“How far off is the nearest city?” Kyungsoo asked two days later. The curiosity swarming inside him nagged every waking moment of the day. He needed to learn more about the people who lived on this planet.

“The closest city is Zeron, about a three days walk northwest.”

“Any chance we can visit?” Kyungsoo asked as he stirred a can of what he came to know as ‘beans’ with a wooden spoon. They sat at the small table in the late evening dwindling down from their previous excursion through the forest.

“No. We are not going there.” Jongin took a swig from his container of water.

Kyungsoo slowed his chewing. “Why not?

“Just forget about it.” Jongin stood preparing to leave the conversation, but Kyungsoo reached out to grab his forearm gently.

“Hey, why won’t you go into the city?” Jongin silently jerked his arm back with a miffed grunt before walking out the tent. Kyungsoo’s frustration rose quickly, and he stormed after the nomad demanding an answer. “Jongin, you need to face reality and stop running.”

“I am not running!” Jongin whipped around, anger apparent in his voice and expression. His abrupt attitude made Kyungsoo startle a step back, but he reaffirmed his stance on the matter.

“You are! You’re out here in the woods, fighting these narobots for months. You don't know what else is going on out there, you don’t even know if the whole planet has perished and we are the only two left alive! We can help them. With our abilities we could defeat the narobots and win this war once and for all.”

“I don’t care! This whole planet could blow up in flames before I give it a single thought. They killed my people, Kyungsoo. I don’t owe them anything!” Jongin huffed, his eyes bulged and chest heaving.

Kyungsoo’s frown deepened forming an expression of grave seriousness. “I thought you were better than them. Yes, they took everything from you and you don't owe them anything, but don't stoop to their level. Those people may be wrong with their ways but you live by good morality and justice, and deep down, you know helping them is the right thing to do.” Jongin held his stone gaze, never faltering or looking away. The heated battle of stares lasted until Kyungsoo spoke once again. “Stop running Jongin.” His eyes and tone softened, “I'm here now and I'll be there with you every step of the way.” He turned around and dipped under the flap of the tent, leaving the brooding Jongin outside.

They remained separated for a moment, both men coming down from their furious highs. Kyungsoo continued to eat his meal with agitated movements, smacking on the beans and gulping hard.

When the nomad returned inside, his expression was noticeably softer. “We leave in the morning, pack light.” Were his only words before he headed to his bed and threw himself onto the mattress as usual. Kyungsoo grinned to himself and felt his body relax at Jongin’s words. He turned to briefly look at Jongin before finishing the rest of his meal.

With the days journey came an ominous flood of various robots they never encountered before. The forest swarmed with varied animals differing in size and breeds, some more vicious than others.

Such enemies were defeated before having a chance to touch either Kyungsoo or Jongin. Their capabilities as individuals were astounding however, when combined, they excelled beyond phenomenal. Nothing fazed the duo, they defeated every foe in the blink of an eye. Nothing slowed them or monopolized their movements.

The closer they became to the city, Kyungsoo noticed how silent and standoffish Jongin became. With only hours before reaching the border, he expected to be informed of the inhabitants but Jongin said nothing at all.

He climbed up a tall slope, hoping that when he reached the top he’d have a better look at the impending city of Zeron.

When he reached it, his breath was blown away.

Kyungsoo observed the panoramic view of the city before him. The first thing he noticed was the color of black that seemed to somehow shine under the light of the two suns. The buildings resembled tall but narrow structures with a rounded top. There was something hollow and empty about the view that Kyungsoo couldn’t pinpoint until he noticed that the sunlight didn’t shine through the buildings, there were no windows to speak of and instead they created a silhouette against the bright backdrop of the dawn, the sun shining its rays around them and illuminating their outlines in a golden glow. The structures in the center were closer in proximity but not squashed and as the city sprawled further across the horizon, the buildings became sparse and separated. Clearly, the center of this city was once a thriving metropolis but right now it seemed calm from afar, almost too calm, almost…dead.

Kyungsoo squinted his eyes to focus a little closer, he noticed that the reflecting glint that made the buildings shine initially was actually a variety of gold accents scattered across the skyline. The city looked grand, opulent and powerful despite the eerie silence that washed over him as he observed from above.

“Jongin!” He called downward, “How much longer? I see it, I see Zeron!” Though on an expedition to help them defeat the narobots, he was excited to see a civilization still standing. Being in the forest for so long, convinced him that he and Jongin were the only beings left. And in a sense, the notion of that being true, frightened him.

“We have about 8 more hours. So let's take a short break.” Jongin slumped onto a log and placed his cannon in his lap. Kyungsoo climbed down, jogging up toward the listless nomad.

“Are you going to tell me about them?” He asked while taking a seat beside Jongin on the fallen trunk.

“There’s nothing to say.” Jongin shined his weapon with a rag he removed from his small sack. He fiddled with the cannon letting silence settle between them.

“There must be something, what kind of people are they? What are their resources? Do they have an economy? What do you know about them?”

Jongin stopped and placed his weapon down to look at Kyungsoo. “I know they killed my people, I also know they haven’t seen an Oran since twenty-five years ago.”

“Twenty-five years ago? So that means…”

“Yes, I’m twenty-five. And yes, they may look at us both as threats.”

Prickling sensations of fear racked up Kyungsoo’s spine. “T-they won’t attack us will they? We’ve come to help them…” Jongin remained silent as Kyungsoo brooded over the large oversight.

He was an alien. Which meant, by any stretch, he could potentially be in league with the current species of bots plaguing the planet with chaos and destruction. His appearance differed drastically, not to mention his lack of memories. If anyone were to label him as a threat, no one would doubt that proclamation given his questionable standards.

Jongin sighed. “Let’s just hope for the best. If the defense shields are down, it means they are allowing free access inside the city and we could enter unnoticed. If the shields are up however, that’s a different story.”

“Shields?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Force Fields, translucent barriers made of energy particles that don’t allow anyone in or out. There are only 8 ways to enter the city of Zeron, and every entrance is over a narrow steel bridge, the cities in Simradia are heavily guarded and well, with great reason. We are always under attack.”

“You said ‘we.’” Kyungsoo mentioned.

Jongin glared. “The planet is always under attack from different alien species. That’s all I know. I fight them to survive, nothing more. I don’t know how the cities retaliate or what precautionary measures they have in place. What I do know is that neither you nor I have identification. We aren’t in the systems, and like I said before, they may see us as threats.”

Kyungsoo gulped. “Okay, I understand.”

“Good.” Jongin stood, tossing the weapon over his shoulder. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if your good deed turns into something that gets us killed.”

“Duly noted.” Kyungsoo rose to his feet.

“Let’s go then.” Jongin led the way with Kyungsoo not far behind.

From his point of view, the metropolis was overwhelmingly large and swimming with technology. From its roads, to the tips of the tall building structures, everything encompassed the complex wiring for automatic life.

The first thing that hit Kyungsoo in the face as they approached the silent city, was the stench of mechanical substances that he was only used to experiencing when fighting the narobots in the forest and even then, this stench was a thousand times stronger. It was an aroma that hit Kyungsoo in the back of his throat, leaving a metallic taste akin to blood as he breathed in the air which was permeated with small particles of metal. He coughed heavily, a hand flying to his throat as he tried to breathe through the suffocating, poor excuse for air.

“Here.” Jongin’s hand rubbed his back as he passed him a clean rag, placing it over his mouth in an attempt to filter away some of the heavy particles. Jongin had already pulled his own cloth around his mouth upon entering, forgetting to warn Kyungsoo of the lack of clean air.

As they walked side by side into the glistening structures that they had observed from afar earlier that day, Kyungsoo lagged behind and finally came to a stop as he examined the buildings close-up. The city was now shrouded in an orange glow reminiscent of their small fire back in the forest, the fire that used to remind him of safety, a stark contrast to the feeling of Zeron’s black abyss.

He came to a halt before a large corporate looking building near, but not quite at the heart of the city. He noticed the brushed steel exterior and how there were deep, white scratches along every inch of the highest portion—It was clear that the scratches were caused by a metal on metal collison. Scorch marks littered the lower portion of the building, a dark, brown stain that Kyungsoo realized looked strikingly similar to the ones on the trees in the forest but somewhat more poignant.

Kyungsoo didn’t know what made it so poignant in his eyes; was it the contrast of a city that once was, against the spoils of war? Was it the chipped pieces of highly glossed granite that had fallen from a nearby building, littering the streets like large, jagged diamonds?

No, Kyungsoo realized it was probably the image of the hover shuttles that lined the streets; every color vehicle you could imagine, once pristine and beautiful, now rotted and rusted as they had been exposed to the elements for quite some time. Their batteries dead. The small trinkets lining some of the dashboards hinting at a sign of life that once was—a sense of normality and humanity that lingered alongside the debris of war.

Despite the metallic, negative energy which threatened to overwhelm him at every possible moment, he could see the beauty that still loitered within the architecture. Beneath his feet, he marveled at the black granite, fine grained and a deep black crystalline that was monochromatic and looked like a swirling marble. It was the very definition of opulence and even beneath the scratches, scorch marks and debris—the golden road markings, shimmering kerbs of the pavements and the gilded tips of the buildings made the beauty shine through.

The sense of overwhelming dread hit him hard as he thought of how they hadn’t seen a single soul since they entered the city. Maybe no one remained and they failed to defeat the narobots, maybe he and Jongin were the only two left after all.

As the duo moved through the city, they did so with caution, slow steps and steady shifting eyes to determine if anyone or anything would attempt to take their lives.

Suddenly, out in the distance, the familiar whirring caught Kyungsoo’s attention. Jongin didn’t seem fazed at all, as he noticed sooner than the other.

Kyungsoo set foot in that direction.

“No,” Jongin said, halting his steps. “We need to keep ahead.”

“I know you hear that, there must be bots over there. So that’s where we need to go.”

Jongin shook his head. ”Don’t.” Kyungsoo scowled before ignoring his words and setting off in the direction of the sounds. Their purpose was to help and Kyungsoo planned on doing that very thing, with or without Jongin’s aid. But he hoped for the nomad’s help, immensely.

As he moved closer, the chaotic sound of fighting became louder and his pace quickened until he began to run. The granite under his feet clacked with every hurried step, wind carrying his hair back as his speed accelerated.

He made a sharp turn around a building, and there in plain sight—Simradians.

Kyungsoo’s feet slid over the ground and he made an abrupt stop, body jerking from the moment and air inspiring into his lungs as his chest rose and drop at an alarming speed. The plethora of emotions coursing through him struck hard, every sensation pulsing into his mind as realization slowly dawned upon him.

These people were nothing like Jongin—they were gold. Gold, matte skin ran long over their limbs, every part covered in a layer of shimmering yet subtle dark gold. Their hair stood out as a shade deeper but still reminiscent of the yellow hued metal.

Fear and curiosity were the forefronts emotions, surging stronger and harder as he blankly stared at the two Simradians defend against a small company of narobots. Seized by the unforeseen shocked state, he failed to uphold his purpose for running here and eventually snapped from his daze.

The two men seemed to be having difficulties fending them off as another parliament of narobots showed themselves.

His feet were anchored to the ground and he begged them to move. There was nothing more that he wanted to do other than help and at the moment when he was needed most, his body froze up.

The battle appeared one-sided as the two Simradians attempted to defend, being pushed back from the overwhelming numbers. Their weapons were unfamiliar to Kyungsoo’s eyes, but one looked to have a firearm which fired an energy beam akin to Jongin’s but not as intense. The other possessed some form of whip; its long range and flexibility curved and sliced the enemies in half, but not at the rate in which they spawned from beyond Kyungsoo’s point of view.

Everything moved fast, every second tantamount to their very lives.

Kyungsoo willed himself to move; to jump into the unknown and aid them. Perhaps they’d look kindly upon his assistance. Either way, this was what he came to accomplish.

Beginning with a slow walk, he suavely slid the hilt of his sword from the hand-made holster around his waist. With a pivot and twist of his wrist, he pressed the button unleashing the energy blade and spun the sword in his hand. His fingers curled around the hilt, preparing to take action.

Everything stilled as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself and prepare for battle. When he opened his eyes, his boot pushed off the ground, propelling him forward.

Nothing stopped him from bulldozing his way toward the robots and with the first sweep of his weapon, a narobot collapsed to the ground in a clatter. His movements danced like a leaf flying in the wind, his effortless elegance to defeat the narobots showcasing itself well.

One—then three—now six. His overwhelming proficiency forced the Simradians to aim their attention to the man whose skills vastly surpassed theirs.

As Kyungsoo took down more enemies, he garnered more as well. They saw him as a greater threat which pulled and gravitated the narobots toward his direction and soon, Kyungsoo was completely surrounded.

He wished Jongin was here in this moment. The situation appeared grim, the number of bots staggering as they created a ring around his lone frame. His body turned, apt eyes shifting around as trickles of sweat threatened to blind his vision. He wouldn't allow his attention to falter because any lapse in judgement could cost him his very life.

To have Jongin by his side was his ultimate wish. He felt he could do anything when Jongin was near.

With that thought still inside his mind, a plasma beam took out three narobots to Kyungsoo’s left. He whipped his head around and was relieved yet amused to see an extremely confident Jongin barreling toward the battle.

His partner was here and just like that, Kyungsoo regained his own confidence.

“Thought you could use a little help.” Jongin said.

Kyungsoo scoffed. “I had it under control.” He said coolly, and Jongin merely rolled his eyes.

“You ready to do this?” He asked, and the only response given was a nod.

Jongin grunted in irritation as he looked down and observed his broken weapon, the deep claw marks carved into the side of his barrel and chipped pieces cracking off falling to the ground. The battle was formidable, however the duo reigned victorious, due to their remarkable skills.

“That was...that was amazing!” One of the two men yelled, his cat-like eyes squinting as an enormous grin stretched across high cheekbones. The enthusiasm in his tone seemed fairly genuine which pulsated pride and happiness inside Kyungsoo’s chest. However, the man’s ecstatic nature seemed very naive and brought forth confusion in the back of Kyungsoo’s mind. How could he not have noticed his and Jongin’s distinct appearances?

“Yes, spectacular.” The other Simradian said, standing a little further away; clearly the more cautious of the two.

“Care to give us your names as a request from the officers of Zeron? Or better yet, because you saved our lives.” He shook his head. “We were afraid we’d become Taragon dinner.”

“My name is Kyun—” Jongin snatched his wrist and Kyungsoo twisted his head to look at him. “What are you doing?” He whispered. Jongin shook his head. “We can give them our names, they are thankful for our help.” He snatched his arm from the nomad, who grunted at his protestation.

“Please, allow us to give you our names first if that would help. My name is Jongdae, and this is my older brother Junmyeon. We are both officers of the elite defense force assigned here to Zeron.” He said, holding his gaze and shifting it from Kyungsoo to Jongin. “We mean you no harm of any kind.”

Kyungsoo looked toward the nomad expectantly, and Jongin sighed.

“I’m Kyungsoo.” He pointed to Jongin. “And this is Jongin. We’ve come to help in anyway we can.”

“Splendid!” Jongdae said, “Hey Jun, come up here, everything is okay.” He called back and Junmyeon came forth, hesitance in his eyes. Most of his time, his gaze lingered on Jongin. The nomad, however, steered clear of locking gazes with either of the two brothers and sticking unnaturally close to Kyungsoo’s side. “We can tell you guys are well equipped and skilled, would you mind accompanying us to headquarters? I’m sure the general would love to meet you.”

“We’d rather not waste your time.” Jongin finally decided to speak, his field of view directed to the buildings, sparing no glances toward the Simradians.

“Just give us a moment.” Kyungsoo said before tugging on Jongin’s arm to move a few feet away. When out of hearing distance, he whispered, “We should go with them.”

“Absolutely not.” Jongin disgreed firmly.

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows pulled in close. “Come on, we came to help them, they seem like nice people.”

“Yes, the two brothers seem fine, but you don’t know about the others. How are you so optimistic?”

“For one, I know they can’t take us. I mean, we’re pretty skilled.”

“Yes, but that’s until they send in an army to capture us and lock us up. You shouldn't be so trusting.” Jongin hissed.

“I trusted you.” Kyungsoo retorted with identical force.

Jongin recoiled visibly. “Yes, and I, you. But we don’t know these people, Kyungsoo. For what it’s worth, I thought you’d be more intelligent than this.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Their once quiet conversation grew louder in volume.

“You expect everyone to help you, to have open arms. Wake up, this is war and we are nothing like those who live in this city. One wrong move and we are killed, do you understand that the enemy is all around us? Do you understand that we can’t help everyone? No matter what we do, we are only two, and our limitations will reach us in time.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Jongin. We are only two, but we are formidable and a great team. With others backing us, we could be unstoppable! I’m going to meet this general and that’s final. If you don’t want to come, then you can stay here and I’ll come back.”

“You don’t even know if you’ll come back.”

Kyungsoo looked him square in the eyes. “I’ll come back.” With his focus on the heated argument, he hadn’t noticed the tightening grip Jongin had on his bicep. Only when the grip loosened, he felt his muscles expand from the firm grasp.

He turned toward the two brothers, who were having a small conversation of their own. “Hey!” He called, and they both turned to look at him. “Take me to your general.” Kyungsoo walked toward them without looking back. The trio started on their way, leaving a reasonably frustrated Jongin and his broken weapon behind.

However, before they got far enough, Jongin yelled, “Wait!” The nomad jogged toward them, his gaze never leaving Kyungsoo. “I’ll come with.” He resigned to that small grin on Kyungsoo’s face. What had this person got them into?

With a hesitant step onto a translucent platform, it lit up beneath his boots. The pale tiles of blinding white particles lifted them upward at an unfathomable speed. In the elevator, the four men stood waiting to reach the floor with the top officials. Jongin leaned against the back wall, scrutinizing his weapon and tinkering with its broken pieces. Kyungsoo tapped his foot not entirely certain what awaited them on the top floor of the structure.

A still hush ran deep over their figures, terse shoulders and subtle glances throughout the tiny room. No one knew what to expect and that notion itself was frightening. The only member within the group not fazed at all was Jongdae, who had the slaphappy decency to hum along to the posh and snazzy elevator music.

The elevator slowed, a crescendoed whoosh dancing in the air until the pale lights suffused, becoming dimmer as the platformed slowed to a stopped. The door swiftly slid open and Jongdae marched off the elevator, his brother following quickly behind, Kyungsoo left after Junmyeon, which placed Jongin last.

If he hadn’t got quite a sense of Simradians and their appearances before, he definitely had now. The corridor littered with servicemen, some huddled in groups talking, while others cleaned their weapons and aimied them to calibrate them. They all possessed golden matte skin and a deeper rich hair color, the only noticeable differences being their unique facial features.

Many of the men huddled around stopped their previous conversations to stare at them. They didn’t spare the curiosity in their eyes which shone bright and prodded with various questions. Some men sneered, grunting in defense with looks of hatred or anger; while others whispered, low and soft covering their mouths and squinting their eyes.

But what caught Kyungsoo’s attention was that their gazes never lingered on him. No, he wasn’t the main source of interest out of the two alienable people. It was Jongin who piqued the interest of many soldiers. With gazes heavy on the nomad, Kyungsoo turned to look over his shoulder to determine whether their blatant staring fazed Jongin. Like he had predicted—it didn’t.

“Here we are.” Jongdae said. “Me and my brother will enter first, and I’ll signal for you two to come in.” Kyungsoo nodded and Jongin remained silent.

Jongdae reached up and knocked twice on a silver steel brushed door. The door quickly slid to the left before closing just as fast after the brothers stepped inside.

Kyungsoo would argue that twenty minutes dragged by before the call of his name rang throughout the halls. His heart palpitated faster, heat rising up his legs as they wobbled from his first step. Jongin gave him a nudge and Kyungsoo turned his head to look behind him.

A grin.

Jongin actually grinned, and for a moment, Kyungsoo was stunned. Any form of comfort from the nomad came at an expense of a daunting situation and for him to grin in such a predicament was fairly relieving and also questionable.

Kyungsoo walked inside with his head high and Jongin joined him, appearing the same. When entering the room, he noticed the all black walls no windows or any other doors. In the center, a rectangular desk sat with presumably the general sitting behind it. Off to the right, Jongdae and Junmyeon stood, their expressions unreadable and it quite alarmed Kyungsoo.

“These are the two who saved you? An outcast and an alien?” The general asked as he turned to the brothers, who both nodded. The general leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Names?”

“U-um, Kyungsoo and Jongin…” Kyungsoo bit his bottom lip.

“Ages?”

“Unknown and 25.”

“Unknown?” The man quirked a brow. He swiveled a turn in his chair and rose to his feet before stepping closer to the duo of foreigners. “I’m sure that you can understand we are at war,” The man paced back and forth gesturing with one arm, the other placed behind his back. “So you could understand why I am hesitant to let anyone join my militia and fight beside my men.” He stopped and turned to Kyungsoo.

“I understand but we are here to help in anyway we can.”

The man looked up and down Kyungsoo’s frame. When he shifted his eyes to look at Jongin, the nomad looked away promptly and readjusted his stance.

“With all due respect sir, they saved our lives. I think that should count for something. They could help us with their fighting capabilities.” Jongdae said.

“Yes, it’s as my brother says. Having witnessed it myself, I vouch for their strength and precision. It was unlike anything I’ve seen here in the ranks.” Junmyeon added.

“Hmm. I suppose. However, you—” The general pointed to Jongin, but before he had a chance to continue his interrogation, the door slid open and a Simradian dressed in a black leather cloak sauntered inside.

“Oh my, would you look at that!” His arms outstretched as he swiftly approached Jongin as if he were a treasure to behold. The nomad lifted his broken cannon in just enough time to stop the enthused man from touching him. The man glanced down. “And what could you possibly do with that tattered thing?”

“Blow your ing head off.” Came Jongin’s raspy and heartfelt reply.

“Oh, fiesty!” The man giggled and clapped, his already gleaming eyes brightening. “Why Tultala, I can’t believe this, an Oran in the flesh. Curse you for not calling for me immediately.” His wandering eyes of awe sparkled with a glint that made Jongin press his weapon further into the man’s chest.

“This is Hermon.” The general said, “He’s a scientist who specializes in chemical and biological engineering.”

Hermon’s eye shifted dangerously. “I’d love to experiment on you.” He his lips, and Jongin was a hair away from blasting a hole through this guy’s chest—well, at least trying.

Kyungsoo placed a firm hand on Jongin’s shoulder to calm the nomad and bring him back to his senses. “There will be no experimenting.”

“And who are you? Wait, you…” Hermon’s eyes formed slits of examination. “Green eyes, black hair...Where are you from?”

“Not here.” Kyungsoo said, his tone much sharper than before. He didn’t like this man.

“Tultala.” The man stalked toward Kyungsoo without dropping his gaze. “I would like to experiment on him instead, give him to me.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw settled into a scowl. “I already said that we won’t be experimented on.”

Everyone in the room halted moving and stared at him with gaping eyes. Even Jongin stopped his glare towards the creepy scientist to look at Kyungsoo with an expression of profound confusion.

Kyungsoo looked around the room, searching their faces and attempting to decipher what had them so shocked.

“What did you just say?” The general moved cautiously around the scientist, peering deep inside Kyungsoo’s eyes.

Kyungsoo swallowed dryly. “I said, we aren’t going to be experimented on! That’s not why we’re here and if you can’t accept that, then we need to leave.”

The man stared—everyone stared. Not a single person replied or made a move from their position. After a moment, it was Jongin who broke the unnatural and perplexing silence.

“Kyungsoo...how do you know that?” He asked.

“Know what?”

“That language.” The scientist snapped, “That’s ancient Nylan, from over 500 years ago, only the top tier generals and a few other people know this language as code.”

“Yes, I have only heard it once before.” Junmyeon chimed in.

“And I’ve never heard it until now.” Jongdae added.

“How did you—” Jongin paused, “You didn’t even know you were speaking it, did you?”

“No, I simply responded in the language the general and scientist spoke in. He wanted to experiment on me instead.” He huffed.

“I’m definitely more inclined now.”

“We need to leave.” Kyungsoo said and Jongin made no word to object. The duo turned around and started for the door.

“Wait!” Tultala yelled firmly, startling everyone in the room. “We could use your assistance to win this war. But not here.” He paraded back to his desk and pressed a button on the side of the steel structure. Immediately, a three dimensional diagram of Simradia projected in the air, myriads of olive green lines mapping out the entire planet in small squares. He zoomed in to another city. “This is Ceres. They are under attack at the moment and could use your help. We aren’t nearly as outnumbered as they are and we have a greater defense system. Here,” He pointed to an access point on the map, “This is the main entrance into the city, once you get past its barrier, you should be able to link with the militia there under the authority of Satsum, following my orders. Satsum is a good general, just lacking in man power. Also, his little brother is a rebellious diplomat,” Tultala clicked his tongue, “That guy, Minseok. He never listens and does as he pleases. When the economy comes tumbling down it will be at his hand. Im certain of it.”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin for confirmation and the nomad gave a mild shrug. “Alright.” Kyungsoo said.

“As for transportation, we don’t have any aero carriers to offer you, they are all out of commission. However, we might have an old bus shuttle. I’m not sure it's capable of flight however.”

“Your vehicles fly?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yes, how else do you get around?” Hermon asked.

“With my own two feet.” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

“Walking would take a week.” Tultala interjected, “At least with the shuttle you could get there in three days.”

“Alright, then we’ll take the shuttle.”

“I’m assigning two officers to travel with you. I suppose Junmyeon and Jongdae wouldn’t mind.”

“We’d be honored, sir.” Jongdae beamed.

“It’s settled then. I will alert Satsum of your arrival.”

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo nodded before turning on his heels to move far away from the scientist who wanted to dissect him.

Kyungsoo looked at the tarnished vehicle with its sleek and rounded front, the large windscreen bending around and ending with a chrome casing. The size was that of a small car with two passenger seats in the front and back, compacted to fit four people. The paintwork in the corners was peeling and rusted, weathered away by the elements—it had definitely seen better days. Peering through the black tinted windows, the interior left a lot to be desired. The fabric seats were spotted with mold and coated in a layer of dust. Kyungsoo began to highly doubt if it was going to start, let alone take them on a three day long journey.

“We’re taking this?” He asked.

“Despite the way it looks, it actually moves pretty fast and can maneuver through anything. Its automated and drives itself, we just need to add coordinates.” Jongdae informed.

“We need to head back to my refuge so I can fix my cannon.” Jongin said.

“I’m sorry but we can’t. Satsum is expecting us in 3 days,” Jongdae said as he loaded the vehicle.

“I’m not going anywhere without my weapon fixed.”

“We could get you a new one.” Junmyeon smiled as a buffer to ease the tension.

“That’s a problem. There is no other weapon like this one.” Jongin said, “It’s made of tantalum and plasmic energy. I built it myself.”

“How did you find the resources?” Junmyeon asked.

“That’s not important. I need to fix it.”

“Jongin, I’m afraid we can’t.”

“Hey, it’ll be alright, we can make a short detour, right? I mean with the bus, it’ll be quicker.” Kyungsoo chimed in attempting to distill the sweltering traction in the air.

“So we’re going. I’ll put in the coordinates.” Jongin attempted to climb inside the vehicle until Junmyeon grabbed his forearm.

“We haven’t agreed.” He sneered. “Who made you leader of this team?”

Jongin stepped out and squared his shoulders with a glare. “I did.” He said firmly. “You can’t beat me in combat, so sit tight, officer.” He smirked.

He looked to his brother for help, but Jongdae simply gave him a resigned shake of the head.

“Fine.” Junmyeon said, “Give me the coordinates and we’ll leave.”

Kyungsoo sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

In the span of three hours, it didn’t take much to figure out which brother bore all the communal skills. Jongdae was a whirlwind of stories, ranging from comedic tales to tragic experiences. His smile was as radiant as the two suns, and to make matters worse, he laughed at his own stale jokes.

On the other side of the social spectrum was Junmyeon—a rather withdrawn stoic fellow who indulged in the conversation when called upon. Not that he knew what Jongdae rambled on about, he merely agreed half the time offering weak chuckles or ‘obviously-not-listening’ obnoxious laughter.

Jongin wasn’t talkative by nature, so he kept to himself without saying a word. Which left Kyungsoo to indulge Jongdae as he told his tales one after the other. It became tiresome listening to him until he became unusually quiet.

“Jongdae?” Kyungsoo called.

“Huh? Oh.” Jongdae cleared his throat. “ I was just going to mention our parents...they were pretty amazing.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Sure, why not.” Jongdae smiled. “Our mom, she was beautiful. I know you may think all Simradians look alike, but let me tell you, she was the most gorgeous of them all. I mean, look at her children.” He chuckled a bit and so did Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. “She was a teacher of young children, very caring and nurturing but, she had a disease…” his voice grew smaller, “It attacked her nervous system and they couldn’t cure her no matter how hard they tried.” Junmyeon reached out to place a hand on Jongdae’s shoulder and gently squeezed. “Our father passed away recently, during the war.” Jongin slightly tilted his head. “He fought alongside the military during the first wave of taragon attacks.”

“I’m sorry about your loss.” Kyungsoo wistfully looked out the window. “I always wondered about where I came from, my parents or if I had siblings…”

“You don’t know...”

“No, Jongdae...I don’t.”

“Hey, let's take a moment and get out for a short break." Junmyeon suggested which his brother agreed. The ride was becoming overly stuffy with repressed emotions and unanswered questions.

They stopped by a waterfall, the crystalline water poured over the edge of a mountain side leading into a vast pond. This section of the forest was surprisingly untouched compared to the rest. The trees still held shape, fresh, deep olive terrain still in tact. It was like a paradise inside of this taragon hell.

They all exited the vehicle, stretching their limbs and grabbing small sacks filled with food and water.

"I'm going for a swim!" Jongdae yelled as he pulled off his uniform. “Anyone care to join me?” Only the shakes of heads were given in response and Jongdae shrugged. “Suit yourselves then.” He ran fast and leapt in the air cradling his legs under him to form a cannonball before dropping into the water. The splash was loud, ringing throughout the forest and Kyungsoo chuckled from the carefree spirit given such dire circumstances.

Jongin placed himself on a patchy surface of grass below a tree and he leaned back against the trunk reveling in the shade. He closed his eyes and remained motionless. Kyungsoo decided to join him, resting on the side of the tree beside Jongin. They both sat in silence allowing the tides of time to catch up to them.

"Who are you?" Jongin's question floated along the breeze and Kyungsoo leaned back watching the leaves drift with the wind; sparkles of sunlight dancing between the swaying appendages.

“I don't know…” Kyungsoo answered softly. After his words, the stillness of the evening granted them a sense of tranquility and they dozed off under the shading tree.