Episode 17 – Within the Shadow's Heart
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Beneath the towering spires and hyper-shielded walls of Lumora Prime's central mansion, a rare silence hung in the air. The city buzzed outside with life, trade, and soldiers marching—but inside this sanctuary, Aarav's world slowed down.
In the heart of the mansion—untouched by the world's chaos—his mother sat by the garden window, humming a soft tune from years ago. Her hair was silvered at the edges, eyes calm yet powerful. She looked nothing like the mother of a god-like ruler.
Across from her, Aarav's younger sister, barely 18, argued with a military AI drone that had refused to let her bring snacks into the central command room again.
> "This is my home, metalhead! Tell my brother I'm not his soldier!"
Aarav entered quietly, watching them with a rare, soft smile. Even now—with the power to crush nations—this was the only place where he didn't have to wear a mask.
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The Quiet Confrontation
As the day faded, his mother approached him in the mansion's quiet inner hall.
> "You've built armies. Cities. Trade empires… But you're 26 now, Aarav."
"And?"
"And I want to see you live before you become nothing but a legend."
He stayed silent. Marriage? In his world of secrets and shadows?
She placed her hand on his chest.
> "I lost your father to the chaos of the world. I don't want to lose you to your own power."
Aarav looked out the window—toward the floating city lights and the stars beyond.
> "I'll think about it, Ma."
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Meanwhile… in the Shadows
The Phantom Core prepared for a silent raid on a rogue orbital station tied to ancient black market ties. Orders were given without a word.
And across the solar system, whispers of a new trade hub emerging under the radar reached high councils of rival empires.
No one knew who led it. But they all feared the name whispered in panic:
> Nexar Dominion.
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