At The Capital, Kitsune walked through the halls of The Headquarters. She frowned with concern and entered the office of the supreme commander with a folder in her hands. Her hair was in a bun.
Commander Darius sat by his desk and reviewed a few papers. He looked at his assistant with a stern look and inquired, "What is it?"
"I saw the fates of The New Heroes. They were defeated," Kitsune informed.
Commander Darius nodded and sighed in relief. "That is good news. We can't have them obtain more recognition. We must stay in control."
Kitsune paced close to the desk and placed her folder down and in front of him.
"What is that? Did we already receive a report of them," Commander Darius asked and picked it up.
Kitsune shook her head. "No, I received a call of summons from my kind," she divulged.
Commander Darius checked the contents of the folder and frowned. He asserted, "It's too soon for you to go back to them. You should know well enough that The Exalted One cannot be trusted."
"I must go. They need me," Kitsune murmured.
"Don't go. I promise I'll fulfill our contract in time," Commander Darius insisted.
Kitsune solemnly glanced at him. "Darius, our contract expired a long time ago. Take care," she expressed and turned to the door. "Huh," she muttered and sensed a looming presence.
The door slowly opened...
A certain bald and chubby soldier stepped inside.
Commander Darius raised a brow and questioned, "General Remus, I don't recall calling for you. What brings you here to The Capital?"
"Commander, my apologies. I heard about some grave news. I came to confirm the truth," General Remus explained, and his eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to The New Heroes," he sought to know.
Commander Darius acknowledged his concern and confirmed, "The New Heroes were defeated at Starkport City."
"Sir, why? Why did you send humanity's only hope for survival over there," General Remus interrogated.
Commander Darius narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it's a shame," he claimed. "Still, they chose to depart and attempt defeating The Evil Cyborgs by themselves."
"No," Genral Remus alleged and scowled. "You gave them the mission. They were your responsibility, and you slaughtered them," he accused harshly.
Commander Darius gave him a piercing glare.
General Remus clenched his fists and groaned in frustration. "I promised the foster father of those three. I promised to protect them," he remarked.
"Two of them are alive," Kitsune interjected and continued, "But they are lost in sea. It's highly likely they will perish."
General Remus took a deep breath, and his eyes opened wide. "Commander, what is your plan here? Is your goal the extinction of humankind," he demanded to know.
Commander Darius frowned and proclaimed with an appalled tone, "I'm not bringing forth the end of humanity. We will be victorious over The Evil Cyborgs, and I will be the only one to lead humankind to a bright future."
In the middle of the sea, a boat drifted along a strong breeze...
"Where are we," Matteo asked with a worried look. His eyes were red. He sat near his brother.
"We're lost in the middle of nowhere for now," Hafen, exhausted, replied and looked at a map of Stribora. He leaned against the edge and panted. A few bandages wrapped around his arms and torso. "We should see land in the next couple of days," he reassured.
Matteo's stomach rumbled. He sniffled and checked through their food storage. He grabbed a potato and ate it. "Are we going to have enough food," he queried in a mumble.
"Hopefully," Hafen solaced.
Matteo kneeled and grimaced. "Wait. Are we going to starve to death? It's all my fault," he commented.
"We're not going to starve, Matteo. We're going to get through this," Hafen comforted with a smile.
Matteo gulped and revealed, "Well, I already ate most of the food." His wounds were completely healed, as well.
Hafen's eyes widened in disbelief. He crawled to the food storage and peeked inside. His jaw hung open, and he glared at his little brother. "Matteo! I'm hungry, too," he pleaded and sighed.
"Sorry," Matteo apologized and flinched.
"I suppose we can try catching something to eat," Hafen suggested. He turned his head to the endless sea. He stared at the horizon, and his face darkened.
Thunder reverberated from the horizon, and dark clouds covered the distant sky.
"I have a bad feeling that something worst will happen before we starve," Hafen asserted and became concerned.
That afternoon, Hafen and Matteo found themselves in a storm.
Endless rain fell.
Lightning struck the waters.
Massive waves and gales of wind struck and rocked the boat. An immense wave, triple the size of the boat, approached.
Completely wet and frazzled, Hafen yelled, "Matteo! Hold on!"
"I hate the sea," Matteo screamed and tightly gripped a pole.
The hazardous wave engulfed the boat and flipped it underwater.
Matteo gasped and let go. He drifted away with the sheer force of the waters.
Underwater, Hafen launched away, as well. His cheeks puffed up as he held his breath.
Matteo, unconscious, fell past him. Bubbles came out of Matteo's mouth as he descended.
Hafen furrowed his eyebrows and swam towards him. He reached for him.
However, Matteo fell faster than him.
Hafen and Matteo plummeted into the depths of the sea.
Hafen struggled to hold his breath. Even so, he had to save his little brother. With pure determination, he grasped Matteo's hand and swam back up.
Unfortunately, strong currents moved in the way. One of them hit Hafen and Matteo, and it swept them away. Water seeped into Hafen's lungs.
In the dark depths of the sea, Hafen desperately flailed his arm and legs to swim up.
Just then, underwater sea monsters surrounded them. Scales covered their bodies, and they had fins instead of arms and legs. Serrated sharp teeth bared out of their mouths. One of them had a head of a hammer.
Hafen swatted them away and wondered, "What are they?"
Suddenly, another powerful current pushed Hafen and Matteo away.
The sea monsters swam towards them. They caught the siblings and traversed out of the dangerous current. Their vigorous fins swished against the current, and they advanced deeper into the depths of the sea.
Sea monsters have taken Hafen and Matteo deeper. What are they? Why have they captured Hafen and Matteo? What do they plan to do with their catches? Will Hafen and Matteo make it out alive? Will they find a way back to land?