Legacy of the Void Fleet

The Red Empress glanced at my stunned father, mother, and Luna, who had quickly ducked behind the couch, peeking out cautiously—clearly mistaking the Empress for a ghost.

She let out an amused sigh. "It seems my sudden appearance has stirred more than just curiosity, huh?" she remarked, pointing at Luna. "Master, your sister—or rather, the little sorceress of your house—is calling me a ghost. Ouch, it pains my heart. Sniff."

I (Kallus) raised an eyebrow at her theatrics, while Luna, still hiding behind the couch, blinked in confusion and mumbled to herself, "Is she a ghost? And how does this ghost know my name? Huh? Is she after me? Will she possess me or something?"

Luna began to think of all sorts of possibilities—an effect of watching too many ghost movies.

Meanwhile, The Red Empress sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her chest as if she had suffered a grievous wound.

"To think that after all my grandeur, all my glory, I would be reduced to… a mere ghost in the eyes of this little one." She wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye, her expression one of exaggerated sorrow.

She wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye, her expression one of exaggerated sorrow.

"Ah, such cruelty! I, the uniquely powerful and ultimate AI, the carrier of knowledge, blah blah... the AI of your command ship, connected to you through your soul—and yet... this! This is how I am perceived in your household?"

A single, perfectly timed cordial tear began to materialize in her eyes.

The sheer absurdity of her antics left everyone momentarily speechless—including myself. The sight of the usually cold and imposing Red Empress putting on such an exaggerated act completely stunned me.

Her teary-eyed expression, complete with a crocodile tear, looked almost too real. Even my mother—who had just run out of the kitchen, ready to scold me—now wore an expression that was a mix of confusion and disbelief. It was as if she couldn't comprehend what was happening in her own house.

Unable to think of anything else, she muttered in confusion, "Umm... son, what's going on here? This lady... umm..."

She trailed off, unsure of how to continue as her gaze shifted to the Red Empress—who now looked too hurt to respond after overhearing her words.

Sniff.

The Red Empress continued her award-winning performance, sniffling dramatically as she shed her crocodile and imaginary tears. She shot me a glare, her eyes filled with mock betrayal.

"You... you haven't told them about me at all? Ouch! My heart— I can't take this! It's too much!"

The Red Empress clutched her chest dramatically, staggering back as if she had just received a fatal blow.

Her exaggerated display caused my eye to twitch continuously.

Is this really the same Empress who is commanding my entire fleet with that cold and authoritative will?

"I couldn't reconcile the image before me with the usual cold Empress at all—that was how convincing her acting was. Now, watching her clutch her chest so dramatically, as if the mother worlds themselves had mortally wounded her, I found it almost unsettling."

And yet, it was so amusing that I couldn't help but let her continue.

My father, who had been watching this performance while still standing in the doorway, kept turning his head back and forth between me and the Empress, utterly unsure of what was going on. Still unable to make sense of the situation, he finally cleared his throat and asked hesitantly,

"So, uh… you're not a ghost, then?"

The Red Empress gasped as she heard my father's words. Clutching her chest, she let out a quiet hiss, as if he had just sprinkled salt on an open wound.

"Oh, for the love of—no, no, not the love of God—of the Supreme Being! Not you too, esteemed elder of my master's household!" she exclaimed, dramatically burying her head in her hands, still shaking as if to hide her tears.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Must you be this dramatic?"

Hearing me, the sulking Empress—still curled up with her head buried in her chest, covered by her arms—suddenly jumped up, glaring at me with eyes still filled with lingering tears. She should be embarrassed, but instead, she stood defiant, as if ready to fight for her right to act as she pleased.

"Off Couse I should" she said

I shook my head at the sight.

Meanwhile, the Empress turned her gaze to Luna, who was still cautiously peeking at her from behind, unsure of what to expect. A sly grin spread across the Empress's face as if she had just thought of something mischievous.

Seeing that expression, I muttered under my breath, "Oh, here we go again…"

The Empress turned to Luna and teased, "What happened to you, oh great little sorceress? Hmm? Did the cat get your tongue, little Luna?"

Luna, still frozen in place, stared wide-eyed, unsure whether to comfort the Empress for her earlier distress or feel embarrassed by the teasing.

Luna, who had been hiding behind me, hesitated for just a millisecond before leaping out from behind the couch, ready to comfort the Red Empress after the embarrassment she had caused her. Puffing out her chest and pointing accusingly, she declared,

"You! You ghost! Who fears you? Hmph! Well, I don't! Hmph!" She stomped her feet for emphasis.

"Oh my, look at the cat, coming out of hiding and still pretending to be strong!" the Red Empress retorted, unimpressed. "And for your information, little great sorcerer, I am not a ghost. Hmph!" She crossed her arms imperiously, her aura flaring with regal defiance.

Luna, clearly not believing her at all, crossed her arms and mirrored the Red Empress's stance—hands on hips, utterly unaffected by her intimidating aura.

"But you look like a ghost!" Luna insisted, scrunching her nose. "You appeared out of nowhere, you're all floaty, and you wear scary red clothes!"

The Red Empress widened her eyes at the audacity of this tiny, six-year-old critic. Clutching her chest in exaggerated offense, she whirled toward me.

"Look! Look, Master! How brutal your sister is with her words!" She sniffed haughtily before crouching slightly to meet Luna's unflinching gaze. "And you, you little sorceress—"

Luna didn't even blink. It was as if the same girl who'd shrieked "GHOST!" moments ago had been replaced by a fearless imposter.

The Empress sighed, regaining her composure. "Dear little sorceress, I assure you… I am very much real." She leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Would a ghost be able to do… this?"

With a dramatic flourish, she reached out and bopped Luna squarely on the forehead.

Luna flinched at the touch—but then blinked rapidly, her bravado flickering. "Huh? That… that was real?" she whispered, poking her own forehead as if double-checking.

The Red Empress straightened with a triumphant smirk—a smirk that instantly crumbled when Luna suddenly spun around, nose in the air, and huffed:

"Hmph! Still ghost-like!"

The Empress's eye twitched. "Excuse me?!"

"Yep!" Luna nodded sagely, arms crossed. "Real people don't glow like that. Or have sparkly eyelashes. Or make the room all… whoosh-y!" She waved her hands dramatically, mimicking the Empress's earlier grand entrance.

Empress gasped dramatically, pointing an accusing finger. "Hey! Wait a minute—didn't your brother do that floaty whoosh thing too? Hmm?" She folded her arms, smug as if she'd cracked the case wide open.

The Red Empress's eye twitched as she continued. "And, for your information, little pest, that whoosh-y nonsense happens because of teleportation! Hmph!" With a flick of her wrist, a water bottle from the hall table shot into her grip. She unscrewed the cap with a flourish and took a loud, obnoxious gulp. "Look! Look! Can ghosts drink water? Can ghosts touch things? No!"

Luna—secretly convinced but stubbornly refusing to concede—pursed her lips. "Welllll…" She was absolutely dragging this out just to spite the Empress for laughing at her earlier. Then—GASP!—her eyes went wide with a new revelation.

"OH NO! ARE YOU A FANCY VAMPIRE INSTEAD?!" She recoiled, scrambling backward so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet. "DO YOU DRINK BLOOD?! STAY BACK, BLOODSUCKER!"

The Empress spit-taked her water. "I—WHAT?! NO! It's WATER, you ridiculous gremlin—UGH!" She shook the bottle violently, splashing herself in the process. "Why would I even—UGH, you impossible child! JUST ACCEPT I'M REAL ALREADY!"

Luna, now fully embracing her role as the Empress's tiny nemesis, planted her hands on her hips and deliberately stuck out her tongue. "I won't!" she declared, scrunching her nose for maximum brattiness. "And you can't make me, Miss Fancy Floaty Not-Ghost Vampire Lady!"

The Red Empress stood frozen, her eye twitching like a malfunctioning clock. The air around her literally crackled with barely contained mana

. "Did you just… stick your tongue out at me?" Her voice was eerily calm—the kind of calm that comes right before a volcanic eruption.

Luna, either too brave or too dumb to recognize danger, doubled down. "Yep! Pbbbt!" She blew a raspberry for good measure, then darted behind me (Kallus), using me as a human shield. "And you can't catch me!"

The Empress's grip on the water bottle turned it into instant crushed ice. "OH, I ABSOLUTELY CAN—"