A man with multiple scars on his face—the worst cutting through his left eye—drifted forward. The military tensed. Weapons snapped up. Spaceships came to life. A one guy vs a whole army. The man's coat hung motionless in the void. He breathed in the vacuum like it was nothing, no helmet or mask in sight. Barrels locked onto him from every angle, but he didn't even blink. His eyes swept across the soldiers, then the outlaws circling their spaceships.
"Before you shoot, I wanna declare something." The man's voice cut through the silence with calm composure.
The commander said nothing, only stared giving a silence permission. The man sighed, looked up at the stars for a moment, then back.
"I'm sure I'll die here, but what lies behind this wall... is THE END OF SPACE!!"
His voice exploded across the void. The outlaws who were circling stopped, then scattered. Some fled. Others cheered, screams tearing through the vacuum. The soldiers flinched. The commander's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding.
Before the soldiers could shoot, the commander raised his hand. "Don't, there's no point. Just make sure not a single one of them crosses that wall."
He looked at the man with disgust. "You made a big mistake, Aiden Ry."
Ry met the commander's eyes with nothing behind them. "Just shoot me."
The commander turned to his soldiers and gave the order. Guns were already trained on target. The volley came all at once. Bullets tore through the vacuum faster than sound ever could, ripping into Ry's body. They punched through skin, shredded muscle, splintered bone. The impact jerked him backward with each hit. Smoke curled from the barrels as the firing stopped, drifting in the void.
When it cleared, Ry stood there for a moment, riddled with holes. His chest. His stomach. His legs. Blood welled up in his mouth, floating in dark droplets. Then his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the deck of his spaceship, hitting hard. Blood spread beneath him in a widening pool, and the man the military feared most finally went still.
The commander stared at the corpse for a long moment. "He let himself get killed," he muttered, then turned to face his soldiers. His voice came out flat and cold. "Blow up the ship."
The soldiers moved without hesitation. Laser blast cannons swiveled into position, locking onto the fallen spaceship. One of them hovered over the firing mechanism. A single click. The cannon recoiled with brutal force, the entire frame shuddering as the laser tore forward in a blinding streak of light. It slammed into the ship's hull.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then the ship ballooned outward, metal warping and twisting before it erupted. The explosion ripped through the vacuum in silence, a massive wave of fire and debris expanding in all directions. Shockwaves pulsed outward, sending fragments spinning through space. Chunks of metal hurtled toward the military ship, only to slam harmlessly against the shimmering protective barrier.
When the chaos settled, nothing remained but drifting scrap. Ry's comrades who stayed behind threw themselves at the military in a desperate fight. Most were cut down within minutes. A few managed to slip away into the void, carrying their leader's final words with them.
The great feared man had been vaporized to nothing. But in his death, he had ignited something far more dangerous: the search for the END OF SPACE.
***
After the event, on a small planet somewhere in the outer reaches, life moved differently. Flying cars weaved through the smog-choked air above a dystopian sprawl that never seemed to sleep. On the surface, everything looked alive, pulsing with energy and chaos. A bony man with hollow eyes walked through the dirty parts of the city, his pace steady and unhurried. The locals called this district "Dirty Sex," a name they wore with pride. For most people, walking these streets was a privilege, a blessing nobody wanted to miss.
The air was polluted. The sky was dark gray, blocking out most of the light. But even with all the filth and grime covering every surface, people here still got what they wanted: freedom to do whatever the hell they pleased in public. Ronkai had walked these streets long enough that he didn't even notice anymore.
He kept walking until he reached his small apartment. The lock clicked open, and he shoved the door wide. There, sprawled across his bed like he owned the place, was a crusty old guy with blue hair. Ronkai's face twisted. He walked over and kicked the side of the bed hard. The frame rattled. The man's eyes cracked open, and a low groan escaped his throat.
"Oh hey, kid. How you doing?" the crusty old man said, voice flat like this was completely normal.
"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE, KASON!" Ronkai yelled, glaring down at him.
Kason pushed himself up from the bed, stretching his back with a loud groan that dragged on way too long. "Can't an old man get a peaceful sleep?" He scratched at his ear, blinking slowly with tired eyes. "Uhh, who are you again?"
Ronkai squinted at him. "Look, old man, stop doing that."
Kason chuckled and grabbed his coat from the floor, shrugging it on. "I'm just messing with you. Don't take it so personal." He adjusted the collar. "Besides, I'm not staying long."
"Fine by me," Ronkai muttered, dropping onto the bed. The springs creaked under his weight. Kason paused near the door and glanced back over his shoulder.
"You know, kid, you should really explore the stars someday."
Ronkai snorted. "And do what? Kill myself?"
Kason chuckled. "I'm not saying put yourself in danger. I'm just saying maybe get out of this dirty planet. A young person like you shouldn't rot in here unless that's what you want."
Ronkai thought about it for a moment. His eyes drifted around the apartment. Stained walls. Cracked floor tiles. A sink piled with dishes he hadn't bothered washing in weeks. He didn't know when he'd actually get out of this dump, or if he ever would. The only people who'd ever looked after him were petty criminals, and they didn't give a damn about him. They just used him for whatever scheme they had going. Stealing. Running packages. Whatever kept them comfortable while he scraped by.
Then Kason showed up a few months back. His spaceship had landed somewhere near the district, and for some reason, the old man decided Ronkai was worth checking in on. He didn't come around much, maybe once every couple of weeks, but when he did, things were different. He actually gave a shit. Sometimes he'd bring food, real food, not the synthetic crap Ronkai usually ate. Other times he'd sit around and tell stories about the stars, about places so far out that Ronkai couldn't even picture them. It wasn't much, but it was more than anyone else had ever done.
"Well, I could try," Ronkai said slowly. "But don't expect me to be just like you."
Kason smiled at that. "You could end up being my enemy, my rival, you could be the one who kills me someday. I'd still be happy you followed my advice."
Ronkai turned his head away. "You're an odd one, old man. It's kinda annoying."
Kason let out a sigh but shrugged it off, walking over to the front door. His hand wrapped around the handle, but he stopped there. The smile on his face faded a little.
"I'm not gonna change your mind if you don't wanna go. It's your life, after all." Kason's voice got quieter. "I couldn't care less if you rot on this planet. I won't pity you." He paused. "But I'll be happy if you follow the advice. I could even give you a small ship I stole so you can travel alone. It's not like I'm gonna follow you around. I'm a leader, after all." He laughed at that last part and opened the door, stepping outside.
The air hit him immediately. Smoke mixed with the smell of sweat and sex. Kason's grin widened.
"Well, kid, time for me to get busy with some ladies." He let out this ridiculous laugh and took off running down the street, leaving the door wide open behind him.
Ronkai felt his eyes growing heavy. All he wanted to do was sleep, like he always did. It was easier that way. But Kason's words kept replaying in his head, louder each time. Leaving this place. Going up to the stars. Actually doing something with his life instead of rotting here.
He sat there for a minute, then jumped out of the bed. His feet hit the floor, and before he could think about it too much, he walked outside. The street was the same as always. Dirty. Crowded. Loud. He tilted his head back and stared up at the sky, searching for something he couldn't quite name through the thick gray haze.
Before he could turn back inside, he heard footsteps. A group of people came around the corner, heading straight for him. Ronkai's body went rigid.
"Well, well, well, if it ain't my favorite toy." A man stepped forward, shirtless and scrawny, no muscle to speak of. He had a bald head, an eye patch over his left eye, and a smile that made you want to slam his face into the dirt. "Did you get the money I asked you to steal? Huh?"
His group followed close behind as they closed in. The bald guy slung his arm around Ronkai's shoulder like some twisted father-son bond and pulled out a knife with his free hand.
"I'm guessing not." He let out a scoff. "Why do you always have to be a pain to your dear old stepdad?" The blade pressed against Ronkai's throat, cold metal touching skin. Ronkai gritted his teeth and tried to pull back, but the bald guy's other hand clamped onto his head, holding him in place.
"Look, Ronkai, my son." The bald man's voice took on this mocking tone. "When I found you in the streets, I promised myself I'd give you a great life. So I gave myself a goal: give you purpose." He paused, letting that word hang in the air. "And you know what that is, don't you?"
Ronkai's face went red, anger flooding through him. "To be used."
The bald man threw his head back and laughed. "Yes! That's right! You see, I gave you purpose in this world. Without me, you'd be rotting in some gutter with nobody around to even notice."
The group behind him erupted into laughter. A fat guy in the back called out, "You tell him, boss!"
The bald man smiled and swung the knife toward his group, forcing Ronkai to look by grabbing his chin hard and yanking his head around. "You see that, Ronkai? That's your family right there." His grip tightened. "I tried to find you a mother, but hey, this is good enough, right?"
Ronkai's hands balled into fists. He tried to keep it together, tried to stay composed, but every second made it harder. Everything they called love felt like a knife twisting in his gut. The bald man finally let go and stepped back. Ronkai's head dropped, his eyes fixed on the ground. He looked hollow, empty, like something already dead.
"Next time, I better see you work, you little brat." The bald man's voice went cold as he turned and started walking away.
But someone stepped into their path, cutting them off. A figure in a black coat, the fabric shifting in the smoky breeze. He had this smile on his face as he looked at the group, then past them to Ronkai, who was still on the ground behind them, staring at nothing.
"What a nice family you have, Ronkai."
Ronkai's eyes widened. He looked up and saw Kason standing there, blocking the entire group.
"You know, after I ran off, I saw you guys heading this way." Kason's smile was still plastered on his face. "I couldn't miss this fantastic family dynamic you got going on." His eyes shifted to the bald man. "A father should give their son a choice, don't you think?"
The bald guy's face twisted. "What was that?" He stepped forward, getting right in Kason's face, that same mocking grin on his lips. "Who the hell are you, anyways? You don't look like you're from around here."
"Well, I'm not exactly well known in these parts." Kason didn't budge. "I come from Galaxy-199, if that means anything to you."
The bald man raised an eyebrow. "Galaxy-199? Yeah, I've heard of it. Never heard of you, though." He tilted his head. "What are you? Some kind of outlaw?"
Kason shrugged. "You could say that."
The bald man's hand moved fast, pulling out his blast pistol and jamming it against Kason's temple. But Kason didn't even flinch. He just kept smiling, his eyes locked on the barrel like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"What's so funny, old man?" The bald guy leaned in closer. "And more importantly, what's your relationship with my son?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not here to replace you or anything." Kason's smile widened just a bit. "After all, Ronkai has a choice here, and—"
Before Kason could finish, the bald man pulled the trigger.
The blast pistol kicked back hard in his hand. A bolt of energy tore out and slammed into Kason's head at point-blank range. The sound ripped through the air, loud enough to make your ears ring. The shot went clean through, and the energy erupted out the back of his skull, drilling into the ground behind him. The concrete exploded on impact. Chunks of street scattered everywhere, leaving a smoking crater where Kason had been standing.
Civilians who'd been watching from nearby scattered, screaming and running in every direction. The bald man lowered his gun with a satisfied grunt and holstered it. He stepped forward, walking right past where Kason's body should've collapsed.
Ronkai's mouth opened, but nothing came out. His eyes were locked on the smoke rising from the crater. Then the smoke started to clear, drifting away in the polluted breeze.
Kason was still standing. Not a scratch on him. Not even a burn mark. He stood there with that same smile, like nothing had happened.
"Hey, buddy." Kason's voice was calm, almost casual.
The group froze. The bald man spun around, his face going pale when he saw Kason still standing there. But then his eyes went wider. Kason's fist was already moving, cutting through the air toward his face.
Everything slowed down. The bald man saw the fist coming but couldn't move fast enough. It connected with his jaw. He expected to feel knuckles, skin, bone. Instead, there was something else. Something cold. An invisible barrier wrapped around Kason's hand that felt harder than metal.
His face caved in. Kason try to hold back the punch, driving the bald man's head straight down into the concrete. The impact hit like a bomb going off. The ground beneath them cracked, then shattered completely. A shockwave burst outward, rippling through the street. It paused for just a second, then exploded upward. Windows in every direction blew out. Entire building facades crumbled. Glass rained down on the street.
Kason took a breather and straightened his back, seeing the bald man's head buried into the ground with a big hole surrounding his face.
"Oops, too far."
Kason looked over at the group. They stood there frozen, mouths hanging open. Then survival instincts kicked in. They started backing away, slowly at first, then broke into a full sprint. "RUN, HE'S A BLACK STAR USER!" one of them screamed as they scattered in every direction. Kason didn't chase them. He just dusted off his hands like he'd finished some minor task.
Ronkai stared at the destruction around him. His mouth hung open. He couldn't process what he'd just seen. Kason walked over and stopped right in front of him, that same smile still on his face.
"So, kid. You made your choice?"
Ronkai blinked and looked up at him. He slapped himself across the face, trying to snap out of it. "I don't know yet."
Kason let out a long sigh. "Come on, kid. I'm not leaving until I hear a yes or no. Whatever you choose, I'll respect it." He glanced down at the bald man's crumpled body, face-down in the crater. "But I don't know if you really wanna stick around with that family."
"I think I killed your dear old dad." Kason walked over to the bald guy's body. Ronkai followed a few steps behind. Kason dropped to one knee and pressed two fingers against the man's neck, feeling for a pulse. Nothing. He stayed there for a second, then stood back up.
"Yup, he's dead. My bad, kid." Kason turned and looked directly at Ronkai's face, searching for something. Sadness, maybe. Tears. Anything. But there was nothing there.
"I'm waiting."
Ronkai stared down at the corpse. The man who'd made his life hell for years. And all he felt was relief. Like a weight had been lifted off his chest, letting him breathe for the first time in forever. He stood there in silence, not saying anything. The pain was over. The suffering was done or at least stop for a moment. There was no mourning, no tears. Instead, a small smile crept onto his face. He turned to look at Kason.
"I made my decision."
"Finally. You kept me in suspense there."
"I wanna go." Ronkai's voice was steady. "I wanna leave this place and go to the stars. I don't know what I'm gonna be yet. Hell, I don't even know if I'll be anything. But I wanna go."
Kason's grin spread wider across his face. He slapped Ronkai on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward. "That's what I'm talking about, kid!"
Ronkai winced and shot him a look. "Hey, stop that!"
Kason pulled his hand back and tilted his head up toward the sky. Something shifted in his eyes, like he was remembering something from a long time ago. "You know, you remind me of when I was younger." He paused. "Less of a pussy, though." A laugh burst out of him.
"Fuck off, old man. Stop with the jokes," Ronkai muttered, his voice flat.
"Alright, alright. Relax." Kason waved him off and started walking. "Follow me. Time to hand over that ship I told you about. It's nothing fancy, but it'll get you where you need to go."
Ronkai followed Kason through the winding streets of the city. He looked around as they walked. The buildings were the same as always. People were still going at it in public like the chaos from earlier never happened. He wanted to feel something for this place, some kind of nostalgia for the streets he'd walked his whole life. But there was nothing. Every corner just reminded him of pain. Of being used. Of surviving instead of living. It all felt empty.
But something else was building in his chest now. A strange mix he couldn't quite name. Excitement, maybe. Fear, definitely. The thought of leaving, of actually going somewhere else, made his heart beat faster.
They kept walking until the buildings opened up into a wide clearing. Kason stopped at the edge of the spaceport. Ships of all sizes sat parked in rows, some massive, some smaller. The ground beneath them wasn't concrete or metal. It was something else entirely, some kind of advanced tech Ronkai had only seen from a distance. Blue energy pulsed through the landing pads in glowing veins, feeding directly into the ships' cores. The hum of it filled the air.
Kason walked toward his ship. The thing was huge, stretching nearly 500 meters long but built narrow like a blade. The front came to a sharp point, cutting through space. The hull was covered in overlapping plates that looked like scales, all dark metal. Near the back, two massive engines jutted out, glowing with that purple-blue light you see right before something takes off fast. It looked like it was built for speed.
The crew started filing out of the ship as Kason approached. A guy with a scar cutting across his lip walked up first, a sword hanging from his waist. "Welcome back, Captain." His voice was calm, but his eyes looked bored, like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Good to see you, Tel. How's the crew doing?"
Tel let out a tired sigh. "They're fine. Pain in the ass to deal with, though."
Kason laughed and slung his arm around Tel's shoulder, pulling him close. Tel groaned in protest. Then his eyes shifted over to Ronkai, standing off to the side. "Who's that kid? New member?"
Kason's laugh died down. "New member? Nah, he's not joining us. He's the one I keep mentioning every time we dock here."
Another guy waddled over to Ronkai, taking his time with each step. He was big, real big, and he got right up in Ronkai's face. "So he's not joining, huh?" He stuck out his hand. "Well, any friend of Kason's is a friend of mine."
Ronkai stared at the hand for a second before reaching out and shaking it slowly.
"The name's Fatso."
Ronkai raised an eyebrow. "Is that a joke?"
"Haha, nah, that's my actual name." Fatso grinned. "Ironic, right?"
"Yeah." Ronkai didn't know what else to say.
Fatso gave him a look, like he was sizing him up. "Don't worry about these two. They can be a handful."
Kason walked over and pulled his arm off Tel's shoulder, then dropped his hand onto Ronkai's instead. His smile was different this time. Not the usual cocky grin. Something genuine.
"Don't worry, kid. You're not part of my crew, but that's a good thing." Kason's voice got quieter, more serious. "If I let you join, you wouldn't grow the way you need to. You'd always be following someone else's path. Take that to heart."
He let go of Ronkai's shoulder and turned back toward his crew. "Alright, bring out the ship I stole a while back!"
The crew started shouting orders to each other, moving around the side of the main vessel. A minute later, they wheeled out a smaller ship on a mobile platform. It was bulkier than Kason's blade-like ship, more compact. The front had a reflective surface, almost like a mirror, with a sharp nose cone made of black metal.
Kason gestured to it. "Like I said before, nothing fancy. But it'll keep you alive. Your job is to find yourself something bigger down the line."
Ronkai stared at it, then back at Kason. "Easy for you to say. I heard ships like that cost a fortune."
Kason's grin came back. "Then steal one."
Tel let out another yawn behind them, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm heading back to the ship, Captain." He didn't wait for a response before walking up the ramp.
Kason nodded after him. "Sounds good."
He turned to Fatso, who was still hanging around. "Alright, Fatso, time to get moving. We're leaving soon."
Fatso gave a slow nod and started waddling back toward the ship. He stopped just before reaching the ramp and looked back at Ronkai. "It was good meeting you, kid." Then he disappeared inside with the rest of the crew.
"Hold on a second. I want you to have something." Kason walked over to the small spaceship and popped open a side compartment. He dug around inside for a moment before pulling out a hoodie. Black fabric with a gray hood. It looked worn, like it had seen better days.
He walked back over and held it out to Ronkai. "I used to wear this when I was your age. My old man gave it to me. Now I'm giving it to you."
Ronkai stared at it, then looked up at Kason. "Why?"
Kason let out a small laugh. "Don't give me that look. It's something to remember me by. Plus, it looks cool. Trust me. Try it on."
Ronkai stood there for a second, not sure what to say. Then he reached out, took the hoodie, and pulled it over his head. It was a little loose but fit well enough. Kason stepped back and looked him over, nodding slowly.
"Yeah, it fits you well. Nothing like looking cool, right?"
Ronkai glanced down at himself, then back up. "I don't feel cool."
Kason laughed, that rough sound as always. "Well, maybe one day you'll be cool. Or maybe not." He laughed again and reached out, ruffling Ronkai's hair hard enough to mess it up completely. Then he turned his back and started walking toward his ship, waving one hand over his shoulder without looking back.
Ronkai stood there watching him go. Then something hit him. His eyes went wide.
"Wait!" he shouted. "I don't know how to fly a spaceship!"
Kason didn't even slow down. He just shrugged without turning around. "You'll figure it out, kid."
Then he disappeared up the ramp. The doors hissed shut behind him with a heavy clang. Ronkai stood there in the middle of the spaceport, mouth hanging open. He couldn't tell if Kason was joking or serious. Probably both.
The engines on Kason's ship started to hum. Low at first, then louder. The sound built into a roar that shook the ground beneath Ronkai's feet. Wind whipped around him, pulling at his new hoodie and making his hair fly everywhere. He squinted against the force of it, watching as the massive ship began to lift off the landing pad.
It rose slowly at first, hovering a few meters off the ground. Then the engines flared brighter, that purple-blue light flooding the entire area. The ship tilted upward, nose pointing toward the sky.
And then it was gone. The roar turned into a scream as the ship shot upward faster than anything Ronkai had ever seen. It tore through the polluted sky, leaving a streak of light behind it. Within seconds, it was just a distant point disappearing into the stars.
Ronkai stood there alone in the silence that followed. The wind settled. The noise faded. He looked down at the small ship sitting in front of him, then up at the sky where Kason had vanished.
The stars. That's where he was going too.