If there was anything I truly desired about Kaliroo, it would be that the land was filled with peace and life. Animals that I had never seen alive before, animals that you'd keep as companions, they were all there. Green grass, blossoming flowers, fresh water, and the people there, as I had heard, were just as nice. It was a place my mother had dreamed of living in. It was a place we could only dream of.

It was a place so beautiful compared to our dry home. We'd get water, but only in the spring, where it'd rain hard for days. That's why throughout the year, we had to save our water and be careful with it.

But ever since I had turned ten, I had been under my father's roof, where he always had water, no matter what.

There was also the deal with meat. Everyday, the hunters would leave town and find a nearby forest to hunt for meat. Usually, they'd find some deer or boar to shoot. The people's diet in Ira consisted of meat and carbohydrates like rice and potatoes. You could even throw in some lettuce if you were lucky enough to afford it. It wasn't exactly a healthy diet, but the manual labor you'd have to do in Ira would keep you skinny enough.

I was always lucky enough to have at least some vegetables. The land of Ira is not fit for growing vegetation, or even the people are not fit to comprehend how it works, thus the reason why it can be so expensive. So when people in Ira heard about all the nutritious foods in Kaliroo, you could understand why we got so envious.

Brutus honestly couldn't care less, but after years and years of hearing the staus of the Kalirians, he was through with it. And he decided to use me as his gateway to taking Kaliroo.

That's all I could hear in my head as Brutus was explaining my task when going to Kaliroo. I was sat down at a table in his office, and he was showing me pictures of the Miracle descendant of Kaliroo, Jungsu. I was surprised to find that he was one of my kind, a Korean. He had short black hair and a dimple on his left cheek. His muscles were evident through his shirt, and he looked a bit intimidating.

Brutus then put down a picture of Jungsu's sister, Park Seohyun, who is also Korean. She had brown eyes and long brown hair that looked smooth like silk. Her smile looked calm as she was wearing a crown of flowers on her head. She looked exactly as how I ever pictured a woman from Kaliroo would look like. Peaceful, calm.

"Why are you showing me a picture of her?" I asked as I took a closer look.

Brutus took the photo back and glanced at it, the look of some sort of desire on his face. Disgusting man. "Just in case Jungsu won't even get near you. I bet he's really protective over his little sister. If you can get to her, he'll go to you."

"So wait, I can't just kill him right on the spot?" I questioned.

He shook his head. "I thought you wanted time to find a cure for a certain someone's illness."

I nodded as I looked down at the pictures again. "But how did you get pictures?"

"Oh, I sent a spy over a year ago, and he had taken pictures," Brutus answered, putting his finger on his bearded chin. "I believe I did have him killed when he got back. He gave me bad news but... I'm not quite sure I remember everything."

Then I realized something. "But... wouldn't they turn me away when they see that I'm a Miracle? Obviously, any Miracles that come from outside of Kaliroo are Miracles from another colony. And every colony has probably been thinking to take over Kaliroo as well. They wouldn't trust me."

"That's why you need to gain their trust," he explained. "Tell them that you hated living here and be nice and everything. Maybe even gain favor of that Park Seohyun. The people trust her, so if she trusts you..."

"... The people will trust me," I finished.

He nodded. "Good boy. Now go get ready. I need you to accompany me to an important meeting."

That "good boy" stuff really irritated my ears. But still, I bowed respectfully and walked out the room. I walked through the empty and dull hallway, its silence deafening me after hearing the clammer of Brutus' workers doing things on the machines for about an hour or so.

Those machines welcomed a vivid imagination of people running around, panicking while their houses were on fire and the blue lights of powerful, destructive energy raged through. Then a new imagination would take place in my mind. My mother's tears dropping from her cheeks and smashing onto the ground, just like her hopes of a better world.

That image really haunted me because it was the exact same thing I saw when she heard about Ichiro's death caused by me. I knew she wanted me to use my powers for the better and I had disappointed her severely.

It wasn't just her that made me feel terrible, but it was the towns people too. Normally, I couldn't care less, but as I walked through town, they would whisper mean things. I didn't mean to end Ichiro's life; it just happened. I know that doesn't justify my actions, but "Not even human" is still a hurtful phrase. They wouldn't dare to touch me or hurt me, so saying things about me would probably suffice for their nerves.

The more I thought about leaving that horrible place, the more I started to feel relieved.

—⇔♦⇔—

Later that night, I found out Brutus had more parts to his plan of taking over Kaliroo. In fact, it wasn't just about taking over Kaliroo, he had a whole damn plan to take over all the colonies. And this important meeting he requested for me to accompany him for was a meeting with the leaders of two different colonies. Apparently, Brutus had been busy for a couple of days, going to those colonies and taking them over himself with his soldiers who had trained with the war machines. I remember clearly him saying he was going to test those guns. Now I realized what he really meant by "test".

This caused a question to swirl in my head, but one of the leaders, Odin, decided to ask it before I could. Odin was a tall man with small muscles and lots of hair on his face and body most likely. His orange chest hair was visible froom his v-neck shirt. His red hair was curly and short, his beard was frizzy and long. I thought he looked like a viking, or at least I think that's the word. I never truly saw a real viking of course. Odin, being a Miracle, had the power of healing.

"So if you could take over our colonies in just a couple of days, why are you sending your son to go in first?" he inquired.

Brutus' glare was clear to see through the black smoke coming from the cigarette he had between his lips. "I need someone to get in before we can and find out anything important. Who knows? They might have something up their sleeves, pretending peace is all they want. I'm sure no big group of people can be that peaceful without fights."

"But," the other leader, a young woman named Genesis, intruded, "How are you expecting them to accept a boy from Ira, let alone the Miracle descendant?"

Genesis was younger than the two grown men at the table. She seemed to be more of my age or maybe a little older. She had dirty blonde hair and dimples on each cheek when she smiled. Though, I've never seen her smile. I just know because that's how dimples work. She also had healing powers.

"If they are truy as peaceful as they say they are," Brutus answered, "They will accept him. They may not exactly trust him that much, but he knows what to do." I could feel their eyes turn to me as he put his filthy hand on my back.

I nodded, staying quiet the whole time. I decided I'd only talk when spoken too. But I was aching to ask if I could leave. The smoke coming from Brutus almost fillef the room, entering my nostrils. I read some old books my mother gave to me, and one of them happened to be about smoking. I knew why the smoke was so bad to breathe.

When I was just about to ask, I heard Odin say, "I think the two other colonies might team up with Kaliroo."

This was a shocking statement to both Brutus and I. The next statement I heard was just as much of a surprise to me.

"Then that just adds into the assignment of what Kyuhyun needs to find out while he's there," Brutus said. The smoke puffed out of his mouth when he spoke, blowing in my face which made my eyes sting.

I was done.

"Can I get out of here?" I almost shouted.

Brutus stared at me. Had I just disrespected him in this meeting? Probably. Because he gritted his teeth and angrily muttered, "Okay..."

Ignoring his tone, I stood up and sprinted out the door. The cold air hit my face as I ran outside and closed the door to the meeting room. The smell of smoke was still slightly in the air, but I could finally breathe again. I could hear their voices from outside, a bit muffled up from the door blocking their sounds.

"Is he okay?" Genesis asked.

"I'm sure he is," Brutus mumbled. "He just needs a bit of fresh air, that's all."

No kidding, I thought to myself, breathing in and out.

"So if Kaliroo is teaming up with the other two colonies, that means that they have two Miracles on their side that can destroy," he continued. "Where'd you get this information, Odin?"

"It's just a rumor that had been spreading through my colony," Odin answered. "I have no idea where or when it started going around, but it was able to reach me. I suppose your son is going to work hard when he gets to Kaliroo."

"But, Brutus, may I ask why you have those war machines anyways?" Genesis inquired. "It makes it seem like you want to destroy the land of Kaliroo."

Brutus snickered quietly. "Oh, I do. This talk of them having that bountiful land irritates me. And it seems as though my colony is not appreciating the piece of land they live on. So they don't deserve it either. The reason why I keep them in this dry land is to discipline them. Just like what my father had told me to do. That's why I'm deciding that no one will have that land."

My eyes widened in shock of Brutus' true plan. He had told me that he was just going to take it over and I thought my mother would finally be able to live in a wonderful place.

I was starting to wonder if I should listen to Brutus and do my assignment.

—⇔♦⇔—

The day of my departure was coming closer and I was torn between doing my duty or being a true Miracle, whatever that really meant. What really made me confused were the dreams I started to have.

I couldn't remember everything exactly that happened in the dreams, but I remembered seeing the two children of the leader in Kaliroo, Jungsu and Seohyun. Well, I did see Jungsu once, but Seohyun's face was a reoccurring vision. One night, she was smiling at me, holding my hands in front of many people. The other, her eyes were full of tears and I was holding her in my arms with my eyes also b with tears. I didn't understand why seeing that image broke my heart so much. I never met the girl before.

I remembered hearing a female voice saying, "That's what being a true Miracle is." I think it was Seohyun's. And I could hear myself replying, but that part was pretty vague. That's why I was thinking about being a "true Miracle".

Dancing—I remembered dancing with Seohyun in my dream. That was truly strange too, since I never danced in my life ever.

I didn't tell anyone of my frequent dreams of a woman I had never met. They'd probably think I was crazy or that I wanted her. Am I crazy? I'd ask myself. Do I have a certain desire for her? Why is it that when she was smiling at me in my dreams, I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life? Why is it that when she was crying, I was just as sad as she was? Why was I even dreaming of her in the first place?

It seemed so... unusual.

I wondered what my mother would think if I told her as I stood right in front of her door. But there was still the issue with when I... killed... Ichiro. She has had a hard time with that, maybe even harder than I did. And she didn't really like or know Ichiro. All she knew was that he was the son of one of Brutus' mistresses.

I turned the knob slowly as I tried to straighten my explanation out. As I opened the door, I thought I knew what I was going to say, but when my mother's eyes met mine, I was lost. I stood in front of her bed like an idiot, staring at her in the silence of my own stupidity and foolishness.

She put down the book she was holding and looked me right in the eye.

I opened my mouth, but she put her hand up to stop me. Then she spread out her arms and I immediately charged in for a hug. A hug from my mother—the kind that makes me feel protected and loved—was just what I needed. All week, I was in the meeting room which was filled by Brutus' smoke in no time, and I heard nothing but plans of war and violence.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Ichiro, mom," I whispered.

"I know, sweetie," she told me with a soothing voice. "I know. I know you've had a hard time as well."

I nodded slightly and lifted myself away from her hug slowly. "Mother... I have to leave for Kaliroo soon."

She nodded with a small smile. "At least you'll be able to get away from this place and see the land for yourself."

"Mom, when I come back, I promise I'll tell you all about it," I said to her. "And I'll bring you back there with me." I knew I was lying, and I hoped she didn't see it in my eyes.

"That's a promise then," she chuckled. "Also make another promise to me, sweetheart."

"Yes?"

She looked at me with hopeful eyes. "Don't kill anyone else." I froze up a bit. That's my whole purpose of going there anyways, other than to find a cure. "Please."

I hesitated, but then I lied. "I promise." I pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down. "Mom... can you... sing for me?"

She smiled. "Of course."

Back when I was younger, I'd come home with new bruises, all of them caused by my siblings and Brutus. And I'd be exhausted and broken and I'd go straight to bed. But my mother would sing me to sleep. It was the same song everytime, one of my favorites. It was an old song that was made a long time ago, before I was even born. Her mother sang it to her when she was young, and it was passed down for many generations.

It was a nice lullaby that really touched us most of all, for we had dreams of living in a better place.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow, why then oh why can't I?
 

    Author's note:

      AWW, the song is Somewhere Over the Rainbow! ^^ Isn't that nice? And whoa, he's already dreaming of Seohyun? That's strange~ Oh and I found out for you guys that you pronounce Ira as EE-RAH because a lot of Latin words (if not all) that have i's are pronounce as ee. Just saying~

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