Chapter Two - The Crew
Dave stepped inside the house, but he wasn't heading for the couch or kitchen. A shimmer of energy wrapped around him as he walked through the hallway, vanishing into the wall-no, through it. Light warped around his body, then popped as he blinked out of reality.
The next second, he was in space-aboard *Elarion's Wrath*
*, his ship.
It wasn't just any spacecraft. It was massive-miles long, forged of silver-gray alloys unknown to Earth's science, sleek as a dagger, with rings of living energy circling its hull. And at the heart of it, powering its systems and guiding its thoughts, was Adele.
Adele wasn't human. She wasn't even entirely physical.
Her mind essence fueled the ship's systems. She could bend thoughts, scan intentions, and crush minds with a single blink. She was, in her own way, a goddess of the mind. And yet, since the first moment she met Dave, she had never been able to read his.
That both fascinated and unsettled her.
Dave was the only one her powers couldn't reach. And for that reason alone, she admired him.
Because even she-ancient and near-divine-felt the quiet pull to guide him.
She greeted him the moment he arrived, her voice echoing through the chamber like silk and thunder.
"You've returned."
Dave smirked. "Miss me already?"
She appeared in holographic form beside him-tall, elegant, with glowing eyes that shimmered like galaxies.
"You were only gone for two minutes," she replied dryly.
"Longest two minutes of your life," he teased.
In the ship's core deck, the rest of the crew waited.
In the ship's core deck, the rest of the crew waited.
The twins-Spark and Echo-were lounging by the engineering pillars, as usual. Spark was the girl: wild, fast-talking, with blue skin and electric-white eyes. Echo, the boy, was calmer but no less mischievous. The two were inseparable, constantly teasing Dave like younger siblings who'd forgotten he could blast through planets.
They were engineers, sort of. Gods too, in a way.
Mischievous, brilliant, chaotic.
The last two crew members remained less prominent for now. They mostly stayed quiet, working in the background, focused and mysterious. Dave hadn't needed them at full power yet-but that time was coming.
The crew of *Elarion's Wrath* was small.
But it was all he needed.
And somewhere, deep in Dave's chest, the feeling stirred again.
Something was coming.
But not yet.
Not today.
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- The Fire god
The fire god had been tearing through planets, claiming their cores, stealing their heat, and consuming the souls of entire civilizations. Billions had died. Entire star systems now hung cold in space because of him.
He ruled the volcanic world of Teryon-an inferno of molten mountains and burning skies. His throne was forged of ash and molten bone. His voice cracked the ground beneath it.
And then Dave arrived.
He landed alone.
alone.
No army. No warning.
He walked through flame, his cloak whipping behind him, boots crunching the scorched stone. The fire god's army charged-and Dave erased them with a single wave of his hand.
Gone. All of them.
Then he stood face to face with the god-over a thousand feet tall, burning with divine rage.
"You dare challenge me?" the being roared, lava spilling from its eyes.
Dave looked up, unimpressed. "You talk too much." With a scream, the fire god lunged. He slammed fists like mountains down upon Dave-but each time, Dave either dodged or simply stood there, unbothered. Fists met flesh that would not break. Flames curled around him like whispers against steel.
The battle cracked the sky. The ground split open.
But Dave? He yawned.
He soared upward, floating lazily until he hovered in front of the god's forehead.
The fire god snarled, "In all these millennia, I have consumed gods! I've taken their power, forged it into my own! There is nothing you can do to-"
Dave tapped him.
Just one light touch.
The fire god's face froze-then splintered.
In a moment, the god shattered like fragile glass.
His molten body broke apart, raining down as golden dust upon the ruined world.
Dave floated quietly. Then, with a sigh, he turned and left.
- Aftermath
The *Elarion's Wrath* hummed gently in orbit. Inside, Adele stood still, staring at the screens.
Dave walked in, brushing fire dust from his jacket. "So... what's the use of comms again? You didn't even scream when I punched the god of barbecue into glitter."
Adele blinked. "You *tapped* him. That wasn't even a fight. That was you politely asking the universe to move over."
Dave grinned. "Well, he was kind of in the way." Spark zipped into the room. "That. Was. Insane. You turned him into sparkly ash! Can we do it again?!"
Echo was right behind. "Please say we're going to another planet with an angry god. I brought snacks!"
"You brought plasma explosives," Adele corrected.
"Same thing," Echo replied.
Dave flopped into his chair. "You guys excited now? Last time I took you, you nearly launched the ship with the bathrooms still locked."
"Take us to *school* instead!" Spark begged.
"Yeah!" Echo added. "We can pretend to be humans again!"
"You wore glasses on your forehead," Adele muttered.
"They were stylish."
Dave laughed. "No way. You two'll blow the cover in five minutes."
"You're just jealous we'd be more popular than you," Spark said, flipping her blue hair.
Adele folded her arms. "He's right. You'll ruin everything."
"I like my peace and quiet," Dave said with a side of exploding vending machines."
The crew burst into laughter.
Dave smirked, but his eyes drifted to the stars beyond the ship's window. Somewhere, far away, something stirred—a force ancient and vast.
He didn't know what it was.
But he felt it.
Still, he wasn't afraid.
Back on Earth, Mira paused by her window. A faint tremor rolled through the threads of time. She looked up, sensing something. But then the moment passed.
She shook her head and sipped her tea.
"Probably nothing."
The night carried on in silence.