Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent! - Chapter 455

Chapter 455: Change
As Alex and Mira stepped out of Donald’s ship, the cold metallic clang of the docking platform echoed beneath their feet.

The air was still, heavy with an unseen tension. For a moment, neither spoke.

The silence between them was not new, yet it felt different—thicker, more oppressive, as if it carried a weight neither could name.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Alex muttered, voice low as he moved ahead, Mira following without a word.

The ship they called home loomed in front of them, yet today it seemed like a stranger, cold and unwelcoming.

They entered, the familiar hum of the engines greeting them like always, yet today, that sound was muted.

Alex didn’t notice, but Mira, glancing around the interior, felt it—something off, something she couldn’t quite place.

The cockpit door slid open, and Alex sank into his chair, the leather creaking beneath him.

He stared out at the endless expanse of stars beyond the viewport, but tonight, the stars felt distant.

Lifeless. His eyes narrowed, and he could feel an itch, a discomfort crawling just under his skin.

Mira sat beside him, silent.

She had always been the steady one, the voice of reason when things got tough.

But now, she too felt that disquieting itch, a prickling behind her eyes that made everything around her seem sharper, more hostile.

She shot Alex a glance, watching him. He seemed different. Tense. And not just from the meeting with Donald.

“You sure we can trust him?”

Mira asked, breaking the silence, her voice cutting through the quiet like a knife.

Alex didn’t look at her. His eyes remained locked on the stars.

“No.”

He replied bluntly.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

The answer was sharp, colder than usual, and it made Mira frown.

Normally, they’d talk through these things.

Normally, they’d strategize, plan their next move.

But this—this was different. His words felt more final, as if there was no room for discussion.

She opened her mouth to argue, but something stopped her.

A heaviness in her chest, like the weight of her own thoughts was too much to push through.

Instead, she muttered.

“Alright.”

***

Hours passed in silence.

The ship drifted through space, and the usual chatter between them had faded into nothingness.

Alex found himself pacing the narrow halls of the ship, his movements erratic, restless. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t sit still.

His mind kept circling back to Donald, to the Red Demons, to the war.

But it was more than just the usual drive for revenge, more than the familiar anger.

It was deeper. Darker.

He clenched his fists, feeling the tendons in his hands strain as a hot pulse of irritation surged through him.

Why had he let Donald take control of the conversation?

Why had he accepted that offer so easily?

It was as if something had slipped through the cracks in his mind, something that made him agree to things he normally wouldn’t.

And yet, when he tried to think clearly, the irritation faded, replaced by an emptiness, a cold void that swallowed his doubt.

He shook his head, frustrated. This wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.

“Alex?”

Mira’s voice called from the cockpit, sounding distant, like it was coming from the other side of a wall.

“What?”

He snapped, louder than he intended.

There was a pause before she responded, and when she did, her voice was cold.

“We’re nearing the system’s edge. Thought you’d want to know.”

Alex forced himself to breathe, the sharpness of his own voice surprising him.

Why was he so on edge?

He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but the words had come out before he could stop them.

“Yeah.”

He muttered.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

When Alex entered the cockpit, Mira didn’t look at him.

She was focused on the controls, her fingers moving with mechanical precision.

The silence between them was heavy again, but this time, there was something simmering underneath.

Something like resentment.

He sat down in the pilot’s seat and glanced at her, his jaw tight.

“Look, about earlier…”

“Forget it.”

Mira cut him off, her tone clipped.

“We’ve got more important things to worry about.”

Alex frowned, the coldness in her voice catching him off guard.

This wasn’t like her.

Mira wasn’t the type to hold onto things, and yet here she was, shutting him out.

He felt a flash of anger again, hot and sudden, but just as quickly as it rose, it was swallowed by that familiar emptiness.

He pushed it down, refusing to dwell on it.

“Fine.”

He said, leaning forward and engaging the ship’s systems for the warp.

***

They travelled in silence for even more hours, the quiet between them growing heavier with each passing moment.

And yet, neither of them spoke.

Neither of them tried to bridge the gap that had somehow formed between them.

It was as if they couldn’t, as if some unseen force was pushing them further apart.

Alex could feel it, gnawing at the edges of his mind. His thoughts were cloudy, filled with a strange fog that dulled everything except the simmering frustration he couldn’t quite shake.

Every now and then, he would glance at Mira, watching her from the corner of his eye.

She seemed distant, her face set in a hard line, her eyes never meeting his.

It wasn’t like them to be this way.

Not with each other.

They’d always been a team, always fought together, always trusted each other. But now… something had shifted.

Later that night, Alex found himself in his quarters, lying on the small, uncomfortable bed that felt like it was made of stone.

He stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing, yet going nowhere.

He couldn’t rest.

Couldn’t think straight.

Every time he closed his eyes, flashes of their past battles came rushing back—images of the Red Demons falling at his feet, the blood, the fire.

He could still hear their screams, still feel the rage that had driven him to slaughter them by the millions.

But it wasn’t the same anymore.