The hum of the ship faded as Titan's mind drifted back years before the war—before the Voidborn.
He was younger, a promising cadet in the Council's academy, filled with idealism and a thirst for justice.
His mentor, Commander Aric, had been a stern but fair guide.
"Remember, Titan," Aric had said, "true strength isn't in power alone, but in knowing when to fight—and when to protect."
But everything changed the day the Helix Code was discovered.
Titan recalled the Council's secret experiments, the growing divide between those who sought control and those who feared the consequences.
His decision to join the Freeborn Collective had been born from that fracture.
A faint smile touched Titan's lips. "I've come a long way," he whispered.
But the past was never truly behind him—it haunted every step forward.