Ahead of me, Kael occupied a faster speed even under the circumstances of his injury. When I felt a gust on my back, he spun and yanked me forward. I jerked by a sudden pull from behind. My cloak's ties broke by force, and the fabric detached from my body. Unfortunately, I lost grip on my pouch, and the Olielle dropped.

"No, the flower!"

Past the words emptied from my mouth, I ripped my arm off from Kael's grasp. His grunts were the last thing I perceive before I jumped to where the Olielle had fallen. On reflex, I held my hand up in an attempt to protect the flower from whatever was coming. Evaluating my distance from where my cloak floated—I had no chance to flee.

Suddenly, the rumbling ground stopped. I dared to look up at what I was facing against even it would be the last thing I see. Something started to manifest before me. Their visual was like a glitch at first, then slowly taking in colours and eventually becoming a distinct form.

Pointy ears were what struck through my sight foremost—neat braided hair giving out the shape. I couldn't imagine looking bewildered while facing my possible end, yet it was my reaction at the time. Similar to me, the humanoid wore perplex on their face. Five more stood behind the one holding my cloak. Their other physique was no different than a human. Cloth covered them from the waist down apart from the tattoos coating their torso. The one standing mere inches from me hunched and was about to touch the Olielle, but I scooted back.

"I have not heard this in a long time." His pale azure eyes moved to my face. The grey iris was almost unnoticeable. "Including the sound of you, Homosapien," he muttered.

"What a strange one this is. Willing to perish for a flower." One of the others uttered.

Wearing no expression, the pointy ear humanoid straightened himself. "Strange indeed," he mumbled. Slowly he released my cloak, letting it fall to me. "Infin is what I am addressed as if you inquire. I would ask you what foolishness brought you into this region, but you have with you two of the rarest elements in this universe—the last of its kind. Thus I may question your reason instead. What matters brought you here?"

After grabbing my cloak, I got back to my feet. I placed the Olielle gently into my pouch then searched for Kael. But he wasn't in sight.

"My friend and I are going to the Capital. We are only passing this forest," I explained.

Infin swivelled, giving a hand gesture to the others, which I had no idea what it meant. "Why would you want to enter such a place? Machine dwells there, fuming the air. Suffocating the life of Terran."

As if triggered, he angled his head slightly towards a direction. His pointy ears vibrated. "Half breed, the last time our path crossed, you have evaded us with trickery. Today your heartbeat is louder than the drop of dew at the birth of dawn. No means of hiding shall shroud you."

From the corner of my eyes, Kael reemerged from behind one of the trees. He aimed his weapon at Infin and took careful steps forward while fighting against staggering on his footing.

"Now that we are acquainted. Let us be on our way and save you from any ruckus," he started. The way his tone pitch aired the blend of threat and tension.

The other humanoid disappeared in a blink. But Infin kept his ground, visibly showing no faze. His hands tucked back at ease. "Your weapon doesn't pose me any more harm than your hunger, half breed."

Just as my breath expelled to speak, Infin tilted his head to me. "If it's answers you seek, I can't guarantee you any. But you are welcome to come with me, and in exchange, I would like to hear your stories. It seems you have come a long way here."

Curiosity won me over by the offer. I turned to Kael. Understanding the look I gave, he shook his head.

"It would be dark soon. Bring the half breed if you must." Without waiting for a reply, Infin began walking. Oddly his footsteps were as quiet as a feather, unlike how he was during invisible.

I started to where Kael stood, instantly landing my eyes on his leg right as I reached him. "I'm going with them whether you agree or not. Your choice."

Kael huffed, then whispered, "I'm not surprised you're easily trusting them."

"Better us than some," Infin interrupted, tone almost sounding like something I deduced as disdain.

Relentless, I moved forward and left Kael behind. Knowing a possible answer to my overwhelming question made deciding to follow Infin my priority. I had to risk it. When I heard faint footsteps closing in, a smile turned on my lips.

Arm resting on my shoulder, Kael leaned to me. "I can't let you out of my sight for a second, darling. You're a magnet to trouble."

"Oh? Like you?"

***

Sunlight had disappeared entirely after crossing the night. The faint moonlight fought hard to be seen under the dark. It couldn't help us any more than itself. I kept my pace close to Infin. He was moving expertly through the scrubs as if everything was clear as day.

"We are here," he uttered.

Ahead of me was nothing, not even a single light. "I can't see anything," I mumbled.

My grasp on Karl's arm tightened, although refusing to admit it was due to worry. Then I felt a nip on the side of my goggles. Like a switch, red and green shades visualised in an instant into my eyes.

"It's infrared spectral vision. Yours probably switched off during our landing."

Something clicked. "So you can see all this time?"

Kael smirked. "Yes."

Letting the issue slide, I directed my attention ahead. We pushed through a curtain of twining dry leaves. Behind it was a narrow hall, and after a while, we arrived in an opening. Blocks, I presumed as cottages lined on each side. In the middle was a fountain surrounded by glass. The drop was so far below that I couldn't see the ending.

I discarded my goggles. But after greeted with pitch black, I put them back on. "Why isn't there any light?"

Infin chuckled. "Because we have no need for it."

Kael whispered, "I told you they are blind."

"We are not sightless, half breed. We see more than you can. Each sound has its shapes for our perception."

Choosing not to say anymore, Kael looked at me and shrugged. There was something off about him at the moment. He seemed tired.

"I will show you to your room. Rest, and then we will begin our stories."

Infin beckoned us to follow him. I pulled on Kael, who's pace was slower than his usual. We eventually arrived at one of the huts. A barely noticeable chink resonated when the door slid open.

With a nod, Infin left us. Kael scrambled to the bed and slumped the second he arrived. He pulled something from his jacket. With a click, the device illuminated the room. I removed my goggles and closed in our distance. His pale face gathered all my attention.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'll be fine. I just need rest," he muttered with a voice barely tuning. Slowly his eyelids dropped, detaching me from the sight of his emeralds.

I told myself I shouldn't care for him. I begged myself not to. But something in me refused to comply with the command. Rather than circumventing, I reached for him. A wave of worry smashed onto me when I ran my fingers on his face.

"Kael, you're icy cold."

"I prefer to be called hot. But that will do." He smirked, but his usual impish was as bland as his complexion.

I sighed. "This is not the time for that, Kael."

Eyes still shut, Kael captured me into his arms. "It's time for what then?"

Unlike previously, his embrace felt weak. He settled me on his chest. The beating of his heart began to soothe as seconds passed. I wanted to get up, but my body protested yet again. Even my mouth refused to speak.

"Let me hold you. Just let me. . . Hold you," he breathed.

***

Soundly, I got up. Unknown to me the amount of time spent with Kael under the silence. Released from his hold, I was engulfed by worry once more at the sight of his depleting face. What was happening to him? And the apprehension followed me as I stepped out of the room. I walked to the centre where the enormous glass was surrounding the fountain.

I sat on a bench and observed. The glass was bolted on the upper ceiling to the ground. There were two machine visibly under low temperature due to the colourless emitting from the thermal indicator of my goggles. One round device was attached to the upper corner, and the other was on the lower.

"It is collecting water from the atmosphere." A familiar voice stated.

I tilted to my side, acknowledging Infin's appearance. He was fully clothed with a robe, looking more hallowed by it. He sat next to me on the bench.

"Why are you collecting water from the atmosphere?"

"Because the ones running are no longer granted for any. The Oqnons, it's theirs now."

"Where I was before, humans were still here. Water was not something anyone could put rights on. Not the whole ocean at least." I frowned. Questions weighed onto me, making it a heavy burden.

"You must have wandered far. Possibly farther than I. And I have lived for hundreds of years." He turned to me as if he could see my expression. "The sound of your heartbeat is like a dying star. Yet you live. Something greater is pushing you on."

"Maybe it's the answer I seek," I conjectured.

Infin smiled, he didn't protest, but I caught the gentle shake of his head. "The Oqnons is a species my kind called phantoms. They have no precise form and originated far beyond the Aquarius constellation. Ions ago, their planets thrive, where waters bodied the land. Their technology was beyond comprehended, so they foresaw the end of their planet. They travelled the sea of milky ways to ocaform. With no body, they possessed their host and eventually cultivated among them. Making half breeds. "

The mentioned of the latter piqued my interest. But I waited for Infin to explained further.

"Beings resembling what you identify similar as creatures of the sea was the inhabitants of scarce planets they once came upon. Unfortunately, every one of the planets ran out of water. Then they found Terran, something very rare in the universe. Terran's atmosphere made it possible for liquid to form on its surface, something similar to their own."

His break was my cue to let out my suspicion. "Is Kael one of the Oqnon-"

Faster than my question was the answer. "No living thing has a choice of what they are born as. The choices given are what comes after; of what to become."

My thoughts of Kael deepened. Before I could stop myself from asking, the question escaped. "Do you know what's wrong with him? He is not healing."

Quiet impended for a while. A moment that felt so long until Infin finally nodded. "He needs blood to heal."