BLITHE  —  Devourer of Worlds
Chapter I.X

Asher looked at the ceiling of his room at the base, his thoughts going back to the conversation they had a few weeks ago.

Tomorrow was the start of the Dark Empire’s job and the start of Blithe’s plan. He still couldn’t believe it entirely.

Her, the daughter of the horrific Dark Emperor, asking them, basically supposed to be nobodies in her eyes, to help her with her plan to rescue the Luminars as well as the Dark Matter who wanted to be free.

The image of her bowing to them left an imprint in his mind.

“When did you know?” Asher asked, his face still facing the ceiling. He heard the rustle of the bed across him.

“I saw her breaking down when she accidentally killed someone from our side. Also, she let a family of survivors go,” Nikos said. “A few days after that, she called out to me and asked for help...”

“And you believed her,” Asher said.

“I’m not dead yet, am I?” Nikos laughed softly.

Asher didn’t entertain his joke.

Nikos sighed. “I’ve been with her during her ups and down, and I can safely say, she’s been affected just as much as we are. Suddenly developing emotions and feelings while trying to suppress them to survive her bastard of a father… Having to deal with her past actions constantly without being free from it in her current choices. It’s torture.”

Asher chuckled wryly. “I still can’t believe we got her on our side.”

Nikos smiled. “And that’s okay. Once this is all over… Once the plan succeeds, you can finally let that doubt go.”

“You trust her that much?”

Nikos took a deep breath. “She gave me hope in a future. I’ll trust her until the very end.”

Asher stayed silent and closed his eyes.

They have already distributed the disguised warp stones to the Dark Matter who wanted to leave before they went for their job. There were people who were skeptical and refused, and people who were afraid to take that step.

He remembered the look on Blithe’s face when he and Ava told her about that.

She looked distraught and asked once again for them to try.

Asher exhaled. “I guess I’ll try too.”

 — 

Blithe stood at the village of the first star cluster. She was fiddling her thumbs in nervousness and excitement.

This was the day.

The day their plans would come to fruition.

Phase 1 of the plan would involve carrying out their job as usual. Rescue Luminars without arousing suspicion. Once the job seemed like a success, the henchmen loyalists would all gather at their base. The henchmen who are on the other side would also gather in another part of the star cluster.

Phase 2 would round them all up and send the loyalists to the Dark Empire while simultaneously warping the ones who have the modified stones all across the universe to her location. This would take a lot of her energy and her total concentration. Fortunately, sending all the loyalists via one black hole would ease the burden.

Phase 3 would be for her to explain what was going to happen and then lead them to the Light Territory and protecting them as they go there.

The modified warp stones are all set and ready. Although they weren’t able to convince all of the Dark Matter who opposed the Dark Emperor to take the modified warp stones, there were still a lot of people who took it. There were a lot of people who wanted to be leave and be saved. There were a lot of people who still believed and hoped for a future. And that was enough.

The black holes she made for the survivors of the star cluster were hidden and ready. The black hole she made to send the Dark Empire henchmen loyalists back is also ready.

She bit her lip.

Until everything is guaranteed, she would not risk alerting the Dark Empire of their plans. Creating multiple black holes was already a task needing a large amount of energy and did not want rushed.

Then she would introduce herself with Nikos to the group and explain her plan.

Then she's going to protect them while they go to the Light King's territory.

Just a little more.

“Protect what you can until the next phase of the plan starts,” she did her best to save anyone she can without arising suspicion.

She sent out henchmen towards uninhabited places of the cluster.

“Focus, don't get distracted.”

She discreetly guided the Luminars towards the black holes for escape.

“Focus until the next phase. Then you can breathe easy.”

She covered up tracks. She saw the henchmen who were a part of Nikos’ group do what they can.

“Focus. Do your job.”

She made the buildings look to be destroyed while making an escape route.

“Focus. We're almost there.”

She pulled back henchmen who were getting too close to kill.

“I just need to wait for Nikos' signal and—”

“YOU FILTHY RAT! I KNEW IT!”

Blithe stopped. Her head snapped towards the shouts.

She had a bad feeling about this.

“Argh!”

Blithe saw Nikos getting dragged out by the other henchmen from the corner of the village.

She was horrified. There was blood coming out of his nose and mouth, his face already bruised and battered.

“No, no, no. This can't happen. Why now? Why?”

She hurriedly walked towards them, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.

“What's going on?” she asked.

“Your Highness!” the henchmen grabbing him by his hair grinned at her. “We just caught this rat helping a survivor escape!”

“How are you so sure he was helping them?” Blithe interrogated.

“We saw it with our very eyes! He let a child escape and protected him from us!” another henchman kicked Nikos to his knees.

Blithe swallowed. There were a lot of people who saw what he did.

“Nikos, why now? Why weren't you careful enough? We were so close!” Blithe looked at him, her eyes asking why he wasn't cautious.

Nikos looked back at her, his eyes struggling to stay open but still communicated his thoughts to her.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t run away in time. I had to save what I can...”

“The child is still out there but we figure we can just deal with that later. Your Highness, as per orders from the Dark Emperor, traitors have to be executed,” they all grinned at each other.

Blithe trembled. She knew that a lot of her henchmen didn’t like Nikos. To prioritize his betrayal over a survivor just makes it apparent that they found an excuse to get him out of the way for good.

“We await your orders, Your Highness,” he snickered.

Blithe looked at Nikos and then at the group. All the scenarios in her head played out.

She could start the plan early, but then she would need to open multiple black holes to warp the loyalists back and in exchange of not warping the every Dark Matter from across the universe.

Or she could destroy everyone around them to save Nikos, but that would risk her not being able to concentrate on bringing the Dark Matter towards her.

The dread of not saving everyone and the dread of having to kill again weighed heavily on her. A choice she didn’t want to make.

She started to raise her arm when Nikos suddenly spat at her feet.

“YOU’RE ALL DISGUSTING!”

Blithe’s eyes trembled. Her mind blank at what he was doing.

“YOU DOGS OF THE DARK EMPIRE! I REGRET NOTHING!”

She dropped her arm and looked at the Nikos’ disgusted face brimming with hatred.

But she knew at that instance, he was making a choice for her.

During all their time together, he knew how she despaired, how every choice affected her, how she viewed every life despite their different alignment.

His words from before echoed in her mind.

“This regret and pain we're feeling. Nothing's going to end if we just stay at the same place for the rest of our lives. We must sacrifice what we can. And with you here on our side, I feel like we can finally have a future. So, if you disappear, that hope will be gone. Please, don't leave us.”

She knew — 

He’d rather die for the cause if it meant saving everyone and her, and that it was a choice she’d eventually had to make to get the most out of their plan.

“Kill him.”

The other henchmen lifted their spears to stab him at her words.

For one last time before the spears stabbed him, he lifted his head up to look at Blithe and smiled softly, mouthing words Blithe could only see.

“Blithe, carry on without me.”

“That's enough,” Blithe stopped the henchmen. They all smiled and let Nikos’ body fall on the ground.

“Your Highness, what about the girl who ran away?” one of the henchmen brought it up.

“I will take care of it myself,” she answered, her tone even.

“You may go back to the base. I will return shortly.”

The henchmen left, satisfied.

They all left for the base. The plan was ready to be set in motion but all Blithe can do at this moment was to approach the lifeless body of her friend.

“Blithe, carry on without me.”

Her face was stuck into the emotionless facade she wore earlier.

She lifted her hand, attempting to carry out their plan of warping but she just couldn’t.

Nikos has severely underestimated how much he meant to her, enough to ruin her concentration and state of mind.

“Nikos?”

She gently called out, half-expecting for a response.

She furrowed her eyebrows, tears starting to form in her eyes. The place went dark and thunder rumbled, a sign that the cluster was ready to collapse.

She understood another part why she didn't know any names. It was an attachment. A liability. A connection.

Knowing one’s name is expecting them to answer when you call.

She covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook.

“Nikos… I’m sorry. I can’t do it right now.”