It's been four years since Ratchet killed those thugs. Four hellish years of therapy, panic attacks and nightmares. Young Lombax often woke up in the night covered in sweat and fear in his eyes. Only thanks to the help of doctors, the boy was able to function in some way.

This, however, created new problems.

Ratchet, despite Lilith and Clyde's good education, became aggressive. Not in a way that he wanted to hurt every person, but when someone bullied him, he could show the fighting styles that the other Iron Lords had taught him. Only Radegast managed to teach the boy how to control his anger and how to use it as a weapon. It helped a lot.

Now fourteen-year-old Lombax has become more active in the guilds of Kyril Town. As he was kicked out of school for breaking a bully's nose and yelling at a teacher who didn't protect students from bullying, the boy decided to earn money early, which made Clyde very proud of his adopted son.

As mentioned earlier, the Kyril town is the largest and also the most important settlement on the planet Veldin. What is the reason for this? Well, this is the place where the guilds of Bounty Hunters, Mercenaries, Pirates and Smugglers have their headquarters. Outside the control area of Solana's Galactic Government, Veldin has become an outpost where the more honorable members of the underworld can function in peace. However, there were certain rules here.

No fighting between guilds. If there's a problem, solve it diplomatically or by duel like in Westerns.

No people trafficking. Violation of this rule results in execution by the sheriff.

Rapists, pedophiles and similar trifles are to be eliminated on the spot. With no exception.

There were other rules, but they were mostly purely logical.

And that's the kind of community Ratchet grew up in. From the Bounty Hunters, he learned how to recognize the target of a bounty. From smugglers how to recognize stolen goods (Clyde remembers a situation where one of the captains brought Ratchet, who as it turned out, tried Spice, which is a known drug in three galaxies. The boy was grounded for several months.), and from Pirates how to lead a crew or carry out boarding (This is where Captain Slag, Robotic Pirate and the terror of many planets helped the most.). Overall, Lombax has learned a lot over the years.

But life likes to surprise.

Another day, another transfer of the loot from the pirate ship to the warehouses. This is how Ratchet spent this week. The teenager was asked by Slag to help the crew unload the crates. It was hard work, but it paid well, and there was a chance he'd get something cool, like an egg-shaped thing made of bronze-like metal with strange symbols carved into it. Although Lombax was not a crew member, the pirates treated him as their own, which sometimes led to bizarre situations, such as trying to give him rum to drink.

In the present moment, Ratchet was trying to put one of the smaller chests on top. He had to climb over other crates to get there. Having previously arranged a makeshift staircase, the teenager continued to perform the task entrusted to him.

As fate likes to sometimes be an asshole, one of the crates shattered into pieces and destabilized the entire structure. Because of this, Ratchet lost his footing and began to fall.

"Ratchet!"

The boy heard the scream of his father, who was talking to the captain, and must have noticed that his son was falling. The Awoken man quickly turned on his Void Light, turning his entire body into violet energy, and created a gravitational elevator of sorts to save the teenager. But the young one didn't see it and mentally begged for something to hold on to.

Something must have listened to the boy, because his body was entwined with white, chaotic energy, which after a while turned into a rope and shot towards the ceiling. It stopped the boy in place and saved him from the painful contact with the ground.

Other people who saw the whole situation were speechless. They had just seen that their favorite ,and only, Lombax had just conjured up a magic rope. This surprised everyone.

Clyde quickly shook himself off and ran to Ratchet, then spread his hands in a gesture that he would catch him. However, the boy was too surprised by the whole situation that he couldn't hear his parent.

I have powers, he thought.

After a second, the rope disappeared, and Lombax began to fall. Fortunately, he fell into his father's arms. Seeing that everyone was okay, Slag decided that there was enough work and stress for today and ordered his subordinates and Rachet to go to take the rest.

And that's good, because father and son have something to talk about at home.

"Repeat again. You're saying that our kid formed a magic rope that saved him from going to the hospital? Does that mean he's a Lightbearer?" Grim asked.

Ratchet and Clyde came home a good half an hour ago. The teenager quickly went to his room, because he felt very tired. This allowed for a peaceful conversation between the Fongoid and the Awoken.

"And now this is getting weird. When Ratchet used this power, I didn't feel the aura of Light or Paracausality from it. It was something else. Chaotic. As if you took the purest form of unbridled energy and used it. That's what I felt from Ratchet in that moment," replied Clyde.

Grim, although completely unfamiliar with all this power of Light or whatever they call it, was able to understand that what happened to his grandson is not normal and needs to be thoroughly checked.

Few minutes later, Lilith joined the men, who also added her worry about this whole situation. The couple thought it would be a good idea to take their son to the Praxic Order, Light users who are very radical individuals, but whose labs and archives are full of research into the various energies that surround the universe.

Deciding it would be a good idea, the couple and Grim went to their beds to prepare for tomorrow.

For many centuries, the planet of Novalis has been known for its beautiful landscapes, lush flora and fauna, and good food throughout the Solana galaxy. It is also the planet where the Guardians, the Vanguard, and many Lightbearer organizations have their HQ. All these groups are located in the Lux City, built by themselves. And this is where Clyde and his son go.

The first thing the duo saw was how heavily fortified the place was. Watchtowers, patrols of five people, or cannons. It gave the impression that the place was a military base rather than an ordinary city.

Clyde snorted slightly under his nose as he saw all this. He remembers Saladin once talking about how the former leader of the Iron Lords had been invited, or rather ordered, by the leader of the New Monarchy, one of the factions in the city, to move his headquarters to Lux City. Old Cazar often laughed at this story, because he remembered perfectly how Wolfgang simply crumpled a paper invitation, and then ate it in front of the leader of the Monarchy, while showing his middle finger. Because of this, the Iron Lords did not have a very good reputation in the city.

After a half hour taxi ride, Clyde and Ratchet reached the headquarters of the Praxic Order. It is a huge, white building, very reminiscent of a religious temple with the banners of the order, which resembled a fiery sword on the yellow sun and black space. Two lightbearers clad in winged robes stood by the door, holding their swords downwards in an image resembling angelic seraphs. The Iron Lord told them that he had urgent business with Aunor, a well-known member of the order. After checking the duo, the Guards let them in, telling them not to disturb others.

The inside of the building looked a bit different. Instead of a temple, this place looked more like a huge library. Robed lightbearers paced back and forth, each holding either scrolls or books. All this greatly stirred Ratchet's imagination, which did not escape his father.

"Come on young man. Maybe Aunor will let us go on a tour." Clyde said.

After a while, they both started walking. It took them a while, but after questioning a few members of the order, they made it to the chamber where the woman they were looking for was located.

Aunor Mahal is a Markazian with light purple skin, long red hair, green eyes, and a thin tail. Despite being two hundred years old, the woman still looks as if she is in her thirties. Dressed in red armored robes with gold trimmings, the woman meditated in the center of the room, books floating around her.

Clyde and Ratchet approached her, then sat on their laps, waiting for the woman to speak, which she did after a short while.

"You haven't been here for a long time, Clyde. Did you miss me?" she asked with a smirk on her lips.

"A little. I missed your steaks. Would you like to give me your recipe?"

"Would you give me your recipe for that wonderful liquor of yours?"

"Touche."

The two adults laughed lightly, then got to their feet and shook hands.

"Nice to see you, Sheriff. How is your health?" she asked. She then saw Ratchet standing next to her, which surprised her. "Lombax? Here? Where did he come from?"

"He's my son Ratchet. Lilith and I adopted him after I found him in the Devil's Cave. He almost became their snack," the man replied.

The woman did not hide how sorry she was to hear about what happened to the teenager. She herself remembers the horror of fresh bones in one of the caves of the Fallen. Ratchet thanked her for her concern. The member of the order then asked her guests about the purpose of their visit. Clyde told her about the event of the previous day and what his son had unintentionally done. Intrigued by this information, Aunor first used her own Light to examine the boy, but when she found nothing, she decided to use a special artifact. For this, the three of them went to the chamber, where artifacts from various corners of the galaxy lay on shelves and pedestals behind reinforced glasses. Some of them looked like some kind of idols that emitted magical energy around them.

Aunor walked over to one of the pedestals that was set in the center of the chamber. Behind the glass was a ball of silver metal that levitated. The woman opened the case and took out the artifact.

"This is the Eye of Magnus. Coming from a planet located on the border of known galaxies, where people use their magic for the simplest activities. It was found in a forgotten temple and brought here. According to local beliefs, this artifact has the ability to reveal the true energy and magical nature of a person or object," she explained. She then placed the artifact against Lombax's chest and uttered an incantation. What happened next surprised everyone.

The eye began to shake incredibly fast, and after a second it rose high into the air and began to fly around the entire chamber. It flew at such speed that every reinforced window it struck was shattered into shards. After a moment, the Eye landed in its place and stopped moving. Every person in the room at the time looked at the pedestal, wondering what had happened.

However, before anyone could react, the artifact began to emanate the energy of Darkness, and then burst into green flames, leaving no shards behind.

Ratchet watched all this with fear in his eyes. He did this? Why did it happen? Such thoughts ran through his mind.

As for Aunor, the woman was in complete shock. She had just seen the artifact that had been emanating the energy of Light from the very beginning of its discovery, being destroyed.

And this Lombax corrupted it with his power.

Without thinking long, the woman summoned a fiery sword made of her Light into her hand and aimed it at the teenager's neck.

"What is this black magic? Speak!" she shouted in a cold and emotionless tone.

Ratchet got scared of the woman and started to move away from her, which made her walk towards him. It took a hard kick from the Awoken man to the torso to separate her from Lombax.

"What are you doing, Aunor?! Have you lost your mind?!" Clyde asked loudly.

The member of the order aimed her blade at the father and his son. Her eyes burned with fire, and after a second, fiery wings appeared behind her.

"This boy is chaos and corruption himself. It must be destroyed before it does damage to the universe," Aunor replied.

After a few seconds the two members of the Razz family were surrounded by other members of the order. Each of them held a fiery blade aimed at them. This course of events did not look good for father and son.

Ratchet grabbed his father's sleeve and feared for their lives. He wanted out of here.

He would like to disappear from here and go home.

The moment the Lombax had that last thought, they disappeared from the chamber of the Praxic temple. Not like they turned invisible or anything. They just disappeared. This took the members of the order by surprise, especially Aunor, who soon became angry and ordered her brothers and sisters to locate Lombax. She will not allow the person whom she considers to be the source of Darkness not to stand in the fire of Light and be purified.

Not on her watch.

Clyde was surprised by what happened and what he saw. A moment ago, he was surrounded by other Lightbearers, and now he was in the market in Kyzil. The townspeople looked at him with surprise in their eyes, and he couldn't blame them. He himself didn't know what just happened. After a moment, he felt something let go of his sleeve and fell on the ground. He turned around to see that Ratchet had passed out. Without thinking for a long time, he took Lombax in his arms and ran with him to the nearest hospital, having a storm of thoughts in his head, with one question that was often repeated.

What is this magic that Ratchet wields?

A week later, Clyde and his wife and Ratchet arrived on Vorkun, where they decided to consult with the Iron Lords, specifically Felwinter.

The male Exo examined his nephew carefully for any anomalies. After many hours, he received the result and was very surprised.

"I have good and bad news. Which one first?" Felwinter asked. He and the other Lords were in the recreation room, where everyone was waiting for the test results. After all, it was about the health of their youngest member.

"Stop keeping us in suspense Fel and just tell us what's going on. How hard is that to do, screwbox?" Radegast said sarcastically

The former Warlord ignored it and proceeded to discuss the results.

"So… The energy that Ratchet has in him is very similar to paracausal energy, but it is not it either. Just as the source of our Lightbearers powers comes from an outer dimension, which has been documented many times, so our beloved Lombax's energy is also from another dimension. But it is more, and even based on this, chaotic. Unpredictable. This can be both a plus and a huge minus."

Hearing this, the members of the Iron Lords did not hide their surprise. Ratchet too. The boy began to fear that his family would consider him too dangerous and decide to abandon him or kill him. The members of the order, as if reading his mind, told him that their opinion of him would not change, in fact, they were delighted to have the opportunity to train the teenager in the use of his powers as best as they can. As long as he wants it.

With all the pros and cons in mind, Ratchet decided he was eager to start training. He wants to learn to control his powers, even if it's just the ability to suppress it.

And so began his hellish training at the Iron Temple.

Eleven-year-old Rivet had just finished her shift today. All day she helped the Morts carry crates of Gelatonium, a gel that is often used as fuel for ships or to power cities. After getting paid in credits* and a few rations, young Lombax headed for her home.

Her house was located in a rather interesting location. More specifically, it was built into a cave. It had a garden, a living room, a training room, a workshop, a bathroom and a kitchen. Everything she needed.

Back in her four walls, the teenage girl took a quick shower and then started making herself dinner while listening to the news.

"Welcome everyone to Polaris News. This is Elizabeth Korg speaking to you. We start today's news with information about further acts of violence from the Nefer Corporation. We remind you that a few years ago, the founder of this Corporation, Eustace Nefarious, became a member of the Senate of the Republic of Polaris and gave the power over the company to his board of directors. And from that moment on, they began notoriously sending their military and colonizing forces to planets located in the Frontier, which are not under the rule of the Republic. Today was another attack of this type, which was then attacked by the forces of the Militia, which includes the inhabitants of Frontiers, pirates and mercenaries. The leader of a Senate, Chancellor Tach openly informed that the Republic does not support the Militia or its terrorist activities, recalling the bestial massacre on the planet Fili, where civilians and innocent employees of the corporation once resided. And now we move on to the sports section."

When the woman stopped talking about corporation and their bestiality, Rivet also stopped listening to the radio. She didn't show it, but she was afraid. She was afraid that Nefer might come here to Sargasso, which is on the border with the Frontiers, and destroy her house and hurt Morts, who became a family for young Lombax. When it hit her a few months ago, she began to find a way to contact the Militia and try to join them.

Yes, she's a child, but she's not going to let some scoundrels in suits win.

Not on her watch.