Midnight had long passed. The fireworks had died down, and the people had gone home. Yet somewhere in the capital city of Nerathis—or more precisely, beneath the city—sat the king at the head of a table, observing his council.

This was not the usual place where council meetings were held, nor were the people seated at the table the usual council members. Some familiar faces were present, but the circle was much smaller.

The king studied each person seated at his table, his gaze shifting repeatedly to the door and the two empty chairs.

After examining each individual in the room for the fourth time and questioning whether these were the right people to sit at this table, the door opened. Two men entered: one in a ceremonial military uniform and the other in a laboratory coat—a scientist.

The men bowed their heads to the king.

"Your Majesty, we apologize for our lack of punctuality," said General Vexar.

"I trust the reason for your tardiness will bring something positive," the king replied.

"Of course, Your Majesty," said the other man.

The general and the scientist made their way to their seats. Once they were finally settled, the king rose from his chair and began to speak.

"I know many of you are wondering why you are here, especially those who are part of the regular council. I also know you are questioning why we are meeting in a place like this."

Indeed, this was not a room one would find in a royal palace. It was large, to be sure, but it lacked luxury. It more closely resembled a secret lecture hall at a scientific university. There were no windows, and the floor, walls, and ceiling were devoid of any openings through which sound could escape. The door guarding the room was made of steel. Additionally, the only light in the room came from a small device displaying the flux of Nerathis, moving across the screen.

"You are all well aware of the situation on Ascaron and the opportunities it could present to us if we play our cards right. I've already informed you of my plan to send my wife, Queen Reina, to play her role there—a role, some would say, she was born to fulfill by right."

The king rose from his chair and moved behind the table, where he placed a small, round device on the floor and activated it. The device projected a hologram of the planet Nerathis, its neighboring planets, and its star, Thistra.

"The key to our success on Ascaron lies in its flux. I fear I am no scientist, so the core of our mission will be explained by our most capable scientist, Kaelen Rekken."

As the king spoke his name, the scientist rose and approached the hologram. When he moved closer and the hologram's light illuminated him, the people in the room could finally observe him more clearly. A tall, slender young man with short hazel hair and bright eyes. There was nothing particularly unusual about his appearance, but the atmosphere in the room had shifted since he entered.

"Gentlemen, I believe it is essential, to understand the importance of Ascaron, to look back at its history and the history of our star. As you know, our star, Thistra, did not form like any other star in our galaxy, with the presence of hydrogen, helium, and other elements. During its formation, a powerful, unknown energy interfered with the usual chemical reactions of star creation. When our planet, Nerathis, and our sister planets, Aelthis and Korithis, formed, their orbits were far enough from Thistra to avoid significant influence from this energy. But Ascaron, being extremely close to Thistra, developed the conditions to create something the universe had never seen before."

The scientist bent down and pressed a button on the device. The hologram shifted, now displaying only Ascaron.

"In year 5874, when the Harlion dynasty first set foot on Ascaron and began building their empire, they discovered endless deposits of an unknown material. When humans came into contact with it, they were filled with a strange energy. Today, that energy is known as flux. But how did flux reach other planets? News of this unknown material quickly spread across the galaxy, and as the Harlion dynasty—still weak and new to Ascaron—could not offer much resistance, the authorities of other planets invaded and exploited the material. It is impossible to expect that every person who gains the power of an infinite resource will use it for good. The then-queen of Unadar, Narethra Bratalys, upon the advice of her scientists, used the material to create weapons, and their first victim was the planet Akillian, which, to this day, perhaps for that reason, contains more peculiarities than any other planet," Kaelen said, pointing to Akillian.

"The attack on Akillian marked the beginning of the First Flux War, which, as you know, ended 12 years later when the Veyron dynasty arrived on Ascaron, banished the Harlions, and established a strong defense. A few months later, the Flux Society was founded, and its first leader, Brim Tharalion, ordered equal distribution of the material to all planets in the galaxy. That material was later injected into the planets' cores, and due to the unique nature of each planet, different types of flux were formed."

As Kaelen finished speaking, General Vexar rose from his seat and approached the scientist.

"Our plan is to claim 97% of the material still on Ascaron," Vexar said, "but to do so, we must first ensure our security. Queen Reina will go to Ascaron and rule there. She will appease the people and meet their demands. During the revolution, much of the capital was damaged, particularly the main hospital. When we send construction materials from here to Ascaron, we will smuggle several ships with people and scientists who will work on that material and establish a secret military base. Once we obtain the material, responsibility falls on the scientific team. Through their expertise, we will create power that will allow us to stand against other planets without fearing retaliation. We hope that with this power," the general paused for a moment, "we can return things to the way they once were."