《Distance 7》


 Prologue: The Aeolian Mode

    Distance 7


    <hr>


    Prologue:


    The Aeolian Mode


    Year: 2300


    Earth''s First Fleet launched toward Eden, humanity''s great hope for colonization beyond our solar system. After years of unmanned probes and automated landing vehicles confirming its habitability, we would become the first humans to set foot on an extrasolar world.


    Our first few hours escaping Earth''s orbit were marked by hopeful sadness. We had left everyone we loved behind, but this was to be a grand adventure¡ªthe greatest adventure in human history.


    Among a fleet full of scientists, pilots, engineers, and soldiers, I stood alone as the entertainer ¡ª a pianist for the military band. The small locket containing my family''s royal crest remained hidden beneath my uniform, a reminder of a heritage I had abandoned.


    With nearly everyone else belonging to some specialized team, I remained an outsider.


    No, I stood alone.


    I sat at the piano and looked out at the audience. Many were happy, drinking and having a laugh. But some were sad, preferring to be alone with their thoughts. My fingers began to dance across the keys, each note carrying both the hope and sorrow of our journey.


    I opened with a D minor, settling into an easy-flowing melody. My fingers found the 5th note, giving the piece an surreal quality that seemed fitting for our journey into the unknown. When I flattened the 6th note, the Dorian scale emerged, carrying a sadness that resonated through the room. I moved to an E minor chord, feeling the tension build, before striking a G major that transformed into something almost triumphant. Finally, I returned home to D minor, quietly ending the piece as our fleet drifted further from our stellar home.


    ***


    We landed on our new planet two weeks ago ¡ª approximately three and a half weeks in Earth time. as it turns out, for this world is not the Earth analog that the scientists had predicted. The temperature is significantly colder than expected considering its atmospheric composition and distance from the sun. The ground, as a consequence, is unfriendly to agriculture, except for a few hardy root vegetables. The storms are much more frequent than we had anticipated, and although our habitations have so far remained stable, we''ve had to reinforce them with the precious few materials we have.


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    However, despite these hardships, the mood is one of optimism, and the pioneering spirit of the great days of exploration has been reborn. The engineers tirelessly work on our buildings. The scientists eagerly survey our environment, and the former soldiers have now reinvented themselves as our farmers and laborers.


    Each evening I play for the tired and overworked settlers. I play an A major chord shifting to a B major over A. Ah yes, that raised 4th reveals the Lydian scale underneath. I alternate between these two chords, However, the Lydian scale doesn''t work well for long periods. I switch to the E major scale, saving the piece and adding a sense of joy to the music. The audience barely notices me as the sound of the piano blends in with their celebrations.


    ***


    Last season''s harvest has once again failed. The agony of starvation has now become a very real proposition as news of food shortages is announced to the settlers. The response is silence as this possibility has already entered all of our minds during the last few months.


    During what would be our last trip outside before the storms made it impossible to leave, the captain returned with something held tightly in his hands - a small metal object covered in strange markings. His face looked different than I''d ever seen.


    We''re not the first to come here, the captain whispered, showing us what he''d found.


    Before we could study it properly, the worst storm yet hit us. Our final shelter began to break. Protocol Horizons was put into action. The storms, the never-ending storms, had made living here impossible long-term. We all knew this might happen when we left Earth. But facing it now was something else entirely.


    The last messages to Earth were sent, although it will be many years before they will receive them. We gathered inside our last undamaged habitation, most of us very weak from hunger, and listened as another storm ravaged our settlement. Slowly, the oxygen was released as we waited for our eternal sleep on this alien planet.


    The captain turned to me. Play us into the abyss, one final time. I understood what he was asking and took my place at the damaged piano to play a final goodbye. My heart was heavy as I looked at the people in front of me. Some were still breathing, steady and purposeful. I began my final piece by playing an F minor chord, slowly arpeggiating the notes up and down. I moved from the 5th to the flat 6th, down to the 4th, and then to the 2nd. Finally, I played the flat 3rd before returning to F minor. I continued to play as all breathing and movement stopped. The dead planet we found was a dead planet once more. I fell forward onto the piano, the sound of dissonant notes echoing throughout our tomb. The Aeolian mode is the most fitting scale for our current predicament. The final notes ever heard on Eden.

 Ch 1 : Sound of Ceres

    <i>    Chapter 1: </i>


    <b>       Sound of Ceres</b>


    The empty apartment walls stared back as I took a final glance around. After my father died, I turned to weapons smuggling to survive on Earth ¨C a path that had nearly consumed me. With no legal work available, this space mining job on Ceres, as dangerous as it was, offered something I desperately needed: a chance to leave my criminal past behind.


    As the ship burst through the atmosphere, I found myself staring through the tiny viewport of the ship''s cramped window, transfixed by the stunning blue ocean and white clouds of Earth suspended against the black void of space - my home for 22 years.


    Sadness gripped me as the precious planet shrank into the distance.


    Beside me, a grizzled old man could barely contain his excitement. "Can''t wait to get my hands dirty!" he grinned, flexing weathered hands. His eyes studied me. "What brings a young guy like you to mining on Ceres? Most would run from this kind of work."


    "Needed to start over," I said quietly. "Begin a new life."


    He nodded. "Carl," he said, extending a calloused hand. "First time in the belt colonies?"


    "First time this far out," I confirmed.


    Before I could ask more questions, the captain''s voice crackled through the intercom, announcing our immediate departure to Ceres via jumpspace.


    The jumpspace transition hit like a sudden electric shock¡ªmy vision blurred, my stomach lurched, and for a brief moment, I felt like I was floating outside my own body,that familiar sensation of being turned inside out. When the disorientation cleared, we were already beginning our descent.


    Silence fell throughout the ship as we landed on Ceres, a barren landscape of rock and salt mines stretching to the horizon. The mining company''s recruiter, a short-tempered man, greeted us new recruits.


    The giant doors to the mining base yawned open, As the giant two doors shut behind me, I knew there was no turning back now.


    <b>Day 1:</b>


    <i>Year 2945</i>


    I awoke in my assigned bunk bed, my eyes tracing the unfamiliar white ceiling. This was Ceres now ¡ª my reality. Mateo, my assigned roommate, was already up and moving about in the room. The room was designed for precisely two occupants.


    "Better hurry if you want anything decent," Mateo said, adjusting his standard-issue mining suit. "The crew mess fills up fast."


    "I''m not hungry," I replied, my stomach still unsettled from jumpspace and the recent gravity adjustment. "Go ahead without me."


    Pushing myself up, I ventured into the passageway. Walking through it felt like being trapped inside a massive laboratory.


    Attempting to locate the equipment office, I approached a maintenance droid. Its voice was noticeably inferior to Earth models¡ªa metallic, hollow sound. "The equipment office is located on forward deck 11," it stated, optical sensors briefly scanning me before it continued on its programmed path.


    When I finally reached the equipment office, an older man with steel-gray hair and a bionic arm stood behind a glass window. He looked up from his workstation as I approached.


    "Name?" he asked.


    "Emhyr Sato," I replied, watching as he turned to his digital tablet and began typing.


    His brow furrowed as he scrolled through several screens. "That''s strange," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "I can''t find your name anywhere in our database." He looked up, eyes narrowing slightly. "Your registration might not have been processed yet. Did they issue you an ID?"


    "Yes," I confirmed, reaching into my pocket to retrieve my identification card.


    He extended his bionic arm, a small scanner embedded in the palm activating as he passed it over my card. The digital readout on his tablet refreshed.


    He gestured toward a security door that slid open. Beyond it lay a scanning station.


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    "Place your eyes directly on the retinal screen," he instructed. After the scan completed with a confirming beep, he continued, "Good. Now we need to scan your entire body. Step into the CT scan, please."


    I complied, standing still as the scanner performed a complete biometric analysis, the device emitting a low hum as it mapped my physical dimensions.


    "Good. Wait here a moment," he said before disappearing into another room.


    He returned shortly, carrying a mining suit primarily orange with striking white accents along with a helmet.


    "Here you are," he said, setting it on a preparation table. "You''re all set up now. The suit is calibrated for your whole body. If there is any problem with the suit, come back here and I will check it out."


    <b>Day 2:</b>


    The mining suit fit perfectly as I examined my reflection in the full-length mirror. "First time in a Rover?" Mateo asked, watching me from where he was adjusting his own suit.


    "Yes," I answered, "How about you?"


    "This is my second contract with the company," he replied, his eyes lingering on my equipment. "Never seen that type of suit before though."


    "The morning briefing starts in five minutes," Mateo said, checking his system watch.


    We entered a large station hall room filled with digital displays of names and duties. Around twenty miners in yellow and black mining suits stood in a semi-circle, their conversation falling silent as I entered. Their eyes immediately transfixed on my distinctive suit.


    "Team assignments have already been distributed," announced a stern-voiced woman. She checked her tablet with obvious irritation. "Deployment begins in five minutes."


    The miners began dispersing toward their designated transport elevators.


    "Mateo," she called out, not looking up from her tablet. "Late again. I should have expected as much."


    Mateo grinned. "Sorry, Supervisor Lin. Was helping the new guy get suited up."


    Supervisor Lin finally glanced up, her eyes narrowing at my unusual suit. "Sector 7 is waiting for your team. Since you always arrive late, you can take responsibility for showing your new colleague his way around. The rest of your team already deployed."


    "Yes, ma''am," Mateo replied.


    As we went down the designated elevator, the sounds of the mining operation grew more distinct. A pulsing¡ª<i>thoom</i>¡ªsound that you could feel in your chest. Through the walls, you could hear the harvester drones moving through the mining site.


    "Mateo!" shouted an old man. Mateo waved as we passed by.


    "Old colleague?" I asked.


    "Something like that," he replied.


    "Okay, we''re here¡ªSector 7," Mateo announced as we approached a large round door. "To open the door, all you need to do is place your ID card or enter your ID number here." He demonstrated the procedure. "And voil¨¤..."


    As the door opened, I could see mining drones flying to collect extracted rocks and an escalator system full of mining salts. Maintenance droids and worker robots moved efficiently throughout the space.


    While I was gazing around the area, a large man approached me. "Is that you, young buck?" he called out.


    I immediately recognized the voice¡ªit was Carl. He removed his mining helmet, revealing a familiar face. "Welcome to Sector 7."


    "Where are the others?" Mateo asked, looking around the unusually empty sector.


    "New project. They went to help Sector 9," Carl explained, then turned his attention back to me. "You''re with me, young buck." His eyes assessed my equipment. "The suit fits you well. I see you got that new rover model... I''ll teach you everything you need to know."


    As time passed, I was handed a mining laser gun¡ªstandard equipment for breaking down larger mineral deposits into manageable fragments. Carl positioned himself beside me, demonstrating the proper grip and stance.


    "Keep your arm locked when you fire," Carl instructed, adjusting my posture. "The kickback can throw off your aim if you''re not¡ª"


    Suddenly, a sharp warning alarm cut through his words. We both snapped our heads up as a mining droid above us began to malfunction. Sparks and smoke erupted from its stabilizers as it plummeted from its overhead track.


    "Look out!" Carl shouted, shoving me aside.


    I stumbled backward and lost my balance. Instinctively reaching out to catch myself, my hand landed on a jagged piece of metal debris. A searing pain ripped through my palm as the metal tore through my protective glove and into my skin. The droid crashed onto the spot where we had been standing just moments before, its broken parts spraying across the floor.


    "Shit! Stupid droid," Carl cursed, rushing to my side. His eyes went wide when he saw my hand. "Your glove¡ªit''s been punctured."


    I lifted my hand to see a metal fragment extending from my palm, blood already spreading through the torn material of the supposedly reinforced glove.


    Carl''s face filled with worry. "We need to get you to the medical center immediately." He turned and called to Mateo, who quickly contacted the medical response team.


    I was rushed to the medical center, blood continuing to spread from the puncture wound in my hand.


    Upon arrival, a doctor in a white uniform with a southern accent and bright yellow eyes guided me to an examination chair.The doctor examined the wound carefully, cleaning away the blood to reveal the full extent of the damage.


    "Interesting," the doctor murmured, studying the torn glove material. "This shouldn''t have happened. The rover suits are designed to prevent such penetrations."


    The doctor reached for a transparent container holding a golden-yellow liquid powder that seemed to shimmer under the bright lights, matching the hue of his eyes. Using a specialized applicator, the doctor carefully introduced the substance directly into my wound.


    An immediate cooling sensation replaced the burning pain.


    "We''re applying our standard regenerative compound enhanced with medical nanobots," the doctor explained clinically. "The solution will accelerate your natural healing process while the nanobots repair damaged tissue at the cellular level."


    After sealing the wound with a transparent dressing, the doctor stepped back.


    A sharp pain lanced through my head, causing my vision to blur momentarily. When it cleared, transparent blue text briefly flashed across my field of vision:


    [ERROR - NON HUMAN]


    It vanished almost instantly, leaving me wondering if I''d imagined it.


    As I tried to get my mind together, a voice kept calling, "Mr. Sato, are you okay? You should go and get some rest," the doctor said while looking at me.

 Ch 2: Beneath the surface

    Chapter 2


    <b>Beneath the surface</b>


    <b>Day 3:</b>


    As I sat up, the mug on my nightstand wobbled slightly despite not touching it. I blinked, and the movement stopped. Must be the headache affecting my vision.


    I glanced at Mateo''s empty bunk. He was probably still working his shift. The headache intensified as I stood, a pressure building behind my eyes that made me momentarily dizzy.


    The door slid open.


    "dude! You''re finally awake!" His expression shifted to relief. "Supervisor Lin wants you to report to medical for a final clearance before your shift."


    The headache spiked again, sending a wave of dizziness through me.


    "You okay?" Mateo asked, his eyes pinched with worry.


    "I''m ok," I replied with a smile.


    The medical center was a familiar environment after my recent treatment. The same doctor with bright yellow eyes reviewed my charts, his gaze more calculating than before.


    "Your recovery rate is exceptional," he said. He ran a small scanner smoothly over my body. "Any persistent symptoms?"


    I hesitated. "Headaches. And sometimes...just headaches."


    The doctor''s hand paused mid-scan.  "Interesting," he said finally.


    "You''re cleared for your shift."


    Mateo was waiting outside. "All good?" he asked.


    "Sector 7 is expecting you. Carl''s waiting. Try not to be late ¡ª Supervisor Lin''s been on edge since the drone incident yesterday."


    "I''ll be on sector 3 doing supply runs."


    As I descended into Sector 7, the familiar <i>thoom that i could feel through my chest Each vibration seemed more distinct now, almost like I could control the microscopic movements</i>


    Carl greeted me with excitement when I arrived, clearly relieved I was doing well. He began his lesson where we left off, teaching me to use the mining laser gun. I met other miners who worked in Sector 7. Some had heard what happened to me, but most didn''t care - people got hurt down here all the time, especially new recruits.


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    After my shift, I went to bed exhausted. But sleep brought no relief. Every night I woke up sweating, the sheets soaked through.


    The days went on. Same routine, same sweating at night, now with occasional headaches appearing throughout the day.


    <b>Day: 4</b>


    The crew mess buzzed with conversation. I sat alone at a table, looking around until I spotted Mateo. His face was bruised and his nose had a patch over it.


    "Mateo!" I called out.


    He sat down across from me.


    "What happened to your face? Looks like someone used you as a punching bag¡±


    I noticed several miners at nearby tables watching us with thinly obvious curiosity. One man smirked in our direction.


    Mateo grinned. "Yeah... just got into a fight with someone. No big deal. Had to go to the medical bay. They made me stay there."


    "Oh, that''s why I didn''t see you."


    "Yeah," he said casually, putting his head down on the table. "Need to rest..."


    "Not going to eat?" I asked.


    Silence was all I heard.


    Before I could press further, three men approached our table. Their heavy mining boots deliberately scraped against the floor as they surrounded us. The largest one ¡ª a man I recognized from his unique tattoo¡ªput his arm around my shoulder. The other two stood behind Mateo.


    "Feeling better, Mateo?" the bald one spoke, putting his hand on Mateo''s head and pulling his hair.


    Mateo felt the pain.


    "We''re just trying to eat," I said with a serious look.


    The man with his arm around my shoulder smirked. "Don''t think we were introduced. Name''s Ben."


    "Yeah," I said, gripping my fork tighter. "I don''t care who you are, and you don''t need to know who I am. What you need to know is that I''m trying to fucking eat!" With the fork in my hand, I slashed at his face.


    The fork cut a line across Ben cheek. Blood appeared as he pulled back, his face changing from smug to rage.


    "You''re dead," he spat, jumping at me. "You picked the wrong person to mess with," Ben growled.


    The pressure behind my eyes suddenly exploded. Every tray in a three-meter radius lifted from the tables and hung suspended in mid-air. The lights shattered violently overhead.


    For a moment, everyone froze, staring at the impossible sight. "Holy shit, he''s a kinetic user," someone shouted.


    The miners panicked, trying to get out of the crew mess. Some stood still in fear, others ran away pushing people out of their way.


    Ben came at me with a combination¡ªjab and punches¡ªthat I barely managed to block. His next punch connected with my jaw, sending me staggering back. The familiar pressure built behind my eyes, pulsing with each heartbeat.


    Every tray fell again.


    He laughed.


    Behind him, I saw Mateo struggling with the other two, his freshly-bandaged face bleeding again. Something inside me snapped.


    I raged with a roaring sound. The tables, food trays ¡ª everything floated as I felt the air moving around me. I lunged at Ben with lightning speed. He didn''t even see it coming as my fist blasted straight through his stomach.


    The force was so strong he launched back into the wall. His stomach had a hole. I stretched out my hand toward him and suddenly could feel his entire body¡ªhis organs, his bones, his blood.. When I closed my fist, his whole body splattered.


    The remaining two backed away, hands raised. "Please," one whispered. "We didn''t¡ª"


    Security rushed throughout the eating area. Through the shocked crowd, I saw the yellow-eyed doctor coming closer with armed guards beside him. But instead of fear on his face, I saw something else.


    Everything went black as I fell to the floor.

 Ch 3. Past memories

    Chapter 3


    Past memories


    I remember.


    My mother and father fought all the time. Mother didn''t care much about me. She left us for someone else. I haven''t seen her since I was 10. I can''t even remember her face now. My father stayed with me¡ªhe never left. He was the one thing I could count on.


    I remember...


    The war, Father and I escaped to Earth, where our ancestors came from. Father was a simple, hardworking man. He moved cargo for a planetary shipping company. Every day he came home tired but still smiling. I felt like I was just a burden to him.


    He died when I was young. I could barely pay for his funeral.


    I remember.


    Discovering my strange powers¡ªmaking things float in the air. Father''s eyes would get big, his voice shaking with fear. "Boy," he would say harshly, "What did I tell you? Never do that again. If the government knows you''re a kinetic user, they will tear you from my arms, I''ve already lost everything else ¡ª I cannot lose you too."


    I remember.


    These memories¡ªI keep them buried deep where they can''t hurt me anymore.


    *****


    I hear beeping, sounds, just sound, my mouth was covered in some type of medical respirator mask, my body floating in a capsule, I couldn''t see anything, all I heard was noise in the background...


    Suddenly a sound, more robotic, a medical droid... "Patient awakening, checking vital systems..."


    I heard another voice... "That''s good, he is breathing at least."


    Silence fell, darkness took me again...


    Before I knew it, I was in a medical room. The room was clinically white, almost painful to my adjusting eyes. Holographic monitors surrounded my bed, displaying my vital signs in pulsing blue and red patterns. I could see complex diagrams of my own body floating in the air, certain areas highlighted with flashing indicators that I didn''t understand.


    The medical bed beneath me hummed quietly, its surface molding itself to my body while countless sensors pressed gently against my skin.


    I looked up and saw a vast transparent dome revealing the infinite expanse of space.


    When I tried to sit up, pain exploded through every nerve in my body. It felt like millions of tiny ants were crawling under my skin, biting at my muscles all at once. I gasped and fell back against the bed, the pain receding to a dull throb as long as I remained still. Even breathing too deeply sent fresh waves of discomfort through my chest.


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    The door slid open, revealing a medical droid. "Hello," it says. "I will inform the doctor you''ve been awake."


    "Wait," I said, voice barely working. "Where am I?"


    "You are in the orbital H1 space station near Mars," it says. "I will inform the doctor you have been awake."


    Minutes passed. Finally, the doctor I recognized walked in and looked me over carefully. Before I could speak, he addressed me.


    "Mr. Sato," he said clearly, "our paths cross once more. You have finally returned to consciousness. The devastation you unleashed on Ceres was... most impressive."


    "Your mana," he continued, his voice lowering to a calculated whisper, "is strong enough to destroy entire planets.


    "Mateo," I interrupt, chest tightening. "Where is he?" I demanded with anger, pain in my head intensifying.


    "Were you aware that your associate Mateo belonged to the criminal enterprise known as 8th Street? The theft of imperial minerals constitutes a significant offense against the Crown."


    I pause...


    "I didn''t know..." I look at the stars through the glass window, feeling betrayed.


    "Shit!" I said.


    "Let us address your current predicament," he stated, fingers tapping a screen. "Three months ago, you terminated a man''s existence."


    3 months? I wonder to myself, troubled by the gap in my memory.


    "Mr. Sato," he continued, "did you know you were someone who could move things with your mind?"


    The memory came back to when I was a child, my head starting to hurt again, like someone hammering from inside.


    "I remember, but not really."


    "You currently stand accused of two significant transgressions¡ªthe taking of a life and the failure to register your kinetic abilities with imperial authorities. The discomfort you experience¡ªthese periodic disturbances¡ªresults from an excess of mana accumulating within your system. Without proper flow of this energy, it will kill you." He leaned closer. "But I have an offer. You are very rare¡ªpeople with your powers make up only 0.0001 percent of everyone in the galaxy. If you agree to work for me."


    "What if I refuse?" I asked, already knowing the answer.


    "Then I will kill you here and now," he said, with no emotion in his voice.


    I took a deep breath... "Fine, I''m willing."


    "Good, no doubt you would."


    The door slid open. A woman in a rover imperial suit armor came in, bowing her head.


    "My lord... My apology for interrupt¡ª" Before she could finish¡ª


    "Please wait outside!" His voice was sharp enough to make my headache worse.


    The door slid closed.


    "Are you a noble?" I asked, things starting to make sense.


    He smiled slightly. "I am much higher than that. I am the fifth prince of the Imperial House of Kin. My identity is a secret¡ªonly known to people who can be trusted completely."


    "No wonder they called you the shadow prince," I said, realizing I was in bigger trouble than I thought.


    He sat down gracefully. "About one year ago, our sensors picked up a message from the Andromeda galaxy¡ªfrom humanity''s first journey between stars. My great-great-great grandfather served as military band pianist aboard that vessel, providing musical solitude during humanity exploration


    "The mission concluded in tragedy. Rather than the hospitable environment promised by initial probes, they encountered a hostile world¡ªpunishingly cold, with atmospheric disturbances that rendered their shelters ineffective. We finally intercepted their final communication¡ªProtocol Horizon¡ªthe imperial designation for mission failure.


    "The transmission contained something of extraordinary significance¡ªan artifact of non-human design, geometric and alien, adorned with symbols of unknown origin. The recording captured fleeting glimpses of entities moving in the background. We have also identified a recurring signal emanating from that distant world.


    "The Empire now prepares to dispatch an expedition to investigate these phenomena. The undertaking carries extreme risk with minimal chance of return. As you may be aware, we have discovered various structures throughout our galaxy¡ªwhat many term ''dungeons''¡ªconstructed ...by unknown blue-skinned beings with pointed ears. These ancient buildings contain both advanced technology and dangerous creatures that we still don''t understand..."


    His yellow eyes stared at me intensely. "Your training will begin in one month." He got up from his chair and left. I was confused about my situation, but grateful to be alive.

 Ch3.1. Update 0.1

    <b>Update 0.1</b>


    <b></b>


    Dear readers,


    Thank you for following "Distance 7" on Royal Road. I wanted to inform you about some upcoming changes to the story''s format and presentation.


    Moving forward, the narrative will primarily be written in third-person limited / omniscient perspective, though some chapters will alternate between first and third-person viewpoints to enhance storytelling elements.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Additionally, I''m developing a dedicated website to host the story and am in the process of recruiting voice actors to create audio narrations of the content. These aim to provide you with multiple ways to enjoy the narrative.


    Your continued support have been encouraging. Seeing the growing audience for this story has been a wonderful motivation.


    If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.


    Best,


    Rou


    <h2></h2>

 Ch 4. The Teacher

    Chapter 4


    The Teacher


    <hr>


    Emhyr was feeling better now. It had been approximately a month since the incident on Ceres, even better since the fight on Ceres. The door slid open and a medical droid entered his room.


    "Please be ready to depart the orbital station in 1 hour," it announced.


    Time passed quickly as Emhyr didn''t know where he was going, but knew he would be training somewhere beyond the space station. The hour flew by. He had no possessions to gather¡ªhe would leave with nothing but the clothes he wore. The medical droid returned, this time accompanied by a strict-faced man who stood silently in the doorway, waiting to escort him.


    Emhyr looked one last time at his room, just like how he had looked at his empty apartment on Earth before leaving for Ceres. Always leaving, always starting over. He followed the man in silence, not asking questions as they walked through the station''s hallways.


    The man led him directly to where the starship waited.


    "I was told to bring you to this shuttle," the man finally spoke, his voice sharp. "You''re going to Alpha Centauri, planet Banneker. This ship is for one person and flies itself. The trip takes about two Earth days. Someone will be waiting when you get there."


    A light scanned emhyr''s body. The door of the ship open.


    "Farewell," the man said, already turning away as Emhyr stepped inside.


    The ship detached from the orbital station, acceleration pressing him into the pilot''s chair. As stars streaked past the window, he remembered his father talking about far-off worlds he''d visited working shipping routes. Planet Banneker: a dangerous mix of scorching deserts and predatory jungles.


    The jumpspace engaged, and time blurred...


    "Warning, warning, system failure. The automated voice snapped him out of sleep. Lights flashed red across the console. He fought rising panic, fingers hovering uselessly over controls he didn''t understand.


    "Arriving at destination," the ship announced, as if nothing were wrong.


    As the ship entered the planet''s atmosphere, he could see large capital ships and small fighter jets. They scanned his ship as it passed by.


    "Scanning from the Imperial fleet complete," the automated voice announced. "Descending to the planet."


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    The ship burned through the atmosphere. Emhyr closed his eyes, gripping his seat as the vessel shook violently.


    Before he knew it, the ship had landed on a circular platform in the middle of a desert.


    "Destination arrival. ," the automated voice says.


    With nothing but the clothes on his back, Emhyr stepped out into the harsh sunlight. He saw an old man standing with his arms behind his back, looking directly at him.


    As he approached the old man, he noticed a long skinny stick behind the man''s back. Stepping closer, Emhyr attempted a greeting.


    "Hello, are you...?" he began.


    The old man didn''t say anything. Instead, he walked around Emhyr, examining him closely. The stranger touched Emhyr''s arms, face, and legs, which took Emhyr by surprise.


    Finally, the old man spoke, measuring each word carefully. "The fifth prince doesn''t send people here unless they''re either exceptionally gifted or exceptionally dangerous. Perhaps both, in your case." He tapped his stick once against the sand, leaving a perfect circle. "I''ll teach you control, discipline, and self awareness ¡ª Follow me and keep up¡ªI won''t slow down for weakness. Your first lesson has already begun, whether you realize it or not."


    Without warning, the old man pivoted and sprinted across the sand with surprising speed for his age, his footsteps barely disturbing the surface.


    Emhyr stood frozen in disbelief, his jaw tightened. "No one said anything about running," he growled, glancing back at the departing ship.


    With no choice, he followed the old man across the desert landscape.


    Trying to follow the old man, he was already tired and sweating under the hot sun. The old man kept running, the distance between them growing until Emhyr couldn''t see him anymore.


    "Shit," he muttered, pausing to catch his breath.


    Some time passed as he alternated between walking and running, with no sign of the old man. Thoughts filled his head: <i>Am I really going to die here on this planet?</i> As images of death ran through his mind, he found new determination and began to run without stopping.


    Eventually, Emhyr spotted the old man sitting beneath a lone tree, resting comfortably in the shade. As Emhyr approached, stumbling and gasping for air, the old man barely looked up.


    "You''re late," he said flatly.


    Emhyr tried to speak between labored breaths.


    "For that¡ªone hundred push-ups," the old man commanded.


    "What?" Emhyr managed to say.


    Without warning, the old man struck Emhyr on the head with his long skinny stick. Pain shot through Emhyr''s skull.


    "One hundred push-ups. I won''t repeat it again," the old man said, his voice calm but firm.


    Barely able to move after the exhausting run, he dropped to the ground and struggled to begin the push-ups, his arms shaking with the first few attempts.


    The sun crawled across the sky as he struggled through each push-up. His arms trembled, then burned, then went numb. Sweat dripped onto the sand beneath him, forming small dark patches that quickly dried in the heat. Twenty-five... fifty... seventy-five... each milestone seemed impossibly far from the next.


    The old man sat cross-legged in the shade, occasionally looking at his new student.


    When Emhyr finally collapsed after the hundredth push-up, chest heaving against the hot ground, the old man stood and approached him.


    "Your body houses your mana," the old man explained as Emhyr lay exhausted on the sand. "If your vessel is weak, your mana will break it."


    Emhyr tried to push himself up but could barely lift his chest from the ground.


    The old man''s eyes narrowed as he assessed his new student. "We have a lot to work on," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "From now on, you will address me as Lord Vor."