Chapter 169: 169. Departure from Kaelos

Owen sprinted through the lower district’s maze of alleys.

His boots slapped against wet metal coverings as steam hissed from broken pipes overhead.

Behind him, the sound of combat grew distant but no less violent as buildings shook and dust rained from crumbling facades.

The clash of Tier 4 power made the air itself vibrate.

Then he reached the landing pad where they had left the ship. Owen slapped the access panel and the ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss.

He ran up into the cockpit and his fingers flew across the interface. Pre-flight checks. Engine warm-up. Navigation systems online. Things he has watched Gorvax do to pilot, enough times to know the basics.

[Beep! ENGINES: READY]

[Beep! SHIELDS: CHARGING]

[Beep! WEAPONS: OFFLINE]

Good enough.

His comm buzzed.

“Dragon…” Gorvax’s voice was strained, but controlled. “…Status?”

“Ship’s ready, fuck! Where are you?”

“Three blocks east. I’ve lost two of them. But The remaining two are… persistent.”

Boom!

An explosion echoed through the comm. Static crackled.

“Gorvax!”

“Still here, Dragon king. Still here” then there was pause in which Owen could hear his heavy breathing. “Be ready to lift off the moment I’m aboard. We won’t have time for a proper departure.”

Then the comm cut out.

Owen stood at the cockpit window, watching the street below. His CE core pulsed at 485. The stress was pushing him closer to two stars, but that didn’t matter right now.

“Come on, Gorvax. Don’t die on me”

—

There were movement in the shadows.

A robed figure burst from an alley, sprinting toward the landing pad. It was Gorvax. His face was still exposed, blue skin, black eyes, lines of exhaustion carved deep. Behind him, two armored Enforcers emerged. Their rings of light blazed as their energy weapons charged.

One fired.

FWOOM!

A bolt of compressed energy shot toward Gorvax’s back, He spun, raising his scythe. The blade phased through the bolt, scattering it into harmless light.

But the second Enforcer was already firing.

Gorvax dove behind a cargo container. The bolt hit the metal, melting through it instantly. Molten slag dripped to the ground.

Owen’s jaw tightened, He couldn’t just watch.

He activated the ship’s external speakers.

“Hey! Tin cans!”

The Enforcers turned.

Owen fired the ship’s maneuvering thrusters. Not to lift off, but to pivot. The exhaust vents angled toward the street. Then he opened them fully.

WHOOOOSH!

Superheated air blasted across the landing pad. The Enforcers staggered, their armor glowing red from the heat. It wasn’t enough to hurt them, but it was enough to disorient them for a moment.

And Gorvax didn’t waste the opportunity.

He sprinted up the ramp. The moment his boots hit the deck, Owen slammed the control and the ramp sealed shut behind him.

“GO!” Gorvax shouted.

Owen punched the thrusters.

The ship lifted off, slow at first, then faster. The Enforcers recovered, raising their weapons. Energy bolts streaked upward, slamming into the ship’s shields.

BOOM! BOOM!

[Beep! SHIELDS: 87%]

[Beep! SHIELDS: 74%]

Owen pushed the throttle forward and The ship accelerated, climbing through the smog-choked atmosphere. The bolts fell behind, unable to track their trajectory.

Below, the lower districts shrank to a grid of lights.

Then they broke through the atmosphere.

Space. Silent. Cold. And Empty.

Owen set a course away from Kaelos, toward the outer system. No destination yet. Just away.

Then He exhaled.

Gorvax stood at the cockpit entrance, his scythe dissolving into light. He pulled the void-black covering back over his face. His shoulders sagged.

“We need to go back…” he said.

Owen blinked. “What?”

“Seri. I can’t leave her there.”

“The Enforcers—”

“Won’t harm her. She’s not their target.” Gorvax’s voice was tight. “But I need to say goodbye… properly, this time.”

Owen studied him for a moment, the weight in his posture, the way his hands trembled slightly.

“Alright…” Owen said. “This is EXTREMELY STUPID But… let’s make it quick.”

—

They doubled back, approaching Kaelos from a different vector.

Gorvax guided them to a secondary landing pad, smaller, more discreet. No patrols.

They moved through the corridors quickly. Seri’s dampener device masked their signatures, but it wouldn’t hold forever.

They reached Seri’s room.

She was awake, sitting up in bed. Her black eyes found Gorvax the moment the door opened.

“No… , you… came back.”

“I had to…”

He moved to her side, kneeling by the bed. His hand found hers. Thin. Fragile. Cold.

Owen stood by the door, giving them space.

“The Enforcers?” Seri asked.

“We lost them. For now.”

She smiled. Weak, but genuine. “Liar. They’ll find you again. They always do.”

Gorvax’s grip tightened. “I’ll keep running.”

“Until when?” Her voice was soft. “Until I’m gone? Until you’re caught? Gor, you can’t run forever.”

“I can try.”

She reached up, touched his face. Her fingers traced the lines around his eyes.

“You look tired.”

“I am.”

“Then rest. Stay here. Let me go.”

Gorvax’s voice cracked. “I can’t.”

“You can.” Her hand moved to his chest, over his heart. “You’ve done enough. More than enough. I’ve lived longer than I should have because of you. But you can’t save me, Gor. You never could.”

“There’s still a chance. The Argentus Nebula. A cosmic dungeon. If I can reach Tier 3—”

“You’ll what? Find a cure that doesn’t exist?” She shook her head. “Cosmic Power Deviation is terminal. You know this. I know this. We’ve known it forever.”

Gorvax said nothing.

Seri’s eyes glistened. “Let me go. Live your life. Stop harvesting worlds. Stop running.”

“I don’t know how to stop.”

“Yes, you do.” She looked at Owen. “You have a friend now, maybe he can teach you.”

Owen shifted uncomfortably.

Gorvax followed her gaze, then back to Seri. “He’s not—”

“He’s exactly what you need. Someone who can challenge you.” She paused. “Someone who can remind you what it means to care about more than just survival.”

Gorvax’s shoulders trembled.

Seri pulled him closer, touching heir foreheads.

“I love you, Gor. I always have and always will. Forever, till the end of time. But you need to let me go.”

“Please, Not yet.”

“Mhmm. But soon.”

They stayed like that for a long moment. Silent. Together.

Then the alarms blared.

Red light flooded the room. A proximity alert. The Enforcers had triangulated their location. Again.

Gorvax stood. His voice was cold again, controlled. “We need to leave.”

Seri nodded. “Go.”

He hesitated.

“Go!”

Owen grabbed Gorvax’s arm, pulling him toward the door.

Then they ran.

—

The ship lifted off just as the Enforcers arrived.

Energy bolts streaked past the hull. Shields flared. Owen pushed the engines to maximum, climbing toward the upper atmosphere.

Gorvax stood at the cockpit window, watching Kaelos shrink behind them.

His hands were fists.

Then Gorvax came back to the monitors and set a course. The Argentus Nebula. Three days at warp speed.

“She’s right, you know…” Owen said quietly.

Gorvax didn’t respond.

“Maybe you can’t save her. But maybe, you can honor her?”

Gorvax’s voice was barely a whisper. “By letting her go?”

“By living well enough that her sacrifice means something.”

Gorvax turned. His featureless face somehow conveyed exhaustion.

“You sound like your father, Dominus. Wasn’t that the same nonsense he spewed to his other son?”

Owen shrugged. “Maybe he was right about some things.”

The ship entered warp. Stars stretched into lines. Kaelos vanished behind them.

Gorvax sat in the co-pilot’s seat. Silent.

Owen watched him. The weight. The grief. The desperation.

He thought of Yuki. Of what he’d do if she were dying. It has become a habit to always parallel himself and Yuki with others. First with Vorthraxx and Celeste, now twitch Gorvax and seri.

He understood Gorvax, More than he wanted to.

The ship hummed through the void.

Ahead, the Argentus Nebula waited.

And somewhere behind them, the Enforcers still gave chase unseen.

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