Where are the torture chambers, the graves, the horror? The path shows me everything but that. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder why Zandr is suddenly acting so tame, but there's so much to see that I can't form proper sentences.

The cyborg takes me to another layer of the planet via an elevator and there are no sad blocks or rubber roads to be seen. It is because of the contrast that I now notice how colorless it actually is on that floor. The only thing that's the same is that we're also flying, but while the tubes on the sad layer provide some cheerfulness, I now sit on a rug, which ensures that I can look around without any problems.

Pink, meter-high trees dominate the horizon, interspersed with exotic flowers, plants and insects in the most beautiful colors. Ground cover plants in a predominantly green-blue color provide stability to the whole. The predominant scent is heavy and sweet, with some lighter notes here and there. If I'm here too long, I'll probably go crazy from this assault on my senses, so I don't think it's strange that I hardly see any humanoid aliens. We Earthlings are not known for keen eyesight or smell and if I have any trouble with it, other breeds cannot survive here for long at all.

'If you do that again, I'll throw you down. What are you doing?⁸⁵'

From my position on the edge of the carpet, I innocently turn to Zandr, who sits behind me with his legs spread. His face shows as usual no emotion whatsoever, but in the meantime I've learned to look for other signals. His fingers – one hand is like mine, the other is made of metal – are squeezing, which means he's stressed. His black eyes have a certain intensity, as if he's worried. But what helps most is knowing that he could kill me at any moment, and since he hasn't done so yet (I've been part of his harem for almost a day now, so he's had plenty of time), I assume my behavior is tolerable.

It also gives me an adrenaline rush to push his limits.

'I'm checking how high the drop is to see if it's worth it.' My voice sounds sweet, but when the mischievous smile takes over, I know my pretend innocence is no longer effective.

With a lightning-fast movement he grabs me and positions me so that my back rests against his chest. 'It's not as harmless here as you think,' he growls in my ear. 'The brighter the color, the deadlier the flower.' When I casually look around, I see many brightly colored flowers.

I feel a shiver run down my spine, but I'm not entirely sure if it's from fear. After a failed attempt to wrestle myself away from him, I give in. Even though half of him is made of robot parts, his body still feels surprisingly comfortable. Sturdy and reliable.

I stare from my safer position at the beauty around me. My brain quickly distorts the colors into one big mass, which causes me to become drowsy.

'The whole of Serail used to be covered with this,' Zandr begins. His deep voice vibrates pleasantly through my body. I close my eyes and let my thoughts form images of his story.

The cyborg was here before Earth ceased to exist, which briefly makes me wonder how old he actually is. The Serailers took him into their midst and because the oxygen content was about the same as that of Earth, he was able to survive.

I wake up from my slumber because something suddenly comes to my mind: 'I thought you said the plants are deadly?'

'They are, I didn't have half my body replaced with metal for fun,' he says. The pictures in my brain immediately become less sweet as I imagine the pain he must have been in. I take the opportunity to snuggle closer to him, which makes him chuckle.

He turns out to be some kind of botanist and soon he is using such scientific terms that all I pay attention to is the timbre of his voice.

'...and that is how that world was lost and a new one, our world, was born⁵².'

I feel like I'm emerging from a deep dive and it takes me some time to refocus on the here and now. 'Wait, what did you say?'

Did he just tell his whole story about saving the planet while I wasn't listening?

Fortunately, Zandr appears not to be angry when he summarizes good-naturedly: 'The bottom line is that I used a lot of dynamite.'

I can work with words like this.

It's time to stretch, and I open my eyes. Then I have to do my utmost not to let them roll out of their sockets, because I see how a giant pink tree has started moving. Of course everything is possible on a unknown planet, but the gigantic tree sprints and runs after a balloon-shaped alien with flapping branches. It reminds me of a dog who has set his sights on a butterfly.

'That's a Serailer,' Zandr points out, as if nothing weird is going on. 'They get their oxygen from the movements of the trees.'

It can hardly get more earthy and that's why I nod sagely in front of me, my eyes are almost closed again.

We fly for a while without saying anything and I slowly let myself be lulled to sleep by the sweet smell, the wonderful surroundings and Zandr's presence in my back. I have no idea how long the days are on this planet, especially since we live under the crust and the day and night rhythm has to be artificially resolved, but my circadian rhythm tells me it's time to rest and that's what I do.

***

⁸⁵Prompt 85. 'If you do that again, I'll throw you out that freaking window. What are you doing?' 'Check how high the drop is to see if it's worth it.'

⁵²Prompt 52. 'And that is how that world was lost and a new one, our world, was born.'