Knox and Seraph shot through the sky like twin streaks of light, the world beneath them shrinking as they ascended at impossible speeds. Clouds shredded apart in their wake, the air around them burning with friction.
Knox barely glanced at Seraph before he pushed himself faster, a sonic boom exploding behind him as he reached the upper atmosphere in seconds.
Seraph wasn't far behind. Her wings, glowing with an ethereal light, cut through the thinning air with divine precision.
["Your lead won't last,"] Luminara chimed in, her tone laced with quiet amusement.
Seraph smirked. "We'll see about that."
With a powerful flap, she surged forward, her wings slicing through the thin air like razors. The drag of the atmosphere no longer hindered her movements—Luminara had been right.
She could breathe in space.
Knox glanced back as Seraph pulled up beside him, her golden eyes burning with competition.
He grinned. "Not bad."
Seraph flickered her hair back, smirking. "Not bad yourself."
The void of space loomed ahead, the curvature of the Earth fading below the. They were almost free of its pull.
Then Knox kicked off the last remnants of gravity—
—and the two of them shot into the darkness.
The moment they left the atmosphere, a profound silence wrapped around them.
No air.
No resistance.
Nothing but the infinite void.
Seraph spread her wings, adjusting to the weightlessness. It was... strange. She could still move freely, as if the universe itself bent to her will.
Knox, meanwhile, was already speeding toward the moon, his red cape billowing unnaturally in the vacuum.
Seraph narrowed her eyes. "Cheating with a head start?"
Knox shrugged mid-flight. "I call it strategy."
Seraph scoffed—then flared her wings and vanished in a flash of light.
She reappeared directly in front of him.
Knox blinked. "Huh."
Before he could react, she twisted in the air, delivering a sharp kick to the chest.
The force sent him spiraling backward through the void.
Seraph smirked. "You were saying?"
Knox righted himself and grinned. "Alright. That's how we're playing?"
He vanished in an instant.
Before Seraph could react, Knox was suddenly beside her, upside down, smirking.
"Hi."
Then he flickered her forehead.
The impact sent a shockwave through space, knocking Seraph back several meters.
She gasped. "You little—"
Knox laughed. "C'mon, we're wasting time."
Seraph gritted her teeth. Fine.
They both turned toward the moon—
Then they vanished, racing through the void faster than the human eye could process.
The vast, infinite blackness of space stretched around them as Knox rocketed toward the moon, his form a crimson blur against the void. He could feel Seraph pushing herself, her divine wings propelling her faster, but she wasn't quite there yet.
As his boots touched down on the moon's cold, lifeless surface, he turned and smirked. Seraph was seconds behind.
She landed with a slight skid, folding her wings in, her golden hair illuminated by the distant sun.
Knox leaned against a jagged rock, arms crossed. "What took you so long?"
Seraph scoffed. "You cheated."
Knox shrugged. "I attacked after you attacked."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the small smirk forming on her lips. "Still a cheat."
Instead of arguing, Knix simply turned his gaze toward Earth, his blank eyes reflecting its radiant blue glow. From here, the world seemed... peaceful. Untouched. No wars. No Nexus Syndicate. No threats.
"...It's beautiful," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Seraph, standing beside him now, following his gaze. The sight was breathtaking—the Earth floating in the darkness, a lone beacon of life in an empty void.
She nodded. "It really is astonishing."
For a moment, they simply stood there, watching the world turn below them.
After a few moments, Seraph sighed softly. "The silence is nice too. Gives you room to think."
Knox nodded, lowering himself to sit on the moon. He wasn't used to silliness. Everything was always moving, shifting, demanding his attention. Here, there was just... nothing.
Seraph sat behind him.
The emptiness between them wasn't awkward. It was... comfortable.
Then—
["What a sweet little moment,"] Kaelina's voice chimed in, dripping with teasing amusement.
Knox sighed. "Not now."
["Oh, please,"] Kaelina continued, her tone smug. ["Look at you two, sitting together under the vast beauty of space, sharing an intimate silence. This is practically poetic."]
Seraph gave a light chuckle but didn't comment.
Luminara, however, was quick to join. ["I have to agree with Kaelina on this one. The atmosphere seems rather romantic."]
Knox groaned. "I swear—"
["Oh, don't mind us,"] Kaelina cutin. ["You two go on, share your deepest thoughts maybe even hold hands if you're feeling bold.']
Seraph smirked at Knox. "They have a point. Maybe we should."
Knox shot her a look, his expression unreadable. "Yeah? That's what you want?"
She met his gaze, golden eyes flickering with amusement. "I didn't say that."
Knox leaned back, exhaled. "Good. I don't do the whole romantic under the stars thing."
["Of course not,"] Kaelina snickered. ["You just brought her to the moon to sit in silence together—totally not romantic at all."]
Seraph smiled slightly, shaking her head. "I have to admit, though... this is kind of nice."
Knox was silent for a moment before he replied. "Yeah... it is."
The moment stretched between them—
Then the portal opened.
The stillness shattered.
A rippling vortex of darkness and light tore through the space before them, and from its swirling depths, five figures emerged.
Knox and Seraph instantly shot to their feet, battle instincts taking over.
Then—
["Don't move!'] Kaelina's voice barked into Knox's mind, sharper than ever before.
["Seraph, do not engage,"] Luminara warned, her tone deadly serious.
Both of them hesitated.
The figures stepped forward, their forms towering, otherworldly, exuding a power so immense it made the very fabric of reality tremble.
Kaelina's voice was urgent. ["Those are Divine System holders. If you fight them, you die."]
Seraph clenched her fists. Divine Systems? Even with all her power, she still wasn't on their level. Neither was Knox.
One of the figures stepped forward, their presence sending a wave of invisible pressure crashing against them.
Nyxara Veyne.
Her very presence distorted the void around her, as if reality itself bowed to her existence.
Her voice, smooth yet filled with an undeniable command, carried across the silent expanse.
"Seraph."
Seraph stiffened.
Nyxara tilted her head, eyes glowing like molten gold. "So you've joined with the enemy."
Seraph narrowed her gaze. "I haven't joined anyone."
Nyxara ignored her words. "Very well. I'll inform the others. From this moment on, you are considered an enemy."
Seraph's wings twitched. "I don't need your permission,"
Nyxara smirked. "Of course you don't. But it had been given nonetheless."
Her gaze then flickered to Knox.
"And you," she continued, her tone unreadable. "We aren't here to fight you."
Knox remained silent, his muscles still tense.
Nyxara smile was almost amused. "We could easily dispose of you."
She took a slow step toward.
"But..." She let the word linger in the void. "You've caught our attention."
Knox's eyes narrowed.
"We find you... entertaining."
The sheer condescension in her tone made something burn in his chest, but before he could speak, Kaelina interrupted.
["Do. Not. Speak."]
Nyxara's gaze locked onto him, sharp as a blade. "So, I'll allow you to continue your little game of cops and robbers."
Knox's fists clenched.
"But step too far..."
She vanished.
Then—
She was beside him.
Her hand rested on his shoulder.
A crippling force shot through his body.
Knox's vision flashed red.
Pain.
His breath vanished.
His body froze, the cold of space tearing through his invulnerable skin like daggers.
Seraph reacted instantly, her wing igniting as she launched forward with a strike—
Nyxara lifted a single finger.
Seraph's attack stopped.
Her entire body was locked in place.
Nyxara's other finger curled slightly, and Seraph winced in pain, her body trembling against an unseen force.
Nyxara's voice was calm. "This is your first and only warning."
Knox gasped as air returned to his lungs. the suffocating force releasing him.
Nyxara let go, walking past them as if nothing happened.
The other parted for her, moving with eerie precision as she stepped through the portal without looking back.
The last to go was Zerath Kael'Vorne.
He turned to them, sneering, and spat onto the moon's surface.
"You got lucky, monkey."
His voice rumbled like an earthquake.
"Otherwise, she would have killed you."
Then he stepped through, and the portal snapped shut.
Knox and Seraph stood in complete silence.
The weight of what had just happened pressed down on them, heavier than the gravity they had left behind.
Seraph exhaled slowly, her fists still clenched.
Knox didn't move.
For the first time in a long, long, time...
He felt small.