This is so pointless… Alena Moltis thought to herself, as she sat back in her chair, folding her arms, bored out of her mind. She waited for her stupid tin can of a ship to take her to the planet Rakshi. It was in this moment she regretted her agreement to help Galko.

  'Ahhhhh…' she groaned, before rocking her head against the seat's headrest twice. This didn't have any purpose, and it just further fuelled her agitation. That was fine with Alena. She'd rather be agitated than bored.

  Why did I agree to this stupid mission? she asked herself, for the tenth or twentieth time. Alena wasn't sure. Honou stirred at this, attempting to fill her with something akin to enthusiasm, Alena shook her head again. The attempt didn't work. Enthusiasm wasn't Honou's speciality. She was the cool-headed one between them, a contrast to Alena's 'fiery nature' as she had described it not long after they had bonded. Often, this contrast would make Alena wonder why the Odian had bonded with her. They were nothing alike.

  Yet you're still with me. I must be doing something right, Alena thought, sensing a stirring from not only Honou, but also from something else within. Her Virtue. Alena froze at that, feeling immediate discomfort. Love, that was something she didn't want to feel again, even if it kept threatening to rise within her. Still, when Honou filled her with such an emotion, she couldn't help but appreciate it, even if the sensation caused her such discomfort.

  'Oh, don't get mushy with me now…' she said, which only fuelled Honou's warmth. Sighing, Alena realised that her own hands were caressing her stomach again. Pain followed, along with memories of the way she had treated Gravius before they'd left.

  'I shouldn't have spoken to him like that,' Alena said, sighing as she rested back. She forced herself to move her hands away from her stomach, bury the feelings and the other memories from returning. Alena distracted herself by getting angry with Galko instead.

  'Stupid Osirin,' she murmured. 'He's so pure it sickens me. Well, I don't trust him. No one is that good. Everyone's trying to project an image.'

  Just like you? Honou said, which made Alena cringe in her seat. Again, her thoughts returned to Gravius, which made her shake her head.

  'Shut up!' she snapped, before regretting the outburst, hating herself for it. In response, Alena sensed Honou trying to soothe her. That was her Odian's way of trying to assure her.

  'No, you didn't deserve that. I… don't deserve the kindness, Honou.'

  Alena sensed her Odian's disagreement, but Honou didn't pursue it. Alena turned her gaze towards the planet everyone had decided was a dead world.

  The planet Rakshi.

  Despite being supposedly dead, Rakshi was the largest planet in the galaxy. It had a greenish hue with black, vein-like protrusions. Still, Alena was certain this was a waste of her time.

  'And I have to fly in this piece of crap,' she said aloud, sighing again. Alena pictured Galko flying in his elegant Osirin craft along with Gravius, sensing more agitation filling her. Her kind always preferred functionality over sleekness. Her ship was just a puller, designed with a tiny cockpit and a small compartment for repair tools. It had power at least, aided by two giant boosters on either side, which fit its stubby shape. They made it for towing and hauling heavy loads. Go any faster than light-speed and it was likely to collapse into itself. That meant journeys like this took longer.

  While Galko would still fly in his piece of perfection, having probably passed half the galaxy’s planets by the time she arrived.

  At least we don't have to go to Rhina, Alena thought. No one ever went to Rhina, unless you had a death wish. Alena certainly didn't have one of them. If Galko wanted to chance it, let him. It made no difference to her. Her mission was simple: Go to Rakshi, find nothing, then go back to Sutr.

  Honou disagreed with that plan.

  We made a promise, Alena, she said, and Alena sighed, shaking her head.

  'Yeah, I know,' she said. 'I'll visit one more world after Rakshi, that's it. Got it?'

  Honou didn't answer that, instead filling her with amusement. That was her Odian's way of saying she knew what she was doing. Alena didn't answer.

  She just waited until her stupid tin can of a ship got her to Rakshi.

  #

  They descended into the atmosphere a few hours later. Rakshi appeared to be a lush jungle world accursed with some kind of infestation. Vibrant plants and vines intermingled with pulsing tendrils around the colourful trees. Billions of spores floated in the air, glowing in various shapes and sizes.

  'This is a dead world?' Alena marvelled, finding herself taken aback by the sight of it all. 'What does that make mine?'

  Alena's ship's console beeped, showing a faint presence of another ship to the west. Alena directed her ship towards it, finding herself gazing upon more and more overgrowth. Still, a part of her focused more on the pulsing tendrils and glowing spores.

  Is the air toxic? she wondered, before she sensed Honou disagree within.

  I doubt it, she said, before amusement emerged from the Odian. Besides, we practically breathe in ash where we come from.

  To her surprise, Alena found her mind not coming up with a retort. This seemed to give Honou immense satisfaction.

  Don't get too cocky, Alena thought, before deciding to focus on the signal her ship was receiving. However, Alena soon realised that the signal was an emergency beacon. That caused her to bristle, before she turned her gaze back towards the world, unable to help. A sense of claustrophobia fill her. It was all endless jungle and overgrowth, intermixed with tendrils and spores. A part of her wondered what lurked beneath that overgrowth, and what was producing the spores.

  Alena, Honou cut in, her tone serious. Thankfully, Alena found herself not needing to ask why. She saw what her Odian was referring to.

  A giant crater in the jungle.

  It was a stark contrast to everything that surrounded it, possessing no trees or any plant life. It was nothing but a crater full of dirt and soil, which struck Alena as peculiar.

  Until she saw the ship that was sending the emergency beacon.

  'Well, there it is…' Alena said, before placing her own ship in hovering mode, which would make it stay in one spot without moving until it ran out of fuel. Alena felt it was safer to keep her ship in the rather than land it on Rakshi. From there, she reached towards the hatch before her, pulling at multiple handles before a hissing sound emerged, releasing pressure. The hatch opened before Alena pushed it up. A cool breeze met her, along with a florescent scent. That surprised her, but at least it answered her question about possible toxicity.

  Let's see what we got here, Alena thought, performing a series of acrobatic flips before landing on a soft surface. Alena held herself still, listening, half expecting monsters to emerge. Nothing did, yet, so Alena allowed herself to rise, stepping towards the ship that lay in the centre of the crater.

  She realised it was Osirin technology. A sleek oval design, possessing no wings and only two tiny thrusters at its rear. A quick glance revealed no windows or screens, while Alena glanced between her ship and it before shaking her head.

  'Damn Osirins… always have to be better than everyone else, don't they?'

  Alena raised a hand towards the ship, allowing her fingers to brush against its smooth surface. Aqua-blue lines appeared on the ship while it vibrated and made a thrumming sound. A burst of air erupted from the bottom before all activity ceased, and the ship fell flat.

  'Unit Aqua Regia activated.' A soft feminine voice emerged from the ship, causing Alena to tilt her head. The accent definitely had that superior edge to it. Alena could sense it.

  'Thrusters are at 0% capacity. Interplanetary travel is not possible. Refuelling is necessary. Otherwise, how may I help you?'

  You could start by sounding less annoying, Alena almost answered, but stopped herself thanks to Honou. She chose another avenue of conversation, figuring it would be better to understand why it was here.

  'You're from Osiris, aren't you?' she asked.

  'Yes,' the ship said. 'However, most of my service has been within the Gorkas Federation and Aphron.'

  That's a strange pair of worlds for an Osirin ship to be based, considering their history. Private perhaps?

  'Why are you here?' Alena asked instead, not caring how she came across. She didn't enjoy talking to beings at the best of times, never mind machines.

  'My master's mission parameters,' the ship said. 'He was leading an expedition to uncover Odians across the system.'

  'Like Galko?' Alena asked, unable to keep the surprise from her tone. A pause followed before she realised the ship wouldn't know who she was talking about.

  'Why was he seeking to uncover more Odians?' she asked.

  'Why, for experimental purposes, of course,' the ship replied, as though that were obvious. Alena frowned at that, sensing Honou's confusion match hers.

  'But there's only one Odian per world. Shouldn't be that hard to find them. Still, what do you mean by "experimental purposes?"'

  'I'm afraid your assumption is incorrect,' the ship said, surprising Alena even further. At once, she was sure the ship's AI had been altered. Most AIs never argued back. Still, Alena allowed the ship to continue.

  'My master's findings suggest that while indeed single Odians are ascribed to worlds, many are not. As far as I'm aware, my master's Odian was not of the Vegeta Galaxy.'

  'That's impossible…' Alena said, more to herself than the ship, before asking Honou. Unfortunately, her own Odian didn't seem to know either. That didn't help. Hadn't Galko mentioned the Odian that had killed his mentor, Shakiri? What if she was not from a particular world? How did that affect her corruption? Alena turned her attention back towards the ship.

  'Where did your master's Odian come from? Where are they now?'

  'Origin unknown,' the ship replied. 'As for my master, I'm afraid unfortunate circumstances befell him, and I fear he is no longer alive. I remain here.'

  'What do you mean?' Alena asked, finding the notion of another Odian dying to be concerning, especially considering what Galko was seeking to accomplish. 'What happened to your master?'

  Before the ship could answer, a horrific shriek answered her instead, as Alena spun on her feet, turning her gaze up to the crater. Something stood at the very top, looking down upon her, its form silhouetted by the sun above. Alena extended her arms, summoning both her arm blades that extended with a grinding sound that ended with a chime. The creature, whatever it was, leaped from atop the crater, bounding and sliding towards her. Alena felt Honou stir, fuelling her with the desire to use her power.

  Alena obliged.

  'Phoenix Enforcer!' she declared, summoning flames across her blades that now glowed bright white at the tips, while blazing wings emerged across her back. The creature kicked its legs, came to a stop in front of Alena, and revealed what it was.

  What in Odia is that? she thought, unable to prevent disgust from rising. The creature was a monstrosity unlike anything she had seen before – a deformed amalgamation of mismatched limbs that came in a variety of random colours, from pink, to neon green, black, and even a deep crimson. Its upper body was disproportionately larger than its lower body, bearing down on stumpy legs that shook under the struggle of holding the weight. Its face almost appeared to have melted, with a slack jaw that clicked and cackled at Alena, while regarding her through empty white eyes.

  It began to stride towards her left, as though to study her.

  'I doubt you can understand a single word I'm saying,' Alena said, lowering her posture, showing her readiness to fight. 'But if you have anything resembling intelligence, run. I have a slight suspicion you won't get on well with my fire.'

  To her surprise, the creature cocked its head, as though comprehending. After a couple of seconds, it reared back, sounding a spine-tingling roar that made Alena's skin crawl. It was pretty obvious what it had just done.

  'Calling your friends over, huh?' Alena said, before the entirety of Rakshi answered back, as similar roars and shrieks answered the creature before her. The ground rumbled as the sound of overgrowth being pushed and snapped aside emerged from above.

  Then the horde came.

  They didn't even hesitate. Monsters of all shapes and sizes, yet each possessing similar characteristics to the one before her, came bounding, leaping from the surface above, all roaring their hateful shrieks and roars. It was a sight she knew should fill her with terror.

  But she was an Odian, and rather the sight unfolding caused her to smile.

  'Well, if that's the way you want it… Hou-ou Blast!'

  Alena threw her hands together, unleashing concentrated fire from her palms. It incinerated the creatures unfortunate enough to be at the front, bearing the attack full on, shrieking as they burned alive. Many who followed endured the same fate as the scents of burning and charred meat filled the air, along with smoke. It halted the horde, with many crying out with a mixture of dismay and utter hatred for Alena. It didn't take long for them to replace their numbers, but this time, they didn't throw themselves at her. They stayed back, shrieking at her instead.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Very well, I'll come to you instead.

  Alena climbed towards them as the horde took a collective step back. Some even turned and fled as Alena allowed her arms to fall by her sides, and her entire body burned with Honou's flames. Despite herself, she looked at the corpses of the monsters that surrounded her, feeling guilty for what she had done.

  I should be more careful. I don't want to set this entire world aflame.

  Alena reached the top of the crater, as an endless amount of the monsters confronted her. Even from the surrounding overgrowth and fauna, she could see them shifting, waiting. That showed they possessed some intelligence.

  Then again, they did just witness their kind being burned alive…

  Still, Alena allowed her flames to continue burning around her, knowing that if she showed any kind of weakness, they would come bounding at her again.

  So she tried a different tactic.

  'Look, none of you can touch me. Leave me alone, and I'll be gone in a couple of hours.' Alena said, as the horde all seemed to cock their heads once again, understanding.

  Then they sounded a collective roar, all turning their heads towards the sky. The sight made Alena take a step back, surprised.

  Alright, who are you calling now? she wondered, before the horde's call was answered, this time by something much larger, something so large it silenced the others. Slow footsteps caused the trees north of Alena to shake, and she looked towards them before returning her focus to the overgrowth.

  'At first you don't succeed, bring someone bigger…' she said, before shaking her head. 'Honou, get ready.'

  I am always ready, Alena, her Odian said, filling her with confidence, as the horde sounded a call that almost sounded reverent, while the ground shook, accompanying the pounding of footsteps.

  Then it emerged from the overgrowth.

  Oh, Odia…

  Alena saw a terrifying two-legged beast, unlike the others. Its body didn't seem to possess any skin, just red tendons and muscle. Two sets of arms emerged from its long body, one smaller pair near its midsection, then a much larger pair that possessed long claws, extending outward. Alena figured they were the primary arms. Bone spikes protruded from its back, alongside a skull-like head with horns, and a frill-like plate on its face, facing Alena.

  I got a feeling this won't be as easy as the others, Alena thought, before she was surprised to sense Honou take immediate control of her body. She forced Alena into a left dive and a roll, as the monster launched itself with supernatural agility and speed towards where she had stood a couple of seconds before. By the time Honou gave back control of her body, it had already turned, growling with aggression, drool leaking from its mouth. It as was though this beast personified the entire horde's hatred for her. It then took a step to the left, low and calculated, as though to gauge whether she'd become flighty. Alena didn't move at all.

  'You're not dumb, are you?' she said, finding a perverse smile emerge across her face. Alena looked around herself, seeing that the horde had formed a circle around them, watching with great interest.

  'Your champion versus the invader, eh?' she said, allowing some of her amusement to show through, before nodding to herself, turning her gaze back at their champion.

  'Guess I better end this quick.'

  Alena launched herself into the air before diving straight for the giant beast with a spin. It surprised her to find both her arm blades repelled by the monster's strange skull as it snapped at her. Alena allowed the momentum of her attack to carry her past it, landing on the floor in a low crouch, arms held out. Regarding the monster, she could see only light burn marks on its skull, no sign of penetration.

  'Let's take this to the air,' Alena said, before throwing herself upward, using her wings to gain immediate height on the monster and the horde. At least this would give her time to consider her strategy, time to—

  The monster leaped out of a tall tree, aiming towards her.

  Oh crap.

  The monster slammed into Alena, launching her, and she found her body slamming against the floor, gasping. Had she struck anything but soft overgrowth, the attack would've broken her entire body. Rising, Alena shook her head of any disorientation, before relinquishing Honou's first ability.

  'You're good,' she admitted. The monster didn't allow itself to become distracted, as it returned to slowly stepping to the side, hunkered down, ready to launch into another attack, while keeping its body hidden behind its giant skull. Alena was ready for its next attack.

  Its strategy changed. It threw soil and overgrowth at her by dragging its right arm towards the ground. Alena figured what was coming next as she threw herself into a forward roll. This, thankfully, proved to be the right decision, as she saw the monster launch itself over her, jaws snapping shut above. Alena expected the monster to attack her as she turned around with open arms.

  It hadn't. It had stopped. That struck Alena as more disconcerting as she backed away a few steps, arms raised.

  Do you need my third ability? Honou asked. Alena shook her head.

  No, I don't want to chance setting this planet alight. If we're defeating this thing, we're doing it the old-fashioned way…

  'Alright, big boy. I'm ready…' she said, deciding on a strategy. It would be risky, but this monster was proving far more intelligent than she'd given it credit for. It adapted, used its environment well, and seemed to know how to keep her at arm's length.

  Let's go, Alena told herself, before she launched herself towards the monster with a single bound, using her ability as an Odian to close the distance between them. Even then, the monster seemed ready for this, raising one of its giant claws into the sky, ready to strike her as soon as she landed.

  And it would have too, had she landed on her feet. However, Alena landed in another forward roll, just avoiding its arm. Sensing opportunity, Alena slashed both her arm blades outward as she came up to her feet, turning to her right. She severed both of the monster's tiny arms near its midsection, causing it to screech in a mixture of agony and anger, stepping back with one of its feet. Alena wanted the monster to expose its ankle, so she swung her arm blade at it.

  The monster didn't have a chance, finding its left leg severed just like its little arms. It fell with another screech before crashing onto the floor. The surrounding monsters sounded a cry of anguish, comprehending what had just happened.

  Their champion had just lost.

  'You almost had me there a few times, big boy,' Alena said, rising to her feet, relaxing from the adrenaline of battle. She turned her gaze towards the creature, seeing its panicked gasps of breath. It didn't make any move to attack her or even run. The black pits it had for eyes regarded her, waiting, while the parts she had dissected bled a deep violet blood.

  And Alena despised herself for it.

  'You know, only one has ever defeated me. Yet, you have a lot more of my respect than he does.'

  She stepped towards the monster, holding out a hand which she used to stroke its skull. This seemed to help it relax, before it looked at her again.

  'I'm sorry,' Alena said, sensing her Virtue emerging from within. That made her cringe, but she forced herself to bear it. 'You deserve better than to bleed to death or, even worse, having something take advantage of you in this state and eat you alive.'

  With that, she reached her right arm blade over its throat, turning it inward.

  'NOOOOO!!!' a voice boomed from above. Before Alena understood what was happening, something struck her hard in the side, sending her flying in the air, before she crashed against a tree. Disorientation emerged almost at once, accompanying a ringing sensation in her head. Alena wanted to throw up as she shifted onto her hands and knees.

  'What the…' she stammered, before forcing herself to close her eyes, focusing on breathing. That helped with the disorientation, before Alena forced herself to open her eyes, seeing the world swirl around her. She groaned, but forced herself to look up anyway, wanting to see what had struck her.

  It was another Odian.

  It was male, his armour appearing like the creatures that now surrounded him and the enormous monster. The Odian's body was jet-black and symmetrical, with deep crimson lines that revealed the almost pieced-together nature of its armour. Furious red eyes regarded her from his otherwise faceless helmet, while a crimson sword remained attached to his back.

  'You will not destroy this creature!' it roared, stepping towards Alena with a threatening posture. 'Do you have any idea how rare it is? What role it plays in this world's ecosystem!'

  'What do you mean?' Alena said, defensiveness rising. 'It attacked me first!'

  'Because they were trying to protect their home, you fool!' the other Odian snapped, flicking its gaze between Alena and the monster lying on its side. 'Because all they know from us Odians is death and pain!'

  Alena found herself stunned, partly by his statement concerning other Odians, but also because of the way he was talking to her. No one ever went at her like this. Even while Galko had showed considerable strength, there had been the sense he didn't wish to hurt her. This was different. This Odian had lost his mind and wanted to hurt her. Despite this, Alena shook her head, dumbfounded, regarding the surrounding horde.

  'But they're just—'

  'Go on! Say it!' the other Odian roared, reaching over his shoulder for the hilt of his sword. Alena at once prepared herself to activate one of Honou's abilities, ready to defend herself.

  Until the Odian's other hand shot up towards the other, stopping it.

  'That's enough, Nidium.' An unfamiliar voice emerged from the Odian, this one sounding younger, yet containing a sense of calm and wisdom. After some hesitation, the Odian lowered both his arms, one hand still holding the other, still tense.

  'She doesn't know,' the unfamiliar voice continued, adding further signs that the Odian had taken over from the Anubian. As though to emphasise this, he stroked his own arm then, soothing himself. He then regarded Alena.

  'You know this is the truth,' he said.

  'But… she killed them, with no mercy…' The other voice spoke, turning his head away. 'You heard their screams.'

  'Yes, but she's not of our world,' the calm voice replied. 'She does not understand our relationship with the Infested. Remember, we were not always so kind to them ourselves…'

  The Odian regarded her again, before stepping towards her, offering her a hand.

  'I apologise for Nidium,' the calm voice said. 'He can sometimes be impulsive and jump to conclusions. He can act without considering the truth.'

  'Your Anubian sounds like an asshole,' Alena retorted, slapping his hand away as she rose to her feet before dusting herself off. Much to her surprise, that gained a chuckle from the other Odian.

  'Nidium is many things, but he is not the Anubian. That would be me. I am Tzui.'

  Stunned, Alena watched as Tzui turned away from her before making his way towards the colossal beast, extending his hand towards it instead.

  'Now, let's fix those wounds,' he said, before his body shifted, opening to reveal crimson muscle beneath sections of black plated armour. It appeared to be held by tiny tendrils, while much bigger ones seemed to unravel from within, before shooting from out of Tzui's armour, attaching to the large monster. As though understanding what he was doing, the horde moved to surround him, before more of the large tendrils shot out from Tzui's armour and attached to the smaller creatures.

  'What are you doing?' Alena asked, unable to help but ask.

  'I'm healing her,' Tzui said, half turning to regard Alena. 'The others are aiding me by lending some of their life.'

  Alena regarded the enormous monster, noticing the small arms by the midsection reappearing, along with the ankle and foot she'd severed, forming as growths before forming into complete limbs. Tzui removed his tendrils from the monster and others after a few minutes. The monster rose and regarded Alena with wariness.

  'It's alright,' Tzui assured it, stoking its strange skull-like head. 'She is no longer a threat.'

  The creature nodded and led the horde into the forest. Tzui turned back to Alena.

  'I should've come sooner…' he said, regret tinging his voice. 'Perhaps I could've addressed the misunderstanding and saved the others.'

  At that, Alena sensed the guilt beginning to return, which she rejected with a shake of her head.

  I defended myself. I did nothing wrong.

  'Anyway…' she said, hoping to change the subject. 'I guess it's safe to assume you're the Odian of Rakshi?'

  'It's a little more complicated than that…' Tzui replied, before his body began to shift and change, transforming into a different Odian. The female Odian differed from Nidium. She had a body like an open flower with a skirt comprising petals and thick legs. Her waistline was black with glowing neon green sections. Her upper body was sleek and narrow, comprising white with lines of black, culminating in a white helmet with a black face without facial features. From it, pink tendrils appeared like hair.

  'That would be me,' the Odian said in Tzui's place, her accent a mirror of his.