Unfortunately, by then my strike had lost all its power and failed to hit its target.

  Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the thickest golden armor grabbed the other two smaller ones and hurled them in my direction in an attempt to stop me from delivering a second blow.

  [Rob!!]

  I felt the barely visible trajectories of a great sword and a powerful energy shot begin to form behind me; an unmistakable sign that my Sovereignty was about to collapse.

  “Just a little mooore!!” I shouted as I raised the immense hammer once again.

  A second strike, far more powerful than the first, began to descend upon the crimson core. My enemies’ trajectories were about to reach me, and the intense pain told me my mind was nearing its limit. But none of that mattered; my focus was entirely fixed on the crimson core, the source of this hellish place, the curse that has swallowed ships for generations and prevented anyone from ever escaping.

  My hammer was just about to accomplish its task, but something didn’t feel right. Suddenly, I noticed a small crack in my world of absolute understanding; just a tiny, insignificant speck in a remote corner of my mind, which, despite its size, radiated an extremely ominous sensation.

  Following my instincts, I pushed my mind and my computational capacity to their limit in those final moments. A tearing pain erupted in my head as I began to gather the scattered fragments that, on their own, meant nothing, but when assembled started to reveal a different picture.

  I remembered the story Alex told me: when his team was about to escape through the rift, they were interrupted by a golden armor that pierced them like a comet.

  The first fragment fell into place.

  I recalled the images transmitted by Alex’s armor, where the golden armors hurled a native into the core, which absorbed him and returned him lifeless seconds later. Even after that, they showed no joy or faith; only watched him and moved on to the next.

  The second fragment snapped into place.

  I remembered how, when they saw me heading for the summit, the armors paused for a moment to look at one another, then chased after me at full speed while firing shots at me with surprisingly poor aim.

  Another piece clicked into place.

  And so, little by little, various inconsistencies came together, fragment by fragment, restoring the crack and creating new pathways of thought, until a theory began to form in my mind. If it turned out to be true, I would be in grave danger; but if I was wrong, I would lose an opportunity for which the Princess, Alex, and I had sacrificed enormously, one I very much doubt will ever come again.

  [Rob?] the Princess looked at me, worried.

  Doubt overwhelmed my mind in an instant that was stretched out by my superior cerebral capacity. Everything was at stake. My head felt on the verge of bursting as I searched for every tiny trace of information that might help me make the best decision.

  Then, suddenly, from the far reaches of my thoughts, a memory came to me.

  ***

  I’m standing in front of a large screen, watching a projection of a mission.

  “What are you watching?” says the shooting instructor, who appears behind me stealthily.

  “Ah, you startled me!” I exclaimed in surprise. “I was studying your mission records.”

  “Good idea. You can learn a lot from others’ experiences,” she says calmly. “Any questions?”

  “Well, since you mention it; in the mission on the planet Ventus Prime, how did you know that the ambassador who received you had been replaced by a scaley? Their imitations are perfect, and he didn’t do anything suspicious. I know they can be identified by some special means, but you simply pulled out a weapon and shot him in the head,” I asked, referring to the recording I’d been studying for some time.

  “Ventus Prime, huh? Well, I remember he gave me a dangerous feeling, so the best alternative was to eliminate the source of danger,” she replied confidently.

  “Just for that? Couldn’t you at least shoot him in the foot? If you were wrong, it could cause an international incident,” I pressed, somewhat alarmed.

  “Of course it was just for that. When you’ve survived as many missions as I have, you start trusting your instincts; and you have to be decisive. No half-measures like shooting the foot; that could cost you your life. And even if I had been wrong, I could surely find some reason to justify his execution. Believe me, they’re nobles. If you dig deep enough, the dirt always comes out.”

  “…Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, somewhat stunned.

  ***

  “Trust my instincts and be decisive, huh? Mother was tougher than she looked.”

  If I can’t trust myself, I’ll trust my instincts.

  At last, the moment shattered just as my hammer was about to destroy the core. However, at the final second, I stopped it right in front of it. The residual shockwave energy released by the hammer made the core tremble, but it remained intact.

  Everything fell silent. I stayed motionless with the gigantic hammer powered down. Finally, my dominion deactivated, and I returned to being just a man. My circlet spat sparks and shut down from overexertion, leaving me with nothing but manual piloting.

  But that wasn’t even the most important thing. Behind me, my enemies had also stopped, stunned. Come on, what are you waiting for?

  [Dodge!] the Princess warned me, but I chose to remain still.

  A pair of shots struck the ground between my legs without touching me. Seeing that, I smiled; I hadn’t been wrong after all.

  “No one can be that bad at shooting.”

  I spun around quickly, grabbed the barrel of my enemy’s weapon, and hurled it into the vortex. It struggled in midair, trying to escape, but it was already too late. The powerful storm swallowed it and began to shred it amid crimson winds. It let out one final scream before bursting into a violent golden explosion that sent both me and my remaining enemies flying far away.

  [Wake up, get up!] the Princess’s urgent voice kept me from blacking out.

  My ears rang as I tried to get to my feet. The explosion and the overstrain on my mind had left me in a miserable state. I barely managed to kneel and brace myself against some rocks.

  I looked at the crimson vortex as it recovered, rising toward the skies, roaring and hurling lightning. From the dust emerged two golden silhouettes approaching me.

  I spoke to them between gasps and waves of pain:

  “You damn bastards… you were guiding me here… no one is that bad at shooting… altar my ass… you can’t even get close without being torn apart… you were never offering sacrifices… you were looking for someone to shut it down… a human… what’s in there is an artifact, right…? and this storm is a prison you’re trying to escape from, isn’t it…? that’s why you pretended to chase me… you realized my mistake and were hoping I could destroy it… free you…”

  I should have realized it. Alex’s team wasn’t ambushed to stop their escape; the monster was trying to escape through the opening as well. Ironically, it was the other way around: the team prevented them from escaping.

  I looked toward the center of the vortex and the shadow within. That must be the artifact. Between my conversation with Alex, where we jokingly discussed the possibility of finding one on this expedition, and the Quantum Oracle’s calculations about the imminent appearance of the next one, I should have anticipated it. Damn Murphy’s law!

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  And it seems to be a particularly temperamental one. I should have guessed as much from its stormy nature. Although they’re generally just objects that anyone can use with the right knowledge, some are more complicated; usable only by beings who meet certain requirements, and the most difficult ones even develop a kind of pseudo-consciousness. If you try to force them, the artifact will reject you, just as seems to have happened with the captured natives.

  [What are you talking about, Rob? Are you saying the Storm prevents them from leaving? But then why does it keep swallowing ships?]

  The Storm has appeared and disappeared across the galaxy for centuries, devouring everything it encounters.

  “Because they got too close. It was its defense mechanism; like guards in a prison.”

  Now everything was clear. Someone, who knows how long ago, trapped these creatures inside the Red Storm with the artifact to prevent them from spreading. The very thought sent a chill through me. I’ve seen what a handful of them can do; if they manage to keep expanding, we could be facing the next Nightmare waiting to descend upon the Rim.

  [Rob, you have to move!] the Princess tells me as she watches the remaining pair of enemies closing in.

  I tried to move the armor, but only managed a few clumsy steps before stumbling. My mind and body were no longer in shape, not to mention Cadejos, which already needed a couple of repairs.

  “I can’t… looks like this is as far as I go, Princess. The connection has already shut down. Stay on the ship, find Alex, and hide for a while. With some luck, the kingdom will send a search team for the Seeker… hehe, how ironic.” I let out one last laugh to keep the fear at bay.

  [No, no, no, no, no, I won’t. I won’t lose anyone else. No, no, no, no.] The Princess broke down and began repeating the words on a loop.

  “It’s okay, Princess. We knew this was a possibility. Use what I learnt and give them a beating in my name,” I tried to calm her. “Oh, and if you can, upload the recording to my channel. It’s kind of sad, but it’s my best video.”

  [No, no, no, no, I’ll think of something, just give me time. Maybe with my main body…]

  “No,” I cut her off sharply. “Don’t move the ship. You’re not in condition. You’ll only put yourself in danger. You are our only chance to counterattack,” I warned her.

  [But I… I…]

  The furious roars of the creatures interrupted the Princess. Looks like it’s time. I tried to get up. I wouldn’t greet death on my knees. I could barely keep myself standing, but I got to my feet.

  “You did what you could. Only a miracle could save me in my condition,” I told her through the transmitter.

  [Red…] the Princess’s voice reached me, slow and broken.

  It seems she can still feel sadness. I was somewhat happy for her, but also filled with sorrow that she had to discover it through such a painful emotion.

  I raised my gaze toward the two remaining golden armors, who were no longer pretending and were advancing on me with their weapons raised. I hope Alex fared better than I did. With that thought, I lifted a spear from the hypercube and prepared for my final battle, when suddenly a projectile descended from the sky and landed right between us, destroying much of the area and halting my enemies’ charge.

  [A miracle? Then would that make me a Divine emissary?]

  Without understanding anything, I heard a somewhat robotic voice interrupt what would have been my last battle.

  “Princess, is your voice changing? Did you already hit puberty?” I asked, almost without thinking.

  [It wasn’t me—and I’m already an adult, how rude] she said, grumbling. That’s better.

  [Still as eccentric as ever, Rob Sabringer. How does a mechanic end up in situations like this?] asked the familiar robotic voice.

  Wait, only one person would call me by my full name.

  “Horaizon!!”

  I shouted with joy as my eyes turned to the planet’s reddish skies, where a colossal bluish object now stood out like a precious gem in a sea of blood. A marvelous vessel over a thousand meters long, which I had believed lost, was once again sailing the cosmos.

  [Visual record confirmed… it’s nice to see you still standing] my old companion told me.

  I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. It really was a miracle. Space god, you really outdid yourself this time.

  “But how? Weren’t you torn to pieces?” I asked her.

  [Indeed, the damage to the main unit exceeded all projections, but fortunately your efforts managed to restore power to key sectors. In addition, you reactivated the ship’s self-repair system, which allowed it to recover operational capability and awaken the AI.]

  Right, the self-repair system. I had left it running when I went out to explore, though after my first encounter with the golden armor and then with the Princess, I completely forgot about it. I wanted to return to the Seeker, but things went so crazy that there was simply no time.

  [Is this your old ship?] the Princess asked.

  “Yes, Princess, she is—”

  [Old? Your grandmother is old! I’m a state-of-the-art vessel, equipped with the most advanced technology in the kingdom. If anyone’s an antique, it’s you] Horaizon replied, sounding somewhat irritated.

  “I don’t think she meant—” I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but was interrupted.

  [Excuse me? I am one of the nine legendary Princesses, the most incredible ships that have been or ever will be built. Nothing a mass-produced unit would understand] the Princess shot back, her tone sharp.

  “Easy, please, she obviously didn’t mean—”

  Things were getting dangerous in a different sense.

  [And despite being a unit of that caliber, you nearly allowed mechanic Sabringer to die] Horaizon replied, striking right where it hurt.

  This was not the emotional reunion I’d expected with an ally I believed dead, and the Princess was also rather worked up. Mental note: never compare AI capabilities; things can get ugly fast.

  Damn it, things are already ugly. I’m hesitating to butt in, because as my father used to say, “When two women fight, only an idiot gets in the middle.” And he managed to marry Mom, so he must have known something; or so I think. I don’t really have any other male role models. Well, there’s old Jacks, but I’m not sure I’d want to imitate him.

  “Come on, girls, calm down! We need to focus on the enemy,” I decided to intervene when I saw the armors rising through the dust of the explosion.

  “Horaizon, how many more projectiles do you have?” I asked her.

  [I currently have no weapons operational. I’m running on backup power that barely suffices to move the ship using the positioning thrusters.]

  Damn, those aren’t even for travel. It must have taken her a long time to get here. Wait a second…

  “No weapons? Then what was that you fired?”

  [That was part of the cooling system of section 3-A. It detached and entered the atmosphere at high velocity.]

  “…….”

  [……]

  Seriously? After that grand entrance? Is she falling apart?

  [I am entering the planet’s atmosphere. I predict a considerable dispersion of debris in the next few moments, and a main impact near your position in approximately thirty seconds.]

  “And that means…?”

  [I hope your armor’s engines are still functional.]

  “Damn it!” I shouted as I pushed the engines to maximum and moved away from the mountain.

  Seeing me flee, my enemies began to pursue me like two golden bolts, but I didn’t care much, because as if fulfilling a prophecy, blazing fragments began to tear through the wall of crimson clouds and rain down upon our position. I hope Mir and the others managed to get clear.

  [Rob, follow my instructions. It’s your only option,] the Princess told me.

  “At your command!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

  I began dodging fragments coming from every direction, following the Princess’s almost prophetic guidance. The skies turned into flaming hells that rained destruction upon us. I know it’s strange to say this to someone who’s sacrificing herself, but…

  “You’ll pay for this, Horaizon!!”

  The only thing that comforted me was that my enemies were in a similar situation, and that the core remained safe, since the vortex shattered or deflected any incoming fragments.

  As I moved away from the blast radius, I saw on the screens how the heavier armor lacked sufficient mobility and was struck by a particularly large incoming fragment, being destroyed in a spectacular golden explosion. Good, only one left.

  My joy didn’t last long, because from among the clouds a colossal metal titan appeared, slowly descending upon us; at last, the main body. The impact surpassed anything I had ever seen before. The shockwave sent a blazing shard flying that struck my thruster, hurling me to the ground and ending with me being swallowed by a gigantic fissure that opened in the earth.

  At last, the impact zone calmed. Inside my fissure, I barely survived amid dust and rocks. My mind was in a state of semi-consciousness, due to repeated blows and exhaustion.

  “Princess? Horaizon?” I asked almost instinctively, but received no response. There was too much interference from the explosion.

  I tried to get up, but my body groaned with pain and fatigue. I ended up slumping into my seat, my eyes on the verge of closing, when in the midst of my fading consciousness, the figures of my instructors materialized before me and spoke.

  “What’s wrong, kid? You look done for,” my instructor said as he drank liquor.

  “…I could use a nap,” I replied without thinking much. It seemed my mind was no longer seeking answers.

  “You can’t sleep yet. The mission isn’t over,” I heard the shooting instructor’s voice say, as she appeared above the fissure.

  “Didn’t everyone die?” I asked, groggy.

  As if mocking me, a furious roar tore through the planet’s scorched forests and reached my fissure, where it reverberated off the walls.

  “Doesn’t seem like it,” she said, looking outward.

  “Damn it… then how many have I killed? How is there still one left alive? Is it immortal?” I complained inside my cockpit.

  “Sounds tough. Must be one of those enemies that just won’t die,” the red-haired instructor exclaimed with a laugh.

  “I’ve had fights like that sometimes; beings that regenerate or ignore all damage, wearing you down and cornering you again and again. They’re always a headache,” the instructor said, her expression as if reminiscing.

  Ugh, great! Even they know how hard this is going to be.

  “So then, how do you defeat those who refuse to give up?” The question arose from the deepest recesses of my foggy mind.

  I saw the two of them exchange amused looks, as if a child had asked why soup falls off a fork. Hey, that’s insulting. Noticing my frown, they stopped playing around and finally answered me.

  “By getting up,” the sword instructor said with a smile.

  “What…?” I asked, completely thrown off.

  “By getting up more than they do,” my shooting instructor continued. “If they stand up a hundred times, you stand up a hundred and one.”

  “Be even more stubborn. Keep getting up again and again until you’re the only one left standing,” my instructor concluded, scratching his beard. “And when you’ve done all that and emerged victorious, then you can rest.”

  Really? I looked at the two of them, unconvinced. I observed their eyes, filled with infinite calm; they didn’t seem worried about anything, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Seeing that, I smiled, and my own eyes took on a similar look.

  “Well then, whatever,” I said as I gripped the controls and pushed myself back up, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

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