Wild Space: A New Phase
Wild Space—at that very moment. From afar, aboard the bridge of the Night Raven ship, they watched the spectacle unfold.
“……”
Lydia stood frozen, her mouth agape. Bani rubbed his dry face and let out a hollow chuckle.
“Damn… that's some firepower.”
Kal murmured as he watched the xenoform legion smashing the Federation ships alongside Eve.
“Tell me about it. It's so intense it's making me sick.”
Eve glanced outside while sneaking peeks at Kal's face flushing red then paling. The ships exploding like fireworks felt like watching a massive display.
Squishy must be super mad.
In the depths of Wild Space, the signal flare announcing the queen's return blazed as hundreds of thousands of fireworks.
The white and red spectacle painting the viewport was fading. The xenoform legion, which had dominated space like an overwhelming force, silently formed up around the queen's ship the moment the battle ended—as if by magic.
In the irony of the Federation threatening and the xenoforms saving, Lydia asked in a trembling voice.
“That form… that's Nahibi's true appearance, right?”
What she pointed to was Nahibi, massively swollen after devouring the entire Cerberus cruiser whole. Like her epithet, a vast White Snowfield stretched out.
Hundreds of red eyes staring into space—it was divine yet horrifying.
I nodded in response.
“Yes. It's my first time seeing her go all out like that… but Nahibi is estimated to be a high-tier xenoform, at least purple singularity or even black singularity among singularity types.”
“Black…”
Lydia groaned softly. Any Federation citizen learned it in school: the classification of especially dangerous xenoform singularities. Among them, 'black' was categorized not as a strategic weapon like the others, but as a catastrophe.
“That's one thing, but… is it really okay? What if that legion suddenly turns on us…”
Bani's anxiety was understandable. Before them were humanity's natural predators—hundreds of thousands swarming.
“The chances are slim.”
I stated firmly.
“In the xenoform hierarchy, the queen is absolute. It's on another level from ancient humans serving kings. To them, the queen is the source of life itself—their very instinct, impossible to defy.”
I hadn't come here trusting only Eve. I'd pestered Nahibi over time, gleaning knowledge I now shared with them. By then, Eve was squirming on the floor, so I reached down to her.
“Right, Eve?”
“Ung?”
As Eve looked up, I slipped my hands under her armpits and hoisted her up.
“Up high, up high?!”
Startled by the sudden height, Eve's eyes went wide round, but she quickly caught on, beaming innocently and babbling. Her tiny feet kicking in midair were adorable.
“Those xenoforms were called by Eve in the first place.”
“Eve did? I was with her the whole time and didn't see anything…”
Lydia looked puzzled. The Eve she'd seen so far never seemed to do anything special.
“This 'wave' isn't something you perceive with visible actions or sounds. Even I could only vaguely sense it after Nahibi trained my mind.”
After swallowing the black stone and enduring countless beatings from Nahibi for mental training, my eyes could now see it. Centered on Eve's tiny heart, a transparent red wave rippled out like concentric circles from a water droplet.
The power that had awakened Nahibi deep in the Iron Graveyard. The trumpet call gathering the legions drifting in Wild Space's abyss.
Like a pebble tossed into a lake, this wave resonated through the vacuum, announcing the queen's presence to the xenoforms.
“According to Nahibi, it's a defensive mechanism queens use to summon legions for their protection. Only direct escort guards under that queen or equivalents can ignore it.”
“Then…”
Lydia gazed at Eve giggling in my arms.
“Eve really is a queen.”
Disbelieving, she approached Eve and cautiously poked her chubby cheek with a fingertip.
Squish.
“Eung…”
Eve stared at Lydia with her cheek squished. Those eyes—pure yet fathomlessly deep red pupils.
Lydia met them and fell silent. Fear, awe, and lingering confusion flickered across her face.
“Lydia.”
I called to her.
“Yes?”
“Eve is a queen. But she's also just Eve.”
I adjusted Eve in my arms and asked.
“To you, what is Eve? Queen of the monsters threatening humanity? Or…”
“Well…”
Lydia trailed off, unable to pull her hand from Eve's cheek. It was warm. Too small, warm, and soft for a monster queen.
Memories from the Gray Market flashed in Lydia's mind: Eve spinning in her pink bunny outfit, thumbs up after tasty food, hugging and comforting her after nightmares.
All those memories pushed out the fear, filling the void.
“Eve is!!”
Vitality returned to Lydia's eyes.
“My muse and the cutest kid in the universe!!”
She grinned wide and snatched Eve from my arms.
“Eek!”
“Come on, Eve! Spin spin!”
Lydia held Eve and twirled in place like a waltz.
“Kyaha! Sis is okay now?!”
“Of course! With Eve, I can power through anything! Even a million of those monsters are nothing against Eve's cuteness!”
“Heehee! Sis is the best!”
Eve's bright laughter echoed through the bridge. Outside, wrecked ship debris and grotesque monsters still floated, but here, it was the world's most peaceful playground.
Yeah, Eve is just Eve.
In the spinning world, the two embraced and laughed. Kal watched, arms crossed.
In the corner of Lydia's vision, Kal smiled faintly.
What a troublesome guy.
Lydia laughed freely. Did he know how warmly he was smiling?
Regardless of the outside world and scenery, inside the ship, our world unfolded.
After the commotion, we prepared to welcome back our returning companion.
Then, the bridge floor melted transparently like wax, and white liquid welled up.
[Aa~ My whole body aches. Guess I'm not built for the physical stuff.]
With the grumbling wave came a white slime blob popping out. It was Nahibi.
Gone was her massive true form; back to basketball size, she slumped tiredly.
“Squishy~”
Eve hopped down from Lydia's arms and ran to Nahibi.
[Lady Eve! Escort Nahibi reports: all vicious foes targeting Lady Eve eliminated, main ship safety secured, returning now…!]
Nahibi tried a formal military report, but Eve ignored it and hugged her tight.
Squish.
Rub rub.
“Good job. Our Squishy is the best.”
Eve rubbed her face on Nahibi's squishy body. Nahibi stiffened, then flushed slightly red.
[Ahem… This is just an escort's duty. No big deal.]
Despite her words, Nahibi's body rippled contentedly.
I approached to check her condition. She looked fine superficially, but up close, scorch marks and fine cracks dotted her white surface—wounds from the Hound's missiles earlier.
“Good job. Any injuries hurting, Nahibi?”
[Hmph. I told you, this is nothing. Don't underestimate my super-regeneration.]
“Still, get treated. You looked like it hurt back there.”
[Lowly human. You think your Federation's crude tech can heal a xenoform like me? Gonna stitch me with machines or slap on a bandage?]
Nahibi scoffed, dismissing my offer.
“Hurt by the tech you mocked, now mocking it again?”
[Guh.]
Nahibi faltered, at a loss for words. It was true. Weapons that couldn't scratch her a century ago now pierced her hide.
“Might help more than you think? Lydia's latest medical pod has cell regeneration boosters. Even as a xenoform, you're organic enough for it to work.”
[Hmm…]
Nahibi pondered, then stubbornly turned away.
That was when.
“Squishy~~~?”
Eve stared at Nahibi. That look—worry, disappointment, silent pressure.
Ziiiiing—
Nahibi's dozens of eyes rolled every which way to avoid it. But nowhere escaped Eve's gaze.
[…….]
Nahibi raised trembling tentacles in surrender.
[Understood… Lady Eve. I'll accept treatment.]
“Good boy! Squishy is so sweet!”
Eve patted Nahibi's head. Nahibi deflated in humiliation.
As the bridge warmed welcoming Nahibi back, space warped with a sound.
In the corner of vision, a black rift tore open in empty air.
“Huh?”
Lydia yelped in surprise. Like black curtains parted by hands, space ripped, revealing a dark veil.
From the gap, a bizarre vine slithered out like a snake.
“What the hell is that?!”
Bani shouted reflexively. I stepped in front of Eve, battle-ready.
But Nahibi wasn't startled. Instead, she sent an annoyed wave.
[So when were you gonna introduce me? Nahibi.]
A neutral voice—male and female overlapping—echoed ethereally through the bridge.
Ignoring the wariness, it turned to Eve. A faint glow flickered behind the veil.
[Greetings for the first time, Lady Eve.]
The form elegantly bowed its vine lower body, courteously.
[I am the third child of Lady Silia. Escort Mebi. It is an honor to meet you.]