Chapter 186: Déjà Vu

Chapter 186: Déjà VuThe military had no solid evidence connecting Kail to the space pirates, so the loss of the prison key was labeled as an unfortunate accident. But that didn’t change the fact that his reputation was in tatters.

The aftermath was brutal. Kail was stripped of his rank, kicked out of both the military and political circles for life.

If that wasn’t enough, he was sentenced to fifty lashes—an old-school punishment reserved for the harshest of crimes.

The sentence was to be carried out in the execution room behind the military court. They stripped him down, leaving him completely exposed.

The whip they used was no ordinary weapon; it was specifically designed to bypass Peculiars’ enhanced defenses. Each strike cut deep into his skin, showing no mercy.

Before long, his bronzed skin was crisscrossed with raw, angry welts. Blood oozed from the gashes, trickling down his legs and pooling on the cold stone floor.

Despite it all, Kail stood still, his body rigid, showing no reaction. It was as if he had turned off every feeling inside him, like he had accepted this fate long before it even started.

Two years ago, he had promised Lyra that he would rise again, take back what was his. Now, with every lash of that whip, his dreams and future shattered like fragile glass.

When it was finally over, the guards unshackled him, and he walked out of the court with slow, heavy steps.

He looked like a man who had lost everything—his soul, his purpose, gone.

A crowd had gathered outside, waiting for him. They were the families of the Legion Skywalkers—the soldiers who had died because of the lost key.

As soon as they saw Kail, their grief turned into fury.

"This is on you! My son’s dead because you couldn’t hold onto that key! You let those space pirates go!" a woman screamed, her voice thick with rage.

"Why didn’t you die instead?" another shouted, her face twisted with pain. "Give me back my husband!"

Chaos erupted. The crowd rushed toward him, and though the guards eventually restored order, the damage was done.

The media, lurking on the sidelines, had caught every explosive moment.

The story exploded online, going viral in no time.

As days passed, though, the hate toward Kail slowly shifted direction. The focus moved from him to someone else—Lyra.

It all started when a popular military blogger, with a massive following, posted an article titled, "One Family, Three Sinners—How Did Lyra Shedd Get Into the Military?"

The blog post went viral and sparked an intense debate.

"Both Tyro Shedd and Seren Shedd (Calvin) were traitors. Lyra, their daughter, has no place in the military," one commenter added. "Normal people need spotless background checks to even get close to the Alliance’s machinery..."

"Exactly. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and their boy has already proven that. What’s to say Lyra won’t be the next ticking time bomb?" another person chimed in.

"She spent years on Voidstar No. 2, surrounded by criminals. Who knows what shady stuff she’s been involved in?" someone else added fuel to the fire.

While this storm brewed online, Lyra was out with Zinnia and the rest of the crew, enjoying dinner.

The table was loaded with delicious food, but the mood soured as everyone checked their opticomputers, bombarded by the sudden flood of posts.

"Seriously, what’s wrong with people?" one of them muttered, shaking their head.

"Could someone be behind this? Maybe your grandfather’s up to his tricks again?" Zinnia asked, clearly frustrated.

Lyra calmly put down her fork and wiped her mouth, unfazed. "If he makes people talk about my parents’ treason again and again, he’s only digging his own grave. He’s not that dumb."

"Then who’s pulling the strings?" Zinnia raked her hands through her hair, clearly agitated. "I swear, the military’s nothing but drama."

"Uh, stop shedding in my food," Helion grumbled, moving his plate away with a grimace. "Wherever people gather, drama follows. You’ve got to be tough enough to take life’s punches, not just physical ones."

The two of them were like oil and water, and it didn’t take long for their argument to escalate. Soon, they were ready to settle it the old-fashioned way—with a fight.

Through it all, Lyra remained the calmest in the group. Vikie shot her a teasing look. "You could at least PRETEND to care."

Lyra shrugged, nonchalant. "Why bother? It’s just some old-timers who’ve got it out for me. As long as the officials don’t step in, it’s all just noise."

Thierry nodded in agreement. "Besides, didn’t my uncle publicly praise you this morning? The military isn’t about to shoot itself in the foot over a few online trolls."

The storm, for now, was all bark and no bite.

Surprisingly, the fiery debate about Lyra online fizzled out as quickly as it had begun. By the next morning, all traces of the controversy had mysteriously disappeared.

Lyra didn’t need anyone to tell her who was behind it. Clearly, Ansel had stepped in—he had no intention of letting the Shedd family’s name get dragged through the mud.

"Boss," Morrison knocked lightly before entering her office. "After Kail was taken back by the Shedd family yesterday, he was sent out again around midnight, but our people lost his trail shortly after."

He seemed confused. Lyra never showed much concern for her younger brother, so why was she suddenly interested in his whereabouts?

"Want me to send a team to track him down?"

Lyra shook her head, her eyes flashing with a strange certainty. "No need. I already know where he is." She paused, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "Bring Mr. Frei here. This time, I’m handling things personally."

...

At a secluded manor on the outskirts of Central City, Kail slowly regained consciousness. The first thing that hit him was the blinding white light overhead from a surgical lamp, forcing him to squint against the sharp brightness.

He vaguely remembered the punishment, the angry mob attacking him, and then being picked up by the family’s butler before everything went black. His body felt wrecked. The lash wounds on his back hadn’t even started to heal, and each tiny movement made them bleed all over again.

The searing pain in his muscles blurred his thoughts. ’Why would the Shedd family even bother treating someone like me, a complete failure in their eyes?’

That’s when he noticed the heavy suppression rings binding his wrists, ankles, and waist, blocking his powers.

Nearby, a black, circular machine moved toward him, humming ominously.

"What the hell is going on?" he croaked, his voice hoarse.

A cold, mocking laugh echoed in response. "Ah, awake already?"

Erin stepped forward, arms folded across her chest. She looked every bit the proud Shedd heiress she’d always been, except for the dark circles under her eyes and the ghostly pallor of her skin.

Her prosthetic limb gleamed in the harsh light as she approached the operating table, her eyes glinting with cruel excitement.

Kail tried to struggle, but it only made his wounds tear further, sending fresh rivulets of blood down onto the sterile white table.

Erin’s face lit up at the sight, her lips curling into a twisted grin.

"Deja vu, isn’t it? Just like when your sister was in this same position." Erin’s laugh was sharp, nearly unhinged, as she pressed a button on the machine.

Kail’s eyes widened in horror as he felt a surge of unbearable pain rip through his skull. His body seized up as the machine began pulling his Crystal Core from his mind, slowly extracting it like someone yanking out his very soul. Was this what Lyra had gone through?

His mind grew hazy, the agony clouding every thought.

Meanwhile, Erin’s eyes glittered with twisted satisfaction as the purple Crystal Core, shaped like a six-sided pyramid, hovered above Kail’s head.

She gazed at it, imagining how this powerful core could replace the one inside her that had cursed her with endless cold.

But before she could revel in her victory, two bright green beams suddenly streaked through the air, coming inches from her head.

Her adjutant barely managed to yank her out of harm’s way, but one of the beams struck the machine, causing it to malfunction and cease the extraction.

Kail’s Crystal Core snapped back into place, settling back into his brain with a sharp jolt of pain.

"Lyra! You’ve ruined everything again!" Erin screamed, her face contorting in rage.

The door slammed open, and there was Lyra, standing in the doorway, as composed and infuriating as ever.

She casually lifted a hand to her mouth, stifling a small cough as she surveyed the room. There was no sign of the masked man, and Frenna had conveniently disappeared as well.

In a flash, Lyra was at the operating table. She aimed a swift chop at Erin, but her level-seven Aerokinesis adjutant yanked her away just in time.

Unbeknownst to them, Lyra’s real target wasn’t Erin—it was the table.

With precise, quick movements, Lyra deactivated the restraints holding Kail.

Using her powers, she carefully lifted him from the table and, without missing a beat, snatched the smoking machine and tucked it into her Space Button.

Then, just as fast as she had arrived, she turned on her heel and bolted toward the exit, Kail in tow.

Erin, now consumed by fury, felt her vision blur with rage. "Don’t just stand there—after them!" she shrieked.

Her adjutant sped after Lyra with blinding speed, but Erin hesitated.

The moment she tried to follow, the white Crystal Core embedded in her brain began spinning wildly, sending an icy blast through her body.

In the blink of an eye, Erin’s entire form was encased in frost, freezing her mid-step.

Lyra and Kail were already gone.