Interstellar Beast Master

Chapter 98: Revolution?

Veylen Draas didn’t move immediately after saying it.

He let the word sink, heavy and undeniable, before slowly lowering himself back into the chair behind his marble desk.

The Sea Dragon behind him curled tighter, its massive bulk a tide of scaled, glimmering azure, wings folding elegantly along its body, tendrils of mist pooling around the floor.

Veylen’s hands steepled before him, the sharp planes of his face cast in silver and blue by the light spilling from the dragon’s presence.

His voice, when it came again, was steady, grand.

Measured like the speech of a man who had long rehearsed the fall of empires.

"The rich grow richer," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "The poor grow poorer. Disparity widens with every cycle. And the title of Guardian..." he almost sneered the word, "...has become a mask. A symbol used to move with invincibility. Untouchable."

His hands unfolded slowly.

"We want to change that."

He leaned forward slightly, the light catching the sharp blue of his irises.

"We want to change everything."

The Sea Dragon’s breathing pulsed, low and slow, like the heartbeat of the abyss itself.

"Solace Verge will be the cradle," Veylen said, voice deepening, "of a new civilization. A civilization that rises from oppression. A civilization where power does not belong to the few at the cost of the many."

He smiled then.

But there was no warmth in it.

"Yet for any of that to happen... we need power."

The word cracked through the room.

Not desperation.

Not hope.

But certainty.

"Power stronger than any Beast Corporation can muster. Power stronger than any Council decree. Power stronger even than..."

He paused.

Even the Sea Dragon behind him seemed to still, as if bracing for the name that would follow.

"...the strongest Beast Master."

Anastasia’s eyes narrowed faintly.

She knew the name before he spoke it.

Everyone did.

Veylen Draas smiled thinly.

"The Hope of Ebonreach. The Transcendent Guardian. The Supreme Interstellar Beast Master of Vael’nir. The Planetbreaker himself- Rael Voss."

The words were spoken with a weight that cracked the silence between them.

Rael Voss.

The man who could level entire city-states with a single breath from his Interstellar Beast.

The man whose very name chained the world beneath it.

Veylen’s expression darkened.

"If we cannot stand even the glimpse of that being..." he said, voice sinking low, dangerous, "then we will forever live under the boot of oppression."

A moment passed.

Veylen sat straighter, his hands resting lightly on the marble.

"That’s why we need everyone."

His gaze sharpened.

"You."

He pointed, the gesture slow, deliberate.

"And the Judge."

Anastasia didn’t flinch.

He smiled faintly at her coldness.

"Will you join our efforts?"

The room remained still, heavy with the enormity of what he offered.

Then, as if sensing her need for distance, Veylen leaned back, his voice lighter.

"Take your time to decide."

He reached for a small, inlaid button on his desk.

"I’ll have Rebecca Kain return. She can act as your tour guide. Show you what Solace Verge truly is. What it stands for."

He smiled, that sharp, dangerous smile again.

"If you prefer, you can wait for me. I’ll be free later tonight to personally show you the heart of this place."

...!

Anastasia’s brow arched ever so slightly at his words.

Not at the offer of the tour.

But the interest behind it.

Veylen Draas wasn’t merely trying to recruit them.

He was watching her.

Weighing her.

Tasting her defiance like fine wine.

She scoffed internally.

Not even a thought to entertain.

She shifted slightly, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned back coolly.

Her sharp eyes moved, measuring Veylen Draas up and down.

He was powerful. No doubt. A Mythic Unity Interstellar Beast Master at thirty. Ruthless. Charismatic.

But.

Her mind conjured the cold silhouette of another.

Damian.

And with a soft shake of her head, she made her choice.

"I’ll follow Kain."

No hesitation.

No regret.

Veylen Draas inclined his head with a slow, almost amused nod.

"As you wish."

He pressed another button on the desk.

Moments later, the doors behind her hissed open.

Rebecca Kain stood there, still clothed in barely-there armor, her expression unreadable, but her eyes watchful.

Before Anastasia stood, Veylen Draas spoke one last time.

"When can we expect the Judge?"

Anastasia stood, smooth as water, calm as death.

She waved a gloved hand dismissively.

"He’s delving in an Entropic Rift."

Her voice was cool, final.

"He’ll come when I call him."

Veylen Draas chuckled once under his breath as he watched her leave.

"Very well."

The Sea Dragon behind him opened one eye, watching her with the slow, timeless gaze of something that had seen empires rise and fall.

And Anastasia walked out without looking back.

Into the heart of Solace Verge.

Into the unknown.

Into the so called revolution.

Doors closed behind her.

Rebecca Kain stood waiting just outside the grand doors, one hand resting lightly on the neck of her massive Mastiff. The beast growled low in its throat, obsidian fur bristling as it fixed its crimson eyes on Anastasia.

HAO hovered above them, wings buzzing erratically, its metallic voice vibrating with excitement. "You spoke to Sir Draas! Is he recruiting the Judge? Is shit about to hit the fan!?"

Anastasia stepped out without a glance back.

Rebecca’s mouth tightened into a thin line. She had already received her instructions.

"Follow me," she said coolly, turning on her heel.

As Anastasia fell into step beside her, Rebecca glanced sidelong, voice low and sharp.

"Do not have any design on Sir Veylen Draas," she said, the words clipped, formal. "He’s nice to everyone."

Her Mastiff loomed closer to Anastasia’s side, breath heavy with warning.

Anastasia didn’t bother replying.

She only gave a slight shake of her head, the barest motion of disdain, and kept walking.

Rebecca’s lips pressed together harder, but she said nothing more as they strode out of thr building, HAO trailing behind them with excited, glitchy murmurs of "Revolution... Revolution... Revolution!"

Meanwhile.

Far from Solace Verge.

Far from the Hollow Stacks or even Ebonreach Metropolis!

A certain Judge inside an Intermediate Entropic Rift was raining down silver hell upon Symbiotic Resonance Entropic Beasts!