Battle Of Planets

Edward and the others watched silently from the battle room. The screen displayed the unfolding chaos inside the sand desert.

Mills was puzzled. He had heard about the Rangers’ usual battle simulation drills—the specialized pods designed to train them for combat. He had even stolen one himself, curious about its potential. It had, in fact, enhanced his combat skills and helped him grow stronger.

But what he saw now shocked him. The creatures he had always believed to be weak were regenerating. Unlike in the simulations, where they vanished upon contact with weapons, but these monsters reassembled themselves using the sand beneath their feet.

He looked toward the Rangers’ side. They appeared just as shocked. They had no idea that what they had trained for was only the easiest mode. Now, those same monsters they used to slay without a second thought were alive—and healing.

"What monstrosity is this?" Mills asked, turning to Edward. "Has it always been like this? Then why was the simulation so easy? Why wasn’t there any mention of this?"

"So people wouldn’t be scared," Edward replied calmly, his eyes fixed on his sons as they finally joined the fight. "Humans are fragile. They scare easily, fall into despair, lose hope. We didn’t want to give them another reason to break. We couldn’t afford more rogues."

Mills gritted his teeth. "See? Hear it from your own leader. They’ve been lying all along—fooling you... and us."

Edward didn’t respond, but the Rangers beside him looked uneasy.

"Watch your mouth," a General-ranked Ranger warned. "We did what was best for all of us."

"And who gave you that right?" a rogue shouted from behind Mills. "Don’t decide for us! We can make our own choices!"

"Your choice?" He scoffed. "Was it your choice to be here? Was it our choice to be here? No, right? And yet, here we are—fucking trapped on some godforsaken floating ship in the middle of space!"