THE EMPTY VESSEL

As the Xenos approached a clearing in the forest, still a bit far from their destination, April called for the attention of everyone.

"I explicitly ordered that there should be no killing of humans," April began, sternly, she asked addressing Marc, the head of the third Xenarmy faction. "Why did you give them the order to murder them?" she asked.

"The king commanded us to do whatever it takes to obtain the Auragmite," Marc replied fiercely

"But he never sanctioned murder," Leah interjected

"We were instructed to do whatever necessary, even if it meant wiping out the entire human race," Marc retorted.

"You don't have to kill them to make them speak, besides most of them were innocent and had no idea what the Auragmite was" April stated with her voice filled with frustration, her gestures like that of a leader.

"That's precisely why we have to keep searching" Marc said, having no regards for human lives.

"Are you crazy?" she exclaimed, raising her voice in disbelief.

"This is the way it has been and I've had enough of taking orders from you anyway," Marc retorted dismissively. "You don't belong with us."

"Marc!" Leah intervened, calling out Marc to watch his words in attempt to defuse the tension.

"It's the truth," Marc persisted, "April has never been one of us, and she never will be."

April's patience reached its limit. In a fit of anger, she transformed her palm into a sword and swiftly pierced it into Marc's skin, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to his knees. Ignoring his cry, she grabbed him by the neck, her grip tightening with fury.

"The king appointed me and Leah as the leaders of this mission, and you will listen to me!" April declared, a hint of rage in her voice "Why?" she tilted her head "Because I am more powerful than you," she added with a grin, releasing her grip and letting Marc fall to the ground.

With an exasperated sigh, she turned away, continuing her journey. Some members of the xenarmies followed them, carrying Rex who was still unconscious, while the rest of the group remained with their leader, Marc, assisting him in his recovery.

"You're going to regret this!" Marc muttered curses that went unheard through his pain.

As they stepped into the throne room of the palace, the king was seated upon his throne. Before him stood two venerable elders.

"Where is the Auragmite?" Carlos inquired sharply, his tone betraying his impatience.

"We... we... couldn't find anything, sir," Leah confessed, her voice trembling with fear as she bowed her head in shame.

"What!?" Carlos shouted angrily as he stood up, his body engulfed in swirling purple flames, and his eyes glowing with an eerie purple glow. "And what is this?" the King's voice boomed, referring to Rex whom they gently laid down before the king, with his hands and legs tired.

His wound had ceased bleeding and was healing beneath his clothing.

April bowed respectfully. "I believe he's someone special, my lord," she explained. "He managed to defeat one of the Xenos with his bare hands."

"Then kill him," Carlos commanded.

"Sir, we might need him" April quickly countered.

"How so?" one of the elders asked

"We need to know the source of his power, it could be humans have the Auragmite, and are harnessing it's power to increase their strength. By interrogating him, he may reveal the location of their source and we can prevent them from posing a greater threat."

After a moment of contemplation, the King relented "Take him to the dungeon and ensure he is closely guarded. Inform me once he awakens" he commanded

Following the King's orders, Rex was taken to an underground dungeon within the palace, heavily secured with the strongest xenos as guards, ensuring there was no possibility of escape.

The King settled back into his seat gently. "How special is he?" he inquired.

April recounted all that she had witnessed. As they spoke, Marc and his soldiers burst into the room. Despite Marc's previous injury, which now seemed fully healed, his eyes blazed with fury. He had led his troops on a rampage, and mercilessly slaughtered the remaining villagers.

Casting a menacing glare at April, Marc approached the King and bowed. "We have found something, my lord," he announced.

"What is it?" Carlos demanded, his anger still visible

Marc produced a mysterious object, like a celestial hub. It looked like a shiny ball with many colors. It seemed to have the magic of the whole universe inside. That one looking at it would feel amazed, like they were seeing the secrets of space right in front of them. "We believe the Auragmite is contained within this vessel," he proclaimed.

"How can you be certain?" King Carlos questioned skeptically, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

"We can use a tracker to confirm its presence," Marc suggested.

As the tracker indicated the Auragmite was nearby and possibly within the palace itself, everyone gasped in shock. King Carlos rose from his throne, striding towards Marc with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"Why then did I not sense its presence? Could this vessel be that strong to truly suppress its energy?" Carlos pondered silently, taking the object from Marc. The xengeneticists moved closer in order to be ready to control the Auragmite when it was revealed. With a focused concentration, Carlos employed his powers to unseal it, channeling energy to break it apart. As the vessel cracked open, it revealed itself to be empty.

"Wha!... What? How?" Marc exclaimed in disbelief. "Why did the tracker indicate the Auragmite was here then?"

"Perhaps someone among us is concealing it," April said, her gaze returning the glare that Marc had cast upon her.

"You don't mean..." Marc protested as he scanned the room. "Are you seriously suggesting that I, after decimating an entire village to retrieve the Auragmite, would hide it?"

"Who knows?" April retorted defiantly.

"Or perhaps you did so to safeguard your own kind." Marc accused her

"Silence!" King Carlos commanded, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Why do you trust her?" Marc's voice erupted with accusation, suspecting April to have hidden the gem "Who else would hide the Auragmite for themselves? Knowing only the King has the power to grant us abilities with it other than her because she's not even one of us, she doesn't even…" Before he could finish his sentence, the King swiftly pierced his stomach with his long, poison-laden claws, injecting a lethal poison that caused Marc to crumble into ashes instantaneously.

Gasps echoed throughout the room, including April, her eyes widening in shock at the sudden turn of events.

"Leave!" commanded King Carlos, his voice cutting through the tense silence as he returned to his throne.

Without hesitation, everyone hastily departed the throne room, fearing they might be the next target of the King's wrath.

"Wow, that was intense," Leah remarked, breaking the uneasy silence as they sat down together on the palace steps in solemn silence.

"That's how much the King values April," Gor commented to Leah.

"I don't think it's about that. Marc was becoming a problem," Leah responded, her brow furrowed in thought.

April remained quiet, her mind still swirling with confusion and shock from everything

"Who do you think could have hidden the Auragmite?" Gor inquired.

"I honestly have no clue," Leah admitted. "Why would anyone even want to hide it?"

"Someone in possession of the Auragmite could rival the King's strength, just like you told me" April interjected, "But it's hard to believe anyone would risk such a dangerous move."

"That's true" Leah replied

"Do you think the tracker could have been wrong?" Gor pondered aloud.

"It's highly unlikely," Leah replied, shaking her head.

"I wonder how the King will handle this," April mused, exhaustion evident in her voice "He trusted no one before, but now, tensions in the palace might escalate into war." With a tired sigh, she rested her head on her palm.

"The prisoner, do you think he's alright? I saw he was hurt," Gor inquired.

"I'm not sure, why do you even care?" Leah questioned.

"I mean, considering we need him," Gor replied.

"You're right. Let's go take care of his injuries," Leah said to April as they got up and headed to the underground prison where the guards had confined Rex.