The Myriad felt The Horde retreating deep in the pockets of dead space after Their brief intrusion.

  The Stars were speechless.

  The Constellations were wary.

  The System and The Administrator were silent, having just witnessed an horror unfold.

  The Dark Star and its spawns had never stopped spreading. So why now ? Hyperion... Why was he stopping now ?

  The Lion shuddered, remembering words of a once-innocent and bright Star.

  "The dark... You guys, in the Constellation of Purity, fight it with light. The Constellations of Courage and Power, clash with it endlessly. Even the Constellation of the Shade fights it with their cunning.

  But, there has to be something... There cannot be only light. So, is there a Dark Star ? And who is it ?"

  The Star got snapped out of his musings as the cacophony of the Universe resonated in space.

  "Why has Hyperion decided to retreat ? Why now ? Why ? Stars of Order. We demand answers !" the Tiger roared to hide his unease. The countless others, major and minor Stars shifted in the fabric on space, each one of them as anxious as the one who roared his worries.

  A muffled voice intervened too, along with a humanoid shape in armor.

  "Just as we were preparing another world... A world that was supposed to be hidden even from his darkness for at least two more years in a worst case scenario. How come System ?! We, Justice, entrusted with this planet as a hope. A beacon. Yet the Holrde managed to rift its way two galaxies away from Earth!"

  "Knight, Tiger. Everyone. We cannot blame everything on System and Administrator. We, Stars of Knowledge had been careless. He... He had already planted a seed in this part of the Universe. Tales, mostly. We overlooked that in a rush to find suitable planets to prepare..."

  "... What do you mean by... already planted a seed in this part of the Universe... ? Don't tell me... again ?!"

  "Sadly yes. The Holrde apparently traveled the cosmos here, when it was still young... Hyperion's children spread out and some of them propagated.

  Some diluted their blood and created the... 'Dinosaurs' on this 'Earth' planet. Others went into hiding and became the origins of many myths in the ages."

  "But that would mean... the Dragon Essence in them can be activated to create Portals. And if this Dragon Essence reacts with the magic we are about to introduce to Earth... WHA- ?! Hyperion may sense it !

  YOU- Why haven't you detected this before ? We could have blown up the planet instead of wasting five years on preparing its earthlings !"

  "Absolutely not! We have noticed talents out there. Apostles and even individuals who could becomes part of The Myriad. The Constellation of Order and The Shade already gave their approval. Most of Justice has too. This planet has potential. We will introduce the System and the Administrator once again to Earth."

  Many Stars decided to ignore the twin Stars of Chivalry and Knight, one gripping the handle of their celestial sword, the other, turning away from the masquerade of a gathering.

  Meanwhile, the Stars of Courage frowned but said nothing. Until an ancient Star broke the silence, its voice heavy and shrouded in a mysterious tone.

  "... Indecisiveness is what led many worlds in a similar situation to their downfall. We can't afford to lose time. Earth is not the only world we encountered that was in this situation.

  The world I governed when the Cosmos was still young... was in a similar spot. Remains of Dragons were buried deep within our soil and history, however that didn't stop us from making a stand and even closing the rifts The Holrde created from times to times. We even managed to create artifacts out of these remains.

  Moreover... betraying this planet after getting their hopes up, might be one of the most unforgivable acts we could chose to do. Justice would never forget this, Pride would be hurt, Courage would feel cowardly... and even the Shade would feel dirty doing so."

  The cosmos fell silent at the old sun's declaration.

  "No wonder you belong to the Stars of the Shade. You have a way with words. A cunning intellect used at its fullest. But I can understand why you would want us to introduce us to Earth. Chaos would ensure for a time .

  And uncertainty revels in chaos. Am I right, Star of Enimga... ? And even if... Do you realize that we are playing with the life or the death of another world. Countless have already fallen, corrupted by the darkness Hyperion brings. Can you bear the consequences if all of this ends up being a ruse from the Dark Star ?"

  "Saying that when you've already made your decision. Quite amusing, truly. A gamble, it truly is... Only time will tell if the choice we are making is the right one. Besides, many worlds we've saved were swan dives we thought to be suicide after all. What if this ends up being another one ? Let's be part of the Constellation of Luck, for once!"

  "Mom, mom ! Look at this guy ! It's Pierre Coeur de Lion ! Look at his armor ! And his cape ! I wanna be like him when I grow up! I'll be a Nation-rank Hunter! "

  "I know, I know sweetie. I'll root for you. But for now we shouldn't stand here while he's at work. Remember, Portals are dangerous for little kids. Especially for those who don't listen to their parents."

  "Awwww... I wanted to see him a little more."

  The man in question glanced at the two bystanders and sighed softly. A weirdly common sight nowadays.

  To him, it had been so long.

  Five years in the System's realm, only two back on Earth had passed. Pierre's return was... three years ago.

  The world of 2030 had fully adapted to the Returnees Pierre was part of.

  It had adapted to The System and The Administrator. It had adapted to the coming of The Stars, The Constellations and The Myriad of The Universe.

  It had adapted to Portals that appeared everywhere nowadays. The destructive phenomenon that could only be stopped by Hunters, managed by the Awakeners and the Houses of the Star they belonged to.

  Hunters... Awakeners who received their powers on Earth.

  A highly-dangerous profession, with high mortality rate that arose as soon as the first Awakeners came back to Earth. People who had an affinity with the Philosophy of A Star and could draw power from Them. But unlike the Returnees and the Apostles, Hunters had to pay a price, which was usually absolute loyalty, joining a House under an Apostle or a Returnee, possessions, or even a part of the Hunter's life. More often than not, something precious.

  However, should The Star be pleased with the Hunter's actions, the price would be lowered and the powers that were granted would become stronger.

  Everything felt like a well-oiled machine nowadays. The other Awakeners had done a very good job despite some major setbacks.

  The first Returnees dispatched back on Earth had been quick to set up foundations and explain to the best of their abilities what had happened to the world and what to expect. Obviously, the world was distrustful at first. World leaders and men of science for once shared a same sentiment of rejection to these supposed events.

  But from what Pierre heard when he was briefed upon returning, everything changed on the 24th of September 2027. That day, rifts fractured the sky above New York City, unleashing hundreds of creatures thought to be pure fantasy. Beastmen, orcs, goblins, demonic creatures...

  Casualties had been numbered in the thousands, damage had been numbered in the billions of USD...

  And most importantly, fear found a way in the hearts of many. The world suddenly needed...no. It wanted answers.

  Suddenly, Awakeners were invited everywhere, in every governmental bureau, in every military base, in every place of power. For some reason, Europe had been far more cooperative than the rest of the world. The countries belonging to the Union were very accommodating to the Returnees and those who prepared to become Hunters, should they awaken.

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  When he heard about it, Pierre and most of the others weren't that surprised. Five years ago, when he was teleported, Europe was a weakened power between three giants. The shock of the N.Y.C attack surely made the Union realize they had the opportunity to gather the strongest Returnees, the strongest Hunters to step back onto the stage.

  Worst of all ? It worked. Europe had the greatest concentration of high ranked Awakeners in the entire world. Most of the Houses had found their footing there.

  But... along with the Portals, came resources and influence, which split the world spit again. There were the countries that had been quick to accept this new reality and the others.

  In the span of a few years, many views had changed. A country's might was now determined by not only its still very relevant military and conventional weapons, but also the efficiency and amount of Portals clears, coupled to the numbers of Awakeners the country had in total.

  ... Without any doubt, Returnees and Houses greatly boosted that new metric.

  At the same time, most people who were knowledgeable of light novels, webtoons and such literature wondered why South-Korea hadn't jumped at the occasion. This type of fiction was very common in the country after all and this was a golden opportunity. An opportunity South Korea missed by a terribly long shot.

  Most theories an speculation you could find nowadays, concluded that the country had patiently waited for the dish to offer itself on a silver plate, meaning that Korea was expecting the Returnees and Awakeners in general to surge in wave at their frontiers because the "Gate-and-Hunter" genre originated from there. It seemed as if reputation alone didn't work this time.

  Along with powers, came responsibilities. Along responsibilities... came the unknown. A threat Pierre Coeur de Lion only managed to glimpse at, three years ago.

  A threat that, along with his best friend's death, still instilled nightmares in his dreamless nights.

  The man frowned, recalling a terrifying discussion he had with several members of The Constellation of Courage when he was sent back on Earth.

  -

  "Us beings from the Universe call Them The Black Holdre. A Black Hole, A Horde of Black. A threat that consumes everything. They expand and consume everything They find." the Lion warned.

  "They represent unjust Death. The pits of Despair. Premature Finality.

  They lurk in the darkness, where even the brightest Stars and the more widespread Constellations cannot reach anymore. They hunt by opening spatial rifts to other worlds to extinguish the flames of Life." the Barbarian chimed in.

  "Countless worlds already fell to Their Jaws." another added.

  "That is why... why the Black Sky is void of anything. Billions of years of hunting have left the Universe in such state. Your goal will be to hold against the Portals they will open. They will send Their minions, the beings from other worlds They captured, on Earth..."

  "Other Constellations have already warned your companions. Be quick and strong. You have to fight back, and close the rifts... or your planet will end up as emptiness." the Stars concluded all together.

  -

  "Alright Pierre boy. Last check-up is done. We're ready to enter the Portal on your order."

  "... Right. Sorry about that Mr. Chevalier. I got distracted.

  Ahem... On my command ! House of Courage ! No faltering ! We push forward ! If one falls, another takes their place! Pride of a Nation !"

  A wave of mana originating from the nation-rank Awakener hit the squad of Hunters. The surge filled their every bone and muscle with raw mana, enhancing their abilities to an unbelievable extent.

  A few glanced at the blond man shaped like a Greek god. The Pride of the Nation. Pierre Coeur de Lion's unofficial title, and the name of one of his signature skills.

  The strongest buff skill that had been recorded to this day. It enhanced reaction speed, resilience, mental fortitude, pain tolerance, fastened mana recovery and decreased the effects of mana exhaustion. The most complete package of buffs that could exist.

  "Alright guys. let's clear this one quickly and efficiently. For Paul."

  "Indeed Pierre. For Paul." Mr. Chevalier added while checking up his armor's joints one last time.

  You impress me. Tiamat. You have grown in these past eons.

  You truly are worthy of being my mate.

  A mocking laugh, devoid of any feeling answered in the empty darkness. A chilling tone that pleased the Heart of The Horde and to which Their spawns responded.

  As if they were a single entity, the countless spawns in the surroundings surged from all directions to flock around their alphas.

  The first one, their Father. The greatest, the biggest, the most powerful, the one without age.

  The one who leads The Horde across the cosmos to lay waste on worlds touched by the Light of Life.

  The one who realized the futility of Life's existence, long ago

  The one who embraced The End and Death, and embodied both.

  Hyperion, The Dark Star.

  A drake of grey and reddish wings, in a slightly worn-out state pushed forward a gigantic mass of flesh with features of a drake in front of Him, respectfully awaiting the Black Dragon's reaction.

  Sun Eater. What have you brought me here ? While you are one of my best, daring to show such a sight in the heart of The Lair is not something I can forgive.

  "Hyperion. This is the carcass of Scorcher, who planned to betray you! I overheard him planning about allying with the Shad-"

  The ashen drake could not speak. Not anymore. His maw and tongue had instinctively closed to avoid inciting His fury. An anger that rippled in space and sent many drakes and asteroids flying off who-knew-where.

  He... what ?

  "Hyperion..."

  Again, the voice caught The Horde's attention. Eyes in the millions were fixated on Her. Almost as somber as Hyperion, almost as big, almost as terrifying.

  The mate He found an era of Light ago.

  The one whose spirit He broke countless times to recreate and break again.

  The one who witnessed the meaninglessness of Life and accepted it.

  The one who protected and was protected by The Horde.

  Tiamat. The Vicious Wrath. A title He personally bestowed upon Her.

  Tiamat was Vicious, for Hyperion gave Her the power to corrupt Life and enslave it to the Horde's Nothingness.

  ... The most exciting part of being part of The Horde.

  Turning a world's inhabitants against each other with whispers of darkness and enslaving the pitiful and broken beings that remained... to send them to attack others planets that still bathed in Life's light.

  She was also Wrath, for Tiamat ended up becoming one of, if not, the most violent member of The Horde once Hyperion finally conquered the inferior species' soul that resided in Her.

  She lashed out at anyone or anything that irritated Her when she was in the act of consuming Life or chasing after it to corrupt it.

  An interesting thing to witness was that sometimes, the broken spirit formed again for a few instants, to instantly break at the wonders its body committed. Hyperion had said to not worry about it.

  "Hyperion. Leave him be. He has done... nothing wrong. Sun Eater, don't...worry about it. You made... the right call. Besides... Thank you... for the meal." in this deceptively uninterested tone of Hers.

  Her hazy eyes reflected the dark light of The Horde's realm as She stepped out of the comet She was residing in. She moved and Her maws extended to grab the corpse of the traitor.

  As soon as She seized the offering, She retreated deep in another asteroid that made up the Lair and a swarm of weaker Wyrms along with a few drakes rushed in to cover the entrance and maybe get scraps of this delicious traitorous flesh.

  A few instants later, a burst of dark energy fractured the fabric of space and a deafening roar echoed from the nest.

  "... She is powerful. Not quite at your level, but enough to take your mantle... But still. I am not fully trusting her outbursts of consiousness. It could leave a negative impact on The Horde if She decides to erase a chunk of us."

  Do not worry Sun Eater. All of this has been planned for a long time. Since the instant She fell into my jaws. You will see, the more She remember about being that pathetic existence, the more She faces Her true self and the less She can resist it.

  You. Will. See. Only one final strike to cast this side of Her to Nothingness.

  "Alright. Let's see how it unfolds."

  Sun Eater's gaze lingered on the Alpha's cruel smirk, gave a nod of the snout and slithered on another asteroid to fly off to another slave world.

  This is wrong ! He cannot be serious ! It has to be a lie !

  Hyperion?! Growing weary of the massacre?! Him! Who tortured me for an eternity! He laughed! He ate me! He mocked me! He trampled on my mind! And now?! Tired of this?!

  But he sounded... so... tired...

  No...! You fucking...! You... turned me into a monster! You almost destroyed my mind! If only you could die... If only... if...if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only...

  N-no... Not this! I will not break this time! I am strong! I am Ti- Nidhogg ! I am the one who lived to tell of tale of The Horde. I have to warn them! Everyone ! Wait for me, wait for me, wait for me... WAIT... FOR ME... !

  -

  Countless rifts opened one by one, across the cosmos, letting The Vicious Wrath to pass through them. She was not bothered by the successive openings exhausting Her already clouded mind, not bothered by the Rifts opening near inhabited worlds, not bothered by The Horde not chasing after Her.

  There was only chaos, with a veil of darkness following Her closely. She was only bothered by the revelation He made, by Her planet and the threat that would come.

  The many fractures in space were felt by many. The Constellations of War and Hunt, who roamed the borders between The Horde's realm. They were the first to notice the strange activity in the dead sky.

  Apostles who felt their Stars' intrigue. Satellites that picked up disturbances of magic and gravitation waves from the depths of the dark sky.

  The Horde, who wondered why She had broken off from The Many.

  ...