After the Third Intergalactic War, which ended with the eradication of the Five Divine Races, the cosmos was reorganized under the authority of the Millennium. The known universe was divided into one hundred Quadrants, each governed by an Elder, a supreme being from a superior race. A single Quadrant encompasses at least one hundred billion galaxies, illustrating the extent of the power of the Hundred Elders.
To maintain order in such a vast universe, the Millennium created an unparalleled military and police force: the Universal Guardian, its sword and shield. It was divided into four units:
- Heart Guardian: Space and planetary forces, security patrols, protection of civilizations under Millennium jurisdiction.
- Spade Guardian: Espionage, tracking the most powerful criminals (interstellar outlaws, traitors to the Millennium, hostile cosmic anomalies). They obey only their direct chain of command, making them one of the few forces capable of investigating an Elder if necessary.
- Clover Guardian: Direct protection of the Elders and their assets. Each Elder has a personal detachment of Clovers.
- Diamond Guardian: Exploration of the Hidden Quadrant, eradication of Nightmares, responsible for the development of Pulsars, weapons capable of annihilating entire races. Their deployment requires approval from the Eclipse Council, an entity separate from the Millennium. This is the logistical and technological unit of the Universal Guardian.
The Universal Guardian follows a strict structure. At the top are the three Wardens.
Below them are the Generals, Commanders, Colonels, Corporals, Lieutenants, and finally, the Sentinels.
---
*One week later*
Omega Quadrant — S-Rank Galaxy
Planet Neutria, Central Capital
In addition to the Hundred Quadrants, the known universe is structured according to a precise galactic hierarchy, classifying galaxies from F to S based on strict criteria. This system reflects not only the degree of development of civilizations but also their intrinsic energy potential.
Galaxies ranked F to C represent the most primitive stellar formations, where life barely emerges and very few intelligent species exist. Their average quantum number often exceeds 1500, a dimensional instability unfavorable to the development of complex societies. They typically contain only a handful of star systems capable of supporting elementary life.
In the middle of the scale, B to A galaxies house civilizations in full expansion. Their quantum number, ranging from 1000 to 600, allows the emergence of interplanetary cultures. These galaxies have between five and fifteen habitable systems, often connected by space travel networks.
S-rank galaxies constitute the cosmic elite. Their quantum number below 500 creates a stable dimensional environment, conducive to the development of advanced technologies. They must have:
- More than twenty habitable solar systems
- At least one superior humanoid species
- Complete interstellar infrastructures
- Advanced Neon manipulation capabilities
The higher the rank, the tighter the surveillance by the Universal Guardians, and the greater the resources allocated to their protection. A galaxy can be reclassified every fifty years, after inspection by the Diamond Guardians.
Neutria was a superior-category planet, regulated and wealthy, eighty percent covered by urban structures made of black quartz alloy and stabilized energy. Its atmosphere was perfectly controlled, its flora rare, and its indigenous species classified. The Neutrians were a technologically advanced race, considered one of the most influential in their quadrant.
In the capital stood the building of the Planet's High Council, where Rahman Asad, the Elder of the Omega Quadrant, resided. Ten kilometers away, on the outskirts of the administrative center, was the private residence of his only daughter.
Ashera had grown up in comfort and discipline. Her intelligence surpassed Neutrian standards. Yet, she had never known her mother, and the emotional absence of her father had driven her to rebel. Upon reaching adulthood, she was slated to join the Clover unit, dedicated to protecting high-ranking Elders. She would have been assigned close to Rahman Asad. But Ashera rejected this path.
She voluntarily joined the unit with the highest mortality rate among the Universal Guardians. She hunted criminals classified as priority threats, the most unstable, the most violent. And she eliminated them. Her mastery of tactics, her performance, and her combat instincts quickly propelled her to the rank of Commander.
But everything changed the day she crossed paths with an extraordinary being while investigating a pirate ship that had wreaked havoc in the central galaxy of the Sirius Quadrant.
...
Her home consisted of sober but secure structures. Reinforced walls, an integrated surveillance center, multiple holographic screens, and a private command room. In this room, Ashera stood before a wall saturated with floating holograms. She typed rapidly on a suspended virtual keyboard.
*POV: Ashera*
My eyes scanned every available piece of information. Years of research, compiled here. Visuals, scans, behavioral analyses. Everything about him. His possible identities, movements, abilities. Every public appearance. His strength. And I had experienced it firsthand.
I briefly stared at an image.
A selfie taken during a mission. He held my recording device, while I lay on the ground in the background, my arms torn off in a pool of blood. This image, like so many others, had been recorded by him. He had fed my file himself. As if he wanted me to understand him.
I typed a few more keys.
[Classified Report — The Fool / Leader of the Major Arcana]
Psychological Profile: Unstable. Behavior: Amoral. Clothing Preference: All white (diagnosed mysophobic disorder). General Attitude: Open contempt for all organic life forms. Unknown ability of unidentified origin but gravity-type...
I sighed.
'I've written this kind of report hundreds of times. Maybe it's time to try something else...'
I looked up at the observation window.
He was there. Lying on a table in a containment room, surrounded by sensors and cameras. Asleep, or in a prolonged state of unconsciousness. His face was calm. His long hair spread across his pale chest. His slight musculature indicated nothing special, but his resilience did. During the final explosion, he had protected me. And he had survived the most powerful weapon ever activated without a scratch.
I remained still.
Why did I bring him here? When I woke up, drifting in the cosmic void after the total destruction caused by the Pulsar... I found him. I couldn't let him go. But handing him over to my superiors? Impossible. Too risky. He could eliminate them all.
'I must find a way to kill him while he's unconscious...'