After days of endless travel, the pair could finally see their destination. They'd flown through more galaxies than they could count, and as they moved towards an arm of a spiral, their two-week journey would finally come to a close. It was freedom. Visions of beaches, running through forests, dipping her feet into the river, they all filled Hazel's desperate mind. It may not have been Earth, but it was land. Not some space station, not the tight prison of a ship, but real ground.

Hazel's heart fluttered at the thought.

Nedoza had finally returned to the cockpit. She knew where she was going, and as good as the autopilot was, there were some things it just couldn't do.

"I can unlock these doors with my soul but I can't get this thing to land on its own? It's ridiculous!" she rambled.

The idea of Nedoza seeing the limited technology of her home brought Hazel a little giggle. She could already hear the woman's pained complaints as she has to operate a car with no break.

"So, are you ready to see where I come from?" Nedoza asked, not taking her eyes off the windshield.

Hazel nodded. Her head was lighter than she expected, but it was nothing like the fog she'd felt not so long ago.

An all-too-perfect android voice spoke from the speakers.

"Now approaching destination. Please stay seated, and pilots, prepare the landing procedure."

The planet looked a lot like Earth, but almost all of the land was covered in endless desert. Not a single light glimmered from the night side, and very few clouds covered the place from the unrelenting heat of the distant sun.

There was one spot, however, where luscious life could clearly be seen. It was not green as Hazel expected, but a deep crimson that contrasted well against the blue oceans. Hazel pressed her nose against the window as they approached.

"Pretty depressing, huh? It's nicer on the ground, I can promise you that," Nedoza said. Her voice was airy and full of remorse.

The ship slowed as it approached the area of lush reds. As it descended, she could begin to see the contour of the mountains perfectly surrounding it. They were tall, much grander than anything she'd seen on Earth. The mountains were like a natural wall, protecting its last oasis from the barren desert surrounding it.

"It's beautiful," Hazel said, her voice breathy and light.

The ship landed gently with a little bounce on a long strip of stone stretching from their current place in the desert into the mountains. As they taxied down the road, the sound of sand crunching under the massive tires filled the hull until it was all they could hear against the tense silence.

It was land. Real land. No more ships, no more stations, but the surface of an actual planet. No matter how foreign or barren it was, Hazel couldn't help but sense that this place could almost be considered home; at least in comparison to the hell she'd faced those past few horrid weeks.

The ship's wings tucked in simultaneously with a deafening mechanical whir, turning the vehicle into a car of sorts. Hazel smiled. It was really starting to feel more like home now.

"Welcome to the remnants of the Gyontanik Empire," Nedoza said with a sigh.

Past the mountains, a great city could be seen in the valley. A castle with spires stretching high into the sky, protected by a wall so large Hazel could barely believe her eyes. Below the wall were hundreds upon hundreds of houses and buildings, some challenging the castle with their immense height. It was like a forest of mushrooms, with the contrasting sizes and natural shapes. The city was perfectly tucked into part of the protected oasis, right along a river which cut through a cave in a nearby mountain.

"Remnants?" Hazel asked, glancing at the focused Nedoza.

Nedoza gave a single solemn nod.

"Notice how this place is dead? I'll just say that my ancestors messed with the wrong people," she said, her voice drained of emotion, "and we're paying the price for it."

As they continued their slow crawl to the city, Hazel could begin to see what looked to be a gate guarded by two armored men. They held onto curved blades, and there was something about the upward curves on the armor that sent a chill down Hazel's spine.

Nedoza groaned. The armored men gripped onto their weapons tightly, but with a moment of realization, they stepped back. The gates creaked open, and the men welcomed them into the city with a deep bow.

"What was that about?"

Nedoza's dark skin flushed a reddish hue.

"I- it's hard to explain," she said quickly, her hold on the steering wheel growing into a death grip.

At last, the city was there. Right in front of them, a civilization. Much more than the few people Hazel had known for the past four weeks, it was freeing.

The buildings were simple, built out of what was clearly stone and mud, but they had a cozy feeling to them. The streets were of sand and dirt, and archways of spiralling red flora separated the sections of the city from one another. Hazel's eyes were wide as they drove straight through the city towards the great wall.

"Where's your home?" Hazel asked, glancing around at all the people and waving.

Nedoza did not answer, but instead just kept driving. Hazel crossed her arms and glared at the now silent woman.

"Fine," Nedoza groaned, "up there."

She pointed up towards the wall, but kept her eyes on the ever so slightly wavy street.

"That castle?" Hazel said in disbelief.

Nedoza nodded.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

Hazel's heart raced faster than before. She'd never seen a castle before, though it was on her list of things to see someday. Perhaps her list would be over faster than she thought. After all, she could already safely cross "space" off of it.

The ship stopped as it nearly hit the wall. There was a quick pause before a ground-shaking rumble began. The wall began to descend into the earth, allowing entry into a cavern deep beneath the castle's floor.

They approached the cavern, and as soon as the entire ship was safely inside, the wall rose to seal it off once more.

"And now, we wait."

Nedoza leaned back, letting her feet rest above the dashboard. She closed her eyes, but it wasn't as if there was a difference between that and eyes open. The darkness surrounded them at all angles with just barely a hint of light in the very left corner.

Light flickered on into the room, making Hazel wince at the sudden change.

"Nedoza?" a deep voice called.

Hazel pulled herself up into a sitting position to see where it came from.

The corner of light that she'd noticed before was the entry to a stone staircase in front of which a man stood with his palm upwards. Above his palm was a glowing sphere which sent golden light shimmering against his cheek.

"Siyan!" Nedoza yelped.

She ran to the side door and spammed the control to open it. As it lowered, she nearly threw herself out of the vehicle and into his arms. Hazel glanced around, but stayed in the ship. She moved to the now open doorway and sat down, her feet dangling off the edge.

The man had silver hair in thick braids all the way down his chest. He wore robes of red and gold with geometric patterns across them. He too had tattoos across his face, though they were much more angular than the ones gracing Nedoza's.

"Where the hell have you been?" Siyan asked, holding her close.

"Dymo's gone mad, you don't understand," Nedoza said quickly, tears streaming down her face, "I would have visited you and Dad sooner but I couldn't leave, he wouldn't let any of us leave!"

Hazel frowned.

"You know each other?" she said teasingly.

"Of course I do! She's my sister," Siyan replied, "and I can't help but get this feeling that she hasn't been entirely truthful."