Jinn BLADE
Chapter 135 | "Home" Coming

Chapter 135: Chapter 135 | "Home" Coming

*Tsshh!

The sharp hiss of the landing thrusters echoed through the interior as Venedix’s ship finally touched down.

The vessel jolted slightly, rattling in a single solid motion as it made landfall on the surface of Juggernot XII.

A low hum vibrated through the hull before silence took over.

"So... we’re finally here," Biyo muttered, his brows furrowing slightly as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Back on this planet."

Jinn quickly turned his gaze toward the nearest window.

His eyes narrowed at the sight waiting outside.

Dozens—no, maybe hundreds—of soldiers were stationed around the landing zone, their forms rigid and armed, standing in perfect formation.

The air outside seemed tense, as if their arrival had triggered alarms they weren’t supposed to set off.

"It seems our departure didn’t go unnoticed," Zendrell muttered, standing now beside Jinn as he peered through the window as well.

Zendrell could sense it.

Someone was waiting for them, expecting their arrival, and knew of their departure.

"It is given," Troy answered coolly, voice calm and expected.

With a small movement, he reached across his chest and began unbuckling the harness that secured him to his seat.

As he stood, his staff shifted slightly in his grasp, emitting a faint pulse of dark eidra.

The glow flickered just once before settling, as if sensing the tension in the air beyond the ship’s hull.

Troy’s gaze drifted toward the exit hatch.

"After all," he continued, "we did just depart unexpectedly with the blade of the empire herself along... and of course me, the prodigy of my family line."

He then exhaled as he continued once more.

"But rest assured, the fact that Jinn is Muradryn wielder is safely hushed,"

Zendrell scoffed, "I’m sure my little brother already knows and is handling it as of this moment. He is an expert of ’hushing’ out people afterall."

"Only if he wasn’t so shrewd..." Troy shaked his head subtly before sighing and looking at the others who were still sitting.

"Prepare yourselves, we will be embarking soon."

"Hey, don’t forget the deal," Garan snarled, his voice raised just enough to pierce through the ship’s interior and reach Venedix at the far end.

Jinn’s brow twitched at the word deal.

What deal...? he thought, his gaze shifting from Garan to Venedix, who was still by the console, flipping switches and tapping a sequence of commands on the control panel.

The screen flickered once more before the ship’s systems dimmed into standby mode.

Venedix didn’t respond immediately.

She simply hummed low under her breath—"Mhm"—as she calmly unbuckled herself from the captain’s seat.

*clack...! *clack...! *clack...!

With slow, deliberate steps, she approached the rest of the group seated in the cabin, her eyes scanning over each one.

Her gaze landed on Jinn for a brief moment—steady, unreadable—before continuing to sweep across his friends.

Then she spoke.

"Very well," her voice sharp and measured, devoid of any excess emotion.

"We’ll settle the matter... in a more suitable location."

Without waiting for a reply, she pivoted sharply and walked toward the back of the cabin.

With a swift motion, she pressed a large button on the nearby wall.

*clack!

The ship rumbled softly as hydraulics hissed to life.

*Whirrrr...

As soon as the door began to open, the creeping cold of Juggernot XII’s atmosphere poured into the ship’s interior like a silent tide.

A faint

*Tsshh!

echoed through the cabin as pressure equalized, and with it came that familiar sting—the chill that wrapped around the skin and sank into the bones.

Jinn frowned, his breath subtly visible as he instinctively pulled his cloak tighter.

It was the same cold... the same merciless cold that greeted him when he first arrived on this cursed planet.

The memory came unbidden—being dragged through the frostbitten roads, his limbs numb, the chains clinking behind every step as he was forced to march alongside the others.

It was the kind of cold that didn’t just freeze flesh but weighed on the soul like a chain.

Cruel.

Cold.

Dooming.

That was what Juggernot XII had always felt like.

And now... he was back.

Still, as always, he endured.

He clenched his jaw, straightened his back, and kept his eyes forward.

He had lived through it once.

He would again.

Not for the empire.

Not for vengeance.

But for himself.

For those he loved.

For the ones still waiting, still fighting, still hoping.

Yet even with all that resolve, a single word looped in his mind like a whisper stuck between echoes.

Deal.

When Garan spoke it, something about it gnawed at Jinn’s curiosity.

He hadn’t known Venedix to entertain any negotiations, especially with someone like Garan, a slave.

So why now?

What kind of arrangement did they make?

What had been promised?

And more importantly—what had it cost?

No doubt, he thought, as the cold air poured in further and the heavy steps of the soldiers outside became clearer—he would find out soon enough.

Whatever this "suitable location" Venedix spoke of was... answers would be waiting there.

"Ah shit... here we go again with this shitty planet," Verhedyn muttered, brushing off dust from his clothes as he stood up, stretching his arms with a grunt.

His voice carried a familiar sarcasm, but even behind it, there was no excitement—only weariness.

He patted himself down like a boy ready to face something he’d rather not.

Following behind him were the rest of Jinn’s friends, each of them rising from their seats one by one as the cold wind from the open door swept into the ship’s interior like a creeping shadow.

Ophelia remained close, standing beside Jinn.

Her gaze flicked to him constantly, as if afraid that the moment she looked away, he’d vanish—just like before.

She said nothing, yet her silence spoke louder than words.

Vox and Orin trailed quietly behind Verhedyn, both unusually silent, their lips sealed but their eyes alert.

Anticipation was written across their faces, even if they didn’t speak of it.

They weren’t fools—they knew something was coming.

This wasn’t just a landing.

This was a return to where it all began... and possibly, where something else would begin again.

Hector stood as well, frowning as he gripped the green sword at his hip.

His fingers tightened instinctively, not out of fear but readiness.

The faint humming of the blade buzzed subtly against his side, as if sensing what lay ahead.

And beside him, Kain.

No longer trembling, no longer afraid.

His face bore a stern expression, quiet and serious, his body straight, his eyes calm.

Jinn glanced toward him briefly.

This was no longer the boy who once cried in the cold.

No longer the one who relied on others just to move forward.

That timid child was gone.

In his place stood someone hardened by danger, molded by pain, yet still standing.

Still walking.

Still fighting. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Jinn felt a tinge of pride rise within his chest.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t need to.

He just nodded once, subtly, his lips tightening with the faintest hint of a smile.

Then, his own brow lowered as he turned back toward the ramp.

One by one, they began to line up, the final few steps echoing softly on the ship’s floor as the light of Juggernot XII filtered in through the open door.

The wind howled outside.

The soldiers waited.

The empire stirred.

It was now time—to return.