A sudden tremor rocked the path ahead.

  A massive obsidian sentinel rose from the terrain, ten meters tall, its body comprised of interlinked star-forged plates. Energy pulsed from its core like sonar. A roar that sounded like tearing metal resounded as the being stood and faced Nilo’s group.

  The tremor didn’t stop—it pulsed.

  Cracks laced the crystalline ground, and a shockwave of low-frequency energy radiated from the Sentinel’s chest like a war drum. Nilo’s group staggered, ears ringing.

  “Hostile confirmed,” Claire barked, her hand already moving in a practiced arc. Sparks ignited from her gloves as she scribed a heat glyph midair.

  “It’s slow,” Byron noted, his voice grim. “But looks really powerful. I’m finally fighting something my size I guess.”

  “Then be extra careful Byron, everyone spread out and engage!” Nilo said, stepping forward, his Flames already swirling—green and violet dancing at his palms. “We’re the ones who survived hell to weild the stars, push forward and bring this monster down!”

  The Sentinel raised its arm, plates grinding. A shockbeam fired from its palm—raw S-Factor condensed into force. Byron surged forward, expanding mid-charge, intercepting the beam with his Titan form. The blast slammed into him, shoving him back several meters, his feet digging two trenches into the ground.

  “Holy shit… its stronger than I thought!” Byron roared, muscle straining against impact.

  Then Rohan blurred past, hand pressed to Byron’s back, siphoning the excess energy.

  “Redirecting,” Rohan whispered, and his eyes flared. He spun, converting the beam into a spiral lance of violet lightning, launching it back at the Sentinel’s shoulder.

  It hit the sentinel squarely on its shoulder—crack!—knocking the giant slightly off-balance.

  Claire stepped in, her friction aura condensing underfoot. “Tala—your mirage, now!”

  The pacific-born illusionist leapt from a ridge, palms glowing with mirrored light. “Let’s confuse the bastard.”

  Tala’s power flared, and five replicas of the squad shimmered into existence, each flickering at varying speeds. The Sentinel paused, its sonar pulse stuttering as it attempted to lock on. Too many targets.

  Nilo took the opportunity, his Accelerated Thought running instantly.

  In a blink of an eye, he calculated three weak points: the back of the right knee, the junction between neck and torso, and the pulsing core—visible only for a second between heartbeat-like energy flares.

  His green flame ignited. He dashed, streaking beneath the Sentinel’s guard like a comet, sliding low and slicing at the knee joint.

  Crack.

  The Sentinel dropped to one leg, its weight shaking the ground around it.

  “NOW!” Nilo roared. “Focus fire!”

  Byron, now recovered, charged low, tackling the giant backward with a grunt. Claire launched heat rounds, each one superheating segments of armor. Rohan blasted beams into the thinned plates. Tala flanked and created phantom duplicates of Nilo, all flashing toward the core at once.

  The Sentinel, confused, began to turn, but ultimately, it is too slow.

  “White Flame—Annihilation,” Nilo whispered.

  The white fire roared forth in a sphere that punctured straight through the weakened core. The Sentinel gave a final, guttural metallic cry, then crumbled into burning fragments.

  Silence.

  Then, from its remains, a pulsing crystalline orb hovered upward, steady and unnatural in color. A perfect lattice of S-Factor, so dense it bent the air around it.

  Nilo reached forward and caught it, green and purple flames flickering faintly in his eyes.

  From his communicator, Overwatch’s voice burst in:

  “It seems like you’re really a lucky star Lifefire.”

  “Do you know what this is? Its making me hungry by looking at it, my flames seem attracted to it.”

  “That orb is similar to the Crystal Stellar Factor deposits we have mined in other space cracks. While those crystals we have mined contained impurities, the central command discovered that stellar factor coming from living inhabitants of the space cracks are more stable, and easily refined. The Liquefied Stellar Factor you were fed during training came from these things.” Overwatch explained in detail.

  “Then we simply must take more of this back home right.”

  “Bingo. You got it right Lifefire. Give me a moment please.”

  Afterwards, every one of the Genesis Batch’s communicators rang at the same time and they heard Overwatch’s formal tone.

  “Vanguard Unit Genesis, a valuable resource has been confirmed harvestable from Hollow Beyond’s Natives. You are hereby ordered to actively seek out Obsidian Sentinels and similar creatures and hunt them down. Harvest the S-Factor Cores after defeating them and deposit it to the outpost. This mission is active immediately.”

  48 Hours Later

  The sky had no color here. Just the constant shifting of the void. Crystalline ridges jutted across the Hollow Beyond like fossilized waves, and the deeper one ventured, the more warped the environment became—reflections that didn’t mirror, plants that pulsed like organs, gravity that fluctuated in certain areas.

  The Obsidian Sentinel had only been the first creature discovered. Other reports from different squads described other crystalline based creatures.

  Since then, Overwatch's command had mobilized every manpower possible, allowing the entry of regular soldiers to create a support system that would allow the Vanguard team to hunt more proactively.

  Scouting lines tangled with terrain-born anomalies and ambush predators made of pulsing boneglass and skinless tendrils. But the prize—raw S-Factor cores—made the risks worth it.

  Nilo, Byron, Claire, Rohan, and Tala carved a bloody path through lesser Hollowspawn.

  Each had showcased different masteries over their acquired abilities. Tala, crafting illusions across vast fields, turned entire ambushes into self-destructing chaos. Claire, with heat-wired glyphs, sculpted flamethrower domes that enhanced Nilo’s firepower. Byron, reverting to his base size between attacks, optimized his Titanification bursts—each punch shattering multiple targets at once. Rohan, his absorption now tuned to redirect rather than suppress, created feedback loops that melted Hive-creatures inside their shells. And Nilo, ever at the front, grew more silent. More aware. The pull of the Hollow hadn’t ceased since their first fight against that obsidian sentinel.

  “We’re changing,” he murmured once to Rohan.

  “We were supposed to,” Rohan replied.”If we want to keep our lives, we had to.”

  But the pace was unsustainable. Teams split and reformed across ridgelines. S-Factor readings danced. And then… silence.

  A Stellar Soldier named Kieran Vale, codename Phantom Arc, vanished from telemetry. Moments later, his heartbeat monitor flatlined. His squad’s feed cut with a strangled scream and a flash of black tendrils.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  A crisis appeared inside the Hollow Beyond.

  ---

  It stood at the foot of a bone canyon, draped in threads of semi-liquid dark metal, writhing like silk in water.

  Eyes? None. Mouth? All. A yawning vertical split ran down its center, ringed with bioluminescent teeth like piano keys. Its arms were too long. Fingers were blades of mirror. It moved like a creature only partially bound by physics.

  It was temporarily named the Eidolon Maw.

  “Damn it, I always reminded everyone to return in one piece and this thing had to appear!” Overwatch’s stressed voice rang out from the hovering drone showing them live feed of the beast.

  “Well, we were always taught that anything can happen in the space cracks, at least the instructors haven’t lied to us.” Arden chimed from the side.”So what now?”

  All the remaining Genesis Batch Stellar Soldiers were gathered together at the hill near Nilo and Zhu Honghui fought. Then they saw the Xiyuan Dominion’s people approaching from the other side.

  “It has been decided that everyone inside the crack would be working together to eliminate the beast, regardless where they came from, you are now one unit against the Eidolon Maw.” The drone projected Overwatch’s voice to everyone.

  The Vanguard unit was stunned at first but quickly recovered. Xiyuan Agents—once aloof—joined without a word. No time for politics. The Maw had already started making its way towards their bases and wiped out the scouts sent to monitor it.

  “I thought we could fight again after I broke through but I guess we have to take that beast down first flame soldier.” Zhu Honghui stood beside Nilo at the front.

  “Hmph, brother Hui is stronger now and won’t be suppressed by you stinky!” A high pitched voice came from behind Zhu Honghui.

  “Sorry, but you are?” Nilo politely asked.

  “I am An Meili, brother Hui’s wife!” The little girl boldly declared

  “Meili! Be serious, we’re going to fight soon!”

  The other Genesis Stellar Soldiers looked at Zhu Honghui and his companions weirdly. And there were some chuckles from the Dominion’s agents. But this short comic relief was what everyone needed.

  “The Beast is approaching combat range. All Units, prepare to engage!”

  Rohan launched the first strike, flanking with redirected plasma. It passed through the beast and did no damage. Instead, it turned towards Rohan.

  Tala cloaked Nilo and Claire. They reappeared mid-air, launching a joint strike—flames and glyphs in tandem.

  The Maw howled.

  The sound peeled layers of thought from their minds. Claire nearly falling unconscious, dropped behind Nilo. Tala clutched her ears, which started bleeding. Other Stellar Soldiers who were fighting against other Hollow Spawn were also affected.

  Nilo, also bleeding from his nose, quickly recollected himself. He spread his green flames to his limit and covered nearly everyone on the field, healing them.

  This gave Zhu Honghui a chance to counterattack the Maw. While removing his upper armor, hard, red scales grew from his skin and his eyes tunred into slits. He jumped in front of the beast and his rigorous qi-like Stellar Force causing a phantom of a dragon to form behind him as he punched out towards the Maw.

  Possibly sensing danger, the Maw opened its mouth and gathered energy to attack the draconic phantom rushing towards it. Meanwhile Nilo already arrived below it and burst his blue flames freezing many tendrils and mouths effectively interrupting the beast.

  The attack landed and Zhu Honghui who was floating was smiling brightly.

  A tentacle like arm suddenly appeared above him and struck him down.

  Nilo who was under the beast was also attacked with energy beams by the other mouths he failed to freeze. His body was sent flying away the Eidolon Maw.

  The other Stellar Soldiers were still launching attacks and rescuing the wounded personnel but their attacks were ineffective to the beast. The morale even fell further after seeing the aces being pushed back by the beast.

  Nilo, who was healing faster stood back up and pushed forward. His green flame blazed across his arm, wreathing him in life-light. But the Maw's tendrils speared through his thigh and shoulder, dragging him into the air.

  The pain made him scream so miserably, but he was still alive. He cut the tendrils lodged to his body and tumbled down to the ground.

  His flames burned brighter and healed faster. The bones regrowing was so uncomfortably painful and itchy. His muscles being repaired and twisted as it grew nearly made him pass out.

  He screamed—the healing hurt. His mind registered every snapped ligament and shredded nerve. The fire mended—but it didn’t numb.

  “Nilo!” He heard someone call out his name but the pain was keeping him from recognizing who it was.

  ---

  “You're still thinking of flames as tools,” said Instructor Kael, his voice like cracking charcoal.

  Nilo, shirtless and bruised, was on his knees inside a scorched dome chamber—S-factor dampeners humming in the walls. His breath hitched, bloodied palms trembling.

  “I—I thought they were,” Nilo muttered, the purple fire flickering weakly along his fingertips.

  Kael circled him. His arm was a prosthetic, forged from an unidentified bone and riddled with scorch marks from too many sparring sessions. He knelt to meet Nilo eye-to-eye.

  “Then that’s why you’ll break when the fire grows wild.”

  The instructor suddenly yanked Nilo’s hand which was still flaming, surprised by it, the flames from Nilo’s hand roared. It creeped into Kael’s forearm. Muscle rippled and tore, skin blackening in an instant. He didn’t even blink.

  Nilo came out of his stupor. “You’re hurting yourself—!” Immediately switching to his green flames.

  “I’m choosing pain. Because sometimes pain is cleaner than fear. And destruction…” he said, watching the ruined flesh slowly regenerate under faint green wisps, “...is a kind of mercy if you control it.”

  Kael stood, his voice dropping.

  “You don’t heal because you want to feel better, Nilo. You heal because your body refuses to stay down.”

  “You don’t burn because you hate. You burn because something must end—even if it’s part of you.”

  Nilo stared down at his shaking hands, flame dimming.

  “Pain will come,” Kael said, walking away. “But one day you’ll understand: flame is not a gift. It’s a pact. That’s all for today’s lesson.”

  ---

  “Not mercy,” he realized. “Sacrifice.”

  His limb grew back mid-air. But so did the pain.

  Then purple flame roared.

  Not on the beast—on himself.

  Nilo coated his nerves, his skin, his mind—in destruction.

  The pain dulled. The chaos sharpened.

  “Flames don’t burn what I reject,” he whispered. “They burn what I choose.”

  “And I choose not to fear.”

  He landed, a storm of green and violet spiraling from his body. His eyes locked with the beast. It sensed something change.

  He sprinted towards the Maw. With countless tendrils and arms shooting his way trying to block him.

  First his leg was cut, yet he simply jumped and regrew a new one. Second, he lost his right arm. Third as he was about to be decapitated, he burst straight through the Maw’s chest. Where the white flame cannot reach before… now, it ate. The beast shrieked, staggering.

  A cold monotonous voice came out from Nilo.

  “White Flame – Annihilation.”

  But it wasn't over.

  A tendril explosion launched debris in every direction. Zhu Honghui stood and took the blunt force in front of the Dominion agents. Claire and Tala were knocked away from the backlines. Byron fell, bloodied. Rohan raised a barrier, absorbing all the energy he can muster.

  Then the ground split.

  The beast’s final attack fractured the Hollow floor, and a rift yawned open.

  Nilo, and other nearby Stellar Soldiers—fell.

  No time for cries. No time for rescue.

  Just the sudden drop into the deeper unknowns of the Hollow Beyond.

  ---

  On the central command office of the newly built outpost caging the Hollow Beyond space crack screens pulsed with status reports and alert sirens. A three-dimensional map of the Hollow Beyond hovered in the center, its terrain glitching intermittently—failing to fully process the volatile readings from the deeper zones.

  General Alec Griffin stood tall, unmoving, arms clasped behind his back. His expression unreadable beneath the faint holographic projection of shifting topography. Beside him, Lynn Harper known as Overwatch rubbed her temple, fatigue clearly showing behind her glasses.

  “Telemetry from the soldiers who fell has ceased,” murmured the AI liaison. “Environmental interference escalating. No retrieval window.”

  Across the room, agents moved like disciplined phantoms. Every click of a console, every data spike, revealed something worse: S-Factor surges spiking across multiple Hollow regions, unnatural patterning like a hive awakening.

  Faces of the young soldiers: Nilo, Zhu Honghui, Zara El-Khoury, Hadi Nasir, An Meili, and Arden Vale. These were the people who fell to the crack.

  Then the room’s light dimmed.

  High Councilor Margrave’s visage appeared in full on the primary holoscreen, robed in the obsidian-trimmed garb of office, expression like carved basalt.

  “I’ve read the preliminary reports. This Eidolon Maw… it’s not a creature. It’s a precursor.”

  A beat of silence. Alec turned toward the screen, jaw tightening.

  “With respect, Councilor, if that was the precursor… what’s the main force?”

  Margrave leaned forward. His eyes glinted with something beyond worry—knowledge.

  “What you encountered was merely a scout evolved artificially from a common Hollow strain. The true predator does not reveal itself until it senses worthy prey.” High Councilor Margrave paused, his tone turning dim.

  “And our Genesis children are finally… worthy.”

  General Alec remained silent. But his voice, when it came, was like a blade drawn.

  “Initiate Black Classification on all Hollow Beyond activity.”

  “Retrieve information on the Sunken Directive.”

  “And prepare the Excision Fleet.”

  The room froze. Even the AI paused.

  “Sir… that’s a last resort—”

  “If that thing is merely a scout, I believe they have more to offer us,” Alec said, grim, “we might not have a world left to argue about.”

  Onscreen, Margrave merely nodded once. The line went dead.

  Outside the viewport, in the silence of space, on a distant star, classical music was playing from a cassette player placed on a table. Beyond the table is a garden… filled with creatures similar to the Eidolon Maw.