Void : Void... will consume everything.

"To cool coffee faster, people used to pour it into a saucer to drink. This was common until thin, efficient porcelain cups became widespread, making the practice of drinking from a cup the new norm." I licked the last drop of coffee from the saucer and said.

"Drinking coffee from a saucer..." Luther scratched his ear, clearly puzzled. "Isn't that rather... uncouth?"

"I think this example demonstrates something important--what's considered refined or uncouth is just arbitrary nonsense." I tossed the saucer at Luther, who caught it effortlessly with Domination, the white disc hovering just before his snout.

I glanced at the sink, hinting. He sighed, lowered his ears, and with a resigned expression, began washing the dishes.

I always found this process mesmerizing--Luther would guide a stream of water, turning it into a supercritical fluid mist through which the dishes passed.

Terrifying... yet undeniably beautiful.

"Is this really necessary?" Luther muttered as he reverted the dirty parts of the dishes back into fluid and guided them into the wall-mounted disposal unit. "I can think of ten simpler ways to clean dishes."

"I wouldn't make you do this for no reason," I replied, somewhat irritably. "The point is to practice control, and using carbon dioxide is too easy. My instructor took three years to help me master creating supercritical water." I stretched, hearing my joints crack as I reminisced about my youth. "It took another year to separate grime from used dishes. I'll never forget the hundreds of dirty plates I washed over those four years." I shrugged and grinned at Luther. "I believe this process can be replicated."

"If you didn't so forcefully 'believe' that a used cup 'should' be dirty, I'm sure I would've succeeded by now." Luther stowed the clean dishes in the cupboard, not even needing hand gestures to assist. "The consciousness union of the gray wolf is nothing short of stubborn."

"Stop complaining. Your mastery of psychic techniques has already broken all records." To say my pride had no sore spots would be a lie. What was it, only the third year?

"I have an exceptional teacher." Luther bowed his head to me, ears flattened back. If not for the overly smug grin, he would've looked sincere.

"Don't waste your energy flattering me," I snorted.

Luther straightened up but quickly licked his nose, that smug smile still lingering. I decided to reprimand him later; we had already agreed on the boundaries during duty shifts.

"Why did we start talking about this?" I asked as I walked to the living room window, watching a freighter loading Augira crystals at Ceres Starport.

"Oh, you mean the history of drinking coffee from a saucer?" Luther casually sat on the sofa, drawing canna juice from the fridge through a small open crack, forming several equally-sized yellow spheres in front of him. "You were just about to talk about the turning point in the Inner Planet War."

I silently watched Luther open his mouth wide, swallowing the yellow spheres one by one, his cute expression making the corners of my mouth lift. But the words at the end of his sentence... they were like a black hole, sucking away all my levity, tearing it apart.

"How did these two topics get tangled together?" I rubbed my temples in frustration, sitting down across from Luther. Was my concentration starting to slip?

"Uh..." Luther hesitated, leaning back in his chair and pushing a juice sphere toward me. "Whenever you talk about the Inner Planet War, this usually happens." He averted his gaze, looking at the floor, scratching his ear. "Last time we were near the asteroid belt and around Cronus's rings, it was the same. You always seem to... drink too much coffee."

Was it because of the resonant waves between psychics that he noticed? Or had I, due to Luther's straightforward and simple nature, overlooked his delicate and perceptive mind? Could it be more straightforward and reasonable--that he simply cared about me?

"Saying it was a turning point isn't quite accurate." I opened my mouth, swallowing the yellow sphere, savoring the burst of flavor in my mouth. "Essentially, the Battle of Midway was the full stop."

I picked up my terminal, noting that our duty shift was about to end, and handed over my tasks to Arthur, responding to the urgent messages. Then, I tried to relax, slumping on the sofa, staring at the living room ceiling, organizing how to briefly recount the entire event.

Luther met my gaze, his large brown eyes waiting patiently.

As I gathered my thoughts, the room's lighting shifted to the evening setting, the simulated twilight sky displaying a seven-colored gradient on the ceiling and walls of the living room.

Perhaps it was Luther's presence, or perhaps enough time had passed for me to process and recount those memories.

"At that time, I was an intern third officer on the Empire's Heart, following Arthur, who was the first officer." Although the heaviness in my chest was hard to bear, certain memories still made me smile. "The Inner Planet War had been in a stalemate for years, with constant skirmishes but no truly devastating large-scale battles."

I drew several adamantine pieces from a hidden compartment, disassembling them into fine sand, which floated above the coffee table in front of the sofa. I found that, like telling a story, adopting a detached perspective made it easier and more objective to revisit what had happened.

"Until... the Federation successfully mounted an Apocalypse-class beam on their warships. We confirmed after the war that four warships equipped with this weapon were built, named War, Plague, Famine, and Death."

The War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, began to take shape from the adamantine sand. More like a fortress than a warship, it was a massive spherical structure about 40 kilometers in diameter, equipped with numerous reflective mirrors, accelerators, and high-power energy emitters. The rear of the sphere bore an even larger cross-shaped framework, designed to unfold into multiple branches for cooling purposes.

"And the Federation clearly intended to use a direct attack on the Empire's flagship as the debut of their secret weapon."

On the edge of the coffee table near me, I formed the fleet of the Empire's Heart--comprising the 25-kilometer-long flagship, six cruisers, two battleships, five destroyers, and a propulsion ship. The fleet was traveling in thermal stealth mode, with the destroyers at the forefront, forming a tetrahedral formation, deploying thermal shields to cover the fleet.

"We still aren't entirely sure why the fleet's position was exposed, but that doesn't really matter."

The War slowly unfolded its entire cooling framework, like an angel spreading its wings, and then its main cannon flashed.

"When the Empire's Heart was hit, the armor officer immediately switched to ablative armor to respond, but the Apocalypse-class beam's power was too high. Analyzing the attack's wavelength took time, and it was clear that the Empire's Heart would be breached before the calculations were complete."

The Empire's Heart 's bow began to melt, spewing out fine dust that drifted. The melted section continued to erode deeper, inching closer to the bridge, but the erosion suddenly halted.

"Lucas..." I couldn't even remember his name back then. "Captain Lucas moved the Listening into the beam's path, trying to buy us some time with its thermal shields, but obviously, against that level of energy, it didn't make much difference."

The destroyer at the peak of the tetrahedral formation moved into the War's line of fire, taking the brunt of the attack, and began to melt.

"Meanwhile, the Admiral was berating me for intervening, breaking my nose and causing me to lose focus for too long, missing the window for effective response. I didn't even notice when communication with the Listening cut off..."

The destroyer, over half of its hull vaporized, lost power and began drifting with inertia. Meanwhile, the War's cooling panels started to steam, as if they were about to melt.

"The Admiral relieved me of duty because I believed we should use the Empire's Heart--with its most extensive ablative armor--as a shield to ensure the other ships could retreat while buying time to rescue the Listening's survivors. But he ordered the cruiser group to move into the War's line of fire instead. Perhaps because the remaining destroyers were too far away, and the War was beyond the battleships' effective range, he didn't see any other options."

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The cruisers began to move, intending to use their hulls as shields to protect the flagship.

"The Empire's Heart fleet's cruiser group is also known as 'the Shield of German,' but it's not meant to be used this way... Regardless, I believe they were eager to accept the mission, likely due to some sense of 'honor.' To me, it was an incomprehensible foolishness, because after an attack of this magnitude, the weapon would need hours to cool down before it could fire again. Of course, at that moment, I was being dragged out of the bridge, unable to express my opinion. The Admiral intended to throw me in the brig, likely related to me calling him 'a brainless idiot.'"

The cruisers were still moving, but at this moment, the main cannon of the War flashed once again.

"In the end... I guess I'm also 'a brainless idiot'," I said, pressing my palm to my forehead. "No... actually, all of us are."

The Empire's Heart was struck, the area of molten damage continued to expand and deepen, and it was clear that the cruisers wouldn't make it to the attack path before the flagship's bridge was destroyed. But suddenly, the attack stopped, as the War exploded into fragments.

"The pause between the last attacks allowed the wavelength analysis to complete. The armor officer managed to buy us a little more time by switching to full-reflection armor. And as I expected, the Apocalypse indeed needed a lot of time to cool down, but the enemy commander clearly couldn't pass up the opportunity to destroy the Empire's Heart, so he decided... to take a risk."

The fragments of the War floated everywhere, and the remaining half of the Listening Ship's wreckage did the same... at least until its final explosion. Countless tiny fragments began their eternal drift.

"I think... at that moment, I could no longer bear it. I finally decided to do what I should have done long ago." I waved my hand, dismantling all the models except for the Empire's Heart, returning them to adamantine sand. "As the Patriarch of the House, I took command of the Empire's Heart and issued an ultimatum to the Federal Command Core at Midway Fortress."

On Luther's end of the coffee table, the adamantine sand formed the shape of Midway Fortress and the Yamato Fleet. Numerous gigantic defensive structures assembled from regular icosahedrons, surrounded by hundreds of warships.

A thin screen rose from the center of the coffee table, separating Midway Fortress from the Empire's Heart.

"We had... a very interesting conversation. But simply put, they naturally rejected my unconditional peace offer."

The outermost layer of adamantine sand began to detach from the flagship Empire's Heart, floating randomly around it. When nearly all of the adamantine sand had detached from the Empire's Heart , leaving only the basic structure to maintain the ship's cabins, I gave a command gesture, and the adamantine sand began to pulse and flicker, with increasing frequency and speed, before finally moving along a specific trajectory, forming a high-speed, flowing symbol--a symbol with no beginning, no end, no borders, no limits--Infinity.

"Leon was the chief engineer of the Empire's Heart at the time. I ordered him to open a small wormhole that would drain the flagship's energy, connecting Midway Fortress to our space."

In the center of the thin screen separating the two sides, a small opening appeared.

"I gave them ten minutes to consider surrender, and another ten minutes to evacuate... but they refused both."

The Federal fleet and fortress immediately fired at the wormhole opening, countless artillery blasts traversing the distorted space, but all were intercepted by the Empire's Heart 's drones.

"Their number were within the limit I could suppress, but they had three psychics--two Gamma-levels and one Beta. The Beta was strong; the fleet and fortress were both within his consciousness domain, and the combined resilience of their minds made it impossible for me to directly disarm them."

The Federal attack became increasingly intense, but the small attack window worked in favor of the Empire's Heart, which could defend with drones, even against high-powered beams or particle weapons. And those superweapons took too long to cool down between shots, making them ineffective.

"I gave them another chance to cease fire and surrender... but my offer was still... not accepted."

The drones circling above the flagship moved faster and faster, their glow growing ever brighter until they looked like a twisted silver stream.

"So... there was only one option left..."

The drones split from the endpoints of the infinity symbol into two torrents, rushing into the wormhole with unstoppable force, pouring out the other side.

Engulfing everything.

"The combined mental fortification with the psychics was too resilient, so I had no choice but to synchronize with the drones, resonating with the adamantine embedded in their edges, to sink every one of the Federal warships."

Like locusts or marching ants, wherever the silver stream of adamantine passed, the warships were torn into fragments of varying sizes.

It didn't take long for the hundreds of vessels to lose all response, leaving only slowly rotating, drifting debris.

And the fortress itself, heavily surrounded by the drone swarm, continued its futile resistance. "I asked again..." Actually, it was more like I begged, I thought. "...for their surrender, but the annihilation of their fleet clearly did not shake their resolve; it might have even strengthened it. So..." The adamantine sand that shrouded the fortress like a dense fog split into dozens of streams after coalescing, piercing through the fortress's outer shell, flooding into it, surging, eroding, devouring, dismantling the gigantic structure. Finally, the fortress exploded from within, like an overripe fruit falling to the ground.

Fragments of various sizes, the drones without targets, and countless... corpses that weren't depicted in this hellish scene, all drifted silently in space, along with fields that couldn't be observed directly.

"In total, 982,365 people, 550,000 of whom were fortress garrison troops, including about 100,000 non-combat personnel." I released my consciousness, letting the adamantine sand fall and scatter across the coffee table and floor. "I killed them all."

I looked at my fingers and rubbed them together. Then I raised my gaze, focusing on Luther's face.

How would you see me now?

The living room lighting switched to night mode, plunging the surroundings into darkness. After my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw Luther, still sitting as before, his eyes reflecting the faint glow from the choroid layer, his expression seemingly deep in thought.

"Oh, and the Empire's Heart 's armor officer," I added. "Even though he was Delta-level, the screams of nearly a million people dying clearly exceeded his tolerance."

Those who think space is silent have never heard those soul-wrenching cries.

"He screamed on the bridge for a long time, and I had no choice but to knock him out. For the next few months, the chief medical officer was forced to keep him in an induced coma because whenever he woke up, all he could do was scream." What was his name again? Captain... Hans? Yes, definitely, Captain Hans, the German Shepherd. "In the end, the medical board unanimously agreed to perform humane euthanasia on him. So I guess that should count on my record too."

I sighed and adjusted my posture because my waist was starting to stiffen again.

"At least there's some small comfort that he was the only casualty from our fleet in the Battle of Midway." I thought, perhaps a part of me died then too. But could that really be called a "casualty"? Or can I even be considered a part of the fleet? I don't know.

I felt more like a player, and they were just my pieces. Or more accurately, like a clueless child playing with scattered game pieces, occasionally putting one in their mouth for a bite.

Luther still hadn't spoken or even changed his sitting position. Say something, you straightforward and sensitive mutt!

"Are you... troubled?" Luther tilted his head slightly as he spoke, as if he were troubled too. I hadn't expected that reaction from him and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes..." I suppose I need to admit that sometimes I really do 'lose sleep' over this memory. "...and no." But I'm quite certain that what I did doesn't truly bother me.

"But that was war." Luther said, "You had to protect your people."

"Let's assume for a moment that war really justifies these actions, but the truth is, what I did was closer to a massacre." I propped my chin on one hand, leaning against the armrest. "The only reason I wasn't prosecuted for war crimes is because we won." My ear twitched slightly. "Maybe also because no one dared."

"You were just doing your duty," Luther insisted.

"When I stand trial one day, I'll be sure to ask you to defend me." In response to my remark, he folded his right ear down, as if not appreciating my joke, so I continued explaining. "Isn't everyone? Isn't everyone 'just doing their duty'?"

Luther tilted his head to the other side.

"Following orders from some 'leader' you've never met, maybe even someone you don't like, how does that absolve you of your actions? " I tapped my nails on the armrest. "The superior gives an order, and you just follow it?" I joked again, but Luther clearly wasn't in the mood to play along.

"But..." He shifted his posture, rubbing his hands together. "You didn't have any other choice."

"Choices are always there." I sighed softly, speaking in a low voice. " 'Man is condemned to be free.' "

"But what choice is there? Everyone's just following orders." Luther looked a little angry. "If you disobey orders, you get severely punished. Not to mention, if you don't kill them, they'll kill you, or the people you care about."

"I'm saying 'choices are always there.' I didn't say choices don't come with costs or consequences." I locked eyes with Luther to emphasize my point. " 'Wielding a sword means you will hurt people.' " My whispered words were almost too faint for me to hear.

"In a situation where there's no real choice, it's not a choice at all," Luther said in a tone full of complaint. "And how can anyone expect us to put someone else's needs before our own?"

"Yes, you're right," I replied with a faint smile. "I just wanted to remind you that the choice is always there. If you're only looking to make things easier for yourself by shifting the burden and pain onto the so-called 'leader' giving orders, then that's wrong."

Luther tilted his head, his expression still conflicted, clearly not convinced by my words--or perhaps not even understanding what I was trying to convey.

Maybe, deep down, I hoped he would never fully understand.

But I also didn't want to take away his opportunity to comprehend this matter.

Damn, I hate paradoxes, almost as much as I hate compromises.

"Go back to your room and get some rest. I have some things to take care of," I lied, avoiding the questioning gaze in his brown eyes. Damn those puppy-dog eyes--they should be banned under the Geneva Convention!

After Luther left, I sat alone in the darkness, listening to the ceaseless screams echoing in my mind.

I expanded my consciousness, summoning the item I needed from the storage locker into my hand, then let my consciousness withdraw, allowing the field to dissipate.

It was a small, round metal pendant. The design on the front was just as foolish as I remembered--stupid, really. So I turned the pendant over and read the inscription on the back.

"Exitus acta probat." The bitterness in my mouth made my throat dry, and I could only produce a hoarse sound. I gripped the pendant tightly, feeling the cold, hard metal beneath my fingers. "Kotetsu, you stubborn fool!" I shouted into the endless void, forming a communication wave from my memory and futilely sending out a signal that would never be answered again. My frustration had no target to vent on, leaving me with nothing but my own inability to blame.

My hands started trembling again, and I sighed in resignation. I walked over to the metal table by the observation window, intending to pour myself a cup of coffee.

When I discovered the coffee was gone, the suffocating sense of frustration reached a new height. I wanted to smash the glass pot on the floor as if that would mean anything at all. So, I simply placed the pot back where it belonged, defeated.

I braced myself against the metal table, lowering my head, trying to escape the endless void--at least for a moment.

Maybe I was too numb, or perhaps I subconsciously ignored it, so it wasn't until Luther hugged me from behind that I realized he was there.

"Didn't I tell you to go back to your room?" I muttered, surrendering to the warmth I couldn't resist.

"My shift is over. I don't have to follow your orders." He hugged me tighter, gently rubbing his chin on my left shoulder.

"There's no such thing as shifts here, just being on duty or on standby," I mumbled back, placing my right hand over his arm that was wrapped around my chest.

"Call it whatever you want, it's all the same. I just can't leave you like this..." Luther whispered softly in my ear, a warm breath tickling my ear. "Especially when you're crying."

It wasn't until Luther said that that I noticed the wet fur against my cheek. Had I already started ignoring that feeling?

After wiping my face a few times, I straightened up and looked at my reflection in the observation window. Then I lowered my head, focusing on the wet fur in my palm, trying to brush the moisture away. I failed.

"Should I brew a new pot?" Luther asked, glancing at the empty glass pot.

"No..." I hesitated for a moment before deciding. "This is fine." Boundaries and all that, I didn't care for them right now.

I took off my red uniform jacket and hung it on the wall, then turned around and returned to the safe haven Luther offered.

"This is fine..." I nuzzled his ear with my nose, then buried my head in his thick, black fur, inhaling deeply. "This is fine."

In the silent darkness, we held each other tightly, until the only sound I could hear was the synchronized beating of two hearts.