"Damnit! I don't know what happened, but I sensed more than two massive energy signatures, plus Loki's... But then all three vanished—so perfectly," Thor muttered, his voice strained as he placed a hand over his eyes, gritting his teeth in frustration. How had it come to this? How had he grown so weak? "I can't believe I lost Loki!"
Commander Asher stood frozen, swallowing hard as he glanced toward his alien companion, who seemed as clueless and speechless as he was.
"Shit... They can't be dead, can they? How the hell are we supposed to explain two SS-rank hunters going missing alongside someone who could trick a dog into thinking it's human?!" Asher slammed his fist against the nearest wall, the impact sending a dull thud echoing through the command room. He should have known something like this would happen—an unexplored planet with layers of unknown dangers.
Something powerful was out there, powerful enough to snatch them without a trace.
"Permission to go out there and search for them!" Trisha's voice rang out, brimming with urgency and defiance.
"Not in your modest life will I give you permission to do so!" Commander Asher shot back sharply, glaring at her.
Trisha refused to back down. "No! I won't let this slide. We *have* to find Axel, Josh, and Loki! They could be in danger!" Her eyes burned with intensity—after everything she had been through with Axel, she wasn't about to leave him out there, not like this.
Williams snickered from the corner, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How are we even sure they're still alive? Being high-ranked doesn't make us invincible, you know." His tone was casual, almost mocking, which instantly set Trisha's blood boiling.
"Shut the hell up! Or I'll kill you!" Trisha snapped, turning her fury on him, her hands twitching, ready to strike.
But Andre's cold, piercing stare killed any fight she had left. His eyes were devoid of warmth, and the pressure in the room thickened. "Just because I haven't killed you doesn't mean I can't," he whispered, his voice taking on a darker edge. "Don't forget—I'm the lunatic who nearly took your life once. My therapist said only to go after people who break my rules."
His threat hung in the air, palpable and suffocating. Trisha released her grip on Williams, backing away. She was furious, but Andre was a force no one wanted to provoke—especially not when the two strongest hunters were missing, and he had just seized control of the situation.
Andre exhaled another puff of smoke, turning toward the group, who remained tense and silent. "Now, let's all quietly head to bed. In the morning, we'll start the mission." With that, he walked toward an attendant, ordering them to lead him to a room to rest, as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Ryoma, one of the alien companions, had been watching the entire scene unfold with increasing confusion. "Why is everyone so tense? What's wrong? Is he the leader now?" Ryoma asked, his voice low, unsure of what to make of the volatile shift in the group's dynamics.
Haze, standing nearby, let out a soft chuckle, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "No... He's the 'sleeping lunatic.' He's crazy and can't be restrained. The only way to keep him as a side character without anyone getting hurt is to follow whatever rules he makes, thanks to his therapist."
"Then why not handle him with the SS-rank hunters?" Ryoma's confusion deepened. Keeping someone like Andre around seemed like more trouble than it was worth.
Haze shook her head. "That's the thing about Andre. The stronger his opponent, the stronger he becomes while fighting them. Josh Roark managed to stop him once—ended up destroying half of Kyota's capital in the process. Axel could probably hold him down too. But apart from that..." Haze's voice trailed off, her eyes narrowing.
"If that guy goes loose, we're all dead."
The group remained silent, each of them grappling with the weight of the situation. The night ahead felt impossibly long, filled with unanswered questions and an unsettling tension that gnawed at the edges of their sanity. Outside, the planet remained shrouded in darkness, and whatever had taken their strongest was still out there—lurking, waiting, biding its time.