A man stands atop a white tower overlooking one of the most beautiful cities in the system.
Below him, colour breathes through every street.
Bright fabrics sway between market stalls like flowing banners. Lanterns glow amber and violet beneath hanging bridges. Trees with luminous ruby leaves shimmer gently in the evening breeze while streams of people move through the layered city like living brushstrokes across a painted canvas.
The city feels alive.
Vibrant.
Endless.
And above it all stands him.
Pale blue skin contrasts sharply against the long dark-blue hair cascading down his back like tangled roots pulled from the depths of the earth itself. Red and black markings coil across his shoulders and run down both arms in intricate patterns that resemble painted war scars more than decoration.
Everything about him feels immense.
Not simply tall.
Overwhelming.
Even standing still, he carries enough presence to make warriors lower their eyes instinctively. Compared to him, Sebbeh would seem almost ordinary.
The man gazes quietly towards the horizon, hands resting behind his back as the wind pulls gently against his robes.
"Kudca."
His voice is calm and smooth, yet every syllable carries quiet authority.
Not loud.
Not forceful.
But absolute.
Behind him, space ripples faintly.
A second figure appears instantly before dropping to one knee.
"Yes, Yevthe?"
Unlike the towering figure before him, Kudca appears almost frail at first glance. His frame is lean and narrow, his darker blue skin lacking the imposing physicality of the man he addresses. Sharp features and tired eyes give him the appearance of a scholar rather than a warrior.
Yet the speed of his movement betrays something dangerous beneath the surface.
The Yevthe slowly turns to face him.
Even the motion feels heavy.
Measured.
Like a mountain shifting.
"How much longer will this boy stall?" he asks.
His gaze lowers towards Kudca, calm but piercing enough to make the smaller man tense unconsciously.
Kudca quickly reaches into the pocket of his fitted vest and removes a thin white disc no larger than his palm.
The device hums softly.
A holographic projection blooms above it instantly, illuminating the space between them with pale blue light.
A ship appears within the projection.
Small compared to the planets surrounding it.
Yet important enough that both men focus on it immediately.
"It should only be a few more minutes, Yevthe," Kudca replies carefully.
The hologram zooms outward, revealing the vessel entering the outer edge of their solar system.
The Yevthe watches silently.
Then—
he smiles.
Small.
Controlled.
But unmistakably pleased.
*******
In the observation deck of the ship, Myles sits quietly, moving Criole through his body in slow, controlled currents. The energy drifts beneath his skin like warm rivers threading through muscle and bone, circulating with careful precision. This has become his routine since challenging Sebbeh, and even after the fight, it proves effective. The constant exercise strengthens the amount of power he can output while helping prevent the violent overexertion that tends to tear through his body whenever he pushes himself too far.
He finds it irritating that he even has to do this in the first place. As far as he can tell, the girls do not suffer from the same problem. Their parents certainly do not. Even the guards carry their power naturally, effortlessly, as though their bodies were built for it from birth. He is the only one forced to wrestle with control every second he uses Criole.
On the brighter side, it is more proof that he is human.
Not that he needs proof.
Still, it is a comforting thought.
A subtle ripple disturbs the air behind him as Kaelen's Criole wave spreads through the observation deck. It is faint, almost impossible to notice, like a pebble disturbing still water. Instinctively, Myles turns to face her before he consciously realises what he has sensed.
"We have arrived?"
Kaelen looks faintly startled for a split second before masking it. "Yes. Come to the hangar."
Her expression remains serious as she turns and begins walking away. She is certain she conceals her waves properly. At the very least, enough to avoid detection by a novice like Myles, or even the guards. Perhaps even her sisters.
Yet he notices it immediately.
Myles is becoming more and more terrifying as his potential grows.
Kaelen shudders faintly at the thought of one day having to fight the thing sleeping inside him.
Myles sighs, pushing himself to his feet before following after her. "Is the ship not going to land?" he asks from behind her.
Kaelen glances back sideways for a moment, her pale eyes catching him briefly before she faces forward again.
"Hmm. I think it'll just be better for you to see for yourself."
A large door slides open ahead of them with a deep mechanical hum, revealing an enormous hangar.
It is not nearly as massive as the interior space within the sisters' egg ship, but it is still immense enough to make Myles slow his steps.
Gundam-like machines stand docked in distant rows, towering over sleek ships of varying sizes. Some are sharp and angular, others strangely smooth and elegant, almost organic in shape. But more than the machinery itself, it is the atmosphere that catches him off guard.
Myles has always imagined hangars as harsh places. Metallic. Cold. Gritty. Somewhere full of sparks, oil stains and shouting mechanics.
This looks more like the courtyard of an unimaginably wealthy estate.
Wooden tiling stretches from the entrances towards either side of the hangar in polished pathways. The walls barely seem to exist at all, either completely open or formed from some impossibly transparent material that reveals the vastness beyond. Natural light spills softly across the floor, reflecting against polished surfaces and glass-like structures.
The ships themselves look less like military vehicles and more like luxurious personal transports. Elegant. Refined. Casual, even. Though Myles still notices protrusions and hollow openings along their frames that he assumes are probably weapons.
The strange plants from the rest of the ship are here too, growing from corners and woven into the architecture itself. Some curl around pillars while others glow faintly beneath translucent leaves.
If Myles did not know better, he would assume he has stepped into the private garden of some absurdly rich noble rather than the hangar bay of an advanced spacecraft.
Kaelen pauses after noticing he is no longer following beside her. Turning around, she raises an eyebrow.
"You've seen our home, and this surprises you?" she chuckles softly. "Come."
She holds out her hand towards one of the smaller ships. Her body suddenly dissolves into streams of light, scattering apart into glowing particles before vanishing entirely.
A few seconds later, her waving hand appears from within the ship's strange cockpit.
Myles stares for a moment before awkwardly copying what she does.
The instant he touches the surface, a voice echoes gently inside his head.
Welcome, Sir Myles.
Then his body dissolves into light as well.
The sensation lasts only a moment.
When he reforms inside, his eyes widen immediately.
The interior is somehow just as spacious as the outside suggests, perhaps even larger. But the true shock comes from the design itself.
The cultural contrast is impossible to ignore.
Unlike the cold, metallic monotony of the main vessel, this ship feels alive.
Soft grass covers much of the floor beneath his feet. A small steaming bath rests off to one side, surrounded by smooth stones and curling vines. The faint scent of fresh rain, flowers and greenery lingers in the air, clean and calming.
Yet despite all of that, it is unmistakably still a ship.
Soft green lights glow beneath the grass in thin flowing lines, pulsing gently like veins beneath skin. The polished stone-like walls shimmer faintly with hidden machinery beneath their surface.
Kaelen descends slowly from above using a long hanging vine, lowering herself with casual ease.
Myles simply stares in awe.
This is so far beyond anything he could ever have imagined that his mind almost struggles to process it.
"It would only take a few minutes to make touchdown," Kaelen says as her bare feet touch the grassy floor. The ship gives off a soft pulse beneath them, followed by a gentle hum that vibrates through the room. "But I figured you'd probably feel more at home and less tense in something like this."
A small smile tugs at her lips.
"Buckle up because, well... you'll see."
"In the spirit of surprise, I've blocked off all the windows."
She smiles again before walking towards a polished wall lined with softly glowing runic symbols. The wall slides open smoothly as she approaches, revealing another room beyond. The moment she steps through, it closes behind her just as swiftly, hiding her figure entirely.
Myles blinks.
A tiny seedling suddenly sprouts from the grass in front of him.
He watches as it rapidly grows upward, twisting and curling into the shape of a long bench. Thin branches coil together into a sturdy frame while broad leaves spread beneath it.
Then, poof.
Soft cotton-like fibres burst from budding flowers across the structure, swelling rapidly until the entire thing resembles a bed formed from clouds.
Myles grins faintly.
"Don't mind if I do."
He sits down carefully.
And immediately realises it is somehow even more comfortable than it looks.
It feels weightless.
Like sinking into warm clouds.
He leans back into the strange plant bed to relax and, before he even realises it, sleep quietly pulls him under.
Breaching the atmospheric barrier. Wake up, sir.
The voice rings through Myles' head, smooth and gentle despite its mechanical nature.
His eyes slowly open.
For a moment, he simply stares upward, still half asleep as the soft glow beneath the grass flickers faintly around him. The plant bed beneath his body shifts slightly as he moves, the cotton-like fibres compressing beneath his weight before springing back into shape.
A wall nearby parts open with a quiet hiss of moving stone and vines.
Kaelen steps through.
The moment she sees him already awake, that same slightly startled look flashes across her face again before she quickly hides it behind composure.
"Come," she says quietly, walking over to his side. "Follow me."
She raises her hand.
A thick vine immediately uncoils from above, twisting downward like a living rope before wrapping gently around her wrist and waist. It pulls her upward smoothly into the mass of intertwining vines that form the ceiling.
Myles rubs his eyes tiredly before copying her.
Another vine lowers for him and quickly pulls him upward as well, the living structure parting around his body before sealing behind him.
The moment he emerges on the other side, his lingering drowsiness vanishes almost instantly.
The cockpit...
Could it even be called a cockpit?
There does not appear to be any steering system whatsoever. No control panels. No visible navigation equipment. No chairs facing screens or glowing buttons waiting to be pressed.
But that is not what truly catches his attention.
There are no walls.
No roof.
No windows.
Nothing.
Just open space.
The vines beneath their feet coil tightly together to form a surprisingly sturdy floor, thick roots interwoven beneath glowing strands of green light pulsing softly through them. Several floating circular symbols hover where walls should be, rotating lazily like rings made from liquid light.
Beyond that...
Nothing separates them from the outside world.
Only the sky.
Myles slowly steps forward, his heart tightening slightly as wind brushes against his face.
Then the ship breaches deeper into the atmosphere.
Flames suddenly erupt around them.
Purple flames.
The entire vessel becomes engulfed in roaring violet fire as it tears through the sky. The transparent barriers he thought did not exist suddenly shimmer into view, distorting beneath the violent heat while protecting them from the inferno raging just outside.
Myles stares.
The flames ripple across the invisible walls like liquid starlight, casting shifting purple reflections across Kaelen's pale skin and the twisting vines beneath them.
It is terrifying.
Beautiful.
Alive.
On pure impulse from a life he can never return to, Myles reaches instinctively towards his pocket, searching for something that is no longer there. Something to capture this moment. A phone. A camera. Anything.
His hand stops halfway.
The empty motion lingers for a second before quietly falling back to his side.
Still, he cannot look away.
This is unlike anything he has ever seen.
And despite the danger blazing around them, excitement rises in his chest.
The violent haze gradually begins to thin.
The purple flames peel away from the ship in drifting streams until the view beyond finally clears.
Myles' breath catches slightly.
Above them stretches a vast pink sky, soft and luminous, painted in layers of warm colour that seem almost unreal. Massive yellow clouds drift lazily across the atmosphere like oceans of gold.
Below...
Endless fields of red grass sway across the land in slow waves beneath the wind.
Rivers and lakes of deep green water shimmer beneath the strange sunlight, stretching for miles across the landscape.
Alien.
Yet oddly familiar.
Almost like home viewed through a dream.
Kaelen turns towards him.
There is a small smile on her face now, genuine despite the faint worry still lingering beneath it.
"Well?" she asks softly. "What do you think about Puku?"