Chapter 4: Paradis
"I caught it, dad! I caught it!"
A young boy screamed in delight as he came sprinting up from a glimmering stream, water dripping from his sleeves. A huge grin was plastered across his face. His drenched clothes clung to him tightly as his crimson hair stuck to his forehead.
After reaching the top of the small hill, he held up a small wriggling creature like a trophy.
A breathtaking young man with raven dark hair spilling over his shoulders and emerald eyes that mirrored the boy's own, glanced over at him with a smile beneath his dark beard and mustache.
Despite the twin suns' scorching heat, his skin was smooth and flawless, almost like he had never worked a day in his life.
"Oh, that quickly? Good job, Arbus. Was honestly expecting you to struggle a little longer." He teased with a soft laugh.
The boy, Arbus, pouted as he slowly opened up his hands.
In them, was a small colourful Mornan-like creature with thin grin wings on its back, and a single eye. A pixie – creatures that were very common on the planet of Tarok.
The pixie sprawled lazily in Arbus's palm, already accepting defeat.
"Oh, a green one. How lucky," the man exclaimed, leaning forward slightly. "It's said that those who manage to capture a green pixie are blessed with boundless luck and great fortune."
Arbus's eyes gleamed, his lips curving into a wide smile.
"Really? That's awesome!"
"…But what do I do with it now? It took me a while to catch it, but I don't really want to put it in a little cage or something," he added, looking stumped.
A faint smile appeared on the man's stunning features. He was pleased by his son's reaction.
"Don't worry about that. You don't have to keep the pixie to receive its boons. Catching it is already enough."
"After that, we usually just let them go," he said, gesturing to the pixie to take flight.
The creature fluttered its cute wings and slowly rose into the air. When it got far enough, it turned back one last time and stuck its tongue out at Arbus in a final act of defiance - before flying off as fast as possible.
Arbus wasn't sure if he was okay with it leaving just like that, given the time and effort it had taken to catch it.
Still, he was glad he didn't have to take away its freedom just to be lucky.
The man chuckled as he finally stood up, brushing away the dust from his robes before patting his son's head softly.
"I know you're a bit sad, but you really shouldn't be. Tell me the truth, didn't you enjoy yourself more when you were chasing it around? I'm sure you weren't that satisfied by just watching it sit idly in your hand, right?"
He looked towards the bright colourful stream, then back at Arbus.
"Something I want you to remember, son, is that the journey is often more interesting than the end result. That's why you have to make sure to enjoy it while it lasts."
Then, the man looked up at the twin suns and realized the day was already coming to an end.
"That's enough for today. We should head back home now," he said to Arbus as he pulled two bracelets from his pocket.
Then, he placed one of the bracelets on his pale arm. The bracelet gave a soft glow as it slowly spread over his entire body, turning his human skin crimson, until it was hard to distinguish him from a Red Mornan.
After that, he fastened the second bracelet around Arbus's wrist and turned it on, causing his son's skin to shift in the same way.
Arbus frowned at the bracelet. "Dad, why do we always have to wear these? Is it really that bad for people to see our real skin?"
The man's expression turned somber for a moment.
"Listen to me, Arbus. No matter what happens, you must never take off your bracelet in front of others. I know that you hate them, and the fact we have to do all this, but sometimes… you have to endure certain things for the greater good. No matter what happens, no one can know that we're human. If they ever found out… everything would change."
***
Arbus sighed deeply as he pulled himself away from his racing thoughts.
The days leading up to that incident had truly been peaceful for him and his family.
Unfortunately, knowing what he knew now, he couldn't bring himself to wish for those times again.
Arbus chuckled slightly. "You're such a terrible liar, Dad,"
His thoughts eventually drifted back to the pixie he had caught. The myths didn't seem so accurate after all, considering how his life had turned out.
"Are you talking to me?" came the soothing voice of the Knight sitting in the seat across from Arbus.
Arbus glanced over at him.
He was a Red Mornan with neck-length green hair that framed his idol-like features and ocean blue eyes.
Arbus also noticed that he had a east Mornan accent, most likely meaning he came from a family of class, several star systems away from this one.
At the moment, He was being escorted by this Vanguard team to meet the Sentinel of the star system.
He wasn't sure how to feel about that, given his currently tempestuous emotions.
It reminded him too much of the last time something like this had happened.
Arbus didn't answer for several moments as he surveyed the rest of the crew.
Unlike the Vanguard, all the Knights present had already taken off their masks when they had boarded the ship.
A female Mornan with flowing dark hair sat sprawled in a chair with her hair draped over the backrest. There was a melancholic and vacant expression etched across her face.
There was an old Mornan with a towering physique unusual for a red Mornan standing against the wall at the edge of the room. His suit seemed more bulky than the others. Arbus noticed the slump present in his wide shoulders.
The youngest looking Knight present beside the female Mornan seemed visibly distraught. Arbus was sure he was no older than seventeen.
It was understandable that he would feel that way considering what they had just witnessed.
Then, he glanced to the very edge of the room, where a young Red Mornan with dark blue hair sat next to the Vanguard with folded arms and crossed legs.
Arbus could feel the Knight's gaze burning into him intensely. He wasn't exactly sure why this Knight felt so strongly about him, but he could somewhat guess that it had something to do with another human.
He was already used to people often directing that hatred towards him.
He sighed as he returned his gaze to the dazzlingly handsome Knight that seemed the least traumatized by experiencing the genocide of Terytl-B.
"I was just muttering to myself."
"Oh, okay then," the Knight replied with a small nod.
Silence descended upon the ship once again as Arbus took in the look of the vessel.
It was the most colorful Vanguard ship he'd ever seen before, with bright walls lined with a mix of green, silver, and yellow hues.
A faint melancholic look appeared in his eyes. Arbus had always been a fan of colorful things.
"Nice ship," he muttered under his breath.
The handsome Knight's eyes glimmered brightly when he heard that.
"It is! Isn't it? That's what I said too! I'm the reason we picked this ship by the way, the others thought it was too bland," he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
Then he leaned back, facing Arbus fully. "I'm Bridge by the way, what's your—no wait, I guess I already know your name from the files. Arbus, right? There was nothing about your last name, so I was a bit curious about that. Or do you not have one?"
Arbus stared at the Knight silently for a few moments—his casual demeanor catching him off guard briefly.
"It's just Arbus. That's my name. Don't ask about the last part," he replied.
"Oh.. um, sure. My bad," Bridge said apologetically.
An awkward silence settled over the room again.
The Knight shifted, seemingly considering his words, then spoke up again. "I hope you don't mind me asking another question. It's just that... I can't seem to get my mind off of this."
Arbus's brow arched slightly. "What is it?"
Bridge didn't reply for a long moment. Then, he finally asked the question that had been plaguing everyone in the ship, even if they wouldn't say it out loud.
"How did you do it? Kill the human, I mean."
Arbus didn't respond, simply staring at Bridge with an aloof expression.
He was wondering if there was any need to answer at all.
Bridge noticed his hesitation and scratched the back of his neck lightly. "Sorry if that was too direct, it's just… after seeing everything that human did—All those lives he snuffed out—It's a bit hard for me to wrap my head around how he died."
Arbus stared at him some more, then said suddenly:
"It wasn't really as impressive as you're probably imagining it to be."
"I simply waited for him to exhaust his soul-essence before attacking."
His gaze fell slightly as he went on.
"The human, Ronin arrived in front of our base hours ago, after he'd already massacred the rest of the planet and the other Renegade stations."
"His energy was already in the red by that point."
"We hadn't gotten a single emergency call while his massacre took place. We didn't even realize the planet was under attack until it was our turn," Arbus said, his teeth clenching slightly.
"I'm not exactly sure what it was, but some kind of tech he had with him was probably dampening our communications."
His expression darkened. "He didn't attack at first. He simply sat outside and watched us. As if he was toying with us, when in truth, he was recharging his nearly drained energy."
Arbus noticed as the other Knights in the room discreetly glance toward him to listen in on the conversation.
"When the battle started, Commander Mits led the charge. Despite the difference in speed, he'd managed to keep up with the already drained Ronin evenly, exhausting the Reincarnator's ability even more."
"Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop him. Ronin ultimately won that battle, and then went on to clean up what was left."
Arbus felt the eyes of the Vanguard at the far end of the room finally fall on him as he went on.
"After he'd slaughtered everyone in the station, he noticed with shock that I was still alive. And naturally, my half-human appearance, as well," he muttered, his eyes falling on his blood stained hands.
"He'd found my situation comical, and decided to play with me more—since I was the last person left to toy with."
"I made sure to give him what he wanted too, by constantly taunting him."
"When I was sure he couldn't activate his blessing anymore, I made my move and killed him. It's... as simple as that, I suppose."
Bridge stared at Arbus with a stunned expression, his mouth slightly agape.
A gleam appeared in his eyes moments later. "…Simple! Wait, do you actually think something like that was simple? Seriously?"
"Ronin is known for his brutal and twisted methods. How was it possible for you to even survive his torture in the first plac—"
"That is enough, Bridge. No more talking with our guest," came Yome's voice from across the room.
Arbus glanced over at her just as she finally took off her helmet. His eyes widened the moment he saw her.
She was stunning. A Mornan with dark blue hair that flowed freely like a waterfall and stood out against her bright crimson skin. Her features were breathtaking, her cold expression highlighting her oval face and striking eyes.
But it wasn't just her beauty that had shocked Arbus. No, it was her resemblance to his childhood friend.
It was as if he was seeing her as an adult, when he looked into Yome's bright orange eyes. If not for their different races, he would believe the Vanguard was actually her.
Memories Arbus preferred to keep buried slowly came flooding back like a tidal wave.
"We're not authorized to ask him anything about what happened on the planet yet. Not before he is questioned by the Sentinel himself," the Vanguard continued, her gaze locked on Arbus.
***
"Oh, sorry, Yom—I mean, Vanguard Yome," Bridge muttered, giving Arbus an apologetic look.
One that Arbus didn't seem to notice, since his gaze was glued to Yome.
Bridge's shoulders slumped slightly as he sighed.
He'd still had a lot to ask Arbus. The most pressing being how he had managed to survive for so long against Ronin.
And why he was uninjured, despite the blood and tears in his suit.
Several moments later, a knock sounded from the cockpit, where the ship's designated pilot sat.
"It seems like we've arrived," Yome said, glancing out the small window to the side.
Bridge, Arbus, and the crew followed her gaze as well. There it was—the biggest moon in the star system, as large as four planets in one.
Paradis, the home of the current Sentinel of this system.