The Quantum Series: The Absolute

Chapter 10: The Arrival

The sun hung high in the clear blue sky, casting warmth and light across the city. A gentle breeze whispered through the trees, and birds sang in the distance. It was a day like any other-a day that should have been peaceful. But a strange unease gnawed at me, a foreboding I couldn't shake off.

Leena and I were sitting on a bench in Central Park, enjoying the rare lull between our grueling training sessions. Anna played nearby, her laughter mingling with the sounds of the city. Dr. Ward was back at the lab, analyzing data from our latest sessions, his perpetual frown of concentration deepening each day.

"Hey Erina," Leena inquired my attention, I gave an audible cue to show I was listening, "Do you remember the stories about the past and the seven great nations?"

"Of course I remember," I answered, my voice relaxed and steady, "History shows us that centuries ago, the seven great nations were separated by vast oceans. Then when Mophorsinnite was discovered, researchers found it had morphing and cloning properties, even being able to genetically alter itself to clone subsincase. Then in the span of just ten years the Mophorsinnite spread and connected the seven great nations. After that, the seven great nations declared peace and turned into the super nation Concordia, looking at the facts, Sector 14 was once known as Ghana; a western country once belonging the great nation known as Africa."

"Correct, but do you know what really baffles me," Leena asked, I again gave an audible cue as I relaxed my shoulder, "How do our powers actually work, I mean yeah your powers are somewhat unexplainable and the cheep answer for the rest of us would be the Mophorsinnite but, how or rather how does it actually work?"

I pondered her question, she had a solid point. My powers are on the cusp of being unexplainable, "I've never really thought of that, maybe later I'll go ask Dr. Wa-"

Without warning, the light around us began to dim. I glanced up, squinting at the sky, and my heart skipped a beat. The sun was being swallowed, its light gradually eclipsed by a massive shadow.

"Is that... an eclipse?" Leena murmured, standing up, her eyes fixed on the sky.

I shook my head, my gut twisting with a sense of wrongness. "It's not supposed to be. Not today."

The shadow grew larger, blotting out the sun, casting an eerie twilight over the city. Panic spread through the park as people pointed and murmured, fear rippling through the crowd like a cold wind.

I stood, shielding my eyes as I tried to make out the shape. And then I saw it-a monstrous silhouette far beyond Earth's atmosphere, a hulking form that was definitely not the moon.

"It's them," I whispered, a chill running down my spine. "The Elrandi."

Just as the realization sank in, a blinding flash of light erupted beside me. I barely had time to react before Xilon materialized, his presence radiating a cold, commanding aura. His form shimmered with a faint, otherworldly glow, casting long shadows across the park.

"That," he said, pointing to the dark blot in the sky, "is the Elrandi Dreadnought; Zel'Raeth Quorathian. A flagship, housing their most powerful forces." His voice was devoid of its usual taunting edge, replaced with a grim gravity that made my blood run cold.

I stared at the massive vessel, its sheer size and presence overwhelming. It blotted out the sun entirely now, a dark titan hovering ominously in the void of space.

"What do they want?" I demanded, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound strong.

Xilon's eyes flickered with a strange light, a mix of amusement and something else-something darker. "To assimilate. To conquer. To judge. They have come for Earth, and for you, Erina."