“AJAX!” Amalthea’s voice cut through the storm, her shout clearly audible even over the roar of the engines. “GET YOUR ASS BACK UP HERE! WE’RE LEAVING!” 

“WHAT!?” Kane yelled through the wind and rusted rumble of the engines. His eyes shot upwards and what he saw stopped him cold.

It was a Titan Craft, a relic of another age. 

Its surface was scarred with cracks that glowed faintly as if the stars themselves bled through its ancient, rust-red hull. Heavy, rusted chains wrapped around its exterior, holding together the remnants of forgotten battles. Engines on each side of its sweptback spat black and red fire, struggling to keep the craft in the air. A pitch-black impact scar was burned in its patchwork hull.

But the most distinguishing feature was its sharp nose and jagged black edges. It rang a familiar bell in Kane’s mind. He never thought he’d see this old craft again.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Kane shouted, just as he realised Ajax had vanished too. “And where do you think you’re going!?” 

Amalthea steered the craft above the dense forest, wrestling with the controls. She had overridden its systems, but it was no modern vessel—it was clunky and difficult to navigate compared to The Endurance.

Through the flickering monitors and storm-blinded sensors, she had spotted Ajax, but she couldn’t land to pick him up. He had to make his own way.

And he did. 

“Took you long enough,” she muttered when Ajax stumbled through the open hatch. “I hope you closed the backdoor—there’s an insane draft back there—” She froze, her mask disappeared from her face. “Ajax, what happened?” 

Bruised and battered, the marks of battle were all over Ajax’s face. His lip bled freely, but worst of all was his right ear—torn around the edge, bleeding profusely. He couldn’t hear anything on that side, save for a constant, shrill ringing. 

“I’m fine,” Ajax muttered, trying not to touch his bleeding ear. His hand trembled as he held out the black box. “I’m sorry, I almost didn’t bring it back.” 

“Ajax…” 

“Don’t.” His voice cracked, “Not right now, I—” 

“Hold still.” Amalthea quickly pulled him into a seat, setting the black box aside. “I’ll find the first aid kit.” 

“No… we don’t have the time for…” he began, but trailed off, realising there was no use. She was already rummaging for the kit. He stared numbly at the black box, his mind swirling with thoughts of Kane, Hyperion and the battle.

“Am I… replaceable?” he whispered, his hosts clenched tightly. “What if Kane was…. right—?” 

“Found it,” Amalthea announced, hurrying back with a hobble. She sprayed a green liquid on his wounds, cleaning them gently. “This is going to scar,” she warned, her tone softer now. “I’m sorry for not being there. What happened?” 

“Kane… he’s Antares.” The words felt heavy as they escaped Ajax’s lips. “He’s the one who—” 

Amalthea’s expression shifted instantly. Her dark skin, dotted with star-like freckles, dimmed as a sudden scar-like Milky Way traced her face. Raw and intense anger contorted her features. Just like Kane’s. 

“Ajax,” she spoke with an icy restraint, her hands gripping his shoulders. “We’re leaving the planet soon. I need you to be ready. Are you ready?” 

The words caught in Ajax’s throat. “No.” he wanted to say, but couldn’t. Not now, not when Amalthea’s eyes burned into him with such intensity, her hands tightening in quiet desperation, waiting for a positive response. 

“What about Bob?” Ajax asked quietly. “Will we… abandon him?” 

Amalthea hesitated, her grip loosened slightly. “If it’s like last time, he would want us to let go of him.” 

The words hit Ajax like a punch. “Kane was right. Was this what he meant? Would Amalthea eventually abandon me just like Kane warned? What if I—” 

“But this isn’t like last time.” Her hands tightened again, and a fierce determination burned in her eyes and into Ajax. “I won’t abandon anyone ever again. We’ll get Bob out, together. You hear me?” 

“Command Centre. COMMAND CENTRE!” Kane screamed into the storm, spitting leaves out of his mouth as the winds howled around him. “DO YOU COPY!” 

“A-A-n-tares— T-th-eee st-oor-m is— d-d-do… you… copy?” 

“Barely!” Kane yelled. “Request Orbital Bombardment!”

“... r-r-rep-eeeeat???” 

“I SAID BOMBARD THAT DAMN TITAN DERELICT! AIM FOR MY AMULET! BRING. IT. DOWN!!!”

‧. .ᯓ★. .‧

Through the chaotic storm, Amalthea struggled with the old craft, navigating it as best she could. The Western Lord wasn’t designed for modern flight. It rattled and shook with every gust of wind. It held on through the weather, but whether or not it could hold out in the vastness of space, Amalthea couldn’t tell. 

“One problem at a time,” she grunted as they crossed the city boundary. The sensors flickered, barely functioning in the storm’s interference. “I can’t even tell if we’re at the square—” 

“There!” Ajax pointed to the side. “I see flashes in the thicket!” 

The Western Lord hovered above what appeared to be the market square. Despite the rain and storm, a heavy layer of smoke covered the perimeter. Amalthea put the craft into autopilot and held watch with Ajax on the Titan’s entrance for any signs in the smokey brew. 

Dozens of guards and adventurers littered the entire square. Only four figures remained standing as they surrounded Molly from all corners. 

Captain Schnauzer, hunching under his destroyed shield, barely held himself upright—looking like he took most of the damage to protect his allies. Oridal Paladin’s sword had snapped in half, and his helmet half—ripped from his head. Galran had replaced her leg with one made from stone and fists that resembled boulders. 

But Iapetus…

“What’s wrong, Grandpa?” Molly taunted through a missing eye and several stab wounds and toying with something in her hands. “Missing an arm? Old age does that to you.” 

Iapetus was down on his knees, clutching his spear with one arm. His other arm… was gone, ripped from his elbow socket—and now in Molly’s grasp as her newest plaything. It was clear that Iapetus did his utmost to hold Molly back, even to the cost of his aged body. 

“Bob!” Ajax and Amalthea cried from above, the roar of the engines barely masking their voices. 

Iapetus looked up, pain etched his strained voice. “What are you two still doing here?” he croaked, feeling his insides bleed and his bones throb. “Escape in the cover of the storm. Don’t worry about an old Titan like me—” 

Iapetus couldn’t finish his sentence. Schnauzer’s strong arm pulled him up “Don’t worry, old man,” reassured the Guard Captain. “You did more than enough. Let us finish it for you—” 

“You think I will let you go!” Molly screeched, warping her way through the rain like a snake turned into smoke. Her hands pierced Schnauzer’s body as he positioned himself between her and Iapetus.

“Everyone, now,” ordered Schnauzer.

Oridal embedded his broken sword into Molly’s back like Caliburn and locked her right arms with his arms and legs—and made extra sure to stick his feet into her face. Galran on the other hand used her remaining mana to conjure the earth and anchor her legs.

“Thank you, Titan.” Schnauzer smiled through his tusks with blood spilling from his lips. Oridal and Galran followed suit to show their appreciation, leaving off the Titan with a smile. “Good luck, Grandpa!” 

With his last ounce of orkish strength, Schnauzer threw Iapetus into the air—right towards the Titan craft. Ajax and Amalthea caught him. 

“Return to the stars,” was the last Schnauzer said as an orbital beam descended upon them, grazing the Titan and leaving no trace of the fighters behind. 

‧. .ᯓ★. .‧

Inside the shaking craft, Amalthea struggled to maintain control. “We have to get out of here!” 

Ajax, still reeling from the sight of the explosion and the crater scarring his home city, was snapped back to reality by Bob’s voice. “There’s no time to grief. Another one is soon coming,” said Bob as his suit was close to shut off. He pulled Ajax up. “Listen, we don’t have much time left. We need to navigate the storm, and you are our best shot at this.” 

Ajax nodded, his hands trembling. “Ride the currents,” he instructed. “We have to ride to the eye of the storm.” 

Amalthea glanced back, locking eyes with Ajax. She trusted him. Instead of fighting the storm, she rode it. The old craft rattled against the currents. 

Noticing how Amalthea was losing her grip, Ajax and Bob held her hands in place on the craft’s yoke. Through the storm, Ajax could see the Sylphs—green wind spirits resembling women dancing in the storm. According to his mother’s tales, they only showed their true form to exceptional elves. 

And among them, one looked just like his mother, her gentle smile urging him forward. 

They helped him ride the currents and actively avoid the orbital strikes that rained down on them like a hail of bullets. Some grazed them, but the Western Lord held on. They shot through the clouds and reached the eye of the storm, where the wings calmed, but their journey was far from over. 

Amalthea pulled The Western Lord up and activated the engines, sending a jolt through the craft. The Sylphs danced around it and weaved the winds around it to help accelerate its ascent. 

But that’s where they encountered a major obstacle. 

Ahead of them loomed a massive, hexagonal barrier surrounding the thermosphere towards the exosphere—the most critical layer to break through to enter space. And behind it, loomed the Orbital Striker, ready to fire.

It aimed right at them. 

“This is it,” whispered Amalthea, her eyes meeting Ajax’s. “No turning back.”

It was now or never. No backing down. No retreat. It was do or die. 

Amalthea pushed the Titan craft to its limits as she and Bob coalesced their cosmic powers into the nose of the Titan. Ajax asked the Sylphs for assistance. The one who looked like his mother stayed and positioned herself on the front while the others conjured a protective layer of wind.

Wind resistance was non-existent as the Western Lord ascended further. The beam came down on them but the Titan held on. The trio shouted alongside the Sylph who used her entire essence to disperse much of the beam’s energy to protect the Titan until the nose hit the barrier. 

Everything croaked, everything trembled. They didn’t think whether or not they would make it. This was the last stroke of their journey, the very last push. 

“We are the Titans! We never yield!” they shouted together, pouring every ounce of strength into the action. The craft’s nose glowed in a purple hue, fissuring the barrier. “Cosmic Spire: Revolving World.”

They pierced through the barrier and right through the orbital weapon as they passed through the Exosphere. 

For the first time in his life, Ajax finally saw the stars up close—the brilliant lights of distant galaxies and planets stretching out before them. His breath caught in his throat at the sheer vastness of space. 

The hyperdrive activated, whisking them away into the furthest corners of the stars. 

The Titans survived the battle, but their journey was far from over.