The planet was certainly colder than a model imperial habitat. It was natural for such independent planets as they lacked the infrastructure and resource to control the weather properly. Inside the apartment, it was comfortable enough. Still, an unusual warmth was radiating from Lisbeth's body as she was in a deep meditative state. Ethen knew that meditation was directly connected to the mysterious powers of an aware, he would've learned more about it if he stayed to complete his training. 

He walked back and forth with visible nervousness in his steps, waiting for her to open her eyes. She had been like this for too long. She just said that she was going to 'see beyond'. Another thing Ethen had no knowledge about. 

His wait ended moments later when she suddenly grabbed his hand and their position in space and time changed. They fell from feet above a rooftop of an abandoned building. It was close to the right landing station. The station wasn't brimming with visitors like other great colonies and planets. At first explorers and wanderers traveled the vast expanse of space and settled down here. Establishing a new boundary of the known universe. Now only people of lesser morality came here, according to the locals. 

Ethen stood on top of the building with Lisbeth looking down at the base of operations of Major Vlakoska. It was a perfect time to strike as he was giving a briefing to his men outside his strategic ship, a coincidence? 

'I will come get you after I'm done. Remember to stay conscious if you want to escape with me.' Lisbeth said as if she frankly wanted to help him with his situation. 

She bound the mask on her face by encircling it with a black piece of spiral cloth covering it completely and then she pulled up her hood. A moment after that she wasn't there anymore, she had teleported to somewhere else. Ethen had seen his instructors use such teleportation techniques. 

'So now that we have created the illusion that we are here to peacefully take over this colony, our strategy is in motion. Most of you are veterans, except some new faces who aren't exposed to this side of our work. It is normal for some of you to question the underlying morality of this job. But ask yourselves first, are these people worth it? They threaten the way of our lives, our culture and identity. Rebellious thoughts spark in their community against the Imperial blood. I ask, Will you forgive such audacity, disloyalty and disrespect? NO! You will rise up against any tongue that goes against our masters and any hand that dares to take up arms against the Empire ... Our masters who have given us power, prosperity, and peace for eons. You will do their bidding as your ancestors have done for thousands of years and you will deliver this speech onto the troops that will be bestowed upon you, like my superior delivered to me.' Major Vlakoska said walking back and forth in front of the row of his sword dancers. 

'Our lord's allow us incredible rewards for taking part in this necessary evil. You are allowed to indulge yourself with anything this planet and its people can offer. Anything. You are hereby exempted from the Codes of War. Your honor will not be tarnished, my brothers, even if you indulge yourself in things unworthy of an Imperial soldier.' Major Vlakoska ended his speech. 

'Dismissed.' He yelled out. 

The seemingly perfect row of soldiers became disoriented and started to speak among themselves. Among some of them, blood boiled in excitement and among some a yearning for forbidden 'things' rekindled. Vlakoska took a long breath. This was a speech he had given many times before this.

A minute later, he suddenly lost his balance and stumbled a bit. He knew this feeling but he never felt something so strong before. All of his training and experience was bleak before this power. 

'Unsheathe, Sword dancers. Some sort of a monster is approaching us!' He screamed hurriedly as his words jumbled up. This was impossible. The rebels? How could they have something so powerful in their disposal? 

Turok was the first to unsheathe. He jumped back from his standing position to take a more alerted and firm form. He felt for a moment as something with immense speed and strength went by him and the next moment he felt his trusted sword still held by his trusted hand, tear his body apart in half. The monster wasn't even using any weapons. Was this despair? A flood of memories surged through. He had lived a life of power and confidence. He believed in his own strength when he crushed the weak beneath his heels. But what did he feel now? He couldn't stand his weakness. He was nothing in front of such true and raw power. 

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Ethen stood with all of his strength with the weight of a planet crushing on him. He never felt something so ridiculous. But he had to endure this even if it meant losing his life. All he had known until now was pain and suffering. Just a bit more and he would get another chance at life but his body and mind felt differently. They were not even remotely strong enough to withstand something so twisted and unknown. Soon an emptiness devoured him as he fell down on the icy metallic concrete beneath him. All he wanted was a normal life, was it too much to ask for? 

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He felt he was alive for generations in nothing but a dark empty space. He was probably left behind by the enigmatic woman he trusted so naively.

When he woke up everything was different. He was inside his cabin in the strategic ship. He felt really hungry and dehydrated. A sound of cracking noises reached his ears. Someone was eating snacks loudly in the room. He turned around to see. It was Lisbeth Hasko, he guessed. So she did save him? He couldn't see her face. Her legs were rested on his study table. What an inelegant way to sit in a chair, he thought. A bowl of snacks floated beside her. He never saw someone use awareness so irresponsibly. He then slowly pulled himself up from the bed. He noticed a big poly cylinder on the table beside her legs. He saw that cylinder somewhere before on this ship, he couldn't remember. As he focused more closely he saw that it was filled with liquid and something was submerged inside it. The Mask of Chaos. An archaic revulsion grasped him as he felt an overwhelming urge to puke out the rest of his already empty stomach. Her face. He could see the skin fused with the mask. 

'You're awake.' She said as she stood up. Her head covered with white recovery clothes. Only one of her bloodshot eyes barely revealed. She slowly approached him and instinctively he tried to slowly move away from her as much as he could. Terror, fear, disgust... he felt more than that. Soon his back was against the cold hard metal alloy of the ship and he had no space left to back away anymore. 

'Let's talk before I patch you up..' She started. 

'Thank you for not leaving me behind.' He said nervously. 

'You've already made some severe mistakes. Firstly, You naively trusted someone with your life. Secondly, You tried to blackmail me without knowing who I am. Finally, you assumed that I even had a bit of humanity left in me to help you with your ridiculous childish dreams. Your dear Major Vlakoska suffered a slow and brutal death for insulting me, although I don't think you can handle the details.' She said without a pause and stopped. He could feel it. There was a sadistic smile beneath the cloth that was wrapped around her faceless head.   

'I respectfully apologize for trying to blackmail you. It was disrespectful of me.' He tried to speak formally.

'I guess what's done is done. Now, tell me about you and your family. I hope that you will be cooperative and truthful. Otherwise, I can be really ... persuasive.' 

He didn't understand why she changed the topic so suddenly. Did it matter who he was now? 

'My name is Ethen Maxim. I was diagnosed with a low-medium case of awareness when I was 8 and then I was sent away to train in the Imperial Academy of Specters. But miss, I really don't want talk about family.' He tried to say properly with the small amount of life force he had in him. Whenever he thought about his family, especially his parents, anger shrouded his mind.

'Foolish boy, Blood and lineage is everything in the empire. Are your parents connected somehow to the Imperial Blood? Were you branded with a mark by anyone?' 

Ethen read a bit about Branding. It was an unbreakable contract that someone made with another person. He didn't know much more about it. 

'I was never branded by anyone. My father is a middle ranked official in the Ministry of Warfare and I don't think we have any direct connection to the Imperial family.' 

'Then you should be okay. I hope you're not lying. Because if you get caught later by me, I will find something really creative to do to you. And no, not the good kind of creative.' She said as her lone red eye pierced through him.

'I understand, ma'am.' He replied as if he had received and understood her message completely.

'We are going through the underspace now. We will reach an independent colony soon. There we will sell this imperial junk and buy a getaway ship. I also need to go through physical reconstruction. Then we will go into the systems territory. I will drop you on some remote planet so that you can start a new life and we will never see each other again.' She said. 

Ethen felt terrified and grateful at the same time. He didn't know how to feel about this .... faceless woman.