Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 188: What I Have Endured

Chapter 188: What I Have Endured

The night on Elden Prime was brutal, with an icy chill that pierced to the bone.

Erin lay huddled beneath layers of blankets, shaking uncontrollably. Each breath she exhaled crystallized in the air, swirling into mist before vanishing.

Every muscle in her body screamed with exhaustion, her strength fading fast. ’How did it come to this?’ She could no longer contain the growing torment inside her.

As her condition spiraled, the door to her room creaked open, and the old family butler, Greg, stepped in, immediately switching on the heater.

"Miss Erin, are you feeling alright?" he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"Where’s Grandpa?" Erin’s voice was weak, trembling as much from her desperation as from the cold. Her eyes, wide and frantic, bore into Greg, pleading for some sort of answer.

Greg hesitated for a moment, sympathy crossing his weathered face. "He has returned to his post," he said softly. "He told me to make sure you rest. He won’t be back anytime soon."

The truth of Ansel’s words was much harsher: "She’s not worth the trouble anymore."

Despite her cybernetic limbs, Erin had become a shadow of her former self, her combat abilities dulled to the point of near uselessness. In the eyes of her family, she had been quietly dismissed.

"I can’t stand this! I’m freezing to death!" Erin clutched her head, her composure unraveling as frustration and despair took hold.

"Perhaps we should consider removing the power of freezing from your system," Greg suggested gently, though he was well aware of how much it had already drained her.

"No!" she snapped, her rejection instant and fierce. Without that power, she would be just another helpless, ordinary Erin. The thought of being powerless again terrified her far more than the physical cold.

Suddenly, she seized Greg’s hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "Find Kail! Now!"

The Shedd family, known for their lightning-based abilities, always managed to thrive despite the hardships.

"It wasn’t fair," Erin yelled, "How can they live so easily while I’m stuck suffering?"

Greg sighed, resigned. "There’s no need to search. Mr. Kail is already here, on Elden Prime."

Erin’s expression darkened instantly, bitterness twisting her features. "Why does everything always work out for Kail and Lyra, while I have to struggle so much?"

Even after all her attempts to push them away, they continued to rise above her.

"Summon Aunt Frenna," she demanded, her voice colder than the air around her.

...

Hours later, Kail sat at his desk on the second floor of his small shop, finishing his paperwork.

The soft glow of his opticomputer dimmed as he shut it down, and he was ready to head home for the night. But just as he stood up, an unsettling feeling crept over him.

"Who’s there?" Kail’s voice was sharp, his instincts kicking in as he scanned the room.

Before he could react further, Erin and Frenna crashed through the window.

Kail’s body tensed as he quickly hit a hidden button on his desk, sending an alert.

"Erin, how dare you show up here?" Kail spat, fury radiating from him as he faced her.

Erin’s lips curled into a cold, cruel smile. "As long as you and her are still alive, I’ll never leave you alone," she hissed, her gaze sweeping the room with greedy intent.

Everything here, even the most insignificant items, sparked envy in her heart.

Frenna stepped forward, her eyes glowing with psychokinetic energy. "Good evening, Kail," she said, her tone dripping with false sweetness.

Kail barely had time to react before a wave of immense psychic force slammed into him, breaking down his mental defenses in an instant. His body froze, and his mind went completely blank, his consciousness sinking into the void.

Frenna sighed in relief. "This one isn’t nearly as strong as HER."

"It’s done," she said, stepping back, her task complete.

Without wasting a moment, Erin pulled out a contract, her signature already scrawled across the bottom. All she needed now was Kail’s.

"Sign it," she commanded, her voice as sharp as the ice in her veins.

Under Frenna’s control, Kail, now little more than a puppet, obediently signed his name on the document.

Erin’s hands trembled with excitement as she gripped the signed paper. "We did it, Aunt Frenna!" she exclaimed, barely able to contain her glee.

Frenna chuckled softly, unimpressed. "This was just a small task. We’ll seal everything with one more spell, just to be sure."

Erin’s eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction as she tucked the contract safely away. She turned her attention back to Kail, who stood there, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

"Come with me," she ordered, pulling him by the arm.

They leapt from the second floor, disappearing into the shadows below. But as they landed, a figure emerged from a nearby vehicle, his expression dark and suspicious.

It was Morrison.

His eyes narrowed as they flicked between Erin and Kail, tension crackling in the air. He made no immediate move, but his hand hovered near his weapon, ready for anything.

"Kail, what’s going on?" Morrison asked, his voice calm but laced with suspicion.

Kail forced a smile, though it was stiff and unnatural. "Nothing’s wrong," he said, his voice disturbingly calm.

Morrison’s frown deepened, unease gnawing at him. He had received Kail’s reports just moments ago. "I need you to come with me to headquarters. We have to review the numbers."

"I don’t have time for that," Kail replied dismissively, his tone flat.

Morrison’s instincts screamed that something was off. He subtly signaled for backup.

Suddenly, a shockwave pulsed through the air. Frenna, hidden in the shadows, let out a cry as the attack struck her directly.

Wasting no time, Morrison drew his superpowered firearm and fired at Erin, but before the shot could connect, Greg appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Erin and whisking her away into the night.

As the psychic hold over Kail dissipated, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious and free once more.

When Kail finally woke up, he found himself lying in a sterile hospital bed, his head throbbing as if someone had split it open with a hammer.

The overhead lights felt blindingly bright, and the sharp smell of antiseptics made his stomach churn.

"How’re you holding up?" Morrison’s voice pierced through the haze, calm but filled with concern. He stepped away from the window, where he’d just finished a phone call.

Kail shot up in bed, his face drained of color as the events rushed back to him. "Erin—she controlled me! I signed the store over to her!" His voice cracked with panic and anger, his hands shaking as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I need to file a complaint with the Ministry of Commerce, NOW!"

The Alliance had strict laws about superpower coercion. If Kail could prove he’d been manipulated, the contract would be annulled immediately. He had to act fast.

But Morrison stepped in front of him, blocking his path with a grim look on his face. "Don’t bother," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I’ve already tried. The Shedd family’s got too much sway. We’re not in a position to fight them on our own."

The situation was even worse than Kail imagined.

Lyra had made it clear: "No interference, no matter what".

It was likely she had seen Erin’s move coming from miles away but chose to stand down anyway.

Kail’s shoulders slumped in defeat, his whole body trembling with guilt and shame. He buried his face in his hands. "I’ve messed up... dragged Lyra into my problems again. I’ve failed her."

Morrison sighed, offering a small, sympathetic smile. "Don’t worry about it. Boss said she’ll deal with everything when she gets back."

True to her word, Lyra took swift action. Within days, the store was officially transferred to its new "owner."

Once Morrison updated the company’s website, their factory stopped supplying any goods to Erin’s newly acquired business.

Erin, of course, wasn’t phased. With the Shedd family’s resources, she’d have no trouble securing a new supplier. The battle was far from over.

Kail, however, spiraled into a deep depression.

When he finally gathered the courage to reach out to Lyra, he did so with his head hanging low, ready to face her judgment.

"Frenna was there too," Kail confessed, his voice shaking. "She cursed me... forced me to..." But as he tried to explain, a sudden, stabbing pain shot through his skull, cutting him off mid-sentence.

The curse was still embedded in him, choking out the words before he could speak them.

It hit him like a ton of bricks—THIS was what Lyra had endured all those years ago, why she had disappeared without a word.

Now, he was trapped in the same nightmare, the same helplessness. The weight of that realization crushed him.

But when Lyra responded, her voice was calm and measured, just as Morrison had predicted. "I’ll handle it when I’m back." There was a pause before she added, "What do you want to do now?"

Kail rubbed his face, exhaustion and defeat clear in his voice. "I’m not cut out for business," he admitted, barely above a whisper. "Maybe I’ll become a beast hunter. Volunteer at the orphanage when I can."

"Then do that," she replied simply.

As the call ended, Kail collapsed onto the floor, feeling more like a deflated balloon than a person.

Lyra had promised she’d fix things when she returned, but her return seemed a lifetime away.

Days stretched into weeks, then months, until nearly a year passed. Finally, her internship was over, and she was heading home.

...

Back on Elden Prime, the top-performing students, Lyra included, were preparing to return after completing their training.

Awards were being handed out to recognize their achievements, and for some, like Zinnia and Thierry, it was also a chance to celebrate the prestigious job offers they’d received from the Legion of Rose, one of the Alliance’s elite organizations.

The farewell dinner was filled with laughter and congratulations, a moment of pride for many. But Lyra sat quietly in the corner, detached from the festivities, her attention fixed on her opticomputer as her fingers rapidly typed out messages.

She was in the middle of an exchange with Snakehead.

"Everything has been spread," read the final message.

Satisfied, Lyra put the device down, a faint, barely noticeable smile tugging at her lips.

Just then, Zinnia, her face flushed from too much celebratory drinking, stumbled over, throwing her arms around Lyra in a clumsy hug.

"Lyra! Haha, why aren’t you drinking?!" she slurred, her giggles uncontrollable as she nuzzled against Lyra’s cheek like a tipsy puppy.

Lyra gave her an unimpressed side-eye, saying nothing as she casually picked up a slice of lime from her plate and shoved it into Zinnia’s mouth.

Zinnia recoiled, her face twisting in horror. "Ugh! You little witch!" she cried, spitting it out.

"Feeling better now?" Lyra asked flatly, her arms crossed, her expression as icy as ever.

Zinnia giggled awkwardly, but something about the moment made her feel uneasy. She hesitated, looking away as guilt crept into her tone. "Lyra... if I ever, like, betrayed you, would you be mad?"

Lyra’s gaze didn’t waver. "Depends on the situation."

Zinnia shifted uncomfortably under her stare, then awkwardly excused herself, wandering off to rejoin Vikie and Thierry at the bar.

"You knew Lyra doesn’t drink," Vikie teased, grinning as she took a swig from her bottle. "Why’d you go bug her?"

Zinnia, still holding her bottle tightly, wiped at her watery eyes and hugged it close, her voice catching in her throat. "It’s just... after tonight, we might not see each other again!" she cried, her emotions spilling out as tears began to flow. "I don’t want it to end!"

Her wails echoed through the room, and every few gulps from her bottle were punctuated with loud sobs as the realization of their looming goodbye hit her.