these invaders are nothing to worry about. Seeing as though they can’t even use spirit energy means they lack proper training as warriors” That’s when one of the Z-force troopers pulled out the gun’s core that powered it and gripped it tightly in his hand.
“Both of you don’t move! This power core has enough energy to blow up several miles of this rotten planet and I won’t hesitate to blow us all up if it means you’re delt with Sora!” A slight smirk grew across the warrior’s face as he stepped forwards, provoking the frightened trooper with his other squad member watching beside him.
“Fine you asked for this!” The Z-force henchmen crushed the power core’s containment capsule as red mist began leaking from it. Without hesitation, Sora fired off four energy blasts toward the pair, trapping them within a pillar of red spirit energy just as the squad four assailant threw the broken core at them, only for it to hit the wall of the energy pillar.
“What!?” The pair screamed in horror as the core erupted in a ray of light, creating cracks around the pillar but managing to stay contained within the isolated pillar. Once the light had cleared, they saw the pair lying in the scorched square with nothing but their skeletons remaining.
“There, looks as though we took care of the two squads. With their ship I should be able to find a new planet to live on and hopefully make sure your planet isn’t attacked by them again”
“I understand, but at least say goodbye to Kiono and our elder. I’m sure he would at least like to speak with you before you depart”
“Alright, I’ll talk with them before I go then I’m off. I have a mission that I must accomplish before it’s too late” Sora and Vuzel took off through the air side by side, flying back to the elder’s house in a short time, touching down where Kiono waited patiently beside their leader who gazed toward the door as the young warrior approached him before kneeling down to one knee.
The others watched as the old keprean stood up, using his staff as a cane before placing his hand upon the man’s head… “Ah I see, you have a long journey before you I see, you wish to right what you believe to be your fault. Freight not traveler, good shall always conquer over that which is corrupt. I may not have much, but allow us to grant you a fraction of the little spirit energy we have so you may use it to defeat the coming challenges in your path”
Sora remained knelt down as the elder, Kiono and Vuzel aimed their hands above him giving him each a bit of their power. “It’s not much, but it should help give you a boost when you need it…farewell Sora” The warrior could feel a slightly warm feeling within him as he stood up.
“Thank you, all of you. You three have helped me grow stronger as a warrior and given me a piece of your power. I will make sure to use this given power to achieve my goal. Goodbye kepreans” with a determined look in his eyes. Sora marched outside, proceeding to fly back to one of the Z-force ships. Making his way inside, he closed the door before leaning over the control panel contemplating on his next planet. With a deep breath, he typed in the coordinates to Kasada, the planet Zenith lord of the Z-force stayed on.
“I’m not sure what I can do against someone like lord Zenith, but I won’t allow him and his Z-force roam the universe killing innocent worlds. I once saw the force as an army wiping the world of mindless monsters who mercilessly kill the innocent, now my eyes have been opened. The true monster…is the Z-force” Opening a steel door in the back of the control room, he found a fresh Z-force black and white uniform hanging up. To hide his identity Sora put on the helmet as well to conceal his face…
Three Days Later…
Rationing his food and water aboard the ship, he managed to stay in top condition as his ship came into orbit of planet Kasada, a large red planet. That’s when he received a transmission from one of the commanding officers of the Z-force’s docking bays.
“Squad four, we’re glad to see you’re returning safely, please inform me of the casualties of your mission before you’re allowed entry”
“I’ve lost all my squad members, I alone survived the battle on Kepra. I wish to dock so I may rest up for my next mission” Sora held his breath, worried the officer may recognize his voice. That’s when the voice replied: “Yes soldier, you have clearance to dock in dock three please land so we may check for any damages you might’ve sustained in the fight”
“Understood sir” Sora answered pushing some keys on the control panel before his ship descended down towards the massive circular base that looked like a steel UFO sitting on the rocky terrain of the desert-like planet. Everything around the base for miles were just rocky plains of dark-red rock.
Landing in the docks his ship connected to the dock’s doors similar to a plane’s jet way. As the ship’s pressure decompressed, the door opened reveling a steel hallway leading to the docking bay of the Z-force base. Sliding a laser pistol to his side, Sora made his way through the narrow hall before stepping off onto the docking bay where the commanding officer and one guard stood in front of him. The commander had short gray hair with a beard wearing the Z-force black and white space armor though he wasn’t wearing a helmet, meanwhile all the other troops wore helmets thereby making it near impossible to tell them apart. The soldier pulled put a high-tech tablet as it scanned Sora with a blue light similar to his gauntlet's spirit level scanner.
His full-body image appeared on the right side of the tablet with the left using white lines to point out the man’s injuries...
“Hmmm, damaged ribs, broken arm and minor internal bleeding” The trooper put the tablet away and suggested the man go to the medical center just down the hall to the left before handing him a red card. “With this card you’ll gain access to our 1st class medical center where you’ll be put inside a healing chamber that should heal you at a fast rate depending on your injuries”
“Alright, thank you solider” Sora took the card before saluting them and walking down the large steel area. With the five jetways behind him, he entered an automatic door leading down a narrow white hallway with a red-carpeted floor. Passing a few random people, he found a black steel door on the left that read: Access card required”
Swiping his card, the door slid open reveling a small white room with a tiled-floor, four healing chambers aligned against the wall. (Sigh, staying in one place is a little risky, but I'm going to need all my strength if I happen to run into Zenith) Taking off everything aside his helmet and black underwear, he pushed a button on the side of the metal chamber, opening the glass door before stepping inside like a shower.
“Closing pod” A female A.I voice announced as Sora stood inside with his muscular body visible. As the door shut, a mask was placed on the warrior’s face to help him breath with blue liquid filling up around him. (M-my body...it’s as if the liquid is relaxing my body to speed up my healing) Not long after, Sora fell asleep as his body recovered...
[Flash Back]
1 Year Ago...
Sora was 19 years-old wearing a black space uniform as he flew through space in a small space craft. The stars flew past him as he entered a large red planet. Making his way inside the Z-force base, he went to the center of the massive fortress where he reached a large steel door with a golden “Z” on the center of the door.
As the door opened before him, he found himself walking into a large throne room. The walls were steel while the floor was black and a figure sat upon a black levitating chair. “Welcome stranger, do what do I own the pleasure?”
Sora looked at the man sitting before him, he had spikey white hair wearing a blue long-sleeved undershirt with a white cloak over it. His eyes glimmered green as his cheek rested upon his fist with a smirk on his face. “I assume you’re the one known as Zenith?”
“That’s lord Zenith. But aside your blatant disrespect, I’ve been told you’re willing to join the Z-force…tell me human, why do you think you’re even qualified to be part of my army?”
“I’ve heard the Z-force go around the universe wiping out monsters that could pose a threat to the planet. I hope to join so I can rid this world of heartless monsters that treat life as if it’s meaningless!” The alien sitting upon the throne smirked once more before responding: “So you wish to rid this world of heartless monsters who plan to kill the innocent? Very well, I shall take you at your world and give you a test, if you pass, I shall let you join the Z-force. Your level of power will decide which squad you will placed into with the 1st squad being the strongest while the fourth being the weakest. Please go outside, a guard shall show you to the training facility”
With a bow Sora made his way outside the door where a Z-trooper was waiting for him. He held a laser gun in his hands giving the man a nod before asking to follow him. Sora followed close behind as they walked down the narrow hall past the large door making a left where they stopped at a large black door that read: “Training room”
The guard stepped aside asking for the young man to please enter the room. Without a word, Sora slowly stepped inside. The room was large made of dark metal with many red lights all around the room with a steel circle around the floor. He turned to see the door close behind him as the red lights lit up with an A.I voice announcing: “Commencing training: Level one”
The room abruptly changed to a large green field at night as if he was actually there, he could feel the breeze brushing across his clothes. (This virtual reality...it’s so real, it’s as if I'm actually here!) That’s when a Z-force trooper spawned before him. Sora put his fists up staring at the realistic opponet. “I’ve never fought an A.I enemy before. Let's see what you can do!”
Without a word the trooper began firing red blasts from his pistol, sending beams of energy past the novice fighter as the blasts made contact with the trees behind him as they went up in flames. Sora clinched his fists charging in to close the gap between him and his opponet. Evade each fired blast, he knocked the pistol out of the assailant's hand before catching it.
Without hesitation he fired off a shot to the trooper’s head causing it to clinch before disappearing into data particles. “Training session complete” It announced before the room reverted back to normal.
After finishing up his test, he was brought back to Zenith who welcomed him to the Z-force, assigning him to squad two...
[End Of Flash Back]
Sora awoke to the sound of beeping going off from his chamber. The healing liquid began draining from the pod as the door opened letting him out. “As usual, seems like these pods healed me right up just like they have in the past...I’ll have to remember to destroy these before I leave in case I need to escape or the worst happens” After drying off he placed the armor back on making his way to the training facility where a guard was standing by.
“Sorry sir, the training facility is restricted for the time being, please come back later” Sora turned to leave when he abruptly fired a beam from his index finger over his shoulder, instantly killing the guard as they collapsed on the floor. With no one watching, Sora hid the body in a storage unit nearby before going over to the control panel of the training room.
“Let’s see, the hardest difficulty is 10...and one is too easy so let’s try five and turn the gravity up to five times stronger” His setting confirmed, the young warrior stepped inside as the room changed to a rocky plains area where a tall dark alien stood before him. It had shiny black skin with a pointed head.
“Hmm, I can’t sense it’s spiritual energy...I guess I'll just have to hope we’re around the same level” Lunging forward, Sora threw a punch aiming for the creature’s head, only for his fist to pass straight through as the figure slowly faded away. “A mirage!?” That’s when the dark alien appeared behind him, sending a powerful kick to the warrior’s head, sending him impacting a rock.
With the increased gravity, the man struggled to get back up as his target walked towards him. “D-damn it! I should’ve gotten used to the gravity before starting a fight even if it’s just an A.I!” Sweat dripped from his face as he pushed with his hands trying to stand up. That’s when he noticed his assailant stop in front of him aiming it’s palm down at him.
It began to build up purple energy as a sphere formed in it’s grasp preparing to fire. “Shit! Only thing I can do is use my spiritual energy to boost my strength enough to move faster!” Taking a deep breath he focused his energy as a red aura manifested around him growing stronger each second as he rose to his feet without as much trouble.
Letting out a sadistic cry the alien fired a purple energy blast right at him. Sora quickly threw his hands out stopping the incoming attack as wisps of spirit energy darted in all directions like a spark. Focusing his power into his hands, he copied the creature’s attack firing a red beam from his hands far bigger than a mere finger blast as the two forces pushed against one another. The room began to shake as the fighter put everything he had into it, breaking through his target’s offense as the creature was wiped out by his attack.
“Huff...huff...I did it, even with the five times gravity. Though this is nothing compared to what’s needed to beat someone like Zenith, that was a mere level five creature, who knows just how strong a 10th level A.I program is” I might as well train in here until someone realizes I'm here, this is the only place I can think to train were I can get results”
A Few Hours Later...
“Training: Level 8 commenced” Sora stood in the training room out of breath, he had been training non-stop for hours, his armor was badly damaged with bruises all over his body. The room once more changed to a large steel fighting stage within a dark void as a figure in elite armor spawned before him. Unlike the average trooper, this one war high-quality armor that looked more like a battle-suit rather than a uniform.
“Huff...huff...let’s do this! Haaagghhh!” Sora unleashed his increased spiritual energy as a once normal aura now burst from his body like a pillar of raging flames quaking the room. The A.I enemy had black gloves on instead of steel gauntlets making it easy for it to fire spirit energy from it’s hand. The sore warrior watched as his target fire a single blast of purple energy from his hand right for him.
Sora quicky ascended into the air flying as fast as he could, only to see the blast following close behind. “What!? Heh, that’s the 1st never seen anything with the skill to track someone with a moving spirit attack” While in mid-flight Sora threw his hand back towards the incoming projectile, firing an energy sphere head on as the two projectiles collided in a fierce ray of light. “Now that his attack is gone, I should finish this quickly before he tries it again”
Putting his hands close together, he began focusing energy in the space between them as a ball of light formed. “Prepare A.I...for my spirit...blast!” In a sudden movement, Sora threw his hands out in front of him as he fired a spirit wave, far stronger than anything he ever managed before, focusing it into a massive beam of power that impacted the elite trooper, utterly obliterating it as well as causing the training room to overload as it began to catch fire.
Descending onto the ground he saw the room had began to malfunction with wires and fire all over the place. Thinking fast he placed the dead guard in the middle of the room before walking away. As he made his way back to the medical center, multiple Z-force troopers rushed past him heading to the destroyed room as an alarm sounded alerting all guards within the sector. (Hopefully going back in the healing chamber will keep them from expecting me. I’d rather not go back in, but if do then the two guards I met in the docking area can be my alibi)
Quickly getting back in, Sora waited as the chamber began the healing process once more as he let himself fall asleep to the relaxing feel...
After about an hour the alarm went off as he slowly awoke. With his wounds healed, he looked in the medical room for any fresh clothes before finding some. Quickly putting them on he made his way down the hall, he stood before the large steel door of Zenith’s throne room. A knot formed in his gut but knew it was now or never if he wanted to see just how strong Zenith was.
Making his way inside two guards aimed their guns at him standing on both sides of their lord. “Halt! Who gave you permission to enter our lord’s throne room!” That’s when a smile formed on the ruler’s face as he looked down on the guest.
“Now, now, we have a guest, allow him to speak...I'd like to know why he decided to stop by”
“My lord, I-I would like to duel you one on one, I want to see how big the gap is between us!”
“Hold your tounge! You have some nerve to ask such a thing of our lord!” Once more Zenith motioned him to be silent as he stood up. “So, you wish to witness the power that is lord Zenith? Very well...I'm not one to shy away from a duel, no matter the difference in our power. But for this we must go outside where there is enough room. I wouldn’t want to destroy my own fortress” The two off them made their way outside where Sora followed behind him as they flew through the air as it began to get dark.
Landing on a large rock, they stood out in a rocky terrain far from the base as Zenith crossed his arms looking down on his challenger with a grin. “Shall we begin? It’s rather rude to challenge someone and hide behind a mask, I would like to look upon the one so brave as to challenge the lord himself”
Sora was still for a moment before removing his helmet as it dropped to the dirt. He excepted a look of anger or shock from Zenith, but instead the man put his hand up to his face beginning to laugh. “My my, do think, you’re not only the 1st to kill your own squad, but the 1st to challenge me as well. It may be either bravery or ignorance. The outcome of this duel shall decide that. Now...before we began, you should know my weakest solder's spirit level is a mere 500 while the strongest is 10,000. However...my spirt level puts them all to shame, my level is 100,000”
A sudden chill run up Sora’s spine the moment he heard it. “100,000...n-no way, there’s no way you could be that strong! If you really are that powerful, surely I would’ve sensed something from you!” The ruler grinned answering: “Really? Are you unaware of the ability to hide one’s energy?” Before the young warrior could respond, a beam of bluish-purple shot past him at super-sonic speed. The beam hit the terrain, erupting in an immense explosion behind him as shrapnels of rocks and debree flew past him.
(H-his blast...it was so fast, I hadn’t even realized he fired until it had flown past me. Does this mean that he’s not bluffing!?) His body continuously shook in fear, his words caught in his throat by the sheer terror that filled his body.
“Ah, I do so like that look in your eye, that’s the look of complete and utter fear. Such a look brings me pleasure. I had planned to kill you, but I might let you live so you can live with the fear that you will never be strong enough to beat me, you are a mere roach before a god. Infact, I shall allow you to hit me with your strongest attack, go on...use everything you have and I won’t even guard”
His body quivering, Sora put his hands together charging up his strongest move like before. (Kiono, Vuzel, elder...I need all your power for this attack...) Releasing his spiritual power in a fierce aura, he unleashed an immense blast of energy right for his enemy as it connected in a fierce explosion as the clouds above were pushed away by the sheer force of his attack.
“Sigh...did it work?” As the dust cleared, he stated in horror to see Zenith still standing as he brushed the rubble from his royal clothes. “My...you certainty are far stronger than before, but sadly your spiritual level is still about 20,000 maybe 25,000 at best. With that said, you’ve probably realized how futile this battle is. Normally I'd kill a traitor without hesitation, but seeing as though you’ve grown stronger than all my underlings...I'd prefer to keep you alive so I could have a good battle when I'm ready to kill you. So, go on and leave before I change my mind”
Without another word Zenith vanished, leaving Sora in the open area alone. He fell to his knees in defeat as he punched the ground leaving a crack. “Damn it, damn it, damn it! I trained harder than I've ever trained before and yet...I'm still nothing but a mere soldier pawn to him! I need to get off this world...find one where I can train even harder than before!”
Making his way back to his ship, he rushed in before anyone could see him as he took off into space sitting in the captain’s chair pondering... “Computer...take me to a planet where I can train”
“Searching for matching planets....match found, planet name: “Earth” Commencing light speed travel...
CHAPTER 3 A New World