Wasteland Citadel. That was the name of the city. It was a formidable, heavily fortified city located in the heart of Desolatia Prime, the name of the planet. The city was located in the harshest and most barren region. It was a grim and imposing structure that rose like a monolith from the desolate landscape.
Its architecture was characterized by massive, obsidian-black walls adorned with menacing gargoyles and defensive turrets. Razor-wire barriers and moats filled with toxic sludge surrounded the outer perimeter.
The air within Wasteland Citadel was thick with tension as Aldred moved through its labyrinthine streets. There were more than 100 guardsmen with various weapons surrounding him. They were wary and afraid of a man who could fall in space without equipment and survive. Not only survive, but Aldred did not seem to have any trouble 'breathing' and communicating with them during the fall.
Aldred turned a corner and stumbled upon a makeshift clinic. Inside, he watched as a young woman tended to wounded soldiers, her face smeared with dirt and blood, yet her hands steady as she cleaned and dressed their injuries. The soldiers barely complained; instead, they smoked and drank alcohol as if it was just another day.
As Aldred continued his exploration, he noticed a group of children playing amidst the rubble of a partially collapsed building. Their laughter echoed through the ruins, and their innocent smiles remained untouched by the grim reality outside. They played with scavenged toys, showing an unyielding determination to find joy even in the midst of despair.
Aldred made his way to the city's industrial district, where towering foundries belched smoke and sparks lit up the darkening sky. Amidst the deafening clatter of machinery, he spotted a group of workers clad in heavy, heat-resistant gear. They toiled tirelessly, forging weapons and armor from salvaged materials. Each hammer blow resonated with purpose, and the sweat on their brows glistened like badges of honor.
These workers, bathed in the glow of molten metal, labored without a word of complaint, knowing their craft would contribute to the city's defenses.
Aldred began to understand the characters of the people here; unyielding determination. That was the word that could describe them. He saw at least hundreds of thousands of people died during the demon onslaught, and yet after it was over, the people immediately went back to work.
"Incredible. These people are tougher than the fiercest warriors I know," Aldred said.
The guards escorted him to the Command Citadel, located at the heart of the city. It was a towering, heavily fortified structure with walls reinforced with powerful steel and materials.
Not long after, Aldred was put in a room. It was filled with paintings of battleships and guardsmen fighting against the demons. In all the paintings, humanity seemed to prevail and grasp victory every time, as if convincing those that entered that humans would always win against the nightmarish forces.
When Aldred sat down, the door opened, revealing a tall and imposing figure with a commanding presence. He had a weathered face, marked by the harsh realities of war and countless battles.
"I am Captain Gaius Vallon. I am the captain of the Daemonhunter 'Purity's Edge.' That is the name of the cruiser-type battleship you saw in space."
After saying those words, the captain stared at Aldred as if studying his reaction, trying to find any information from his body language.
Aldred blinked a bunch of times, feeling weird to be stared at so intensely by an imposing man. "Right… It's an incredible machine, Captain."
"So you know what a machine is. Tell me, who are you? Ordinary humans will turn into balloons when they are exposed to space without equipment and survive. Are you a super?"
"A super?"
The captain frowned. "So you aren't from here. Any human being from the Celestia Nebula should know what a super is."
"Wait a minute, what is the Celestia Nebula? And what do you mean by super?"
"It's the name of our galaxy. And super means that you have power beyond ordinary humans."
"Ahh." Aldred finally understood.
The captain rounded a massive desk and sat down. His back was straight, and he kept his gaze on Aldred. "Now, tell me who you are."
Aldred sighed. "This will be a long story, but I will explain to you as concisely as I can."
He then explained who he was. About a world, a galaxy, or even perhaps a universe that was far from here.
"A planet full of supers with almost no technology?"
"There is actually technology created by a non-super because he hated how supers seemed to dominate the planet. But I haven't explored the planet fully yet. There are supers and perhaps non-supers that are capable of creating far more powerful machines than I have described."
"And all of these supers are humans?"
"Well, there are elves, dwarfs, and other races sometimes within the academy I enrolled in."
The Captain frowned. "Elves and dwarfs are placed within the same academy with humans?"
"That's correct," Aldred replied with a bit of hesitation. Perhaps the human here had a bad link with elves and dwarfs? He also now knew that there were elves and dwarfs in this galaxy.
"Do you perhaps know the coordinates of that planet? Maybe we can eradicate all the non-humans and recruit more supers into our army. Don't worry, the Empire has wealth beyond any human could imagine. Our territories span almost half of the galaxy, so you can be sure we can compensate our soldiers."
Aldred's jaw dropped. "Half of the galaxy? Are you serious? Humanity is that strong?"
Hearing the words 'Humanity is that strong' put a smile on the Captain's face. "We are also the largest and strongest forces here. No one can defeat us."
Aldred couldn't help but feel those two sentences were only said to convince the captain himself that humanity was strong.
"Back to the topic, I do not know about the coordinates of the planet. Even though I lead a bunch of tech-nerds there, we don't really have the technology to determine our exact location within our galaxy. Our focus is to advance in weaponry and transportation for war."
"Hm, I am no longer interested in your home planet because you cannot help us locate it. Tell me about your power. What kind of super are you?"
Aldred smiled, ready to impress the man with his abilities which were able to manipulate every element, able to shapeshift, teleport, and even enter a dimension that was capable of saving his life in dire moments.
"Be ready to be impressed." Aldred laughed as he raised his palm and shouted. "Flame of Sun!"
However, despite his grand gesture, nothing appeared, and there was an awkward silence in the room.
Aldred coughed. "Let me try again. Yoga Fire!"
Just like before, nothing happened.
The Captain sighed. "Perhaps I am wasting my time. Our conversation, forget everything about it."
Aldred saw the Captain's disappointed gaze as if he were fooled by a dumb person. "Wait, wait. I really do have power! I can control all the elements."
"Show me then."
Aldred bit his lips and tried really hard to feel his power. There was nothing.
"How could this be..."
