Ace stood alone in the vast whiteness of the system space.
It felt… very empty.
Not physically of course.
The fields stretched endlessly, glowing faintly with ethereal light.
But the silence, the stillness, there was a hollowness to it that couldn't be ignored.
A flicker of movement broke the monotony.
Rei, the tiny field fairy, zipped through the air like a playful spark.
When she saw him, she circled thrice in greeting, her wings leaving a trail of shimmering dust.
Ace offered a faint smile. "Hey."
Rei twirled once more before darting off toward the golden grain fields in the distance back to her domain.
She was, after all, a field fairy. Quiet, whimsical, and always busy.
Ace turned and walked toward a lone structure on the horizon: a shadowy prison built from soul stones and bound with glowing chains.
Inside lay a figure, lounging like a bored emperor.
Qiong Qi.
The lazy beast cracked one glowing eye open.
[You're here again. Go back.]
