Chapter 22 — The Chronicles of Aris (Part 1)

  The cold light of the command room screens reflected in Laura’s eyes as she watched in silence.

  On the monitor, Leon and Lara sat together on a bench in the leisure area of the ship. They laughed, speaking animatedly, unaware they were being observed.

  Laura narrowed her gaze.

  For a moment, the image froze… and the red glow of memory consumed her thoughts.

  Long before Lee was born, before alliances and betrayals shaped the present, another story had begun.

  Inside the throne hall of Krizand, flames burned within massive chandeliers hanging from a high vaulted ceiling. Banners marked with the lightning crest swayed gently in the heated air.

  A young warrior knelt before an older Krizardian king.

  “Aris,” the king said, his voice echoing across the hall, “I have a mission only you can accomplish.”

  “I am listening, my king.”

  “You will infiltrate Planet XP. You will use disguise technology. Your hair will appear green, your identity rewritten. You will be known as a scholar — a man who left his world to study among them.”

  The king’s smile turned cold.

  “When you arrive, records will show you have just turned eighteen. By tradition… you will meet your fiancée. Her name is Laura.”

  Aris frowned slightly.

  “A Xprian?”

  “Yes. Necessary. The man whose identity you will take was already promised to her.”

  The king leaned forward.

  “I eliminated his entire family. His inheritance is now yours. Your mission is simple: find Vharon. Alive… or dead.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Aris lowered his head.

  “As you command.”

  Life on Planet XP began as deception.

  The wedding ceremony was beautiful — glowing lanterns floated above the streets while the citizens celebrated the union. Laura smiled sincerely, believing the story Aris had told her: that his parents had died in the G26 planetary war.

  But while she trusted him… he observed everything.

  Every company, every transport route, every meeting schedule.

  Each night, Aris secretly sent reports back to Krizand.

  He was the perfect spy.

  Until the day Lee was born.

  Aris held the newborn in his arms. The room was quiet, filled only with the soft breathing of Laura and the child. For a brief moment… something in his expression softened.

  Then his eyes hardened.

  He paralyzed everyone in the room for a few seconds and inserted a tiny chip into the baby’s ear.

  Lee’s hair slowly turned green.

  Aris exhaled in relief.

  Months passed.

  Years.

  And slowly… Aris stopped sending reports.

  Inside the Krizardian palace, the king slammed his hand against the throne.

  “He formed a family?” the king snarled. “Bring Aris back. If he refuses to kill them… kill him instead.”

  Aris returned home that night with a dark expression.

  “We have to leave,” he told Laura. “They’re coming. They’ll kill us.”

  Laura’s voice was firm.

  “I will never betray my people. I made a vow to the Goddess Lara.”

  Something inside Aris broke.

  His eyes glowed crimson.

  The house shattered as a violent aura exploded around him. Laura immediately formed a golden barrier, protecting the baby girl in her arms.

  Then a small figure rushed forward.

  Eight-year-old Lee.

  With trembling hands and glowing eyes identical to his father’s, he slashed across Aris’s chest with clawed fingers.

  “Stay away from my mom and my sister!”

  For the first time, Aris hesitated.

  Tears ran down his face.

  And then… he vanished.

  Back on Krizand, Aris knelt before the king.

  “I challenge you for the throne.”

  The royal council of the five elements gathered — water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning.

  Aris stood and faced them.

  “You will have a new king. The one you follow used me and stole my position as Supreme General. Under my rule… we will become conquerors again.”

  The soldiers roared in approval.

  The king attacked first.

  But his body froze mid-movement, paralyzed by the crimson aura surrounding Aris.

  “You… always had this power…” the king gasped.

  Aris drove his hand through the king’s chest, lifting him into the air before the entire court.

  The body fell.

  Silence filled the hall as every Krizardian knelt.

  Aris stood alone, blood running down his arm, the burning heart in his hand illuminating his face.

  A new king had risen.

  The memory faded.

  Back in the present, Laura continued staring at the monitor — at Leon and Lara laughing together — her expression unreadable.

  Because she knew something they did not.

  The past was not finished with them.

  And Aris… was still alive.