Selene walked confidently toward the sleek ship, the children and Jod following closely behind her. Her presence seemed to fill the space around her, an aura of authority and mystery emanating with each step. The ramp to the ship loomed ahead, the ship itself standing tall and imposing in the dim light of the planet's atmosphere. The chrome exterior gleamed, reflecting the distant stars above, its curves sharp and elegant. At the top of the ramp stood Rhio Shoich, a towering figure who exuded both strength and grace. His posture was straight, regal even, as he surveyed the scene with a quiet intensity.

Jod, his skepticism thick in the air, stopped just short of the ramp, his eyes narrowing as he took in the ship before him. His words came out as a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. "Is this our ship?" His voice carried a faint edge, as if questioning the very reality of the situation.

Selene paused just a few paces away from the ramp, her gaze never leaving Jod. With a small but confident smile, she nodded in affirmation. "Yes, it is. This is our ship," she replied, her voice calm but steady.

Jod's gaze flickered between the ship and Selene, a hint of unease creeping into his expression. He had seen ships before, but nothing quite like this—sleek, formidable, and undeniably otherworldly. His fingers twitched at his sides, a sign of the wariness he was always so quick to hide.

"I actually obtained it from a clone," Selene continued, her tone casual as if the statement were no more significant than a simple fact. But as she spoke, her words seemed to carry weight, a certain gravity that tugged at the air around them.

Jod's expression immediately tightened. His brows furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, his eyes scanning Selene's face for any sign of jest or exaggeration. "A clone?" he asked, his voice low with incredulity. "You were friends with a clone?"

The question hung in the air between them, as if challenging the very nature of the story Selene had just told. Her words, simple and matter-of-fact, had struck a chord with Jod, his mind immediately racing through every possibility. A clone—nothing more than a genetically engineered soldier, bred for war. How could someone like Selene, with all her poise and elegance, have a connection to one of them?

Selene's smile faltered for a brief moment, her eyes shifting ever so slightly as if the question had reached into a place she didn't often speak about. She took a breath, and in that instant, Jod saw a flicker of something deeper in her gaze—something far older, more complex. "Yes," she said quietly, her voice carrying a soft note of reflection. "I was friends with a clone. But he was more than just a soldier. He was... someone who understood me in a way few others could."

Her tone shifted slightly, as if caught between a memory and the present. "Not all clones were just tools of war, Jod. Some of them, like him, had minds of their own. They were more than the roles they were assigned."

Jod's eyes searched her face, trying to discern the truth in her words. The suspicion still lingered, but there was something in her gaze—something resolute—that made him pause. For a moment, he wondered if there was more to the story, something deeper than he could comprehend. Something he wasn't ready to hear.

"Did he... did he survive?" Jod asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them. He immediately regretted it, but he couldn't take them back now.

Selene's eyes clouded for a brief moment, and then she gave him a small, knowing smile. "He did what he had to do," she replied softly, a distant look in her eyes. "And now, I carry on for him."

The air around them seemed to still, the weight of the conversation settling heavily in the silence. Rhio Shoich, ever the observer, stood silently at the top of the ramp, his gaze unreadable, his posture unmoving. The children, who had been quietly watching the exchange, glanced up at Selene, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

Jod didn't press further. There was something in the way Selene spoke, something in the way she carried herself, that suggested there were stories beneath the surface—stories that had shaped her into the person she was. And Jod, for all his bravado and wariness, knew better than to pry any further.

Neel, one of the children, tilted his head up toward Selene, his curious eyes wide with anticipation. His voice was filled with wonder as he asked, "Are we going past the barrier?" The question hung in the air for a brief moment before Selene gave a soft, reassuring smile.

She gently patted Neel's head, her fingers brushing through his hair as she nodded in affirmation. "Yes, dear, we are now steering in," she replied in a calm and soothing tone, her voice filled with the certainty of someone who had traveled this way many times before.

Selene's fingers moved with practiced ease, touching a small wrist communicator hidden beneath the sleeve of her elegant attire. A series of soft clicks echoed from the device as it activated, and in a smooth motion, the ship's engines roared to life. The vessel, sleek and sharp, began to rise from its resting position on the platform below, lifting off with grace and precision. The platform disappeared beneath them, leaving only the vast expanse of the planet and the glimmering stars stretching out before them.

As the ship ascended, the vibrant green barrier of the atmosphere stretched out in front of them like an ethereal curtain, marking the point where the planet's atmosphere gave way to the unknown. The green hue was not just a color but a phenomenon—an ever-shifting, almost magical energy that seemed to pulse and ripple with an otherworldly force. It was a sight that took Jod's breath away. His eyes were wide, filled with awe and disbelief as the ship soared effortlessly past the barrier.

Jod, having spent little time outside the planet's atmosphere, felt a thrill rush through him as they ascended higher. The unfamiliarity of space—the vastness and the mystery of it all—was enough to fill him with both a sense of wonder and a slight tinge of fear. He had always been more grounded, more rooted in the life he had known. But now, with the stars stretching out in all directions, he couldn't help but feel a strange excitement bubbling inside him.

The ship glided smoothly through the stars, its path serene and purposeful. The hum of the engines was steady, the subtle vibration beneath their feet a reminder that they were far from the familiar confines of the planet. The cold vacuum of space was a stark contrast to the warmth of the world below, but for Selene, it was nothing more than a transition—a mere step in a much larger journey.

"So, you know we're at Attuin Arena, right?" Selene asked, turning to Kb, who was seated next to her in the cockpit. Kb, a young girl with a sharp mind, nodded firmly, her fingers poised above her own wrist communicator. She was calm, composed, and already in tune with the mission ahead.

"I do," Kb replied confidently, her voice carrying an air of certainty that matched Selene's. "I have the coordinates." With a swift tap of her fingers on the communicator, the coordinates flashed up on the screen, confirming their trajectory and destination. The intricate lines of data appeared and disappeared, and with a subtle shift in the ship's controls, it adjusted its course accordingly.

The Attuin Arena—a place of legend, known for its grand scale and the intense battles fought within its walls. It was a destination that carried both danger and opportunity. Selene had chosen this path carefully, her experience guiding her actions as they ventured deeper into the heart of the galaxy. The children, Jod, and even Rhio Shoich—each of them had a role to play in what was to come.

As they moved further into space, the silence of the cockpit was filled only by the steady hum of the ship's systems and the occasional voice from one of the children. The stars outside became more scattered, the swirling colors of distant nebulae painting the sky in hues of purple, blue, and gold. There was a quiet serenity to the vastness of space, but for Selene, there was a quiet undercurrent of tension, as if she was walking toward something inevitable.

"How much longer until we reach the Arena?" Jod asked, his voice still thick with awe, though he was beginning to settle into the rhythm of space travel.

Selene gave him a brief, reassuring glance. "We'll be there soon. Just a little longer. Prepare yourself," she said cryptically, her gaze shifting to the coordinates flashing across Kb's screen. "The Attuin Arena is not just a place of sport; it's a place where destinies are decided."

As the ship continued to glide deeper into the cosmos, the stars ahead seemed to grow closer, as though guiding them toward their fate. Each moment was another step toward the unknown, and Selene was ready for whatever awaited them at the Arena.