The man approached the throne of blue steel and stopped at its base. The throne sat three steps above ground level. He knelt, head bowed so low his forehead brushed the cold floor, and waited, for to speak here without leave was to court death.

  The figure upon the throne said nothing at first. His gaze was distant and calculating. Then, with a weary sigh, he rose. Black energy rolled off his body like smoke, and a suit of obsidian armour coalesced around him. A sword, taller than a man, detached itself from the wall and locked into place across his back. When the figure finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of storms.

  “Why have you come, Edgar? I warned you that returning without results would mean the death of your family.”

  Edgar collapsed, somehow bowing even lower. Trembling, he pressed himself into a full kowtow. “M-my lord...” The tip of the great sword shimmered into existence at his throat. He swallowed hard, his voice breaking. “My lord, we found it. We found the missing world.”

  The lord did not lower his blade. “Report. Everything.”

  Sweat gathered beneath Edgar’s palms. “The planet lies within the SOL system, third orbit. The inhabitants call it Earth. Integration is expected within six galactic cycles.”

  At last, the sword vanished. The lord stepped back, returning to his throne in a blink of shadow. The air itself seemed to warp around him, crushing down on Edgar like a collapsing star.

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  “How,” the lord asked, his tone as cold as ice, “did you miss this before? We have searched that system.”

  “The planet is cloaked, my lord,” Edgar gasped, nose pressed to the floor. “A concealment field blocks all scans. We found it only by chance, a trace discovered by our contact in the Alpha system.”

  The lord’s expression darkened. “So, we owe her a debt then.” His voice softened to a dangerous murmur. “What does she want?”

  Edgar dared not look up. “She asked to speak with you directly.”

  The lord’s black aura condensed into his hand, forming a smooth stone tablet. Shadows coiled around it as he whispered a summons. “Witch. You have done me a service. Speak. You have three requests, within reason.”

  A veiled woman appeared within the tablet’s surface. “My Lord, your generosity—”

  “I have no time for flattery,” he cut her off. “Name them.”

  The witch bowed her head. “Then I will ask only two, as one of them exceeds my station.”

  The lord thought for a moment. “We shall see,” he said as he folded his arms.

  Her voice sharpened. “First, I want Integration Access.”

  “Granted.”

  “And…” she hesitated, “I want Edgar and his family.”

  The lord’s eyes narrowed. “Selene. Even for you, that is bold. Why?”

  Her tone turned sly. “Because what I know is worth it.”

  “Convince me.”

  “The world, Earth—it isn’t F-rank.” She smiled beneath the veil. “It’s D-rank.”

  The lord’s lips curled into a predator’s grin. He struck Edgar in the gut, sending him sprawling. “Very well. You can have them, but as for your first request,” he leaned closer to the tablet, “Integration Access will be full. You are to integrate completely from the start, full wipe, along with Edgar and his family.”

  Selene’s smile faltered, but she bowed. “Accepted.”

  Black smoke erupted from the tablet, wrapping around Edgar’s form. He screamed once and vanished.

  The throne room fell silent again. The lord closed his eyes, the darkness settling around him like a shroud. “Earth,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Let us see if you are worth the trouble.”