The planet was in chaos. Riots erupted across cities, dividing its people. The next morning, Spam arrived to take Adam to Bekanna.
Adam didn't waste a second. "Was this all part of Sern's plan?" he demanded the moment he saw Spam.
Spam frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"The whole emperor setup," Adam said. "Did he plan this?"
Spam shook his head. "Sern had nothing to do with this. And if the Galactic Order was behind it, how could they have predicted the planet would revolt?"
Adam let it go. He boarded the ship with Spam, and together they traveled to the Bekanna. When they arrived, Spam accompanied him to Sern's office.
The moment Adam stepped inside, Sern barely looked up. "Sit."
Adam took a seat. Sern reached for a branding iron, its metal tip engraved with an intricate sigil.
"This is the Bekanna seal," Sern said. "It grants you passage to and from Ombrathrax."
Without another word, he lifted his gaze, and a thin beam of heat shot from his eyes, striking the iron. In seconds, the metal glowed red-hot. Adam barely had time to register the warmth in the air before Sern pressed it against his chest.
His shirt smoldered, the fabric burning away in an instant. The metal sizzled against his skin. The scent of scorched flesh filled the room.
Adam didn't flinch.
Sern pulled the brand away. The wound lingered for only a few seconds before closing, leaving behind a faint mark.
"When the time comes, it will reveal itself," Sern said.
Adam glanced at the spot, then pushed his chair back and stood. "That all?"
Sern called after him just as he reached the door.
"Watch yourself. The creatures there don't just kill—you'd be lucky if they did."
Adam paused but didn't turn around. He let the words hang for a moment, then walked away.
As Adam walked down the hall, murmurs rippled through the crowd. People lingered in doorways and behind windows, watching him pass.
"The people of Eppa need time to cool down," he muttered, setting his coordinates for Zenon.
The ship ascended, breaking through the atmosphere. In the void of space, a shimmering bubble formed around it. The air around the vessel warped, stretching and distorting reality. For nearly a minute, the ship seemed suspended in a shifting haze—then, in an instant, the distortion collapsed, and Zenon appeared before him.
From orbit, the planet was a blend of land and sea, its surface 30 percent water. Dense forests sprawled across the terrain, teeming with life. Strange creatures moved through the undergrowth, some familiar, others distinctly alien. From above, everything looked natural. Only those who knew better could distinguish what had been engineered from what had always been.
As Adam prepared to descend, he noticed the ship's system display—according to it, a full day had passed.
"That can't be right," he muttered, frowning at the screen.
Shaking off the unease, he guided the ship toward the surface. But the moment he entered Zenon's airspace, alerts flashed across his dashboard. His face appeared on a wanted notice.
They were still hunting him.