Interstellar: Exploring The Cosmos With My Anomaly System
Chapter 53: Invasion

Chapter 53: Invasion

"This blows..." Belk growled, his voice low and ragged, as he crouched in the dirt, fingers clawing through his hair like he was trying to tear the thoughts from his skull.

His hooded gaze fixed on the devastation ahead, unblinking, as if the sheer weight of the scene had pinned him in place.

The world around him was a wasteland—charred timbers, shattered glass, and the skeletal remains of the ironmill jutting out like broken bones.

The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and ash, and the faint crackle of dying flames still whispered from the rooftops, their orange tongues licking at the sky in a cruel, mocking dance.

His mind clawed back to the attackers, their faces etched into his memory like scars. His hands, trembling at first, clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white, nails biting into the soil beneath him.

The dirt crumbled under his grip, as if the earth itself could feel his rage. "What now?" Vagnis’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and uneasy. He stood with his arms crossed, his usual bravado replaced by a furrowed brow and a tight jaw.

His eyes darted across the ruins, lingering on the jagged shards of glass scattered like fallen stars.

"They took everything... Even the glass..." His gaze shifted to the village, where the flames still flickered stubbornly, their light casting long, wavering shadows over the wreckage. The smoke curled upward in thick, black tendrils, a grim reminder of the enemy’s taunt. It was as if the fire itself was alive, laughing at them.

"Start over..." The scientist’s voice was barely a whisper, hollow and defeated. He stared at his hands, now caked in grime and soot, as if they belonged to someone else. "From the very beginning..."

"Eh?" Vagnis’s head snapped toward him, his expression a mix of disbelief and incredulity. "You expect us to start from square one in only four days?!" His voice rose, sharp and biting, but there was a tremor beneath it—a crack in his usual confidence.

"We need to do something!" Belk’s voice exploded, raw and jagged, cutting through the air like a blade. His shoulders shook, not from the cold, but from the weight of everything crashing down on him. Vagnis fell silent, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the boy’s trembling frame, the way his breath hitched, the way his grief was clawing its way to the surface.

"This has affected me as much as anyone else..." Belk’s voice cracked, the words spilling out in a rush. "All our work—gone. Up in smoke. And I could’ve stopped it—"

His voice broke, and he looked away, his gaze locking onto the forest ahead, its dark, looming presence a stark contrast to the fiery ruins behind him.

The bruises on Belk’s skin still burned, fresh and angry, a vivid reminder of their encounter with Godric and the woman who had accompanied him. She was a haunting figure, her long black hair cascading like a shadow, her cyan-blue skin almost glowing in the dim light.

Her eyes—cold, calculating—had pierced through them all, her presence alone enough to make the air feel heavier, as if the ground itself was trying to pull them down.

"Where is she?" Godric’s voice boomed, his massive frame towering over the crowd as he scanned the faces, his axe resting heavily in his grip. The woman beside him let out a soft, mocking chuckle, her crimson lips curling into a smirk.

"So she was right," she murmured, her voice like ice. "She’d already left." "Dumbass—" Godric’s axe slammed into the ground with a deafening crash, the force of it sending shockwaves through the earth. People stumbled, some falling to their knees, their faces pale with terror.

The soldiers tried to stand their ground, but Godric swatted them aside like flies, his axe swinging in wide, brutal arcs. Each swing sent bodies flying, the air filled with the sickening thud of metal meeting flesh.

"What now? Lailla is surely going to fail..." the woman muttered, her arms crossed beneath her chest, the fabric of her clothing shifting with the movement. Her tone was dismissive, almost bored, as if the chaos around her was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

Godric let out a frustrated growl, his massive hand shooting out to grab the nearest villager—a young man with short black hair and wide, terrified eyes. The warrior’s fingers closed around the man’s skull like a vice, his grip tightening with each passing second.

"Where’s the boy...?" Godric’s voice was low, a dangerous rumble that left no room for hesitation. "I—I don’t know!" the man stammered, his voice trembling as he struggled against Godric’s iron grip.

But the warrior’s eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. The man’s lies were as obvious as the fear etched into his face. In the distance, Belk, Vagnis, and Tanaka stood by the ship, their bodies drenched in sweat as they worked to reignite the ironmill.

The heat was unbearable, the air thick and suffocating, but they pressed on, their movements frantic and desperate. Tanaka’s hands moved with practiced precision, spinning the lever over and over, his face set in a grim mask of determination.

But then the explosion came—a deafening roar that shook the ground beneath their feet. Belk’s head snapped toward the sound, his eyes widening in horror as a plume of smoke rose from the village.

His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears like a drum. Vagnis was already moving, his body a blur as he sprinted toward the nearest tree. He scaled it with ease, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"It’s the guy from the river!" he shouted, his voice tinged with panic. His breath caught as he spotted the woman beside Godric, her crimson gaze locking onto his from across the distance. Even from meters away, her stare was piercing, freezing him in place.

"They’re coming this way!" Belk stood frozen, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps.

A hand rested on his shoulder, firm and steady, and he turned to see his father standing beside him, his face grim but resolute. "You two stay somewhere safe," Tanaka said, his voice calm but firm. He stepped forward, his posture straight, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Huh?! But—" Belk started to protest, his voice rising in desperation, but his father cut him off with a sharp look.

"I won’t say it again..." Tanaka’s voice was low, but there was no room for argument.

"You’re the king now, and your life is more important than anyone else’s, if you die then they can easily take everything. Don’t make me repeat myself..." He turned to face Belk, his eyes downcast, as if he couldn’t bear to meet his son’s gaze. "Vagnis, keep him safe."

"Y-yes, sir..." Vagnis replied from his perch in the tree, his voice shaky but determined.

He hesitated, torn between staying with Belk and rushing to help, but he said nothing. Belk gritted his teeth, his hands clenched into fists as he watched his father walk away.