Ready

Milky Way Date: Year 3752, Famona 24th, Galactic Foundation of Catoq Calendar (3752, G.F.C.C); Year 2038, September 24th, After The Great Disaster (2038, A.G.D)

Milky Way Location: The Unexplored Sector

Planet: Unknown

The air smelled like rotten sulfur, the light breeze passing through the big trees and water channels, moving the leaves and moving the streams and lakes. Once again, the sky was overcast, the dark gray clouds hovering over the sky, blocking any indication of the existence of a sun.

The giant worms moved beneath the earth, shaking the surface like an earthquake. The animals ran through the stinking swamp, trying to escape, although there was nothing behind them.

Across the cave inside the waterfall, the purple man, Revius, was still training Akin. He knew that the boy was not quite ready, to train for three days everything the Order preached was impossible. It took a quantum warrior at least six years to learn everything he should, seven at most. The galaxy was about to suffer a terrible blow, and the boy trained only for three mere days.

Akin had asked why Revius would not resolve the crisis himself. If he had the armor, if he was already trained in the rules of the order, then why was he not responsible for resolving this situation?

The man ignored the question the next day and, when remembered, hardened the training more and more.

Akin suspected that the fact that he was being trained to replace Revius was because the man was about to die. The boy realized during the training that the man left, as he said, to breathe a little more fresh air deeply.

It was a lie, of course.

Revius coughed dry almost every moment, although he tried to hide from Akin, he couldn't. The boy did not risk asking, it should be personal.

The day went by quickly, and the afternoon came, which again was not recognized, since the clouds still covered the sky completely.

Revius rested in a makeshift hammock in the trees, while watching Akin. The boy, on the other hand, continued training even without the help of the man, trying to discover for himself, different ways of using the different technologies present in the armor. He was also studying the possibility of contacting the Foundation to ask for a ransom.

He pulled the sword from his waist, turning it on slowly and looking at the flames that dripped frequently as other parts of the orange fire tried to possess the top of the blade.

He then jumped, spinning in the air with his body, falling to the ground as the sword cut a large piece of metal on top of a wooden log. It took less than two seconds for the two materials to split in half. Just bringing the flames of metal closer together made it melt, almost like a lightsaber.

The armor, however, resisted the flames of the sword well. Akin had tested it, counting thirty-six seconds to penetrate the armor if he used the sword slowly, and immediately if used quickly and efficiently, with a simple cut.

Thanks to self-repairing technology, the armor could rebuild the destroyed materials if there was material stored in it.

The boy was looking at the sky, now with the clouds disappearing. He looked at the sunset on an unknown planet, a planet he had never heard of. He thought of the Foundation, Athor, Earth, friends and family. If the crisis was happening now, he knew he couldn't wait long. It wasn't like he was going to train at the same time as other students in the Order.

Nor was it as if there were others or who were under pressure to save perhaps the galaxy as a whole.

Akin walked to Revius's hammock with firm steps, marking the mud. He got close enough, stopping at least two meters from him, realizing that the man was not really sleeping.

He clenched both fists, biting his lips, his eyes blinking and stopping. And then he looked at Revius. "I'm ready." The boy's voice came out hard, bravely. Revius raised his eyes half closed to face Akin's face, which was pale and has now returned to its original and determined color.

Revius knew that it would be impossible to fully train the boy in just a few days, he knew he had no more time. Was it possible for Akin to end this galactic crisis even without completing his training? He couldn't think about it anymore, it was time. Akin had asked him before how he received the news of Athor's invasion, and now that question would be answered.

Revius took him beyond the safety zone marked by him, where the giant worms hunted. There was a large handful of leaves piled on top of something large. He approached, pulling a cloth with leaves attached to it, revealing a small ship, capable of carrying only one passenger.

Athor's coordinates were already defined, Revius had already taken care of everything.

"Thank you." Akin said almost choking. Revius did not reply, just nodded and continued to smile as usual. His cough came back for a moment, and the man tried to keep his smile on while coughing non-stop.

The boy entered the ship, a small ball in the middle like a wheel and an energy ring around it, simulating the rings of Saturn. Akin looked back for the last time, looking at the smiling man still coughing.

And then, he left.