Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 353: The End

Chapter 353: The End

The group, laughing and chatting, entered the tavern.

Behind the bar, a man reclined with his feet propped up, seemingly napping.

"That’s the owner, Helion," one of Mason’s teammates explained. "He used to be HER adjutant."

With a sharp knock on the counter, the teammate called out, "Helion! Two cases of dark beer, three spicy tender beef sandwiches, a large cheese-dusted fries, and three bowls of oyster chowder. Oh, and what about you guys?"

"Anything’s fine," the others replied nonchalantly.

Helion groggily got to his feet, effortlessly hefting the beer cases while shouting toward the kitchen, "Chef, get to work!"

A calm male voice answered from the back, "On it."

Tyler, trailing behind the group, hesitated at the door. ’Is it my imagination, or did the owner, Helion, give me an oddly lingering look?’

Before long, the chef, Phelixes, emerged with a large tray of dishes. But Helion stopped him mid-step, nodding toward the newcomers’ table. "Hey, doesn’t that scrawny stammerer look kind of familiar?"

Phelixes squinted at Tyler, then decisively pulled out an opticomputer.

With a snap, he took Tyler’s picture and sent it off to Zinnia.

...

Zinnia, in the middle of butchering a hog, froze when she saw the image. Dropping the knife, she bolted out of the kitchen without a word, heading straight for the tavern.

Back at the tavern, Mason and the others watched in stunned silence as a tall woman stormed in, grabbed Tyler, slung him over her shoulder, and vanished before anyone could react.

"Hey! Bring him back!" Mason yelled, leaping to his feet to give chase. But his path was blocked by a bright-eyed young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Tyler.

"Thanks for bringing my dad back," she said warmly.

"What?" The group stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. Tyler, their quiet, soft-spoken teammate, had a teenage daughter.

"Wait, who even are you?" Mason managed to ask.

"My name’s Tammy," the girl replied with a grin.

...

Moments later, more familiar faces arrived at the tavern, including Mandy and others from the squad. After piecing together what had happened, the group erupted in cheers.

"This calls for a celebration!" Mandy declared, clapping her hands. "Let’s throw a banquet at Lyra’s place tonight. Helion, break out your best stash!"

Helion muttered something under his breath, his gaze drifting to the side as he scratched his head, clearly debating whether to say something.

Elsie rolled her eyes. "If you’re worried about Vikie, save it. She asked us to tell you she’s tired of you. It’s over."

Her bluntness made everyone wince.

"You’ve been at it for ten years," Elsie added dryly. "Tammy’s practically old enough to date, and you two still haven’t figured it out."

"What the hell?!" Helion exploded, turning toward Mandy. "She goes to the orphanage for a couple of hours, and now she’s dumping me? After all these years? Where is she?!"

"Lyra’s place," Elsie answered casually.

"Unbelievable. Tossing me aside like an old rag," Helion grumbled as he stormed out, heading for the hilltop.

Unbeknownst to him, Mandy and the others exchanged mischievous grins and began following him.

"This is going to be good," Kolan said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "Haven’t seen drama like this in ages."

Not one to miss the fun, Elsie activated her superpower. "Helion, need a lift?"

...

Meanwhile, at the hilltop.

Lyra sat calmly in a gazebo, her long hair now trimmed to her waist. She wore a three-quarter sleeve blouse and wide-legged pants, sipping tea leisurely.

Across from her, Vikie lounged with a yawn, her expression one of mild disinterest.

"You’re really not going to patch things up with him?" Lyra asked, her gaze briefly shifting to Vikie’s abdomen.

It was rare for Lyra to sense such a strong pulse of life. The embryo was barely five weeks along, yet the vitality it radiated was astonishing.

"If it were just me, I wouldn’t care how much we fought," Vikie replied with a sardonic curl of her lips. "But with a kid on the way? A father who can’t get along with the mother is worse than no father at all."

"Vikie!" Helion’s thunderous voice reached them before he did, filled with frustration and anger.

Vikie snorted, rising to her feet as a faint aura of superpower began swirling around her. "Let’s settle this once and for all, shall we?"

Helion finally caught up, his face flushed with frustration as he shouted, "What the hell do you mean by ’it’s over’? You think all those years of my life came for free?"

Vikie’s patience snapped. Without a word, she activated her superpower. In an instant, she was gone, leaving only a faint gust of wind in her wake.

Helion stood frozen, stunned by the cool breeze that now felt like a taunt. His expression darkened, and before he could think, he launched himself after her. His movements left faint traces of superpower energy in the air as he pursued her.

Lyra, who had been quietly observing the drama, paused mid-sip of her tea.

Setting her cup down with a small sigh, she stood up and began strolling leisurely after them. "I can’t miss this kind of entertainment," she muttered to herself.

Farther down the hill, Mandy and her group were startled when two streaks of energy sped past them.

"Was that Helion chasing Vikie?" Mandy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guess there’s a first time for everything," Kolan quipped.

Caleb’s expression shifted to a frown as a thought occurred to him. "Wait—didn’t Helion lose his superpower? How is he keeping up with her?"

The group exchanged curious glances, suspicion building. Just then, Lyra appeared behind them, her calm presence adding weight to their thoughts.

"He must’ve regained it," Lyra confirmed in her usual tranquil tone.

Mandy clapped her hands. "That’s fantastic news! Let’s follow them. This is too good to miss."

"Better timing than expected," Kolan added with a grin. "Rajan’s back, Vikie’s got some big news, and now Helion’s superpower is back. Triple celebration time!"

...

Vikie had sprinted well beyond the edge of town, but her pace faltered as she gasped for breath, her face pale. The pregnancy was already taking a toll on her stamina.

Before she could fully steady herself, rough voices echoed from behind.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A pretty little thing," sneered a man’s voice.

Turning around, Vikie saw a group of scruffy men descending from a nearby spacecraft. Her gaze remained calm and disdainful.

"Space pirates?" she asked, her voice flat.

The men exchanged grins, their eyes lecherous. "Smart girl. Since you know what we are, why not make this easy? Let us have some fun."

Vikie rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "How stupid do you have to be to think you can break the law in Realm Eternity and get away with it?"

Her cutting tone struck a nerve, and one of the men lunged at her.

Before he could touch her, the ground beneath them glowed a vivid green. Massive, luminous hands erupted from the earth, grabbing both the pirates and their ship.

In one swift motion, the glowing hands hurled them skyward, flinging them into space.

Realm Eternity’s first law echoed silently through the air: No violence. No crime. Break the rules, and you are expelled. Forever.

Here, there was no army, no enforcers—yet it remained the safest place in the universe.

Vikie steadied herself and began moving again, but dizziness suddenly overwhelmed her. Her vision blurred, nausea churned in her stomach, and she swayed, on the verge of collapse.

Just as she started to fall, a gentle green light appeared beneath her, holding her upright.

Moments later, Serena arrived, panting in relief. "Thank goodness I made it in time." But her expression quickly turned puzzled as she examined the energy supporting Vikie. "Wait... my healing powers don’t manifest in structured forms like this."

Not far away, Mandy and the others arrived on the scene. They froze mid-step, their gazes drifting to Lyra, who had just appeared behind them.

Lyra paused, studying the glowing green energy for a moment. A faint smile spread across her lips.

"It’s happening," she murmured. "The rules are changing."

...

That evening, the group gathered at the tavern for a lively celebration. They laughed, drank, and toasted to reunions, revelations, and the unexpected twists of the day.

The joyous chatter carried late into the night until everyone finally collapsed onto tables, too full and content to move.

Lyra watched the scene fondly from a distance before stepping outside. She climbed to the rooftop of her villa, where the dragon stirred, raising its head.

Lyra reached out to stroke the tip of its horn, her gaze fixed on the starlit sky.

Phelixes landed silently beside her. "Sister," he began, his voice calm yet tinged with curiosity. "New healing energy patterns have been detected."

Lyra didn’t respond immediately, her gaze still on the heavens. She understood the implications. Her powers, bound as they were to the rules of Realm Eternity, were evolving. The world itself was adapting—reshaping its laws to align with her abilities.

Finally, she turned to Phelixes, her expression steady. "Release them."

Phelixes hesitated briefly before nodding.

With a flick of his hand, a black void opened, releasing several Stellar Devourers. Their colossal forms emerged, radiating hostility.

The creatures attacked instantly, but a single flick of the queen bee’s wings severed their limbs effortlessly.

They howled in shock, their regenerative abilities failing. Crimson blood pooled around them, refusing to heal.

For the first time, the Stellar Devourers bled like mortals. Their ability to recover and tear open dimensional rifts was gone.

Lyra stood tall, her voice resonating with an unyielding authority that seemed to ripple through the air.

"From this moment onward," she declared, "Stellar Devourers will live as humans. Your powers will transform—your devouring ability will remain, but it will no longer manifest as black holes."

She paused, her words hanging heavy in the silence before continuing. "And among humans, there will arise those with special healing energies, designed to counterbalance your newfound abilities."

The Stellar Devourers exchanged uneasy glances. As Lyra’s decree unfolded, they could feel a profound shift within themselves.

For the first time, they became aware of gravity’s pull, their once-invulnerable forms now tinged with fragility.

And yet, amidst the sobering realization of mortality, a faint glimmer of hope began to take root.

One of them, hesitant but compelled by curiosity, finally asked, "Does this mean... we won’t be annihilated by the rules?"

Phelixes answered with a steady nod. "As long as you live honestly as humans—accepting the cycle of life, with its birth, aging, sickness, and death—there will be no extinction awaiting you."

A heavy silence settled over the group. Their immense pride warred with their dread of mortality. Yet the prospect of survival, even in this diminished state, was irresistible.

Phelixes, ever practical, began making arrangements for their integration into human life.

The Stellar Devourers were relocated to a modest town, where they would begin anew as ordinary individuals, tasked with learning how to live among those they had once viewed as lesser beings.

...

As the tension dissipated and the dust began to settle, Phelixes turned to Lyra. His tone, unusually soft, carried a note of personal concern. "Sis, you and I will eventually become the very embodiment of these rules—the balance between Devourers and Healers. Do you think you’ll regret this?"

Lyra didn’t respond right away. Instead, she raised her hand, catching the first golden rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Her fingers, faintly glowing and turning translucent, refracted the light like flawless crystals stripped of all impurities.

"Regret?" she echoed, her tone serene yet resolute. "We don’t choose the circumstances of our birth. But we can shape how our journey ends. To live fully in the present while knowing I’ve played a part in forging a balanced future—that’s a rare and precious gift."