Rex watched quietly as his royal friend departed to speak with the king. 

Despite what King Vincent preached to the public, he was someone who cared not for the well being of his subjects. If he truly was intent on bettering Sanctuary then he would've dismantled his nonsensical rules and put an effort in improving some of the poor districts. Unsurprisingly, their acting king had yet to address these pressing matters. Someday when Alice was crowned queen she'd repair what her father destroyed, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. A kind, gentle, and understanding person such as herself would surely make a superior ruler.

He leaned against the white fence encompassing their property, a smile present on his face. The fiery sky slowly transitioned to a dark blue smog. People in his neighborhood shut their doors and windows. Enforcers patrolled the streets. Lightbulbs atop the street poles activated, summoning the brightness which would combat the advancing obscurity. 

Tired though he may have been he waited for his father without protest. Rex often wondered what exactly his father researched. Chase mentioned it involved the atmospheric and weather data of the Outside World. That couldn't be all, could it? His father sometimes went on and on about how his research would someday change humanity forever. Once Rex had arisen late in the night to get some water for his dry throat. Heading for the stairs he overheard loud moans escaping his father's room down the hallway. He hated imposing on other people's affairs but he'd a habit of letting his curiosity get the better of him.

It sounded like he was struggling to sleep, an issue he could relate to heavily. Pressing an ear softly against the door Rex heard words such as "Outside" and "Future" launch out his father's lips. It served to amplify the outsider's interest. The same applied to Chase though he never admitted it. Maybe this was his reasoning behind setting his sights on attending a fancy school in Phana District. To attain the required knowledge in order to eventually work alongside their father with the hopes of uncovering the enigmatic professor's secrets. Meanwhile, Alice carried out her attempts at repairing Sanctuary. To Rex, it felt like everybody had a goal. Everybody except for himself. 

Unlike them, he held no desire or motive. He was contemptuous with working as a mechanic for the rest of his life, as mundane as it may seem. However, there was the matter of his mysterious past. If he were to identify disclosing his origin as his dream he'd only accomplish it by abandoning Sanctuary altogether. Additionally, if this was the path his heart was set on following, it didn't alter the fact that leaving Sanctuary's walls was considered to be illegal. In fact, the only ones who were seen as an exception to this law were-

A deep grunt of shifting metal caught his attention. Marching down the empty street came a group of three middle-aged men- No soldiers. They wore technologically advanced white body armor which only left the head and neck areas exposed. On the suits' chest plates sat a diamond-shaped emblem that emitted a blue radiance. These were exos suits, specialized armor fit for the men and women of the Seeker Corps. 

What was the Seeker Corps? Soldiers who vacate Sanctuary's safety and brave the unknown. "Onward to Horizon" was their motto. It was a reference to how they believed humanity shouldn't be contained. Many deemed them to be nonsensical in their ideals, especially the nobles. Rex still had yet to decipher why the king and Royal Government didn't just disband them if a majority of Sanctuary didn't acknowledge their cause.

Rex's eyes sparkled as the men past his house. I wonder what they've seen out there?

"It's getting dark, don't you think?" yawned his brother. Chase approached him from their house, both hands in his jacket's pockets. "You've been standing here since Alice left. Are you really so hung up about not being able to spend more time with her? Didn't think your crush was so intense. Shows what I know."

Rex's face ignited. "I don't have a crush on her, whatever that means! I just happen to respect her ideals and personality! Is that a problem?!"

". . . Whatever makes you sleep at night, bro," Chase grinned. Rex crossed his arms and stared into the street. Chase joined him, leaning against the fence beside him. "Those were seekers who passed by a moment ago, yeah? Still infatuated by them?"

Rex shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? They're the only ones bold enough to challenge the established order. I guess I just have an odd appreciation for them. They want so desperately to discover a paradise amongst a hellscape."

"Is that so? I think they're nothing but a bunch of delusional idiots. What good is dying in an endless desert when they don't even discover anything?"

"Maybe they feel trapped?" Chase shot him a confused stare. "Look, this place is my home, it always will be. Even so, recently I've felt as if I should experience more of this world. I want to see what's past those walls. I want to-"

"Bring light to your past?" Chase guessed.

His past, while immensely archaic, wasn't the catalyst to these dormant desires. Rex believed humanity should be liberated of Sanctuary's iron-grip. If he could establish a new sanctuary, a real haven, they'd no longer have to worry about the tyrannical rule of the Riley Family. Was this meant to be his dream? Or was it a brazen justification permitting him to chase after his undying curiosity regarding his origin? Rex gazed at the sky and said, "We deserve to decide our own fate. Remaining trapped within this cage and shackled by King Vincent is robbing us of that privilege."

"Humanity belongs wherever it's safe. Sanctuary might not be the best but it's keeping you and Dad alive," Chase answered rather bluntly. "The preservation of both your lives is all that concerns me, I'm afraid."

"You're saying you aren't the slightest bit interested in the Outside World?"

"Why should I? We have walls keeping us safe from its monstrous sandstorms. We have food and water. We have a roof over our heads. We should be grateful above all else." Chase remembered the nights when he went to bed hungry. Days where he didn't see his parents together for months. Those painful memories occasionally haunted him. "Sorry Rex, I'm not going to risk my life fighting for a cause I bare interest in."

"But-"

"For your own sake, I suggest you monitor what you say. Enforcers and seekers aren't exactly friends. Some scummy enforcers might start trouble if they overhear you idolizing their natural enemies."

"Chase-"

"This conversation is over," he concluded, walking towards the house.

"No, it's not! Get back here!"

"Dad's going to be home soon. I can imagine he'll be exhausted. Why don't you set the table while I finish preparing dinner?"

When Chase dissolved a discussion there wasn't any point in arguing further. Rex would either get ignored or pounded over the head with one of his brother's infamous Punishment Punches. Rex made for the house whilst grunting defeatedly under his breath.

* * *

Matt Hunt loved his work even if it was strenuous.

Being a professor meant he'd to be contemptuous with spending most of the day confined in a lab. It was tough, to say the least, yet Matt wouldn't trade it for anything else. Not only did he have children to take care of but his most prized research depended on the lab's tech. He tightened his grip on the briefcase's handle whilst passing a pair of enforcers. He saw his house in the distance, the professor wishing for nothing more than a good night's sleep. Although, before he could retire for the day, Matt's mind gravitated to the thought of his two children.

Rex and Chase are more than likely asleep by now. I'll have to be quiet. They've been working hard lately. Softly opening the front door he was pleasantly greeted with the faint fragrance of poultry and boiled vegetables. A plate of food sat in a hovering blue container at the wooden dining table a few meters from the doorway. His stomach beaconed for sustenance in the form of a discernable growl, Matt fighting the urge to pounce at the plate and devour the food like a wild animal. 

Just as he was someone who deeply cared for his children, Rex and Chase respected and appreciated his grueling efforts. Speaking of which, he found the boys in the living room slumbering on the sofa. Rex's face was planted into the cushion, his right arm hanging over the side. Chase sat in an upright position, his right leg crossed over his left and arms folded across his chest. The old wooden floor made a loud creak as the man entered, immediately awakening them from their slumber.

"Glad to see you're finally back, dad," Chase mumbled, wiping his eyes.

"Sorry, it wasn't my intent to disturb you." he chuckled. He sat in between the two, quickly going to work on the steamed duck entrancing him with its enticing scents. "So, how was your day? I expect nothing bad happened while I was gone." The brothers exchanged conflicted looks, Matt catching on almost instantly. "Alright, out with it. What happened?"

Chase reluctantly explained their problematic day. Matt calmly listened while occasionally munching on the steaming poultry. "And so I ended up offending him when I grabbed his arm and threatened to break it if he didn't put Rex down. Afterward, he and his enforcers stormed out the shop," Chase concluded.

"I see,"

Rex pounded the armrest with a closed fist. "I'm sorry! It's my fault. If I hadn't acted so recklessly none of this would've happened!"

Matt stared at his frustrated son through advertent eyes. "You did what you thought was right, did you not? I have yet to see a reason to apologize." Both his sons wore stunned expressions as the unperturbed professor munched on a mouthful of duck. "What both of you need to be made aware of is nobles and rich men have somewhat weak self-esteem. I've noticed this during my time serving under them in Haren. You'd be surprised at how fast some of them can lose their cool."

"No kidding." Rex and Chase muttered concurrently.

"But you shouldn't rebuke yourselves. The two of you did what you thought was right. That just so happened to be the opposite of what the enforcer deemed to be correct in his own mind."

". . . Aren't you even a little worried?" Chase asked.

"Not necessarily," Matt yawned, cracking his neck muscles. "With the research division kicking off they'd be fools to anger a leading professor." Matt finished his food, resting the plate on the coffee table in front of him. "I don't suggest you do these kinds of things in the future though. Should you encounter a noble with a pure disdain for the lower class he or she just might escalate the problem to the point of no return. Once that happens I'd be powerless to defend you, regardless of who I am and what I do."

"We know father, we won't let it happen again."

"I doubt it," he smirked. "The two of you always had a knack for getting into trouble. Especially this one." Matt began rummaging through Rex's hair, much to the boy's annoyance. It was then he spotted the bandages stuck below his chin and another on his right cheek. "Hang on, don't tell into another fight? I sure hope it wasn't with an enforcer."

"Nah, I had a little confrontation with Caiden and his friends."

"Caiden? Isn't he that Singh kid? I believe his father's an enforcer."

"Yeah. He started causing trouble so I had to put him in his place." Rex was determined to omit the detail of Alice's intervention. His father had already heard enough bad news for one night. "It's no big deal, honestly."

Matt Hunt raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I probably shouldn't ask him to elaborate. With an audible yawn, he stretched out his hands and pulled both of his sons close.

"You know, we've been telling you everything of our day and you haven't said a single word of yours." the now relaxed Chase announced, his smug grin broadening.

"He has a point," Rex added. "You taught us to be fair, didn't you, Dad?"

Sometimes he hated raising his children to be so witty. In these instances, he'd often find himself caught between a rock and a hard place. "Alright, why not? Besides, I probably had the most interesting day out of the three of us anyway," he grinned, Rex and Chase joining him in his laughter.

Not soon after, the brothers had fallen asleep. With a sigh, he carried them over his shoulders. Climbing the stairs Matt nearly tripped due to Rex kicking him in his ribs. He rested each of them in their respective room. Chase laid on his back once Matt placed him on his bed. Rex, on the other hand, squirmed like an eel, resulting in his head laying at the foot of the bed as opposed to his pillow. 

When he eventually arrived at his room he discovered an enclosed envelope waiting outside the door. Opening it he found a folded sheet of paper containing a written message. He could tell from the handwriting it belonged to the enforcer Lucas, the personal guard of her royal majesty. What could he want? And more importantly, how did it end up here? He skimmed through the message, his eyes sweeping across the page.

After reading it he entered his room with a defeated groan. Matt opened his briefcase, staring at the holopad's black screen. If his calculations were indeed correct then perhaps he could lock onto the signal he'd lost years ago. If his tests proved to be successful humanity would surely go through a transitional period to a new era. That was his dream. To craft a world in which his sons led better lives than himself. Matt pulled a photo from the shirt pocket of his lab coat. He held the picture of a younger Chase in the arms of a woman with long dark hair. Their smiles warmed his heart.

"Worry not, our sons will be fine." he whispered softly. "I won't let Sanctuary steal their futures, I promise."