The inside of the Aether-powered helicopter—the seats were black leather with silver trims. As soon as I sat down, a thin seatbelt snapped into place on its own.
A screen panel ejected from the sides of our seat and positioned itself in front of us.
At the center, a small core chamber—sealed behind reinforced glass—held a swirling orb of blue Aether, gently spinning like a quiet storm.
There were no switches or clunky buttons. What was crazier was I could barely tell when the Aether-powered helicopter took off. Since this thing could fly silently, it was perfect for infiltrations.
That is, if the glowing silver vein exterior design could be turned off.
Buzz!
Suddenly the screen lit up, revealing the map of Louisiana—but with three points highlighted: Shreveport, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge.
"With the Limitless scarcity, the government had no other choice but to deploy Ascendants for this mission," Viktor started.
Natasha and I shared confused glances before shifting our questioning gaze to Pamela.
"Ascendants is the name given to human soldiers who successfully go through biogenetic surgery," she explained, and my mind drifted back to the strange soldiers I saw earlier.
I adjusted my sitting position before asking the question on my mind.
"What is the mortality rate of the biogenetic surgery?" I asked, causing Viktor to shoot me a cold glare.
"It's none of your business," he snapped sharply, and I rolled my eyes.
'Big baby,' I cursed.
I had to ask this question because I couldn't get those men off my mind. Even from a distance, I felt intimidated while looking at them.
Although I didn't know how powerful they were, I knew that power came at a heavy price. I also needed to understand their purpose—what is the real reason Ascendants were created?
Maybe I was overthinking things because my Intelligence stat was high.
"Our mission lies here..." Pamela broke the silence and tapped her screen, and Lake Charles was highlighted on mine.
The screen zoomed into Lake Charles but focused on the urban zone, where people lived.
"There is a massive evacuation going on in Louisiana as we speak..." Viktor spoke, and Pamela continued.
"Our goal is to hold out long enough until the evacuation is complete and the Texas border is fully manned," she explained.
Calmly, I kept my gaze on the screen while rubbing my chin with a narrowed gaze. Lake Charles was the closest to the Texas border. If it fell to these invaders, it was only a matter of time before they reached Texas.
While Pamela made it sound like our primary mission was to protect civilians, I suspected the true mission was to hold out until Texas is ready to repel these monsters from invading its lands.
Hmmmm...
I leaned back and ran my hand across my hair with a thoughtful expression.
The Imperial States of America (ISA) stretched across the entire Western Hemisphere, from the frozen reaches of Canada to the lush jungles of Brazil.
One ruling family sat at the top, while each state—whether a sprawling nation or a city-state reborn—governed itself with near-total autonomy.
States raised their own armies and handled their own affairs.
But all of them paid tribute to the Imperial Throne.
Texas was not obliged to help, so I suspected the Texas government's intent had nothing to do with saving civilians
but to hold out long enough for it to secure its borders.
"Just us?" Natasha asked the question in my head.
And Natalia shook her head.
"Our team is made up of sixty Ascendants and six professional Limitless," Viktor responded calmly, his voice lacking the hostility it had when he spoke to me.
In fact, there was a small kind smile on his rough face, as if he was trying to appear friendly to Natasha.
'Simp,' I cursed again.
"Team A, which is us and twenty Ascendants, will defend Lake Charles city center. While Team B and C, made up of two Limitless and twenty Ascendants each, will defend the industrial strip and wetlands respectively," Viktor explained while indicating the points on the map.
"You don't have to worry. Your job is to oversee the evacuation carried out by the military. Pamela and I will do all the fighting," Viktor explained further.
While they spoke, I paid little to no attention. My thoughts centered around American politics as I tried to decipher the reason behind the government's actions, but I had too little information, so my high Intelligence stat didn't even matter.
Sigh!
I sighed silently and closed my eyes, deciding to sleep some more before we got there. However, Pamela's phone rang at that moment and my eyes snapped open.
"What?!" she blurted out. "So soon?!"
I frowned as I watched her operate her screen, switching to a news station.
---
[LIVE BROADCAST – WLN News 7 | Aerial Coverage Above Central Louisiana Rift]
Camera shakes slightly as helicopter blades roar in the background.
Reporter (Lisa Monroe):
"—We are now flying directly over what officials are calling Ground Zero, the site of the Louisiana Rift Event, which has remained open for over a month.
All communication with the Limitless response team was lost twelve days ago.
No survivors have been recovered, and presumed casualties include several Class B Limitless professionals, instructors, students, and countless soldiers.
Authorities have yet to confirm the presence of—"
Camera pans to the glowing, torn rift at the center of a cratered forest. A shimmering distortion ripples like a heatwave. Then, it opens—wider this time.
Reporter (voice rising):
"Wait—something's coming through. We're seeing movement at the rift's mouth. Zoom in. Zoom in."
Camera tightens on a massive silhouette stepping through: a towering orc with braided black hair hanging like ropes over armored shoulders.
His chest is bare but covered in ritual scars. A heavy two-handed war axe rests on his back, crackling faintly with electricity.
Reporter (tense):
"Oh my god... we have confirmation. That is not human. That is not human. It appears to be an orc—massive, armed, and looking straight at—"
The orc slowly lifts his head, eyes locking with the helicopter.
A long, crooked smile spreads across his face.
Reporter (voice cracking slightly):
"He's seen us. He's... smiling. Control, are you seeing this?"
The orc grabs the war axe.
Electricity races across its blade, sparking violently.
Reporter (shouting now):
"HE'S RAISING A WEAPON! PULL AWAY! PULL AWAY!"
The orc hurls the axe skyward like a javelin—crackling with lightning.
Pilot (offscreen, yelling):
"Hang on!"
The chopper swerves hard. The camera jolts—
Reporter (screaming):
"NO NO NO—!"
In the chaos, the reporter slips—tumbles out of the open side door.
The camera briefly catches her fall before the feed cuts to static—
[SIGNAL LOST – PLEASE STAND BY]
---
I blinked repeatedly at the screen, slightly shaken by what I just saw. My gaze shifted to Pamela and Viktor, who shared a similar expression.
"What the hell just happened?" Natasha couldn't help but blurt out.